Epic LipDub Shoots at West Campus
Agganis Way closes for extravaganza
Will today’s LipDub mashup be just as awesome as BU’s first LipDub video, above?
Practice starts today at 9 a.m. sharp, and no previous experience is required. Enthusiasm is a must, however, for every one of the 1,000 or more students who have signed up to perform in what may be the world’s largest LipDub. The plans for the extravagant spectacle include closing Harry Agganis Way from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The LipDub, a music video taken in a single shot that combines lip-syncing, audio dubbing, and choreography, features appearances by Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore and BU mascot Rhett the Terrier.
The event has been organized, somewhat painstakingly, by students in two College of Communication courses taught by Jo O’Connor, a COM associate professor, Event Planning and Management and Media Relations.
Madeline Rubin (CGS’08, COM’10), a student in both courses, says she and her Event Planning classmates have been working on the LipDub since the first day of the semester. The class was split into 11 teams to handle issues including budget, permits, choreography, and recruitment and participation. The Media Relations class got into the act more recently, advertising the event through flyers and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter.
“This is something we’ve been working on for a while,” Rubin says. “We’re excited to see it come to life.”
Beginning at 9 a.m., Rubin and her classmates will teach participants — who have had no prior practice — the choreography. The filming will start on Nickerson Field to the tune of the Dropkick Murphys’ “I’m Shipping Up to Boston.”
From there, students will lip-sync to a mashup of Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok” and Lady GaGa’s “Just Dance” as they loop around StuVi2, continue down Agganis Way, parade through the lobby of Agganis Arena, march into the Fitness and Recreation Center, and finish by jumping into the pool.
In a news release, Elmore advises students that the real challenge will be outdoing the first-ever BU LipDub performance, which was filmed last semester and featured 120 students singing along to the Jackson 5’s “ABC” and “I Want You Back.”
Warning: Rubin says her team intends to shoot as many takes as needed to get the perfect video.
The LipDub will take place rain or shine, and all are encouraged to come watch. More information is available at the BU LipDub page.
Caroline Hailey can be reached at chailey@bu.edu.
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