Shooting a Music Video Across Vermont

In high school, I spent most of my time behind the camera for our TV show, Yellow Jacket Television. One of the projects I’m proud of was filming a music-video parody of the hit song I Like It Like That. A fellow crew member created the concept, lyrics & storyboard, and I had the chance to bring it to life through the lens.

We dedicated a few days to filming, driving all over Vermont to find the perfect locations. We shot in a grocery store, at a Mexican restaurant, in a frozen yogurt shop, and even tracked down a random Ronald McDonald statue that matched the comedic tone of the parody. Each stop gave me a new challenge. These included different lighting, tight spaces, unpredictable backgrounds, and others. That unpredictability is what made the shoot exciting.

As the videographer, I focused on capturing dynamic, energetic shots that matched the beat of the music. But I also ended up doing a little bit of everything: tossing props into frame, dropping items at the right moment, and coordinating the music playback so the actress could lip-sync perfectly to each verse. I had to keep her energy and mood upbeat so it translated through the camera. Balancing these roles while keeping the camera steady taught me how much multitasking goes into music-video production.

The entire project was fun from start to finish. Even now, I still catch myself humming the parody version instead of the original song. It was chaotic, creative, and ridiculously memorable. Which reminded me that this is exactly the kind of videography experience that made me fall in love with filmmaking in the first place.