My Backyard: Updated - Making of the FSA Music Video

Oh yes, here's the final music video:

One of the major reasons I made the trip to NWA was just for this event. My son, Chris Harriman, stars in this music video for the Fayetteville Ska Alliance. The song is "Jingle Bells" and he portrays a "hipster" Santa.

I arrived at Chris' house Monday night and had just enough time to catch up before Mr. Cherokee Turner arrived with some very expensive and professional looking video equipment.

The premise of the video? I still have no idea and I was there through the vast majority of the filming. Basically it's about your average scrooge who falls asleep on the couch and wakes to find himself as some sort of super hipster Santa Claus... calamity then ensues.

This is Stephanie Harriman, my favorite daughter-in-law, wiping peanut butter on Chris' face so they could get a shot of Prince (their dog) licking his face as he wakes up.

Prince is their rescued dog, a very cute, inquisitive Chinese Powder Puff.

We were up until like 4:00 in the morning. (5:00 am for me, I was still on Eastern time.)

The next day we were joined by Damen who helped with some camera work.

I have no idea how all this will be put together. I can't wait to see what Cherokee comes up with.

Hipster Santa falls off the roof.

He is also chased by a pack of angry chihuahua's.

I'm thinking this is a good look for Chris!

And now the real fun begins! They got the band together to film them playing "Jingle Bells" at the The Smoke and Barrel on Dickson Street in Fayetteville.

They decorated the place with cheap tinsel and 25 cent wrapping paper. Remember this is all for charity and there's a strict budget (meaning none) to follow.

UGH! I am not a photographer. Sure I can take pictures of insects, birds, and the occasional reptile, if they kindly line up in front of my camera, in broad daylight, and I manage to actually hit the button at the right time. I have many friends who are real photographers and I have a new appreciation for all they can do with all those confusing settings on their cameras, lighting and so on. I had a miserable time with my camera this trip. It started when these guys were filming indoors and I would shut off my flash so as not to interfere with their video. I couldn't get a decent indoor shot after that, flash or not. The damned thing just wouldn't click when I wanted it to. I have decided that I am no longer allowed to take pictures of people or anything indoors. Sorry, guys. I wish I could have taken better candid shots of you.