By Brittany Baugh

We may have witnessed the first-ever recorded instance of a musician taking wardrobe hints from a leprechaun when we hit the set of All Time Low’s video for “Poppin’ Champagne” last week. When frontman Alex Gaskarth saw the green-and-gold suit, complete with buckled shoes and a tiny hat, he remarked, “Hey! We should have gotten me fitted for a matching one!”

In addition to the leprechauns, we also saw zoot suits, ferrets and booty dancing on the set at New York’s Touch nightclub. For anyone who’s followed the band, it was business as usual, but it was, of course, just that — business. No, the life of a music-video extra is not a glamorous one.

(After the jump, check out my exclusive footage of bassist Zack Merrick!)

More than 120 potential extras showed up at 9 a.m., but the guys only needed 60 for the shoot. If you showed up early enough and looked the part (i.e. had a ridiculous, funky outfit on, complete with fake bling), you were privileged enough to take a seat in a warm, crowded room and wait … and wait … and wait. It felt like the band shot their performance at least 50 times as cameras caught them from every angle imaginable.

But the extras didn’t have it the hardest: Alex accidentally gashed bassist Zack Merrick in the head with his guitar during one take (yes, there was blood). There was only a brief break before the band picked up right where they left off.

Being on the set was not without its rewards. We made friends with other die-hard ATL fans and fantasized about our 10 seconds of fame. And then there was the free lunch — at 2 p.m., pizza arrived … for some of us. The six pizzas ran out pretty fast; everyone else had to leave the set to grab food. An hour or so after lunch, it was finally our time to shine! The female extras (who were hip-hop-ified by the lovely on-site hair, makeup and wardrobe staff) huddled around the band in rainbow formation, ready to shake it for the camera. Believe it or not, dancing in a tightly packed space filled with cameras can be a little uncomfortable.

When the shoot wrapped, the band members made sure to thank us personally and even happily took requests for pictures and autographs. The boys were personable and outgoing, and at one point Alex “knighted” me with a prop pimp cane! All in all, I think the guaranteed embarrassment is a fair trade for the bragging rights of actually being in a music video. The video should arrive later this month. Be sure to check it out, and remember all the blood, sweat and tears that went into it.