The LHS lip dub video was filmed before classes Thursday, Feb. 8 to showcase school spirit. For about one hour and 40 minutes, students and teachers spent the morning waiting to be filmed and being filmed in the hallways of the school.

The week of filming, student services chair Mrs. Denise Dalton, leader of the committee in charge of the lip dub video said, “I think a lot of people still don’t understand. It might just be the day of that people are like, ‘oh, I get it.’”

About three run-throughs occurred on the actual day of filming. The first run-through served as a practice for the students and teachers in the hallway, since it was not known what was to be expected. One issue that occurred during the first take was that the selected songs-at first being played over the PA system-were not audible in the hallways due to loudness and the absence of speakers.

Music teacher Mr. Matthew Doherty, who filmed the video, said, “It was a very rough run from a lip-syncing standpoint. We couldn’t use any of the footage because none of the featured singers’ lips were in time with what was happening in the track.”

During the second run, portable speakers were used to allow for the lip-syncers and students and teachers in the hallways to hear the music. This run-through however, was not free of issues either; a cell phone connected to the bluetooth speaker, which was playing the music, received a text message a third of the way through the run, disrupting the music and creating a gap in the music in the footage. Additionally, the gimbal (the piece of equipment used when filming the video) created some technical difficulties.

Doherty said, “One of the bigger issues we faced was that the [gimbal’s] battery died after the first take.”

During the third and final take, filming went well, and teachers and students in the halls, as well as lip-syncers, knew what to expect.

Senior Zach McFarland, who was one of the lip-syncers in the video, said, “It got better the more times we did it. The first time, I fell.”

Communications teacher Mrs. Angela Duensing, who chose the locations of each club and activity, said, “By the time the third [take] happened, we were kind of like a well-oiled machine. Gagnon was carrying the machine [speaker]. Doherty was doing the recording. Mrs. Joerger had the music going. And I was about 20 seconds ahead, and I was able to run and tell people, ‘get in place.’”

After recording the three takes in the hallways around the school, staff and students headed toward the gym to see some of the teachers dance to “We’re All In This Together” from High School Musical. The information for the teachers’ dance was emailed to staff before filming. Additionally, special education teacher Mrs. Stephenie Joerger held a session on Feb. 7 during lunches for those teachers who wanted to learn the dance to get some practice.

After filming, Duensing said, “I think for our first time, three takes and two takes in the gym was way better than I was expecting.”

While most of the filming has been done, more takes of a scene that needs to be recorded outside in warmer weather will be completed.

Doherty, who will edit the video, said “My goal has been March first. But we need it to be right, and not just rushed. Some things may take a little more time to edit and get some opinions from the students and committee members.”

Once the video is completed, the final product will be posted on YouTube. Plans are to share the video with the Lemont High School Educational Foundation (LHSEF), who awarded a grant helping to obtain the necessary filming equipment. The possibility of sharing the video with the school board before its release is being considered. The video will also appear on various social media platforms.

Doherty said, “I had of teachers tell me afterward that they want to do it again, because now they know, and having done it, it’s a better experience than watching another school do it.”

The 18 teachers who were on the committee for the video include: Dalton, Doherty, Duensing, Joerger, science teacher Mrs. Tina Bialek, math teacher Mrs. Dardrae Breig, English teacher Mr. Sean Clark, sign language interpreter Mr. Chris Delong, math teacher Mrs. Leslie Ebersold, English teacher Mrs. Sandra Henderson, communications and special education teacher Mrs. Colleen Holl, science teacher Ms. Monica Johnson, English teacher Mr. Phil Lazzari, Spanish teacher Mrs. Ann Rodriguez-Baltrum, librarian Mrs. Dawn Scuderi, math teacher Mrs. Dawn Weber, culinary arts teacher Mrs. Meghan Wilcoxen and director of activities and athletics Mr. John Young.

For updates on the lip dub video, keep checking your school email and expect to hear more news around March.