“Harlem Shake” fever seems to have swept over the University of Wyoming campus, as another “Harlem Shake” video filmed at UW has surfaced.
“It felt good to make my vision into a video,” sophomore Dakota Nowell said. Nowell organized and filmed the video.
The video, named “Zombie Harlem Shake” and found on YouTube, was filmed Sunday in the Skylight Lounge at the Union. Students Garrison Thaxton and Nate Emery also helped to organize the video.
“It was a fun, good experience,” Nowell said. The idea for the video began at a party.
“Everyone there was so hyped for it,” Nowell said. “I wanted to do it with a bunch of friends, and they said to make it into an event, so I made the event.”
The video, which features a Stormtrooper-helmeted man about to be devoured by zombies, was heavily inspired by the popular TV series “The Walking Dead.”
While Nowell’s “Harlem Shake” video was not organized through any university RSO, he said he was thankful for the university staff on hand. “They were super helpful and kept checking in on us,” Nowell said.
“Harlem Shake” videos are the latest fad to hit the Internet and have stormed video upload sites like YouTube by the thousands over the past few weeks. These videos typically begin with a helmeted person dancing while in the midst of a seemingly normal crowd, then abruptly cut to the crowd erupting into a dance party, often accompanied with props and costumes. The videos feature the song “Harlem Shake” by American electronic artist Baauer.
The production of the video was hampered by some unforeseen circumstances.
“I definitely would’ve planned it better, if I could do it again,” Nowell said. “I told everyone to show up at the Union at 11, but the Union was closed until noon.” He mentioned that while he did post the event to the University calendar, the closure of the Union probably contributed to the relatively low turnout. Nowell also had delayed the event for a week to allow makeup artists a chance to attend and zombify the crowd.
Nowell also said that the “Harlem Shake” event on Thursday, as well as the trend losing steam on the Internet, could also have taken the steam out of this last video.
“I think we hopped on the train maybe a little later than I would have liked,” Nowell said.
“A lot of people told me that they came, but the Union was locked and they weren’t just going to stand outside for an hour,” Nowell said. “We had about eight people show up, but the video turned well.”
The filming continued into a music video dedicated to “The Walking Dead.”
“I thought I’d kill two birds with one stone and film a ‘Walking Dead’ rap,” Nowell said. “The ‘Harlem Shake’ video took what, 30 seconds? So we did a couple takes of that then did the rap video, and they both turned out pretty sweet.”
The rap video will be sent as an entry into the ALWAYS One of a Kind: Walking Dead contest. The winner of the contest will be announced during the season finale of the TV show and will attend the premiere of the next season.
