It began with 13 hours of tape, filmed with hand-held video cameras and a shotgun mic.
The result was a two-minute, eight-second documentary segment on up-and-coming Detroit rappers known as Frank N Dank, aptly titled, "Frank N Dank."
The product of a full day of work for telecommunication seniors Mike Pasky and Drew Johnson, the clip will air on UPN's nationally syndicated "Hip-Hop Nation: Notes from the Underground" at midnight Saturday.
"It was hard work but they definitely showed us a good time in the process," Johnson said, laughing. "It was cool for us and them because the clip is mutually beneficial."
Johnson, who works with Pasky at mid-Michigan's Public Broadcasting Service affiliate TV station WKAR, assisted with the shoot's audio and video production. He said the clip gives him some of the experience he will need to go into professional media production.
Their day with Frank N Dank included a stop at an independent clothing store on Detroit's southside, a bite to eat at a soul food restaurant off Woodward Avenue, a drop-in interview at Detroit's hip-hop radio station WJLB (97.9-FM) and a tour of a nearby mall.
The day's climactic finish came with a raw, nighttime performance at St. Andrews Hall - a venue that has helped Eminem and other Detroit-reared rappers gain a following and national recognition.
Watching the two rappers helped the students put the day into perspective, Pasky said.
"After seeing their performance, we realized we were just these kids following these 26- and 27-year-old rappers around Detroit," he said.
Working with Zoom Culture, a North Carolina-based media group that distributes independently produced videos, Pasky said he wanted his creative content to reach a broad audience from the start.
"The first two segments I created for 'Hip-Hop Nation' were entirely my idea," he said. "The main producer called me up and said, 'That's hot, it's really good,' but he couldn't take them because they were more of a blend of hip-hop and techno."
Mike Schmidt, producer of "Hip-Hop Nation," said he was impressed with the clips Pasky submitted to the show.
"I think Mike is one of the strongest directors we have in the Midwest," Schmidt said. "He's always been creative and does a great job with what he shoots."
With "Hip-Hop Nation" appearing in almost 100 markets nationwide, Schmidt said the grass-roots show relies heavily on independent directors such as Pasky to produce segments about real-life issues in the hip-hop world.
As for the future, Pasky said he has several more projects already in the works, including a screenplay for a short film this summer. He hopes to do more work with the Detroit music scene, and begins today shooting a segment about Bizarre, a member of Detroit rap group D12, also known as The Dirty Dozen.
"I found out he is forming a rock band, so that really interested me," Pasky said. "I asked them and they told me they thought it would be pretty cool."
