A
Dream Coming True!
07.01.2004 - Making of the Video "King Of Love"
Monday
morning, I woke up and asked myself "Was it a dream or is it true?".
Half asleep I caught my camera and checked the photos of the last
weekend. - It was true! It was me standing beside Thomas grinning
brightly. I won the price I have always dreamed off! A day with Thomas
seeing a video shooting.
Two
days later my boyfriend Marcel and I drove to Mannheim. At 10 o'clock we
arrived, but we were not sure to be at the right place! The description
of the buildings were correct, yes, but here? A decay industrial estate
with old buildings, collapsing walls, hoardings and a parking lot mainly
consisting of puddles? It did not look like a place for making a video!
We
took the first entrance and asked somebody if we were at the right place.
He said "no" and we were afraid that somebody gave us the
wrong description, but then he laughed. We had to go along the building
taking the blue door. There we would find the set. - And he was right!
Suddenly we saw spotlights, cables, tripods, a lot of technical devices
and many many people.
We
were welcomed by Sabine, the assistant of the producer. She gave us the
storyboard and told us to go to the catering area. We did it and started
with reading. It was funny! We could not believe that Thomas would play
such a role! It could not be true!
Thomas and
Claudia arrived about 5-10 minutes later. I was lucky to see somebody
known as I felt lost among all the people being in hurry to prepare the
set. Thomas and Claudia came to us and said hello. Claudia took us and
brought us in the next room. It was the cloakroom containing a
coat-stand with many colourful clothes, some chairs and a table with a
mirror. - Thomas took off his jacket and tried some other. The shoes he
brought with him were varnished silver and I had to sew the buttons at a
silver shirt. It was made of an awful material and I felt sorry for the
person who had to wear it. - A few minutes later I knew who it will be.
It was Thomas! He came to me asking me if I did my work correct as it
were his shirt. However, it was not the only silver thing he had to wear.
His dress was completely silver including a fur coat and a walking
stick!
After a while
Thomas and Ercan, the choreograph, went in an empty corner of the hall
and started to practise some dancing steps…. I did not believe my eyes!
Thomas will dance in the video??? However, Thomas was learning fast and
Ercan had not much to explain.
During
this time the "caravan" was prepared. It is the place were
most of the video takes part. However, in reality this glittering
colourful thing was just a wooden box with a floor of a grid placed
about 1 m above pink spotlights. Marcel and I were allowed to enter, but
I was happy to leave it again!
When
the "box" was prepared with all the lights and the camera
Sabine shouted "action". Immediately Thomas' behaviour changed.
Within a few seconds he was up to 100 and Sabines "give me more"
motivated him to give everything! Thomas danced and moved using the
walking stick like he had never done anything else before. He showed the
fun he had by performing in front of the camera and I was surprised that
only a few directions were necessary. Thomas got some hints, but most of
the time everything was improvised. He played with the camera and tried
new movements/gestures. Sometimes Ercan gave him some tips how to move,
but this decreased by the time. The dancing in the caravan was done
often. Sometimes wearing the coat, sometimes without, with sun glasses
and without, with stick and without, etc. When Thomas was ready, the
girls' performance followed. Completely styled and dressed only with
less clothes they had to waiting until this moment in the very cold
hall….
However, they could not start directly as the grid of the box was
too big for their high heels. First it had to be changed which took some
time, but finally these scenes were finished too and they came to the
close-ups. When making these Thomas were allowed to sit on a chair, but
first of all the lights had to be changed. In the dancing scenes the
clothes had to be spotlighted but now it was Thomas' face.
Afterwards,
the scenes in front of the caravans door were made. A real caravan was
used, but inside there were only lighting and a fog machine. To be able
to make good pictures without having reflections of the silver caravan,
big spotlights were directed against the white ceiling and suddenly we
got the impression of having daylight. The dirty and stained floor was
made wet so that it appears clean and smooth in the video. After
finishing this take we went to the stairwell. Like the parking lot and
the hall it was in a bad condition…. dirty and decayed. I was
wondering why there was only so less light, but to be honest, may be it
was a good decision! The stairwell was only very small and not many
people were able to get into it. The stairs itself were very steep and
it was not easy for the girls to move on it. However, after a while
everything was done and all the scenes with Thomas were made. About 23
in the evening we said goodbye and travelled home.
All
in all it was a fantastic day! It was funny and interesting to see how a
video is made. It is amazing how many work is behind such a short film!
Uschi Ankelin
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