3, 2, 1, ACTION!

It’s that time of year! The 2024 ‘Lip Dub’ is here! The lip dub at Farmington High School is an elaborate lip-sync video, usually filmed in one take, encompassing a specific theme, school spirit, and upbeat choreography.

Black Knight Television, or BKTV, is a four-year program at FHS that educates students about journalism and the many career opportunities in the field. It is a hands-on learning experience in which students create video content and articles using the principles of journalism. Each year, BKTV staff members produce the lip dub with hard work and determination.

BKTV has been producing the lip dub since 2019, when the program partnered with ‘Q Creative,’ a company located in St. Charles, Illinois. The company helps with the production of large projects.

“Krista Aders was an Executive Producer at the time and was the parent of one of our students,” said Christian Campbell, a BKTV instructor. “She was instrumental in the planning and execution of the entire event, as we didn’t start planning until April 1, 2019. This was the first event of its kind, to our knowledge, and we limited it to just seniors.”

The day of the lip dub production is an eventful day that many students look forward to. The production takes place in the morning, followed by a ‘Blitz Day’ in the afternoon.

“We start in seminar so that students can get to class and have some time to get the final decorations up,” explained Campbell. “Then we will dismiss the students to their zones (the different groups of songs) to fill the sides of the hallways so that everyone can be included.”

After most of the lip dub is recorded, seniors will be called down to film a special portion of the video.

“Once we have finished the last zone, we will have the seniors dismissed to where we are filming the senior section, which will include some kind of motion,” said Christian. “In the past, it has been the wave and the rollercoaster, followed by the class chant. We will then take that footage and sync it to the original mix and aim to have the entire lip dub uploaded that day.”

The music selected for the lip dub follows a theme. This year, the theme is ‘songs that go with movies,’ according to Morgan Short, an FHS junior and BKTV staff member.

To prepare for the lip dub, staff members have many tasks to complete.

“We were put in two groups,” said Short. “The seniors got together and made a list of ideas. Another junior and I made our list of ideas. The two ideas were put to a vote, we decided which one was better, and that is how the themes were chosen.”

The student body also has an opportunity to vote for the lip dub theme by filling out a Google form with the themes listed. This form is usually delivered to students weeks in advance.

For a leading role in the lip dub, seniors will submit a form, signing up for the positions. From there, they are required to send in a video of themselves dancing and lip-syncing to a song of their choice.

“Lead Singers are chosen by 3 simple criteria: being a senior, having interest, and submitting an audition tape,” Campbell elucidated. “The audition tape includes the students lip-syncing and performing some motions.”

Freshman Breanna White is a member of the student council and one of the seminar representatives for this year’s lip dub.

Each seminar teacher chooses representatives for the lip dub, and selected students will help brainstorm ideas for their respective zones. The different zones are sectioned around the campus, and each will be assigned a movie and song this year.

White is looking forward to a great turnout this year.

“I am excited for the lip dub this year! I can’t wait to see it and be involved,” Breanna said. “I would like for each zone to be fully decorated and grand. I have seen a few other schools do a lip dub, and everything was elaborate.”

The 2024 lip dub will take place this week on March 22, 2024. For more information regarding the lip dub, visit BKTV Studios on YouTube.

To view the 2024 lip dub route, contact your seminar teacher.