Humorous
HVA winners will receive much needed funding to aid in the production of future projects… thats right, cash prizes including a grand prize of $5,000 for the HVA Video of The Year! All videos posted this year, January 1st and through the end of 2013, are considered eligible for the 1st Annual HVA nomination. A panel of judges will choose from the nominees, a winner in each category, and an overall Grand Prize Winner. HVA Trophy Winners will be honored and prizes awarded in New York Join us at the HVA in NYC @ARENA on March 9 Tickets $55 , 4 hours of open bar included!
Have you always been a class clown?
No, I don’t really think so. I was always kind of an outcast in school, guess being new wave punk rock in Kentucky will do that. My southern stylish teachers would always tell me if God had wanted my hair to be multi colored he’d a “collared” it that way. I’d reply that if God had wanted their hair curly he would have given then a perm. – Russell Mayes
That I’m a complete geek about what I do. Being that way keeps me from ever being bored with hair. I’ll get sucked into watching videos at night and when I go to bed at 2am and my wife asks why my response is typically “sorry, got sucked into some blow drying videos” and she knows I actually did mean blow drying. – Dennis Rogers
Actually yes! I was voted class clown all throughout grammar school! – Stephen Marinaro (The Salon Guy)
Hairbrained is a community for all types of hairdressers. What does your nominated video say about you?
I think that I want to push the boundaries of what is the norm when it comes to hair videos. I’m so bored of watching someone just cut hair and not doing it very well or just copying something that someone has already done. I mean, I get that the sincerest form of flattery is copying something, but we all can’t copy Mark Hayes. I wanted to do a hair video with a story. Something more than just celebrating the craft of cutting hair. I feel if you can baffle them with brilliance then do something different and the Hairbot was that for me. – Russell Mayes
That I’m a complete geek about what I do. Being that way keeps me from ever being bored with hair. I’ll get sucked into watching videos at night and when I go to bed at 2am and my wife asks why my response is typically “sorry, got sucked into some blow drying videos” and she knows I actually did mean blow drying. – Dennis Rogers
It says that I’m creative, entertaining and courageous. The video I did was a total spoof but it also was a shot in the dark as I didn’t know how people would react. Most of my friends and people that know me expect the professional side, but they also know at any time I will do something off the wall.– Stephen Marinaro (The Salon Guy)
First time I made the video where I cut myself for the 1st of april and it was just for fun- it was not about hairdressing – it was a only for my friends. Also that time I understood that there weren’t any videos that weren’t boring. In fact, until this time i didn’t see a movie more 10 minutes through to the end. And I decided to avoid this anyway.
I don’t know what other hairdressers think about it and I don’t care. This is a pure joy for us and this is art. They can spend many hours discussing about cutting the ideal bob and telling that it is art… but for me it is just a craft and craft is just a tool for creating art.
And in our videos we are not going to show our skills – we show the atmosphere we show the picture we show the idea. There are a lot of hairdressers grown on ABC and they give us the critic but also a lot of people who were inspired and understand our movement from craft to art. –Hair Fucker
What kind of response do you usually get from your video? And is it what you expected?
Hair people love it and get it, non hair people aren’t really sure what to think. HAHA I can see it in their eyes. Just kind of….. Uh ok.- Russell Mayes
Everyone loves it, especially my kids. People are always surprised at the quality which is all the work of a guy named Neil Murphy. He’s as much of a Star Wars fan as myself so he really put a lot of love into it. The best part is that now my youngest boys truly think I am Darth Vader so they get super excited when we watch Star Wars and they see daddy! –Dennis Rogers
The responses were great! I had hoped that people would find it entertaining and I’m glad they did. There are always going to be the negative Nancy’s but you can’t please everyone. . . – Stephen Marinaro (The Salon Guy)
I don’t think about response and was surprised that people loved it. But maybe people who look for this video understand the idea – you don’t need to look only on your hands and things you do at people head – look around open your mind and find new ideas! Bring something from other sides in your creation!
Now when we made the regular education we decided to change the traditional paper diplomas to video diplomas and from the training students have the real thing that shows where they studied and what they did there- not the toilet paper ( I don’t know how it is in America but here people look on hands – not on paper), we complete their portfolio just when they come to us, we give them knowledges not only about hair – also about photo, psychology,design, art, self-promotion, etc. from areas which have cross-point with hair industry.
