Are the first words out of Marcus Haney’s mouth in the documentary “No Cameras Allowed,” where viewers get a glimpse into a college guy’s dream of becoming a filmmaker/photographer all with the help of lies, fake wristbands, cameras, and lots of ambition.
Rewind to Coachella Music Festival in 2010, where it all began. Haney (and one of his good friends) being the poor college students they are and not having hundreds of dollars to spend on a ticket, dressed in all black, jumped the fence, slept under a bus, and walked through to the general admission section the next morning with a surprising “Good morning!” from security as they walked through the gates. They did it, they were finally at Coachella.
Haney began sneaking into the photo pit for certain performances, carrying several cameras and recording devices. He even made it to the side stage of Muse’s performance. Haney realized he could compile all of these crazy pictures and videos and show his friends what Coachella is really like.
A passion quickly grew in Haney, he realized how much he loved doing this; travelling, meeting musicians and capturing the rare moments that make them normal humans just like the rest of us.
Add a couple crazy car rides, an invitation to tour with Mumford and Sons, music festivals like: Ultra, Bonnaroo, Coachella, Glastonbury, and Austin City Limits, taking pictures at the running of the bulls, an RV road trip with friends, and no college degree, and you have a compelling documentary start to finish.
I don’t want to give away Marcus’ full story, because honestly he tells it better himself. His journey to follow his dreams is so heartwarming and uplifting, that it makes you want to quit everything and become a musical vagabond yourself.
Haney truly understood how lucky he was to capture the moments he did as he mentions when touring with Mumford and Sons, saying “I got to see them as real human beings.” Not only do you get fantastic live videos of the band, but some drunken nights that you can’t help but laugh at.
Through the haze of all the insane and brilliant things Marcus was doing, he alienated his friends, family, and his love interest, which all come crashing down in one moment when he says ” For me there are two things that are massively important, the people that I love and the conquest of the unknown.”
“No Cameras Allowed” lets you peak through Marcus’ struggle between his dreams and his reality and how he made the two become one. Marcus is an artist, and being an artist leaves him with no choice but thinking and being creative constantly. That’s his life; creating art. He appreciates the little things people do and blows them up to make you think, admire, and inspire.
The thing I loved most about this documentary was the fact that Marcus knew what to capture, he knew what fans were itching to see, he understood that musicians are so insanely beautiful to watch, that he filmed all of it. He didn’t just focus on the crop tops, alcohol, and stupid dancing at music festivals, he caught the musicians in their element and how music can truly move massive amounts of people in the most beautiful way. And I admire him for that.
The entire documentary is available to watch on MTV.com: http://www.mtv.com/shows/no_cameras_allowed/
His website is: http://www.jamesmarcushaney.com/
I’ll leave you with a quote from a character that you will meet when you watch the documentary: “Life is what you make it, we only get one go, don’t waste it working, don’t get a mortgage, get an RV, get a life, get on the road.”
–Abbey
Music blogger 
