A lip dub video is coming your way! Faculty have started to organize a lip dub video with the goal of showcasing students’ school spirit and celebrating LHS, scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 8. The committees responsible for the creation of the lip dub video include: a storyboard committee led by communications teacher Mrs. Duensing, a filming committee led by band director Mr. Doherty and a committee responsible for the music and the logistics of the video led by student services chairperson Mrs. Dalton.

Students were informed that LHS wanted to make a lip dub video Oct. 20. Mrs. Dalton sent a school wide email asking students to send recommendations for music by Oct. 24. She included Lincoln Way West High School’s lip dub video from the 2016-17 school year as a reference.

The idea of the LHS lip dub video emerged during the fall of 2016, when a group of faculty got together in hopes of making the lip dub video last school year.

“We realized that to do it right, we need the right equipment,” said Mrs. Dalton. Mr. Doherty said that the equipment needed was “extremely expensive.”

In the spring, a grant was written to the LHSEF. Mr. Doherty began to research what equipment would be best for recording the lip dub video. He asked friends in the video making business and called education representatives.

With the grant money, the school was able to get software, a camera and a 3-axis gimbal (a support for a handheld recording device that allows for rotation). Mr. Doherty said the equipment bought may not have been “super professional” but is “better than a cellphone”.

Students with recommendations for the songs to lip sync to were sent to Mrs. Dalton. Junior, Aayliah Craven suggested the choir sing the “Fight Song”.

Craven said,“[The song] shows school spirit. Why not include it?”

A rehearsal for the lip dub video was set on Nov. 1 during PLC time in order for the committees to figure out how long filming may take and what parts of the building to incorporate into the video.

NHS members and Link Crew Leaders were invited to come help with the rehearsal in the PAC, but no students came to the rehearsal.

“If you guys don’t buy into it, it’s going to be hard to sell it,” said Mrs. Duensing, afterward. She also emphasized building excitement between now in the school year up to Feb. 8.

The video will entail groups of students, whether they be from clubs, sports, or other activities, being assigned areas based on the activity they are in. Mr. Doherty will film each group or person lip syncing for 7 to 10 seconds on camera. At the end of the video, there will be an assembly sketch.

“The goal is for everyone to be in there at least once,” said Mrs. Dalton.

Students who are involved in multiple activities are advised to pick their top two activities to be a part of during the video. In order to be in both places, after the first activity has been filmed, they will have to run to the activity that will appear next.

Members of the committees plan to ask teachers if they know of any stand-out students willing to lip sync. A date is yet to be announced for a video-run through and lip sync practice for any students selected to do the lip syncing. It will most likely be set in January.

The goal was originally to get the video done by Thanksgiving break. Once looking at how much work needed to be done, such as making the remix of the songs and choosing who will lip sync, the date was set back to Thursday, Feb 8.

“We want to do it right,” said Mrs. Dalton when speaking on how the making of the video should not be rushed. Mrs. Duensing also said, “It’s going to happen this year, I can promise you that.”

The schedule for the day of the filming of the lip dub video has not been finalized, but the tentative plan is that Thursday, Feb. 8 would run the same schedule as if it were a half day, with shortened class periods. Time to film the video would be either at the beginning or the end of the day, so it would not interrupt class time. The next day, Friday, Feb. 9, is an actual half day.

“I really think that by the eighth, we’ll be ready, and we’ll have a good product to put out there,” said Mrs. Duensing.

After filming, Mr. Doherty will edit the video. It will take two weeks to one month to finish editing. The platform in which the lip dub video will be released will be similar to that of how the Blue Ribbon Award video was released.

“We definitely want to reach an audience beyond the walls of LHS,” said Mr. Doherty. “The goal is to include every student and to express what they feel most comfortable doing or being.”

More information about the lip dub video will be emailed to students in upcoming weeks. Students can also expect to hear announcements in the weeks leading up to the date of filming.

Students with any questions or ideas for the video can contact Mrs. Dalton, Mr. Doherty or Mrs. Duensing.