The outtakes I posted below are from this Hardly Working! I really like this one, for all of the obvious reasons. But also for some less obvious ones. Firstly, because I got to do a lot of background acting. One of my favorite things is to make subtle jokes that are rewarding only really when you watch a video for a 3rd or 4th time. I thought it’d be really funny to be super nonchalant as each of my fellow coworkers gets terrorized. Behind the real action, see if you can find me 1.) Looking at my phone. 2) Chugging a bottle of Green Tea and 3.) Stretching my shoulders. There’s also a great shot of Dan crying during Pat and J-Mike’s couch shot.
The other reason I love this video is because it features John Zanussi and Andrew Pile, two programmers who don’t usually get to step in front of the camera. They each did an awesome job. Obviously.
Amir took some footage as we shot our latest Hardly Woring, which should debut today or tomorrow. I’ve always been really terrible at keeping a straight face while we shoot anything. And considering how long it usually takes, this wasn’t too bad.
I like posting Hardly Working behind the scenes stuff because it shows how much fun they are to make. And I think that’s part of the appeal of the HW videos. Aside from hopefully being funny, I think people like them because we’re all clearly having so much making them.
This video is hilarious. It was done by some of the guys over at vimeo on the other side of the office- specifically Casey Donahue and Blake Whitman. It reminds me a lot of the kind of absurd humor we usually enjoy putting into a Hardly Working.
I love it because these guys, despite working for a completely different website, are a lot like us at CH. At the end of the day, we’re all a bunch of immature 20 year olds with expensive video cameras. Break out performance by Sean Nelson.
A little context in regards to my post below this one. A bunch of the CH edit staff and I went up to 34th St. where our production team- and more specifically, Sam Reich, were shooting a video. Today is Sam’s birthday so we were all there to surprise him, give him a bunch of flowers, and sing Happy Birthday.
They were shooting in a big office building and it was mostly empty. After the whole birthday thing was over we were all kind of wandering around. Jeff poked his head into a room, and not wanting to miss an opportunity to mess with him, I shoved him inside and slammed the door behind us, making it seem like I brought him in there to beat him mercilessly while no one could come to his rescue. (This chain of thought may have had something to do with seeing The Dark Knight this weekend.)
Either way, after the joke was over, we tried to get out and the door wouldn’t open. We knocked and called out for help. I could hear Amir laughing on the other side of the door when I said we were locked in. He started jiggling the handle. “It’s locked here too!” I knew he was being a dick, but fortunately there was another door, a sliding one with a porthole in it. I walked over and pulled. Nothing. This one was bolted shut. I walked back over to the first door to wait for Amir’s joke to get old.
Then I heard Taco’s voice. His voice sounded more honest, “I think it’s actually locked.” More jiggling of the handle, this time harder. Amir’s voice again, laughing, “Oh my God, it’s really locked?” Harder laughing.
It seemed fitting that the other door had a window on it. It allowed every person we came up there with, and people who were already on the shoot, to come mock us for our stupidity. Even the maintenance guy who had to come let us out fucked with us, saying we had to wait for a welder to come, and that we might run out of oxygen.
All in all we were maybe in there for 15 to 20 minutes. It felt longer. Being honest though, I don’t think I learned any lesson. Given the same opportunity I think I’d still like to make the “I’m going to beat the shit out of you in an empty room and no one can stop me joke.” I think that’s how I know I’m in the right line of work.
I was in the bathroom yesterday with one of my coworkers, J-Mo. We peed at the urinals side by side, and afterwards J-Mo remarked on the way I wash my hands.
“You’re a rinser too?” He said.
J-Mo, like me, doesn’t feel the need to really scrub your hands down with soap after peeing. We discussed the matter further. My theory is that in the shower I am probably the most thorough when washing my crotch. J-Mo also pointed out that it’s under two layers of clothing all day.
“Your hands are what’s dirty. You should wash your dick after you take a piss.”
While admittedly vulgar, he has a point.
Jon Gabrus, a really funny dude and a friend of mine, hosts a webshow called Lunchbox on IFC.com. In his latest show he mentioned Jake and Amir dot com. This is high praise since I think Jon Gabrus is one of the funniest people I’ve ever actually met in person. I’m also a fan of Lunchbox. Here’s the video we’re mentioned it. For those restless people, we’re number three.*
Oh, and here’s Jon Gabrus telling an awesome story.
* The video wasn’t working here so I took it down, you can still check it out on the Lunchbox site.
I really like this new Hardly Working a lot. I like it because we were able to make it without most of the edit guys. You’ll notice Streeter, Jeff, Amir and Dan aren’t in it. Since they were all out a lot of our new interns got a chance to shine. I love that Rosie gets to be the break out star.
Interesting fact. We also have a really offensive looking Asian person mask that Ricky brought home from his vacation in Japan. We were going to use it, but ultimately decided it was too racist. People watching this video don’t know they’re missing out on Asian Bear, Asian Superman and Asian Table.
