Tons of balloons, confetti and paper airplanes flew in the air. Bobby soxers, hippies and boy-band singers swayed to the beat of "Rock around the Clock," "Stayin' Alive" and "Bye Bye Bye." One huge time-traveling falcon even crashed the party, which felt like one huge New Year's Eve bash.

A cheerful pandemonium erupted in Oakcrest High School on Thursday afternoon when hundreds of students, staffers and alumni tried to lip-sync and dance their way into the Guinness World Records for the most people in a lip dub music video. All of the antics were filmed in one long continuous shot using a single camera, two film lights and an iPod. The whole project was organized by students in the Oakcrest Film Institute and the video will double as a school spirit activity and kickoff event for the school's 50th anniversary, media teacher Jason Thomas said.

The music video took three months to coordinate, and each sequence was filmed backward so that every single movement - from the confetti rain to the silly string spray - would go in reverse for a "cooler effect," co-directors and seniors Kelsey Noranbrock and Christina Wood said. The students sold color-coordinated T-shirts to fund the project and pay for costumes, props and other expenses

The resulting seven-minute film shows the Oakcrest mascot, the falcon, jumping into a time machine, and the camera follows several "singing" teenagers wandering through different celebrations. Decades roll by with each passing step through the halls, courtyard and library. The festivities end with hundreds of Oakcrest seniors doing "the wave" inside the auditorium.

The film crew encountered some minor snags along the way. One student smuggled a live rooster to school, and the bird shuffled around auditorium for a few minutes before it was scooped up and returned to its owner. Then the first filming attempt failed because a flying object hit and jammed the camera.

Despite the glitches, the second take that became the final video went smoothly. "Just to see it all come together - that our school can come together for one thing is so amazing," said Noranbrock, who wants to become a film director or editor.

Some video performers learned new skills and facts during the shoot.

Kevin Winstead, a 17-year-old junior, found out just how uncomfortable it can be dancing around in a 1950s mascot costume. "It was very hot, and you've got to use one side (peephole) or the other. You can't use both."

The teen said he never knew the Oakcrest falcon used to be smaller and brown. "I actually like this one better because it's meaner," Winstead said. "If you've got a mascot, you've got to be intimidating."

English teacher Rick Pohlig caught the performing bug and threw some of his old 1960s records up in the air during the video shoot.

Pohlig, who taught for 36 years, said it was his first time in a music video and he had a fun time "twisting and shouting" while donning a black top hat and pink flower lei.

Pohlig was amused when some of the high schoolers were baffled by his Simon and Garfunkel and Blood, Sweat and Tears albums. "The kids were all excited, asking what they were and can we play them?"

It was unclear at press time whether Oakcrest High School broke the world record for most participants in a lip dub video. The record holder was Grandville High School in Michigan, which featured 1,400 students in its video, Thomas said.

Oakcrest High School's last tally was about 1,000 people, and they are still counting sign-in sheets, Lockwood said.

Once the final count is done, all of the forms will be notarized and shipped to the Guinness World Records headquarters in London, where it will take six to eight weeks to review the record claim.

Even if Oakcrest doesn't ended up breaking the record, Lockwood considered the film a success because more than half of the school participated. "It will really show the pride of Oakcrest - the students and the teachers."

Contact Michelle Lee:

609-272-7256