The same is with video – we make the visual art using hair and scissors, we make fun we make a picture. We make watching interesting not only for people who are in the hair industry – it is for everyone. –Hair Fucker
Did you intend on creating humor with this video?
I didn’t really set out to have something humorous with the HairBot, I mean, the concept is pretty quirky and fun, but I was trying to make a piece about how machines are replacing everything in the world, but one thing they can’t is a good pair of artistic hands.- Russell Mayes
More “fun and creative” than “funny” but I’ll take it. The video’s intention was to introduce me at Ben Mollin’s salon. He felt that combining my Star Wars geekiness with my borderline-obsessive-compulsive attention to detail with fading over a comb would be fun. It worked. –Dennis Rogers
The title alone and me playing the characters I did was all intended to make people laugh. There is no hiding that from the context of the video. – Stephen Marinaro (The Salon Guy)
Were there funny bloopers that weren’t included in this video?
Oh totally, We shot the video in front of a little mexican grocery store that had kiddie rides in front. It was really early as I didn’t want to disrupt their business too much and it was FREAKING cold and windy, It’s NEVER cold in California except the day I’m shooting outside. The models were freezing so I decided to shoot the beginning and ending at the store and shoot the actual cut in front of a green screen.
As we were shooting the intros at 9 am, this drunk guy comes up and slaps hands with me and asks if I’ve been hitting the bottle and might be drunk myself or at least a little crazy, out of the blue. He struts in and buys him some beer and if off on his merry way. Of course he wanted a haircut as well!- Russell Mayes
I did this totally awkward shuffle dance that I was dreading would make the final cut. I’m not exactly graceful and pretty sure I hurt myself doing it.-Dennis Rogers
Yes! Some scenes were one takers and done 2-3. I also spent a lot of time going over what I was actually going to say more than actually shooting the scene. There were a few bloopers of me doing the scenes and I remember rehearsing as characters a few times. – Stephen Marinaro (The Salon Guy)
I think no. If we have them – we try to put it on the video. In our first video (it was in major hair salon) when I started to burn my hair with a hairspray the manager ran to us and started to scream at us – that we are crazy and stupid and this is my last day in their salon and cameras are everywhere and bl-bla-bla!! We included her voice in the video (it is in russian) but this is another story.
Another time – I made a mohawk with alabaster and it was so hard when I tried to removed it an I had to use all instrument I has at home and spent 3 hours for it – we also included it there)
What goes into capturing “funny” on video? Any tips for people who want to make a video like yours?
I think funny is either going to be something really exaggerated or something that’s totally from out of left field. I think the HairBot was from way way left field. – Russell Mayes
Feel stupid? Embarrassed? Drink a beer and put on a mask. All set. – Dennis Rogers
I get my sources and inspiration from SNL and comedians. The key to being funny is to actually be funny. Be creative, over the top and be yourself. – Stephen Marinaro (The Salon Guy)
Have a good model who is ready for everything. Have a good team and break the rules. try to do something crazy and don’t think about beauty. Have a good camera-man – twice we had to throw out all material because it was shit on the camera. –Hair Fucker
What do you feel is beneficial about looking at the industry, as a hairdresser, from a light-hearted and silly perspective?
It really bothers me when people, even hairstylists, say “It’s not rocket science” and belittle the craft. It’s dismissive and doesn’t recognize the serious engineering that goes into a great cut or color. That being said, as serious as I take the craft, it can be practiced in a full, light hearted environment. It’s suppose to make people feel better about themselves. So no need to be serious. Hmmm.. So be serious ABOUT the technique but not serious about the interactions and have fun with it. And sometimes, when you see something really bad, you have to laugh about it or else I’d cry… – Russell Mayes
It keeps me interested. You can be a professional goofball in this industry and I love that. Too many stylists give up after the first few years because, I feel, they stop having fun. –Dennis Rogers
Our industry is full of creative, open minded people and we are all goof balls in our own way. It’s always great to laugh as laughing is therapeutic and good for us. My motto is whether you are laughing at me or with me, you are still laughing! – Stephen Marinaro (The Salon Guy)
I think that people in industry are too serious I don’t give respect to managers in smokings. You must be more easy with everything – the life is game – and this industry also. I often introduce our project in salon owner’s society and tell them that making an adult kindergarden in your salon is the best way to make your workers act with pleasure. -Hair Fucker