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Mustaches and Movies: Day One of Paper Towns

2014-11-04 · documentary visit · John, Nat Wolff, Wyck Godfrey · 3:06 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Books & writing (also: US politics & society) · mode: Personal update · tags: on location, self promotion, guest or collab, civic or action cta

John vlogs the first day of shooting the Paper Towns film in North Carolina, from a mustache gag before dawn to his executive-producer chair and trailer, and briefly tells nervous first-time voters that he too missed elections when young but voting will feel awesome.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — Before dawn on the first shooting day; new glasses and the creepy mustache joke; must shave

  • ★★★ At 5:48 a.m. John says the Paper Towns movie starts filming in about an hour and 12 minutes, and he is extremely excited and nervous. — 00:00:00 · Paper Towns (film), Paper Towns
  • ★ John got new glasses; told they would take 8 to 10 weeks, he decided to grow a beard, setting up a reveal of a creepy mustache, which he says he has to shave before the movie people meet him. (playful) — 00:00:08

00:00:24 — John's executive-producer chair; Nat Wolff, who plays Q

  • ★★ Asked what an executive producer does, John says he doesn't know: he listens to the headphones and gets a chair with his name on it. (playful, hedged) — 00:00:24 · Paper Towns (film)
  • ★★ John introduces Nat Wolff, who plays Q in the movie they have just started filming. — 00:00:33 · Paper Towns (film)

00:00:42 — Outside in North Carolina; jumping with Jaz Sinclair; happy dance

  • ★★ Filming outside in North Carolina without revealing the location, John says he was jumping up and down with Jaz Sinclair, who plays Angela, from excitement, and does his happy dance. — 00:00:42 · Happy dance (practice)

00:01:13 — Radar's house full of Black Santas; luxury port-a-potties; by a pond

  • ★ John says the set of Radar's house is full of Black Santas, literally thousands, which he can't show. — 00:01:13

00:01:38 — Reply to Hank's voting video: John missed elections when young from nervousness; first-time voting will feel awesome

  • ★★★ Commenting on Hank's video, John says that as a young person he missed several elections important to American history, mostly because he was nervous and didn't know how to vote. — 00:01:38
  • ★★ To anyone nervous about voting for the first time, John says he understands it is a little scary, but once you do it you will feel awesome. — 00:01:53

00:02:02 — End of day one; producer Wyck Godfrey; John's trailer; Divergent joke; missing Shailene and Ansel

  • ★★★ John reports that day one of filming is finished and going well; producer Wyck Godfrey cheers. — 00:02:02 · Paper Towns (film)
  • ★★ John shows his own trailer with Hollywood lights, says he loves being an executive producer, jokes he is available for the new Divergent movie, and says he misses Shailene and Ansel. (playful) — 00:02:15

00:02:37 — The first scene John ever wrote for Paper Towns is filmed; thanks; vote reminder; sign-off

  • ★★★ One scene shot that day was the first part of Paper Towns John ever wrote, about nine years ago: little Q and Margo biking up to a dead body; he found it weird and wonderful and cried a little. — 00:02:37 · Paper Towns, Paper Towns (film)
  • ★★ John reminds Hank and Nerdfighters in America over 18 not to forget to vote. — 00:02:59 · Nerdfighteria

In the description and comments

  • ★ In the description John links a post he wrote expanding on his thoughts about voting and fear. — video description

Humor (significant)

  • John notices something looks different about himself; it is not the new glasses. — 00:00:11

    “It's the creepy moustache.”

  • People keep asking John what an executive producer does. — 00:00:27

    “I just listen to the headphones and, uh, I get a chair with my name on it”

  • John says that what amazes him most about movies is not the expensive cameras but the port-a-potties. — 00:01:26

    “is this a port-a-potty or a mansion?”

  • Lounging in his trailer, John declares he wants to be executive producer of every movie. — 00:02:26

    “does the new Divergent movie need an executive producer? Because I am available.”

Threads in this video

Where the stories that moved here went next

Mentioned

Central: Paper Towns (film)

Also: People: Ansel Elgort · Jaz Sinclair · Nat Wolff · Shailene Woodley · Wyck Godfrey

Works: Divergent · Paper Towns

Rituals: Happy dance (practice)

Concepts: voter turnout

Places: North Carolina · Orlando, Florida

Characters: Angela · Margo Roth Spiegelman · Quentin Jacobsen · Radar

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