A season of fresh starts

Ok, so here's the thing: I am living a double life. IT Marketing Manager by day, tv show supervising producer by night. Not to mention tv show host. Ahehe.

Yes I have been dabbling in the sordid task of mounting a show for a Fledgling Production Company for the past month. (One month! My, how time flies.) This company is composed of advertising people who transformed themselves into content providers for a tv channel owned by a religious leader.

Now don't get any ideas just yet. The channel's programs here are being geared towards the youth. So there are all kinds of shows: from job finder fillers to daily schedule checks, to a chopsuey of segments and mini-programs to counseling programs and shopping shows. The one I handle is a TV shopping program.

On this show we feature real products (and services) with real value. The approach is a tele-magazine type, where we let the product, and the product owners speak up. It's their airtime, and we give it to them. Shempre we have to research the products and test them before they go one air...we have to be a show that's credible and honest.

It feels good to be back in tv but it hasn't been easy. Essentially I have had to work 15-hour days crank up the production machinery, watch the show's quality and philosophy, attend to administrative matters, do technical work like check scripts and assemblies, and of course do the hosting thing. Imagine having to find some space for all this in the middle of taking my MA classes, regular work, and trying to cope with the growing pains of the Fledgling Production Company. There was no (and I think, there still isn't) over-all production manager or production designer to implement the production systems and procedures. There was no designer who would take care of the look and "voice" of the channel. There were no charts, no schedule boards, no clear path to get to where you had to go. Everything was being tossed together in a hurry.

At least that's how I felt. Which is why I decided that, if my main deliverable was 6 episodes of the show, the only way I was going to live up to the bargain was to institute my own system with a team that could work within it. So I handpicked 5 fabulous people with hardcore tv production experience and got to work.

Because of that we're not as tired or as wasted as the other producers and editors of the show, plus some of us get to keep our day jobs. We are however, considered the most "autistic" bunch. No one has really said it to our faces, but we know what people think: we're so yabang, we're such sticklers for skeds, we're makulit when it comes to our needs. I plead GUILTY on all counts. My main defense: we had to get things done. And if the only way to do it was to do it our OWN way, then that way be done!

There are still many nuances and intricacies of production that this FPC doesn't know about, but which impact greatly on the final output and effort. They need to be made aware of these. On the other hand, our team, coming from a purely production background needs to be instructed on the presentation aesthetic of the FPC. It is at this juncture that both of us can meet halfway, share knowledge and help one another.

There's still so much to tell, but we'll leave it at that for now. Because the channel's only just starting there will be a lot more stories to tell and a lot more events to learn from. I'll be hanging around for a whole season, and boy it's going to be a long and interesting one.

He saved the Cheerleader. Did he save the world?

HEROISM - the mania that comes with being a fan of the show HEROES.

The exciting, mind-altering, logic-twisting saga of the "real world" HEROES continues. And on it's ninth installment, the myriad of fecund state of events is about to lay their destinies bare.

(What on earth is she talking about?)

HEROES is a weekly series on American TV's NBC. It's the story of several individuals who, after a solar eclipse suddenly experience weird powers they never knew they had. There's a man who can fly, an artist who can see and paint the future, a cheerleader who regenerates, a nurse who can mimic others' powers, and my favorite hero: the young Japanese office worker who can bend time and space.

Think pre-X-Men, when the superhuman students of Professor Xavier were still only realizing they weren't "normal". But to me HEROES is more exciting: we actually see them as everyday people trying everyday, ordinary approaches to understand and harness their extraordinariness. What adds to the excitement is the coincidences the show unfolds at each turn, showing us how they are all connected in their quest -- though not all of them know what it is yet -- to save the world from total annihilation. This, while trying to stay alive against the deadly intent of one Cylar -- a superhuman himself who seems to want to annihilate the superhuman race.

The saga's premise is based on the research of an Indian geneticist who theorized that human evolution is moving to a higher level, and it is happening today. He knew that these individuals had to be united or told in some way, and this was what he set out to do. Travelling from his home in Chennai, India to New York, he tried to find these people. Unfortunately, he was killed. And now it is up to his son, Mohinder, to make sense of everything.

