The end of a year is often a time of reflection. It’s chance for us look back at all the worldwide events, personal milestones, and changes we’ve experienced over the last 365 days. In the recent years, it has also become an opportunity for brands and institutions to highlight all of their accomplishments over the last year. Dutchess Community College accomplished a lot in 2021 and I wanted to showcase all the things we did in a special year-in-review video.
DCC opened two new facilities, launched two new academic programs, and welcomed students back to in-person instruction. I wanted to create a video that was moved beyond just a simple montage. It wanted a theme that to run throughout the video and give it special identity. I brainstormed several possibilities, but kept coming back to the idea of a music, specifically that of a “greatest hits” album. Why in the world would I pick something so antiquated as vinyl in an age of digital music and subscription services?
From a practical standpoint, an album lends itself well to video. Large, tangible items are easier to film than close-ups of digital displays. An album also has a very physical end. When the needle reaches the end of the a side, it lifts up, returns to home, and the record stops spinning. I felt that this would be a great visual metaphor for the end of a year.
I wanted to make a DCC-themed parody The Beatles’ iconic album, Abbey Road, but it was too late in the semester to recruit students for the photoshoot. Finals had ended a few days prior and nearly the entire student body had left for winter break. I was left with the option of compositing separate photos of the mascot, Falco, to recreate the iconic image. I grew dissatisfied with the final result, however, as each “clone” of Falco ended up being connected at the feet like a paper doll. I needed to move on to plan B.
Plan B for the album cover project was to recreate the cover of Queen’s second album, Queen II, using a similar compositing method. I made arrangements to use the TV studio where I knew I could keep it dark and set my light source high enough to capture the same dramatic lighting as the original. The head of the Falco costume was mounted on a hand truck and placed on wooden boxes at different heights. A tripod held the camera in place so its position would remain consistent throughout the shoot. A student worker volunteered to wear the costume arms. The final image was a composite of 5 different photographs and several layer of noise and textures to give the album a weathered look. It was printed out on heavyweight paper and glued covered an sacrificial album (don’t worry, it was a duplicate).
Creating props is turning out to be a one of my favorite hobbies and I look forward to what I can create in the future. Hopefully fun “year-in-review” videos like this one will evolve into a tradition at Dutchess Community College.
Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the fandango?