Spike Lee, Mary J. Blige, Samuel L. Jackson, Brian Greene, Susan Sarandon and Paul Auster do MASSSIVEGOOD!
We were in New York City to film our newest MASSIVEGOOD film with Spike Lee, Mary J. Blige, Samuel L. Jackson, Professor Brian Greene, Susan Sarandon and Paul Auster.
Our Communications Officer Jienna Foster was there - have a look below at her memories from the two-day shoot.
Stay tuned for the release of the video…
Here I am sitting in a private box at the historic Apollo Theater in New York City. Crews swarm around me, cables are being strung across the floor, it’s soon lights, camera action. It is completely incongruent with what we normally do…working with UNITAID and the World Health Organization on the importance of providing life-saving treatments to the world’s most vulnerable populations, getting the major companies of the travel industry to support the initiative.
I’m used to working long hours in front of a computer screen, but for the past two days, I’ve been doing time in front of a monitor. As I type, I’m watching the monitor as world-reknown filmmaker Spike Lee gives international pop singer Mary J. Blige direction on the Apollo Theater stage, both of them donating their time, energy and passion, and all for our massively good cause.I’ve never been one to be star-struck, but I can be and have been impressed by greatness. Over the past two days, I’ve met some of the most talented people not only in the US, but on the planet. First was Brian Greene, Columbia University professor and quantum physicist.
Professor Greene is an incredibly down-to-earth genius. After the shoot in a lecture hall where a scene from Malcolm X. was filmed, I got to ask him about his upcoming projects. He was excited to talk about the play he has written which will be performed at the World Science Festival in June 2010. Here was a man who has come up with some of the most complex string theories known to us, excited by the idea of making science easy to understand, doing his part to ensure that the next Greene or Einstein has a reason to want to learn and reminding us that the entire universe is really just made up of billions, trillions of tiny things.
A couple hours later, I was checked to see if I had gloves and a warm hat, handed packets of handwarmers and whisked off to stand in -7° C wind on the Brooklyn Bridge to watch the Master, Spike Lee Himself, deliver his on-screen contribution to his masterpiece. It was there that I began to understand the dedication and professionalism of the production team, and of “Master” Lee himself. The Director’s choice was the first indication: we would not be filming the bridge to Manhattan. The view would be that of Brooklyn. The hands that built the bridge were those of workers who labored and sweated (and many died) building that bridge to get to Manhattan. It is the view we need to take: from the privileged view we have from our cities with running water and easy access to health, we need to look to those who are desperately trying to build a bridge to get to us, but are less privileged. And we need to help them.
Speaking of privileged, there I was, freezing myself as cars zoomed under my feet and the wind whipped my hair around my face and froze my nose, thinking “Who, in their right mind, would do this?” Yet Spike and his team soldiered on, placing lights in different places, standing on boxes holding light diffusers up in the air (a job for 2 people, given the wind), kindly directing curious tourists away from the shoot. Spike himself was not about to short-change this take, either. In his shoes, a normal person (like me) may have thought “Ok, I’ll deliver this line a few times, but man, its COLD, I’m getting out of here after, like, 3 takes!!” Not Mr. Lee. An actor, director and activist “par excellence”, he delivered and delivered, giving variations to his tone, to his wording, his gests, giving himself direction. He was patient, but perhaps not as patient as he would have been in different (warmer) circumstances. I went to take a picture, but had forgotten to turn the flash off. I immediately received an earful from one of the most critically acclaimed directors of our time. “NO FLASH!!” he yelled over the roar of the cars below us. I just kind of looked sheepish and apologized profusely. “Normally, its $50 for that! But for you, we’ll give you a discount.” I thought, I’m happy to give my micro-contribution for that!
We warmed up in the van ride over to the New York Public Library. 6pm closing time. Empty, nobody there but us. Thousands of tomes, millions of years of history told and retold…one Mr. Spike Lee. One Mr. Paul Auster. Tall, stately, brimming with the stories of New York. The production assistant referred to him as a bit of a “silver fox”, with his charm and stature. He was funny and very kind. While all of the all-star cast understood what MASSIVEGOOD is all about, Mr. Auster seemed to really “get it”. He delivered his lines and movements with great purpose. At the end, I was honored to interview him about what MASSIVEGOOD means to him. Yep, he got it.
The next day, bright and early, off to an art gallery in Chelsea. The room for the filming was covered in Keith Haring works, again, a Director’s choice and nod to the importance of continuing in the battle against treatable diseases like AIDS. Sitting in a small adjacent room, I suddenly heard a strangely familiar, melodic, deep voice. I looked up at the monitor and saw what appeared to be a black panther. It was none other than Mr. Samuel L. Jackson being “placed” by his buddy Spike. They exchanged a few words about the Steelers’ loss (have to admit, I was gutted), then got down to business. I have never seen such professionalism as at that moment. One line, delivered perfectly in dozens of different tones, with different textures like the brushstrokes in the paintings behind him. His charisma filled the rooms of the small gallery, his steps and rhythms perfectly timed with the camera zoom. I have rarely had such a proud moment as when I said “Mr. Jackson, your words, ‘give a click’…if they don’t inspire people to click, I don’t know what else will.” He laughed and replied simply “let’s see what happens…”
Before I knew it, I was on the 18th floor of a very chic hotel with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop. The sun poured it and despite the blistering cold outside, we felt like we were in a solarium. I looked up from my computer to see Goldie Hawn, who had “just stopped by” to see her friend Susan Sarandon before the shoot began. Susan entered with an adorable little dog, magnificently showing no signs of the “Thelma and Louise” days. Susan joked around the lines…turning the question in her line to “how many people to make this project happen”. The “joke” resounded with an incredible truth. Hours of work to get to the stage of launching MASSIVEGOOD. Hundreds of people milling around Ms. Sarandon, as she delivered her line perfectly, with the grace and depth she gives to all her roles.
I was terribly excited but also a bit sad to be on my way to the Apollo Theater, the last stop before my flight back to Geneva. The history of the famous Harlem location where countless performers, many African-Americans, launched their careers, is overwhelming. The famous “Tree of Hope”, now a stump on a pedestal, sits backstage as a witness to the changes over the years, proof that very small things, very small steps, all put together, can one day lead to massively good things. Mary J. Blige walked over to shake each one of our hands, and we thanked her wholeheartedly for her participation and support. Her movements are that of a performer, used to using her voice and her incredible stage presence to win over millions of fans. Completely at home on the stage of the Apollo, and giving all her energy to the one simple line, that put together with the others, will bring MASSIVEGOOD to life.
It’s with tremendous pride to be part of this project that I leave this hallowed place…so much has happened over just two days! I will thank the crew members again, so dedicated, professional and helpful in every way. The videos and pictures will serve as proof of this remarkable experience, to answer Ms. Sarandon’s question. But the question to you is: Will you give a click? Will you add your micro-contribution to the countless others we hope to receive, to help save millions of lives, when you travel? Can you just ignore that such a simple gesture can have great consequences? We invite you to check back with us at the end of the month to see if this film doesn’t convince you that you, too, should be doing MASSIVEGOOD.