The program is on it's ninth episode and the stories keep getting better. I dare not spoil it for you dear reader, and will leave you to explore. You can also visit their website at http://www.nbc.com/Heroes/.

What on earth--??!!

I know this post comes out of the blue, but I couldn't help it. I just couldn't let this one pass.

http://bangkokpost.net/151106_Database/15Nov2006_data001.php

And here I thought Thailand, of all governments would be willing to explore open source...so should I tell them their Jatujak Market should be sold to Marks and Spencer so they could make more money and ensure their products are "safe"?

D.U.H.!

Owning the Internet

Saw this article: Who really Controls the Internet?, while surfing throug the BBC website and I was partly annoyed that I found it after I submitted a final paper on the same topic for one of my masteral courses.

The political economy of blogs: that was my paper. It had me concluding that perhaps it does exist because most of these tools and concepts are western. But I don't know...I think it needs more analysis. Another web luminary pointed out that the traditional elements and concepts no longer apply to the web in the first place, so maybe it has to be seen/analyzed with a different approach.

But still this is worth a read.

Oh, and here's a cool summary of the history of the web in a slidebar, hehe. Very cool, especially for those who need it for their assignments and references.

15 Years of the Internet

Amassing Media

I've been taking a class in my masteral course called Political Economy of Mass Media. It's been an interesting sem, and I enjoyed the heated debates and discussions with my classmates and teacher.

I realized though I have different ideas from my professor. Sure, political economy can be detrimental to the country, from the point of view of one sector. But from someone who has been seeing things from a business perspective, I've been wondering, can't it have a positive effect as well?

Based on what I've understood of the concept of political economy (limited, but enough, hopefully for me to pass the course), businesses merge/tie up with the media so that the status quo is retained, in terms of ideology, profit, value systems, and power. The more media partnerships you have businesswise, the better off you are. That's why big businesses here and abroad fall over themselves aligning with big media powers. But it is said, therein lies the danger.

Content can be controlled by these big businesses. So many stories float around about how some big networks here can be forced to kill news stories that put their businesses in a negative light. And because these businesses supply some basic human needs, they have a a pretty powerful grip.

Recently, NEDA chief economist Romulo Neri suggested that we open ourselves up to foreign ownership of the media. Many see this as a bad idea. But I wonder, can't we give it a try?

In the political economy course I took, I supported the idea of selling the squestered tv stations to foreign buyers because for one, the government can't afford to pay for it. No businessman in his right mind would shoulder the more than P10 million in debt of one station. So why not let foreign owners come in and try to crank it up? It's not like they haven't invaded us before: most of our content is drawn from Western plots and story concepts anyway. People now have cable. American movies still make a killing at our cinemas.

Why not let them run these stations on a lease for say, 15 years? I'm no economist, but if people are worried about them not having limits, then we can set those for them. 15 years. Pay off the debt. 75% of employees should be Pinoy. Tax the suckers higher than the Filipino networks. Ad buying should be ads bought in Pinas. Half the board should be Pinoy...and they should not be counted as part of the 75% of Pinoy employees.

I'm not sure if this is a viable solution, but at least it's another vote in favor of getting the sequestered stations out of a rut. Maybe media ownership by foreign investor isn't all evil, as long as the government is vigilant.

I'm not well-versed with the implications of what I'm saying, but these are just ideas of a humble student. Feel free to debate with me. I would love to learn more!

Death of a Hero

He was larger than life.

Steve Irwin made sure that his viewers and fans treated their life as one big adventure. He advocated exploration, getting close to animals, and getting "the wilds into people's hearts" (Larry King interview).

My husband and I were shocked first, then saddened when we heard the news of his death yesterday afternoon. By the evening, we lapsed back into denial and anger!

But, as many articles and interviews pointed out, he died with his boots on, mate. What could be more fitting than how he did it: getting stung by a stingray barb underwater, close to his home in Queensland? Only a true adventurer, a true hero with a passion for saving the wildlife can go that way. He impressed me continuously with the way he brought animals closer to people. In fact, did you know that the Queensland government named a species of turtle after him, in recognition of his efforts at relocating and saving them? Try looking for the species Elseya Irwini.

