DETROIT, MI - Isaac Rentz is a California native, but has plenty of Michigan love after filming a video this fall for a song called "C'mon Let Me Ride" with Eminem and Skylar Grey.
The video was shot at a trailer park in the Milford area, in Oakland County, and debuted last week online; fans of both Eminem and Grey had plenty of opinions about it.
Mlive Detroit caught up with Rentz to get some insight about the video shoot. You check out some behind the scenes footage of the video at the end of this post.
Rentz had such a good time he told me via e-mail he would consider buying a trailer in Milford s a summer home - if his wife would let him.
Where did you guys film the video?
We filmed the video in a trailer park right outside Milford. It was my first time in Michigan, so I can't remember exactly where it was.
A local location scout took us all over Detroit looking for trailer parks, but the one outside Milford was perfect for the video.
It had amazing retro trailers and we were really lucky to find it right when the trees were changing colors.
How did you come up with the concept?
Skylar wanted to do a video that was influenced by her upbringing, which was in a small town in Wisconsin.
The song is a sarcastic take on how sex-obsessed pop music is, so we came up with a story that played with that idea in a funny way.
The song samples Queen, so I wanted to do something really bright and fun and weird, like their videos.
What kind of role did Eminem play in getting the video together?
Eminem and I came up with his part of the video on a phone call. He has a really sarcastic sense of humor and a vivid imagination. He was throwing out all these ideas, his brain was going a mile a minute.
It rained the day we filmed his part, so we had to change some things around, but he great at coming up with performance ideas on the spot.
Have you worked with Eminem before?
This was my first time working with Eminem. He and Skylar work really hard on set. A lot of times, bands show up to video sets under-prepared or hungover, but Eminem's work ethic was really incredible.
After every take he would watch the entire clip on a monitor and point out parts of his performance that he thought he could improve in the next take. He's a really laid back person, but the second the camera starts rolling he channels so much energy and charisma, sometimes I wouldn't want to cut a take because it was so fun to watch him.
How different is it, in the internet and mobile phone age, to make music videos compared to years ago? Are you catering more to a web and mobile phone audience than TV?
These days, videos need to work for TV, web, and phones, so the challenge is to create something that's just as compelling on a 4 inch screen as it is on a giant flat screen. Videos have to be more compelling and original than ever to hold people's attention.
It's fun though, because I think it gives artists license to try things that are outlandish and unconventional. C'mon Let Me Ride is a good example of that.
Skylar wanted to make something that would force a reaction out of viewers. She didn't want to play it safe.
What was the scene like for the video? Was it really a trailer park or a campground? Real people actually live there?
It rained both days of our shoot, which I heard was common numerous times from our local crew. Some of the trailer park people were local actors and some were people that lived in the park and were excited to be a part of a video shoot.
What's it like shooting a video in Michigan?
I had a great time in Michigan. It's a beautiful state and we were there right in time for the Tigers playoff run. My crew caught me up on Detroit baseball in between takes.
How did you know that trailer spot was the spot?
I picked it after seeing a few spots around Detroit. I instantly fell in love with it. If my wife would let me, I'd totally buy a summer trailer there.
Did Eminem share any childhood memories of living in trailer parks?
He definitely cracked some trailer park jokes. He kept things really light and fun on set. He was making jokes with the crew and goofing off for the behind the scenes camera.
What do think Eminem could do to help Skylar Grey's career?
I think Eminem and Skylar feed off of each others' energy and creativity really well. They've had a lot of success working together the past few years, so it'll be exciting to see what they do with her new album.
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