If we're gonna actually do this, this is the action plan I recommend to make it easier on everyone involved:
1) Everyone who wants to participate, say so in the comments below.
If you decide to participate, please follow through and don't drop the commitment because a lot of people are gonna put work into this.
Please write your name, where you are in the world, and your level in the school.
[Example: Aileé Guerra Aréizaga, British Columbia, Canada, Level: Intermediate]
This will just make it look cooler and more professional when the final compilation is edited.
2) We'll give everyone a week to write their names down, tell other people so everyone knows, and after next Sunday we'll compile a list with all the participant's names. We'll give everyone a few days to make sure we didn't miss anyone or misspelled any information.
3) We decide on a tempo and a key everyone is comfortable with and based on that tempo we decide how many bars each person gets. To be roughly equal to the 40 seconds we had planned, but it's easier to measure in bars. This way, the person making the backing track will know exactly how many bars to make the track.
4) TO THE PERSON MAKING THE BACKING TRACK: Once we decide the tempo, key, and number of bars each person gets. Make a simple backing track that includes enough bars for each player, plus a short intro or outro if you like. Make sure the changes to the next section are really obvious, by including a percussion hit, or a simple fill so that each person playing knows exactly when to come in or when their time is ending. The backing track will need to be properly mixed and mastered.
5) Once the backing track is completed, send it to me and I will edit a quick "practice video" which will be the backing track and on the screen the name of whoever's turn it is to play. This will make it easier on the beginners as they will know exactly when their time begins and ends and everyone will have something to practice to and to make their video with. It also eases the editing process for me by a lot!
*Beginners: Don't let it overwhelm you. I prefer 10 times if you play something SUPER SIMPLE, but with GOOD TIMING and GOOD PITCH than anything flashy. This is meant to showcase EVERYONE'S BEST. We all deserve to shine and feel good about our work!
6) Like I mentioned, in a few weeks I will release a video that explains how to create good quality guitar videos. If the info below is a little above your head DON'T WORRY! I will explain everything in detail on my video, so you can come back to this info then. I just want to list the entire process so everyone understands what we are doing.
7) Video and audio are recorded separately, using any camera or phone you have available for the image and any recorder or DAW you have access to for the audio. The way to keep them synchronized is to "slate" them. (Again, I will go in detail on my video) Once you do your recording, send me your files labeled with your name and what the file is.
[Example: Aileé_Video 1, Aileé_Audio 1]
Please, SEND ONLY YOUR BEST TAKE! I am not going to go through several takes for each person. Also, decide what your best take is by yourselves!
8) Once I have everyone's files, I will do a "preliminary" edit that I will share here so everyone checks that their names are correct and they are happy, etc. And then I will share the final edit.