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Director Karen Lopez Tells Us About Her “Happy” Video

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Syracuse chapter.

After watching this awesome, fun-filled video of SU students dancing and letting loose around campus during finals week, I certainly felt my spirits lifted! We were lucky enough to find out some background info on the making of the video from director and fellow SU student, Karen Lopez! Read on to see what she has to say, and if you haven’t seen the video yet, click the link below!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osMrBj_AWfU

-What inspired you to make this video?

The main thing that inspired me to do the video was seeing everyone so stressed and sad on campus due to finals. The “Happy” song has been one of my favs since Pharrell released it because it just makes me feel so good! Haha So I thought doing a ‘Cuse version would be fun and help lift spirits.

-Any particularly funny moments while filming around campus?

We had many funny moments! Everyday of filming was a blast but we particularly enjoyed watching people stare at us like we were crazy as we filmed. One of the funniest moments was when we filmed at Tops. It was around 11:30pm and we were hopping in shopping carts and dancing all around.

-How did you get students involved to make it a success?

As soon as I came up with the idea, I contacted my closest friends, they loved the concept and they spread the word out. By the next day students were emailing me saying they were down with the Happy Movement and that they wanted to be part of the video. Also having the opportunity to work with Erin, Anthony and Setor was amazing! They also told their friends, and their friends told their friends and so on!

-What kind of feedback have you been receiving?

The feedback has been amazing! Everyone seems to love it because it’s just makes people HAPPY. The school, the local news and even Pharrell have been incredibly supportive. The Happy Team and myself are thankful!

-Any other fun and ‘happy’ videos we should be looking forward to from you and your crew?

Although the Happy the video was actually my first time directing a video (crazy I know!) and I have no background in directing, I had such a great time being part of the project. Being able to inspire my peers and the rest of the world definitely sparked my interest in filming so I have a couple of ideas in the works.  

SU cheerleader obsessed with coffee, fashion, and fitness!