On A Constant Whir

Two significant things I've accumulated in my short-lived stay in that fast-paced little world where time is most essential and best effort is a prerequisite: first is, things are a lot tougher and way more difficult than what they seem and second, it takes something as monumental as this to make me realize what I really want to pursue. perennial

The idea of having my internship in a production environment thrilled me. I've long been curious of how that specific environment works and I couldn’t wait to figure it out. So strong is my curiosity that I have created a clear picture of it in my head: A big room swarming with all things technical and a horde of people in constant motion. This was proved true when I started spending my internship hours in ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs (NCAD) Division. I got to choose what program I want to be part of, so I picked XXX, not only because I'm a fan of exposés and anything that entails danger and thrill but mostly because I'm a secret admirer of one of its regular hosts: Anthony Taberna. Given the kind of luck I have, it turned out that the program is a dead show already so I was assigned instead in a similarly-themed exposé-busting program - Bistado. Apparently, XXX just got a new look and a bolder name via Bistado which airs every Monday at 4:45pm. The sole remnant of XXX in the program is its staff which are the same people working behind the camera and Julius Babao who now single-handedly hosts the show. 

During my first day, I simply observed and was a little surprised that some of the staff are almost the same age as mine. There’s Sir Sonny or “Kuya Sonny” because he preferred to call him that, the production assistant of the show, who is a fellow COCian and presumably, is just a year older than me. And then there’s Ma’am Camille, production coordinator, who argued that we belong in the same age bracket and therefore must be called “Ate Camille”. She is probably in her early 20’s but looks younger than whatever her age may be. Likewise, there’s Sir Rey or “Kuya Rey” as he invariably pointed out, who is the youngest among the segment producers in Bistado. Even the program’s executive producer – Ms. Myra Chavez – appears youthful and even acts as bubbly and candid like the rest of the staff.

So there I was, enveloped with a fresh and zesty air exuding from the cheery personality of every staff member, giddy to get started. My daily tasks in Bistado include: running errands, paper route, labeling tapes, arranging files, transcribing videos, accepting phone calls from tipsters, escorting Sir Sonny to the audio mixing room, observing during editing sessions and having realizations, the most common I get each day is: Their work is more complicated than what I’ve previously thought.

As weeks passed, I learned that this kind of work demands one’s full time and dedication. I witnessed how each member of the team exerts his undivided time and effort to ensure that everything goes smoothly. Basically, the segment producer writes the script and provides the entire plan of how a single episode of the program will turn out. One of my most memorable experiences in Bistado was when I stayed overnight in the office transcribing three video files, all considerably long, which were responsible for the bags under my eyes that materialized the very next day. I stayed with Kuya Rey, who needed the transcriptions to be able to finish writing the script for his assigned episode. Although the task was pretty exhausting, I didn’t mind it that much because I knew in my own little way, I was able to be of help. Most of the time, the segment producers are out in the field, interviewing their case study and those people concerned in their story. They are accompanied with cameramen who take video sits necessary to make the story more interesting. I wasn’t allowed to go on pull-outs because it’s obviously perilous and the staff didn’t want me involved in any kind of danger. I understood it certainly so I made it a point to do the best that I could with their given tasks inside the office.

During my stay, something amazed me significantly and it’s the audio mixing room. Every Monday, before the program airs, I accompanied Sir Sonny to the audio mixing room to hand the edited videos to the program’s audio mixer. Sir Aeneid, Bistado’s audio mixer, is responsible to inject the necessary sound effects and melodies to make the episode more arresting. I uttered a soft “Wow!” when I saw the room with this amazing equalizer kind of thing sitting on a huge table. I saw how Sir Aeneid adjusted the buttons on the equalizer to create the proper audio effects that will best complement the story that those videos tell. I learned how important his role is because those effects are an important ingredient to provide an emotional vibe that tugs at the viewers’ heartstrings.

It dawned on me that what viewers see on TV is just a small portion of how the process actually works. The final output we see on TV isn’t the work of a single hand; that 20-minute program catapulted into reality because of the collective effort of every staff member starting from the excellent hand of the executive producer, to the creative minds of the segment producers then down to the imaginative ideas of the cameramen. These are all essential in generating an episode that doesn’t only uncover truths and exposés but also provide its viewers new knowledge that tells them to be wary of the people they encounter and the businesses they get themselves into.

My internship experience in Bistado was a memorable one. I was given enough learning on how the production environment operates. Although the staff is seemingly on a perennial whir, it’s also apparent that the whole staff enjoys doing the job. I couldn’t say any single bad thing about the team because they have treated me nicely and there’s enough air of youthfulness that it’s impossible for me to feel like an outcast. In spite of all these good things, I still believe that writing is home to me and I’ll pursue it with all my might. I might not pursue a production-related job in the future but what I’m sure of is that the learnings I have picked out in Bistado will always stay significant and helpful as I tread on whatever path I might choose.