50p
Yeah, Young Eddie Here!
On the first day of spring break, four tenacious young filmmakers headed off early to Vancouver to attend an award ceremony featuring their prized rap video. The journey to this point was tough: many green screens were straightened, too many bars were spat, and too much skill was exhibited. Nonetheless, the work had paid off and this was their big break.
Eamon R, Privett ‘22, Isaac K, Whittall ‘20, Dylan G, Rogers ‘22, and Edward L, Privett ‘22, had decided to participate in the WorkSafeBC Youth Safety video competition, where students were challenged to create a video that highlights a specific safety theme. This year’s theme was “Not All Injuries are Visible.”
The boys decided that if they wanted to take home victory they couldn’t tackle this in any normal fashion. After much discussion, they decided to spread the message, musically. More specifically, the boys decided to bring their idea to life with the hypothetical Grammy-nominated rapper Young Eddie.
Of course, creating a rap song and music video was nothing to scoff at. The strict musical process was still entirely relevant, even to these boys. They started their rap career by spending late-nights in Timmies writing and composing a lyrical masterpiece. Many Timbits were consumed, and far too many calories were gained, but nonetheless, the boys prevailed. Young Eddie was born. After the writing stage, their next challenge was to create the song. With help from Nazar S, Pirvett ‘21 on the bass guitar and Isaac on the drums, the idea transcended to fruition. Now all that was left was recording the vocals and creating the video.
In a small, yet soundproofed, Privett dorm room, the song reached its vocal stage. With Eamon R responsible for mixing and operating all the technical equipment, the boys spent many arts blocks editing and recording their vocal tracks. After much effort, all that was left was to record the video.
This is where the boys encountered their first obstacle. Their green screen was too small. Attempts were made to correct their visuals, but all was in vain. Or was … until Mr Interlandi, out of his own pure heart, lent us his studio and green screen. The boys, holding back their tears, accepted his generosity and proceeded to film their video. Even with a tight schedule, the boys managed to pull it past the recording stage. Once the recording was finished, Eamon, with his 200 pounds of camera equipment, marched home to spend one long night editing. He was confident one night was enough.
His self-assurance proved correct when they received an email notification informing them of their nomination, not just for the WorkSafeBC video award, but also for the prestigious ActSafe Aspiring Filmmaker Award. By this point, their video had amassed 1000+ views and hundreds of votes, so the stakes were high.
The group was invited to attend the ActSafe Safety Conference at the River Rock Casino in Vancouver for the Youth Safety Video Awards ceremony. Of course, without hesitation, the boys grabbed their bow-ties, booked their ferry tickets and headed off to Vancouver.
Upon arriving, the suspense hit them and their teeth began to chatter. They had spent months working toward this, so the victory was of the utmost importance. The thought of returning home with a loss poured waves of shivers down the backs of these self-proclaimed rappers.
With much anticipation, the boys sat firmly in their seats, with their goal set on victory, waiting to hear the results of their efforts. When the presenter came up and announced the nominees, an ominous feeling enveloped them. Right as the speaker prepared to announce the victors, time seemed to be at a standstill. This was it. This was their moment. This is all or nothing. And just like that, the results were out. The boys stood up in excitement, cheering sweet victory! While marching up to the stage to accept the award, the boys wore a smile bigger than the green screen Mr. Interlandi had lent them.
After receiving the award, the night continued. They were still up for another nomination. The ActSafe Aspiring Filmmaker Award. The judging for this category was different and much more demanding. Isaac and Eamon, who were up for nomination, found themselves in a totally different ballpark. Not only would this award be great for Isaac K who is planning on pursuing film studies, but it also entailed many great benefits such as a chance to meet people in the industry and receive first-hand professional experience. For Isaac and Eamon, this was their #1 award. The build-up to the award was intense, and the competition was fierce.
All of the boys were shaking in their boots. The fear of loss for this award exponentially overshadowed their previous victory. With tense bodies and fearful minds, the boys were preparing for defeat. The competition was just too great. Or so they thought. Excitement filled the air when they realized their video was the only one the crowd reacted to positively. Was this their chance? Had they spent so much time self-criticizing the video that they forgot the magic that it had? That seemed to be the case when the speaker happily announced that two members of Young Eddie, champion WorkSafeBC video, were to receive the ActSafe Aspiring Filmmaker Award.
This victory didn’t go unnoticed. Attending the event were executives from Warner Brothers and Riverdale, which left the boys in awe. They felt greater happiness and surprise when those same executives came up to congratulate and praise their video. The boys left the ceremony with bigger egos than you could imagine. Their bow-ties, which had seen a full night of triumph, were glistening in the spotlight. To celebrate, the boys ordered room service, and spent the rest of the night in the hotel swimming pool.
