Camp GoPro video

THE MAGIC OF CAMP

Camp is my second home. For just four weeks in a year, I distanced myself from the outside world and become immersed in one without screens, parents, or stress. I returned year after year, spending seven summers at camp.

Then came my eighth summer at camp. I was in the camp’s C.I.T. program, which would be my final summer as a camper; the following summer would be my first summer as a counselor. In preparation, we were required to go to camp for its full seven week program (as opposed to either the four-week first session, which I did for seven years, or the three-week second session). This meant meeting and bonding with an entirely new group of people.

I wanted to be able to remember the magic of my one-of-a-kind camp experience, so I decided to bring a GoPro to camp. Since it was simply a camcorder and had no screen, it was allowed.

DESIGN CHOICES

Song

Every year, camp’s leadership team selects a song and creates an energetic yet easy-to-follow dance (you can catch a glimpse of it at the start and end of the second verse). Initially an exciting performance on the first day of camp, it also helps unify the camp; when the song comes on the speakers, everyone dances in unison.

That year, the song was “Clap Your Hands” by Leo Soul. I knew I wanted to use this song for the video, but I also wanted to incorporate the song’s unique claps in the chorus. I found that quick visual changes, such as revealing the second half of a picture or omitting a few frames of a video to create a skipping effect, were the best methods of synchronizing the audio with the video.

SONG’S BRIDGE

Another unique feature of the song was its bridge: more than forty rhythmic cowbell-sounding beats. Earlier in the video, the methods I had used to match the audio with the video during the double claps in the chorus were exciting because it was only with two claps. To use a similar method for the bridge would be unattractive because of the greater number of beats.

While still considering what to include for the bridge, I also thought about a problem I had encountered earlier: “Did I manage to include everyone at least once in my video?” The easiest way to ensure this would be to actively search through the videos I had collected, find at least one of each person, and fit it into the video.

Suddenly, I realized my two problems solved each other.

There were just about forty CITs, including myself, and I had forty beats in the song to fill. I also wanted to make sure everyone would see themself in the video at least once. So, I found a photo of every one of my fellow CITs, added their name, and gave everyone a solo in the video, synchronized to the beats.