I’m still in awe of what I’ve
achieved these last two months - the vlogs!
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Thank you! 😀😀😀
It all started sometime in October, while I
was cleaning out the folders on my laptop - I stumbled across several videos I
took during my stay in Lucknow last year. The first project I worked on was the subharrambh dance and the Diwali celebration. It was really simple - I just cut and put clips together, using iMovie. The comments when I posted it on facebook were really encouraging, so I decided to make more projects with the other clips. The next was a Typical week in Lucknow
Apart from uploading them on my personal
page on facebook, I decided to put them up on youtube. While I was there, I started watching other people's videos, and then became familiar with the term 'vlog'. I instantly became inspired
by/became a fan of Wil Dasovich! I really liked his 'the art of learning tagalog series' and then his travel/adventure vlogs, and how he got his sister Haley to start too, just a few months ago. SO! I decided to give it a try. I bought a little tripod for my phone, because I wanted to start with something small and basic, rather than use my DLSR.
I spent a lot of time thinking of a series to start with, rather than just a 'random' vlog. I thought that Christmas would be a good theme because Christmas preparations here in the Philippines, or specifically Manila where I am, are insane! People start decorating the malls and streets as early as September every year. Hence my first vlog Christmas in Manila: Episode 1.
This first one was really simple, even though it was pretty long. I didn't play around with iMovie that much so there were no effects. At this point, all I knew was how to trim and transition! But the experience was really interesting because it took me a lot of courage to hold my tripod and talk to the camera (lol) in the jeepneys and while walking in the malls. Once in a while I felt conscious of the people around me, but it didn't take long before I got really used to it and felt confident. I guess I felt too comfortable that I didn't realize how much I kept wiping off the sweat from under my nose and on my forehead (that's something I wish I hadn't done!)
The second vlog had more work put into it. I literally bought a little notepad to write my scipts! So that I could talk straight without stopping and thinking or looking around (because I noticed I kept looking away from the camera whenever I spoke in the first vlog/lacked eye contact) so I decided that having a script would keep me focused (or else I'd talk on and on). So I added monologues here and there, and added music to the b-rolls. I really felt that Christmas in Manila: Episode 2 was a big improvement from the first.
I had really big plans for my 3rd vlog because I received lots and lots of encouragement from my second vlog on facebook (with people giving suggestions of places to visit). Also very happy with the number of views!
BUT filming was a fail. I had planned to visit MANY places, but it was impossible because of Christmas traffic! Yes, there's such a thing here. Everyday before Christmas, the taffic on the roads here were insane! Everyone was out shopping for Christmas; the malls extended their closing times. There was this one day I left home to go to Cainta, Rizal to visit the famous Christmas house in Filinvest, but it took me 45 minutes to cover the first 1km from home. It was already so tiring, we made a U-turn and went to Rockwell. Inside the mall I brought out my DLSR to take better quality videos (by the way, up until now, I've just been using my Samsung S4. It's 13 MP, I'm very very happy with the quality, it's sharp, BUT the videos are shaky, no matter how still I hold my hands - I guess it's an internal thing because with my DLSR, even when I run, the video is really smooth and stable, so I have to admit in all my vlogs I'm not happy with the way the walking/moving videos are shaky). Back to Rockwell mall, a security guard approached me after a few minutes of filming telling me I wasn't allowed to record videos there without a permit. Since I couldn't really reach anywhere I had to go, for many weeks all I could do was just take out my phone whenever I saw a Christmas tree, while driving by. That said, here's Christmas in Manila: Episode 3 which is more of a b-roll of Christmas decorations that I've seen while driving by.
And finally, the last in my Christmas series - this one wasn't shot in Manila; it was in Mindoro instead. I spent a few days there (where my Mom's parents are from). We arrived two days before Christmas, and then had some friends and relatives over on Christmas day for lunch. The first part of the vlog really didn't have anything to do with Christmas, but the second half - well, just a little. This is my FAVORITE vlog so far, I had so much fun making it! I spent a lot of time thinking out the stories, the script, the plot. I also had my power bank with me at all times, to recharge my phone every now and then because I did not stop recording! Choosing the music and sound effects was something I also took seriously. My Dad's presence in the vlog also made it funny, so it had many light moments. I really enjoyed this, hope you do too!
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Even though being a Bahá'i, I don't celebrate Christmas (no trees, lights, etc) I really felt the Christmas spirit around me this year and I think it's because of making these vlogs. Every time I went out, I'd notice the Christmas decorations around the city. For example I've seen paroles all my life, but this is the first time I really went up close to see how they're made, and to really appreciate them (see Episode 2, and Mindoro vlog). On a personal note, I created some Christmas-inspired decorations for my room:
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| Apart from decorating my room, I also made some Christmas-inspired art on my nails 😜 |
I participated in my first Christmas gift-exchange. It happened that my Mom and I co-incidentally picked out each other's names, so I had to get her a gift and she got me one. This was my very first time ever having to get a Christmas gift for someone.
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| Christmas ham! It's tradition for people here to buy ham for Christmas dinner/ new year's eve. We went to Excelente Ham in Quiapo to get ham for our Mindoro trip; it's the number 1 ham here, media men were even there filming and the owner was around, attending to the dozens of people flooding into her store every minute, just to get their special, truly excellent, ham! |
Apart from this year, I've spent a few other Christmas holidays in the Philippines before. I've also spent Christmas holidays in Iran and Nigeria, once in India (last year) and once in France (the previous year) and I must say, the Philippines takes Christmas to a whole 'nother level. EVERYONE is really in the festive spirit...that even if you're not a Christian, you will definitely be affected - the happiness is just so contagious... from the music in the malls to countdowns at the end of every TV news report to the fact that everyone (people who put fuel in your car, security guards who help you reverse, sales ladies) will religiously greet you "Merry Christmas po!"
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| at Powerplant mall, Rockwell |