Was Young Eddie the start of something greater? That’s something only the future can tell.
Eamon R, Privett ‘22
Eamon R, Privett ‘22, Isaac K, Whittall ‘20, Dylan G, Rogers ‘22, and Edward L, Privett ‘22, had decided to participate in the WorkSafeBC Youth Safety video competition, where students were challenged to create a video that highlights a specific safety theme. This year’s theme was “Not All Injuries are Visible.”
The boys decided that if they wanted to take home victory they couldn’t tackle this in any normal fashion. After much discussion, they decided to spread the message, musically. More specifically, the boys decided to bring their idea to life with the hypothetical Grammy-nominated rapper Young Eddie.
Of course, creating a rap song and music video was nothing to scoff at. The strict musical process was still entirely relevant, even to these boys. They started their rap career by spending late-nights in Timmies writing and composing a lyrical masterpiece. Many Timbits were consumed, and far too many calories were gained, but nonetheless, the boys prevailed. Young Eddie was born. After the writing stage, their next challenge was to create the song. With help from Nazar S, Pirvett ‘21 on the bass guitar and Isaac on the drums, the idea transcended to fruition. Now all that was left was recording the vocals and creating the video.
In a small, yet soundproofed, Privett dorm room, the song reached its vocal stage. With Eamon R responsible for mixing and operating all the technical equipment, the boys spent many arts blocks editing and recording their vocal tracks. After much effort, all that was left was to record the video.
This is where the boys encountered their first obstacle. Their green screen was too small. Attempts were made to correct their visuals, but all was in vain. Or was … until Mr Interlandi, out of his own pure heart, lent us his studio and green screen. The boys, holding back their tears, accepted his generosity and proceeded to film their video. Even with a tight schedule, the boys managed to pull it past the recording stage. Once the recording was finished, Eamon, with his 200 pounds of camera equipment, marched home to spend one long night editing. He was confident one night was enough.
His self-assurance proved correct when they received an email notification informing them of their nomination, not just for the WorkSafeBC video award, but also for the prestigious ActSafe Aspiring Filmmaker Award. By this point, their video had amassed 1000+ views and hundreds of votes, so the stakes were high.
The group was invited to attend the ActSafe Safety Conference at the River Rock Casino in Vancouver for the Youth Safety Video Awards ceremony. Of course, without hesitation, the boys grabbed their bow-ties, booked their ferry tickets and headed off to Vancouver.
Upon arriving, the suspense hit them and their teeth began to chatter. They had spent months working toward this, so the victory was of the utmost importance. The thought of returning home with a loss poured waves of shivers down the backs of these self-proclaimed rappers.
With much anticipation, the boys sat firmly in their seats, with their goal set on victory, waiting to hear the results of their efforts. When the presenter came up and announced the nominees, an ominous feeling enveloped them. Right as the speaker prepared to announce the victors, time seemed to be at a standstill. This was it. This was their moment. This is all or nothing. And just like that, the results were out. The boys stood up in excitement, cheering sweet victory! While marching up to the stage to accept the award, the boys wore a smile bigger than the green screen Mr. Interlandi had lent them.
After receiving the award, the night continued. They were still up for another nomination. The ActSafe Aspiring Filmmaker Award. The judging for this category was different and much more demanding. Isaac and Eamon, who were up for nomination, found themselves in a totally different ballpark. Not only would this award be great for Isaac K who is planning on pursuing film studies, but it also entailed many great benefits such as a chance to meet people in the industry and receive first-hand professional experience. For Isaac and Eamon, this was their #1 award. The build-up to the award was intense, and the competition was fierce.
All of the boys were shaking in their boots. The fear of loss for this award exponentially overshadowed their previous victory. With tense bodies and fearful minds, the boys were preparing for defeat. The competition was just too great. Or so they thought. Excitement filled the air when they realized their video was the only one the crowd reacted to positively. Was this their chance? Had they spent so much time self-criticizing the video that they forgot the magic that it had? That seemed to be the case when the speaker happily announced that two members of Young Eddie, champion WorkSafeBC video, were to receive the ActSafe Aspiring Filmmaker Award.
This victory didn’t go unnoticed. Attending the event were executives from Warner Brothers and Riverdale, which left the boys in awe. They felt greater happiness and surprise when those same executives came up to congratulate and praise their video. The boys left the ceremony with bigger egos than you could imagine. Their bow-ties, which had seen a full night of triumph, were glistening in the spotlight. To celebrate, the boys ordered room service, and spent the rest of the night in the hotel swimming pool.
Was Young Eddie the start of something greater? That’s something only the future can tell.
Eamon R, Privett ‘22