He leaves behind his wife Terri and his two kids, Bindi Sue and Bob, who are just as enamored of the wildlife and the outdoors as he was. They travelled with Steve everywhere. "He could never be anywhere else. The only thing that could ever keep him away from the animals he loves are the people he loves even more."

We may never hear his "Crikey" battlecry again, but his philosophy and his message of environmental conservation will echo throughout the world.

This (animal) planet will never be the same without him.

*image sourced from http://disclexington.blogspot.com/

Media in Focus

Was able to finally catch Cheche Lazaro's show on ANC, Media in Focus. It's good to finally have a show about the media, and I can't imagine anyone more qualified to handle the show. Cheche is arguably the most credible broadcast journalist on Philippine TV today and I feel that she alone has experience, the skills in interviewing and analysis that will carry such a show.

I've known Cheche for more than eight years, having worked with her at Probe Productions. I was also one of her students at UP College of Mass Comm, and as early as then she was very into new technology and had a vision of the impact it could have on the media. She gave us readings on convergence (this was ca. 1994!) and it was from her that I first learned of the concept of electronic mail. She told us that an "address" no longer meant your home address, but your email address. As early as that, she wanted her students looking into the changes that technological advances would bring.

It was cool then that she tackled blogging on her show. I only caught the last half of the program but the discussion was very interesting. She had for her guests PDI Editor John Nery, the sassy lawyer Connie Veneracion and political analyst Dr. Ronald Meinardus. They discussed the concept of blogging and why it became such a phenomenon. They also explored the implications it had on the media as an alternative way of gathering opinions and fact.

I was particularly interested in Dr. Meinardus's insights about how blogging can be a very powerful tool, especially for the youth. But he also emphasized on how podcasting will soon "explode". Pinoy culture, he says is a very aural culture. We would rather listen than read. This is true, he says in the way we would listen to the news rather than read. If we do read, the text must be very concise, easily digested. This is why texting is popular. He predicts that when podcasting enters the mobile realm big things will unfold.

I believe blogging will be bigger than it is now. Young people, especially those in the middle class are fast becoming a very informed and quietly powerful lot. They have networks that can form consensus and opinion quickly. Communication is open and flows continuously therefore information is easily available. Their ability to move an agenda within their respective disciplines will be potentially powerful, especially when the kids who spend hours on chat and Friendster are finally the ones running our businesses and our governments. There's still much to be said, read and heard on blogging, and I'm sure a universe of bloggers know it won't be long before they take it to the next level.

ANC is aired every Thursday at 6.30 pm.

Related links:

The Couch Kamote
Yugatech

Epiphany

While writing down feedback to give to our wedding videographer, it hit me: I was able to condense into four important points what, in my opinion, makes an effective video production!

They are:

1. Upsots
2. Natsots
3. Transition
4. Cutaways

All these four items add the needed texture to a production, making it richer to view, more coherent and more interesting. Most of all, it gives a sense of authenticity, of actually being there.

How wonderful! Seeing what was lacking in our wedding video allowed me to summarize all my years of broadcasting production technique into four words. Of course, the over-arching goal of any production is to show, not tell, and these four items allow you to do exactly that!

How exciting! Can't wait to expound on these items. But I will do that another day because I really must get some sleep.

I can't wait to start teaching again.

Swan Show

I was half embarrassed and half engrossed as I watched "The Swan". It's been on cable for quite some time but I only succumbed to it last Saturday, when I was left at home for some quiet time.

It was amazing how these women transformed from ordinary-looking, nobodies with low to no self-esteem, into, well, swans. There's something about make-overs that keep me riveted. But, like my venerable professor, Prof. Enriquez always says, think about pleasure. Why is it a pleasure to watch? What gives you pleasure? Whey are you glued to your screen even if deep inside you know it's all manufactured?

It's the age-old idea of making dreams come true instantly, I guess. Think Cinderella. Only here, the abuse is self-inflicted. The women are their own wicked step moms and Drusillas and Mildreds. With a wave of the liposuction wand, the once-frumpy housewife is bodacious. In the course of one episode, she is "repaired" and "restored", in mind, body and "spirit".

In the particular episode I was watching, one of the ladies was a 30-year old housewife whose self-esteem was non-existent. SHe felt so bad about everything she did, and how she looked that she didn't even feel worthy enough to undress in front of her husband. Constantly depressed and unmotivated, she wasn't even following instructions from the surgeons and psychiatrists. She felt she was a complete failure and was undeserving. This was what they wanted "to cure".

