EXCERPT VIDEO                                                                                                                                   ORIGINAL JCSC PRODUCTION                                                                                                                                                           ENTIRE VIDEO

Musical/Music Video Selection

Rock The Casbah

The Clash

[From the album Combat Rock (1982)]

[CBS/Epic/Sony Music]

PRODUCTION NOTES

In 1995, while finishing his undergraduate film school studies at Jersey City State College (now known as New Jersey City University), Youssef took a requisite video production class.  In the mid-1990s, video was still analog; the 4:3 quality…very lacking.  Still, analog video was what was prevalent at the time.

The Professor had established the parameters for the final video projects: 1) one day of shooting in the studio; 2) the project should last no more than 4-5 minutes; and 3) all students were required to participate in each others’ videos, either in front of the camera or behind it.  The students were to also prepare storyboards for the shoot.  Having chosen to do his project last, Youssef spent the following weeks working diligently other students’ projects, cutting his teeth on grip work, switching, manning the studio camera, working the lighting grid and handling props.  The videos produced ranged from comedic sketches to music videos to established script sides/readings.

Then, one magical Tuesday morning, it was Youssef’s turn to lens his project: a music video version of The Clash’s seminal 1982 rock anthem “Rock The Casbah”—complete with blue-screen effects based off of still photos of Mecca and a desert and a costumed Youssef replete with leather motorcycle jacket, sunglasses and an Arab headdress.  Having practiced camera blocking, lip-synching and song memorization with his classmates/bandmates Dave (bass guitar) & Geddy (drums)—and based on the storyboards Youssef drew up—the big day arrives and Youssef is crestfallen to learn that one of the studio cameras had broken down.

Yikes…what to do?!

The storyboards were designed for a two-camera shoot with the intercutting to be done at the switcher console per the storyboards.  As any good director knows, the show must go on.  A few minutes of regrouping with both cast and crew established the new guidelines for a one-camera shoot: tighter camera blocking (for that 4:3 aspect ratio) and effective zooms at specific times during the taping of the music video.   Luckily, it all went off without any further hitches.

The music video was recorded in one take without mistakes and the Professor was pleased enough that everyone passed the class.  However, Youssef was not entirely content with the finished product—as it had fallen short of his creative vision.  At the end of the semester, he asked for—and was given—the master Betacam tape of his “Rock The Casbah” video, which you can see above for your viewing pleasure.

Taking the tape to work, Youssef had bribed some buddies at the HBO Studios to convert the Betacam footage down to VHS tape.  Risking the downgrading of quality, it was necessary to convert to VHS for easier access in the future.  Perhaps someday, Youssef would be able to return to the piece and give it the gloss it really deserved…

Jump ahead to the mid-2000s:

With the advent of digital technology and NLE systems resulting in a democratization to everyone’s advantage, Youssef was now able to revisit his older projects—one of which was the 1995 JCSC “Rock The Casbah” video.

Digitizing the VHS tape (interpositive) into Final Cut Pro via his trusty Apple Mac G4 was the first step, followed by converting the original 4:3 footage to the modern 16:9 aspect ratio (a meticulous process that required Youssef to reposition the footage in such a way so as to keep the relevant imagery intact while cropping the 4:3 frame to the proper 16:9 proportions.  Luckily, the students who recorded the footage in the first place did a great job in their camerawork).  The next step involved color correcting the video footage and using various filters to sharpen, contrast and finesse the material.  Please below for a visual comparison:

                                                                                                                       Original 1.37:1 (4:3) film frame taken from a VHS interpositive.                                                                                                                         Reframed & anamorphically-enhanced 1.78:1 (16:9) digital frame.

After that, the original audio track featuring Youssef’s singing was replaced with the actual Clash recording and synched to perfection—a credit to Youssef’s memorization of the song lyrics!

The step beyond involved ripping a copy of The Clash’s music videos DVD collection and ingesting the actual “Rock The Casbah” video into Final Cut Pro and matching it with the JCSC production—again, using the actual song to sync them both up on the timeline.  By doing so, the editing out of the actual Clash band sequences and the editing in of Youssef and his crew was a breeze.  The clips above (both excerpt and entire music video) represent an amalgamation of the progress of technology, the alchemy of editing & the desire to transcend a passable video project into a pop culture statement of talent, skill & generational pride.

So, the take-away from this project:

1) Youssef loves to mug for the camera;  2) Youssef is a great editor; and 3) Youssef is a card-carrying member of “Generation X”—so ROCK THE CASBAH as loud and as often as you can!!

Dave, Geddy and The Clash would be proud.

BACK

TO