A blurb will go out via Myspace which will explain how a lucky few hundred can become extras for "Praise The Lord Pass The Ammunition" which shoots at a venue in LA on Monday, Aug. 27th. Here’s what he said.


-Tina: Your limiting the response to the first 100 guys and girls are you choosing based on a first come first served basis?
Greg: "Yes."

-Tina: You said you were using 300 extras do you already have 100 chosen?
Greg: "We lowered the number for safety reasons."

-So the basic concept of the video is Sevag in the middle of chaos? A choir vs. moshpit sounds intriguing will he be trying to control it all?
Greg: "No, not at all... he'll be whipping it into a frenzy.
He's even planning on DJ'ing a set of selected SOAD tracks to get everyone ready."

-Would you care to elaborate a bit more on the concept itself?
Greg: "The Treatment: A presidential debate performed on-stage at a rock club. A wedding ceremony with a mosh pit. A choir of beautiful girls, and a whacky MC keeping the whole thing going.”
Think John Water's version of a high school play, dealing with controversial issues. Come on down."

-You’ve heard the song is the video based on the ideas presented in the song or is it a separate concept in itself?
Greg: "There's one line in the song that basically challenges the way we perceive things. The video will do that as well."

- Will you keep the set closed except for the lucky extras?
Greg: "Yes, you must respond to the production email address. If you're not on the list you will not be able to get in."

- Do you suppose that Serj choosing this particular song as well as his first video blurb has anything to do with the timing of the upcoming primary’s? Obviously you don’t know his mind but have you heard anything to that effect?
Greg: "Serj has always been very politically minded and he's been singing for positive change for a decade. With 'Elect The Dead' he's letting you know how he feels about a lot of things."

- So you told me Sevag was an amazing actor. Does he do it on a regular basis?
Greg: "He's a drama teacher here in Los Angeles. Everyone loves him! Some of his former students have already responded."

- Probably not everyone knows that you have made some videos already that can be seen on your main page. The story behind the destruction of the demo is fairly self explanatory but any story behind the Mudvayne video?
Greg: "I was in the recording studio with Mudvayne for their "Lost and Found" sessions. I got to film them while they were tracking the lead single. It was incredible.
The video is really just lots of photographs like I already shoot of musicians, except that they're moving. AND they're edited together Really well.
Ben Darling does my editing... he's helping me with the live SOAD photo presentation I've been working on too. And he'll edit the 'Ammunition' video."

- Are you planning on branching out more in the video genre?
Greg: “I like working on video projects. It's a new challenge, and it makes me appreciate photography more."

- For those of us that will not be in the LA area for the shoot any chance at a behind the scenes making of the video type update?
Greg: "Isaac Flores (Fair To Midland's photographer) will be shooting still photos to document the production."

“Actually, we may be using several cameras. I was thinking of using one to shoot 'the making of' footage, and cutting it into the finished piece.”

- Any particular reason you guys are choosing to blurb on Serj’s birthday?
Greg: "Just a timing coincidence. We're shooting at a venue, so we had to work around their schedule."

- I am just wondering how making a video differs from say rockumentaring a bands life on the road. Like you will probably take 100's of shots during a show but how do you find the shot you want for the video?
Greg: "There's a huge difference. When I'm shooting a video of something I'm creating, I can yell 'cut' whenever I don't like it, and everything stops.

But can you imagine me walking up to Daron on-stage, in the middle of a System show, and saying, 'Bro, can you do that cool guitar-thing for me one more time?"


- That sounds like a scary idea. Will you just take tons of video and edit it? I never quite got it. Is it much harder to shoot a video when you have a definite finished product in mind as choosing shots on the fly?
Greg: "Shots on the fly are great, you get them when you can. But it kills me when I have a shot in my head until I can show it to someone else."


As always Greg is a terrific fount of information. To respond to the extra’s call you must send your name, phone, and Myspace url to: serjvideo@gregwatermann.com.


Information as to whether or not Serj would attend the shoot was not forthcoming.

Interview by Tina Flores - for SOADFans.com

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