Weve been big fans of OMG! Everywhere for several years now. If you havent heard of OMG! Everywhere, its a non-profit run by music video directors that offers free summer camps to kids in New York, Los Angeles, Oakland, and London. The directors serve as counselors and collaborators, and work together with the kids on some amazing music videos for real musicians who frequently come in and take part in the camp as well. One of those musicians, Jena Malone, spent some time at OMG LA this year with her and Lem Jay Ignacio's band The Shoe to make a music video for their song "Paper Cup." We talked to Jena about how she got involved with OMG and what it was like working with the campers. (Photos by Raymond Liu)
IMVDb: How did you get involved with OMG! Everywhere? Had you seen any of the OMG music videos before taking part in the camp?
Jena: Some of our dearest friends have been counselors and have worked on the board there for a while. So I hear all these amazing stories of the kids and the experiences they have there. I actually hadn't seen any of the videos before we came in to work with the kids.
IMVDb: Were you involved in helping come up with the idea for the video, or did the concept come from the campers?
Jena: The kids came up with the concept all by themselves. We were just their eternal helpers. It was really an incredible experience to let their minds run free and just be there to help support their ideas and their voices.
IMVDb: There is some pretty amazing choreography and costume design in this video, what was it like getting those elements together?
Jena: That was all the kids! Actually Lem Jay's boy, Lemy, was the choreographer for the whole video. He was amazing to work with and had a really fun vision behind the whole piece. The wardrobe was fun because we were just led around by the girls making the costumes and trying different things but ultimately I wanted them to be happy. I was just a living model for them really.
IMVDb: How do the OMG kids stack up to some of the other directors that you have worked with?
Jena: I liked that they all took turns directing the different pieces they liked. They all were excited to led at different times so it felt really new and exciting all the time. These kids had so much confidence! I'd say more then some first time directors I've worked with!
IMVDb: What did you think of the final video? Was it pretty close to the idea you all were aiming for when shooting it?
Jena: I loved the video!!!! It's soo sweet and sad and a really beautiful narrative. I'm really proud of them!!
Help keep OMG Everywhere free by donating here!
