As this semester draws to a close, students are mourning the loss of some traditional Covenant College events. Unable to allow crowds of people to make their yearly circuit through its winding halls, Around Founders has been postponed. Carter Hall leaves piles of holiday decor in storage for another year, unable to bring festive cheer to campus through Carter Christmas. Students will also not be able to celebrate the last day of classes this semester with Mistletoe Mingle.
However, Covenant College is nothing if not committed to carrying on traditions where it can. That is where the chaotic energy of Founders Music Video comes in. Every year, all of the halls in Founders spend weeks choosing songs, planning themes and filming scenes to edit together and win the judges over.
Brethren Hall won the competition this year, and their video was set to “Hometown” by French 79. Jon Schimpf ’23 was the creative director, and the video was full of eclectic poker tables, burning playing cards and a smoky atmosphere. Schimpf’s vision for the card theme came from a desire to give Brethren's only senior, Zach Humphery ’21, a special feature. Their theme ended up dark, neon and electric.
Levi Tucker ’23 said, “The whole process was a lot of fun and a bit chaotic. Jon Schimpf ’23 was the creative director and was definitely the mastermind behind it all. It was an awesome bonding experience because this is the first time in years we have been able to get 100% hall participation, so it was a great time figuring out a place for each person on the hall.”
Schimpf commented on the communal aspect of Founders Music video.
He said, “Ultimately Founders Music Video is an event designed to enhance hall life and encourage an entire hall to come together and create something that can be really cool. And quite honestly, the only thing more satisfying than watching the incredible shots that Levi Tucker edited together was claiming the first place prize. It was definitely an experience to be remembered.”
Although many Founders Hall residents admitted that Founders Music Video couldn’t replace Around Founders, Sarah Murphy ’23 of Balcony Hall commented on how Founders Music Video helps cement hall culture. Balcony won three awards for their video: people’s choice, third place and best actress.
“I think the video was the perfect amount of bonding. We weren’t under high stress and we could simply have fun! The pressure wasn’t less than Around Founders, just different. I would have loved to experience Around Founders this year, but I can confidently say that FMV was a success for our hall and unity!”
D’anerys Doe ’23 of Highlands Hall enjoyed the early stages of FMV. Highlands put together a massive playlist of possible songs to use, and then they all voted together on which song to choose.
Doe said, “It was a fun experience for us to go through the playlist and listen to the different styles of music. Once we had the song, a couple of people had really specific ideas about what the theme of our video could be, and what we could do for it. It was a really neat idea, and people liked it and started talking about scenes we could shoot that would work really well for the theme.”
A hall that certainly commanded attention due to their cinematography was Blackwatch. Kevin Davenport ’22, the star of Blackwatch’s video, commented on the incredible amount of work they put into it. Davenport emphasized how Blackwatch wanted their video to be about their hall community that developed this semester.
Davenport stressed the point that his hallmates and he wanted to make sure their video stood out. “We knew we couldn’t compromise at all or our video would fall flat. In practice, that meant Jon [Hill], Banjo [Jones] and I spent probably upwards of 20 hours planning shots, storyboarding and writing before we ever picked up a camera, not to mention close to 60 hours of filming and editing in the last week before the deadline.”
Founders Music Video is a huge part of hall culture for Founders, and the incredible work put into the event by all students involved helps remind Covenant College of the traditions that make our school so special.