Sara Mast, I Always Saw Your Name in the Credits

Rather sneakily, Monday night I slipped into my friends Television symposium class. As standard for the class, a couple of minutes were spent in introduction of the show in which we were going to watch for that Monday night. Why would I sneak in to her class? On a Monday night no less?

Simply two words: The Hills. The creators and producers of “The Hills” were the guest speakers and we painfully watched 3 episodes. Of which, the one where Whitney & Lauren are whisked away to Paris when Teen Vogue was covering the Crillion Ball, then the one where I think Spencer tries to win Heidi back in Colorado, and finally the season finale of the last season where gasp – Lauren and Heidi have a moment!

Something about watching the show in an academic environment (and of course next to the friend who let me sneak into her class) was highly amusing. I normally watch the show alone, in the comfort of my own home, an extremely solitary experience – yet this time not so much the case. It was just so amusing to watch it projected in a classroom auditorium (in the monstrosity that is the new cinema building no less) with a mixture of fans, haters and guys. With slight delight, watching it with guys was amusing in my book – partially because it is such an audacious show and really something that I’ve always stereotyped that only girls ever watch.

Now to the gnitty gritty – the goods – yes, all the copious notes I took and quotes from the creators:

Question: Why Lauren, why this show?
Adam: Something very true and real about Lauren wanting to be a fashion designer. I thought it would be great to watch her struggle. I went and say with her mom and dad and if they were ok if she would continue on with this because we were used to dealing with them as minors, so it just made sense. Then we approached her – she was excited, and then she introduced me to Heidi” (then there was some slight laughter) We thought it would be Lo, so Lo was going off for her serious 4 years so didn’t think they’d have time to do, and Whitney was applying to intern at Teen Vogue so we approached them, at Teen Vogue and it all started.

Question: Did Lauren really burn that dress (in reference to: )? Then a person from France, who knew about the show, told the producers that Mattias was coerced into pretending to like Lauren.
Adam: Lauren did burn the dress and at the time, we asked ourselves – do we even follow that – you just start producing, can she wear that dress, there are parts that we don’t show, then Vogue decides and that show went through so many stages in editing. That particular part of the story was cut out and put back in. It was so long – I think it wasn’t until the locking the end of the episode, we put that unexpected part of the show
In response to Mattias: She met him in LA, just didn’t make it into the Hills, they met them from Kelly, so Audrina thought it was going to be cute – didn’t make it into an episode. Not a lot of chemistry there – we called up the guys when we went to Paris, we set up the meeting of the two of them – But that’s what he said on the new: we call it the pinball machine – it’s on a much broader scale, its finding a Teen Vogue to let us shoot in, when we go out to Les Deux we have to go and ask for that booth – but its all set up for us so we have to have the locations cleared. But their lives are there.

Professor: The quote of the evening “They really sound dumb.”
Producers of the Hills: They’re only as dumb as the producers who edit them, they’re not – they’re very smart kids, they’re not sitting around about the most important topics daily. The stuff that we use is the stuff that drives stories.
Professor: Won’t the reality affect them?
Adam: For me the show is a form of escapism, Doug’s jet to Vegas – not hurting all that badly, the fact that he is friends with these kids. It’s part of the fun watching it – not the show.

Question: Does Lauren really wear all those outfits; don’t you guys worry about product placement?
Adam: I feel really strongly about that – we stick to it every day we don’t do it. This came up when we were doing Laguna Beach. That was the first time we had to deal with it – Jessica & Dorritos (she was eating a copious amount of dorritos while talking); we’re lucky that they let us in.

Who cares about Lauren – let’s move on to Whitney!
Question: Why Whitney?
Producers: Oh, that was Adam’s idea! We love Whitney – we think she’s great. We had lunches with her – I want a change (she said) and she had toyed around with the idea of it, if you want we’ll follow you. For me the idea was really exciting a tall, blond, LA native I thought would be fun to watch. When cameras were rolling and she met Jay and instantly fell in love with that guy – that is so often happens when you’re lucky. That’s the second time she’s ever fell in love in her life. Whitney had a boyfriend that we weren’t allowed to film, we knew it was there.

Then of course I did talk to the producers after the show, just casually, since I’m not technically enrolled in the class. I walked up to Sara, and asked if she was Sara Mast. I admittingly told her “Sara Mast? I always say that name at the end of the credits, and I thought that was a cool name”. Of course I was complimentary to the producers since bashfully, I am an earnest fan. It was fun to talk to the producers, just because you realize they are smart people. I think that’s why what I’ll call “The Hills-effect” has done for most of its viewers. Adam is from NJ/NY, so it’s understandable the appeal that Los Angeles does have to one who is not native to California. There is this form of mysticism that seems to enrapture people as they hit the strip – and for the show, it was Lauren’s foray into the world of fashion. I think in class we were asked if we could relate to any of the characters in some form – and I raised my hand, as a yes.

Seriously speaking – who can’t relate. If you’re within the 16 – 24 age range, when hasn’t a girl been led on by a guy / jerky guy? Who doesn’t dream of in some form aspiring to that quote-un-quote “Hollywood” life-style? Los Angeles – the city of angels and the city of dreams. It’s the same effect that New York has for those who just as wide-eyed as Whitney aspire to “make it”.

I did of course voice my concerns and issues with “The City”. To quote for instance “The Hills-effect” – now suddenly lots of blonde-haired girls like “LC” want to be fashion designers, and all frequent FiDM. And now, hopefully “The City” will not ruin what is already great about NYC. But now young hopefuls will aspire to I guess pull a “Whitney” and work for some sort of “styling firm” (enter Kelly Cutrone’s own reality show, she wants to help women after all) and then of course move on to bigger leagues – to the likes of DVF. I plead with you “The City”, please don’t ruin couture (kind of has already happened with “Project Runway”).

I will always tie some sense of “nationality” to my love affair with New York. As a native, it’s strange to see the way people take to “my” city. I forget where I’m from sometimes. That is why this show is such a form of escapism – better to watch and live the life of another for at least 22 minutes than yours?