Lip-syncing might seem like a breeze.
All you do is sing along right?
Learning to lip sync is similar to being in a recording studio.
Credit: Parrish Lewis/Netflix
Its wholly different and a lot more difficult than I ever imagined it to be, she tells EW.
Its fun, but its challenging.
Is it a loud sound?
Parrish Lewis/Netflix
You have to learn the breath-work exactly how they do it in the song.
You cant just speak the words, adds Dewan.
And putting your own spin on it.
You dont want to just do what youve seen in the music video.
That also means you have to know every inch of the song inside and out.
Repetition, starPaul James, who portrays aspiring musician Sam, stresses.
Literally listening to the songs when youre doing the dishes.
When youre in the shower.
Some were easy the ones you know.
There was an app we used so you could slow down the music.
I listened to them all day and all night, adds Ferguson.
I had it playing in my head on repeat.
If we filmed the song that day, however many days before I would only listen to that song.
I never got tired of them, which is a sign of a good song.
Its a bit like patting your head and rubbing your belly.
Youre literally like Jesus take the wheel,' jokes Ferguson.
Maybe you get all the words one time, but not the steps.
Maybe you get the steps next time and not all the words.
If you dont remember, just turn your head away from camera, he suggests.
If youve lost it, turn your head away and no one will ever see it.
The cast hold varying opinions on whether actually singing along is helpful or not.
But that helped some people have your body look like youre actually singing.
I sort of whisper sang.
Ultimately, the number one imperative was to ground the lip-syncing in the overall performance.
Acting the song became the key objective, as opposed to anything else.
It really relied on the acting, explainsCallie Hernandez, who plays one-half of a romantic duo as Nellie.
That was particularly evident in scenes where they didnt have physical action or dance moves to fall back on.
It was a difficult leap to make.
You just do it and its nerve-wracking, explains Stowe.
The more physical a piece was, the easier it was to do.
It didnt have as much direction or structure, she says.
I struggled with that because I didnt have certain things to do.
But something switched in my brain, and I was like, Oh this is my five-year-old dream.
This is what I did when I was a child just sing and be in my own music videos.
It was my favorite thing to do pretending.
Soundtrackis available on Netflix now.