I was thinking, why should it always be portrayed as the woman's fault? Maybe the husband wasn't encouraging enough, or she was surrounded by peple who were so critical. Maybe she just needed more attention from her husband. They should bring him in for a talk, not just the woman.

The woman's depression seemed to go really deep. Even when she finally looked in the mirror at her transformation, I didn't look or feel like she was totally convinced or happy with herself. I dunno. That's just how I felt. She got kicked out by the way, and wasn't going to make it to the pageant. I wonder how that's going to affect her self-esteem.

For all intents and purposes, the panel of "experts" tasked to carry out the transformation did their job, because she looked different. Lots of make-up, a revealing dress, a new hairstyle, a new body. But I wondered about her self-esteem. I wonder how her mind would rationalize her not winning. Would she punish herself again?

I was amazed at the pain they would subject themselves to to look like Barbie. It was unbelievable--bone reconstruction, lifts, tucks, sucks, weights, etc. All this to appeal to a certain standard of beauty that has become the reason for their depression in the first place. It's as if they're manufacturing depression to earn off it. Or something like that. If you feel bad about yourself, come on over and get some collagen injections or a liposuction, so people will think you're hot and you won't feel so bad anymore.

Ugh. But the point remains: I was riveted. Til the end. I was amazed at how much they changed. And how good they looked after. I wondered though if that goodness was only skin deep.

BBC restructures for digital age

This is a smart move.

Streamlining and adopting new content formats will push (again) the BBC five years ahead of the lot. In the Philippines, the networks are still pretty tied to the old models. They're afraid to try anything new, reasoning that half the population still isn't wired anyway, so why risk it?

With content alone, they are afraid to risk, causing massive stagnation. They don't realize they're part of the reason why their target audiences are turning to other sources for content that is customized for them.

Download now!

All the books you ever dreamed of owning can be yours! World E-book Fair will allow us to download e-books FOR FREE til August 4th! Unbelievable! I don't know where to start!

Free up space on your PDAs, hard disks and flash drives. Or better yet, but canisters of blank CDs now!

Wooohooooo! Heeeere we gooooooooo!

Four years later and I am still mourning the loss of quality programming for young people in this country. ANd I mean on a wide scale. It's frustrating how networks and advertisers only think of human beings between the ages of ten and sixteen as nothing but angsty, materialistic, self-centered, and consumed with thoughts of the opposite sex.

So far the only saving grace is the Kabataan News Network on channel 5 (Saturdays, 3pm). Contrary to popular belief, there are also people in this age group in the other regions of the Philippines. And they have more to say than "like, totally". Like, they're totally different from the faces and voices that bombard us on local primetime tv. And they do so much more than just "act" and sing off-key.

These people--the KNN reporters-- belong to bureaus spread all over the country. They actually conceptualize stories based on issues affecting them. They're not made-up cliches from some clueless scriptwriter who think human beings between the ages of ten and sixteen as nothing but angsty, materialistic, self-centered, and consumed with thoughts of the opposite sex. They think up the stories, write them, shoot them with their own cameras, and interview. INTERVIEW! On their own. Then they send in their tapes, scripts, and edit guides for execution in the editing offices in Manila.

That office is the Probe Media Foundation, that oversees that these young broadcast journalists from different bureaus submit on time, maintain the quality of the production, do minor script clean-ups and critiques. But that's it. The stories come straight from the reporters, and one can rightly say it done for kids, by kids. And it's no wonder the effort is supported by UNICEF. And rightly so.

It's too bad it's the only show of its kind on Philippine TV. And here all these individuals and organizations keep going on about how kids need a voice, how they're working on bringing quality tv for kids to uplift the youth bla bla bla. *SIGH* I just wish they actually DO something about it, rather than just sit around and talk about it. The KNN reporters actually beat them to it. Like, totally.

It's time to start practicing in my field of training again. After years of searching, I think I've found a way to tie up what I'm doing now, what I learned in the past and where I want to go with the knowledge.

And the great journey starts with a single step. This one was taken with my right foot. hehehe.