In this post, I want to document my journey as a video maker. Looking back, I have definitely come a long way and part of me does fear that I might lose passion for things that I was once on fire for, and if that happens, I’m sure future me would have a valid reason for not making videos any more. But if that reason is because I forgot how much I loved it, then I cannot forgive myself for that.
chapter 1: caught red-handed
It all began when Anglo-Chinese School (Barker Road) initiated a 1:1 learning programme where each student in my class would receive a white macbook to enhance our learning experience. Little did I know, that small (yet back-breaking) device would have such a great impact on my life. Of course, it was used to have live discussions and collaborations in class with Google docs etc. , but I jumped right into all the applications like Photo Booth, GarageBand and the ever-dependable iMovie.
My world also opened up to games that could only be played on Apple software, one being ‘Spore’ introduced to me by Hong Kiat. I was obsessed and I spent my breaks in class playing it. Towards the end of one recess, as I sat in the corner to ensure no teacher would see my screen, Mr John Wu suddenly swooped in all the way to where I was seated and stood behind me as I was trying to evolve my creature in the game. I was in cold sweat. Before I knew it, my computer was ripped from my hands, leaving behind a pitiful 13 year old boy.
I was told to see the IT guys after school to receive my punishment. As I stepped into the computer lab, one of the IT staff was exploring the files on my computer, and he had viewed some of my silly videos I had made on Photo Booth.
He then proceeded to say, ” Okay, your punishment: Make a video on why you shouldn’t play computer games in class.” Grateful, I took back my computer and sat in the lab to make one of my first videos ever on iMovie. I just watched it again, and it was really simplicity at its core – google images with cheesy transitions. And the video was so patronising, with sentences like “I should not play video games in class as it distracts me from my work and does not show very well of myself” blah blah blah HAHAHA Part of of me did mean what I was saying, but another part was just thinking about how bizarre this punishment was, and just wanted to complete it and go home.
So that was my first video. The school made us do many other projects that continued to pique my curiosity in film. Whether it was explaining Pythagoras’ Theorem or making a reflection montage of an overseas school trip to Chiangmai, I used every assignment to explore more of what I could do with iMovie and expand my skills with it. My dad even made a guest star appearance in explaining why ships float! By the end of Secondary 3 (when I was 15), I had learnt the keyboard shortcuts and completed more than 30 videos (mostly assignments), experimenting with sound, stop motion and digital animation too.
chapter 2: The birthday videos
2014 was a year of making videos for others. Bryant was the first friend I made a birthday video for. It came as a result of multiple videos I had randomly recorded using my Samsung Galaxy Ace over the past 2 years, and I discovered the thrill of cutting and editing them to fit a storyline that I caught a glimpse of after looking at all of the footage I had.
The next birthday video was for Louis. This time, I looked to his closer friends for more crazy and wacky footage of him, and it was hilarious to look through. I also coordinated with our friends to send in videos of themselves wishing him, something that I would continue to do for many more birthday videos. This video had more structure to it because the videos fit into each other so well.
My grandmother’s 75th birthday was another special project that year. I remember squatting in a corner of my school to take a video of my computer screen with my phone as I Skyped my relatives in New Zealand to capture them wishing Por Por a happy birthday 🙂
chapter 3: Transition to final cut pro
In 2015, the first year in Anglo-Chinese Junior College, I decided to try a new video editing software called Final Cut Pro, which allowed me to do more things with iMovie, yet none so complicated as Adobe Premier Pro that professionals use. This was what I thought to be the classic Youtuber starter kit, the sweet spot. I remember being so incredibly excited to try it out, I stayed up until the ungodly hours that night to make a video despite having school at 7:30am the next day.
This video would be my first reminder to myself as to why I love making videos, and I called it ‘Moments‘. I started by writing down my thoughts, followed by recording a narration of it and then placing relevant footage from my Samsung S5 (no more 360p videos!) over the audio in the timeline. I remember going to school exhausted, yet excited to show Jared and Samuel what I had made. They were incredibly supportive, and have been an immense source of encouragement until today 🙂
chapter 4: Marketing manager of Acsian theatre
My role in the committee (alongside my dear friends Vanessa and Ella) was to manage the publicity of our events. Here, I experimented with green screen effects and 3D texts, all while learning to churn out video after video with short deadlines and with great efficiency, and by that I mean always needing to pull an all-nighter the night before.
I would also do this thing where I would have many flashing images towards a climaxing point of the video, and insert one or two pictures that have absolutely no relevance to the rest of the video (eg. there is a picture of me with a dog in a trailer for Lady Windermere’s Fan), and then challenge my closer friends to take a picture of it when it screens during assembly for a $2 prize if they capture it!
I remember genuinely considering pursuing a career in professional filmmaking, and was looking at entry requirements for schools like the New York Film Academy or other film schools in Los Angeles. I even talked to my theatre teacher Mrs Geetha Creffield about my options.
I also remember the silence of my parents when I told them about this, which still cracks me up when I think about it today! HAHAHA I’m confident they would have supported me if I was 100% determined, but their faces could not reserve their reservations on this topic.
chapter 5: where we are today
Today, I am equipped with my trusty Samsung S9, an Oslo camera stabiliser from my theatre friends, a GoPro from my church friends (but not forgetting the 3sixT video camera from Jared and Samuel!), and multiple tripod stands!
I’ve since carried this skillset to many other places. I made videos for my company during National Service, I’ve helped friends with their school projects and this year and I’ve started a series on my Instagram account, “For the Forgetful”, so that I won’t forget God’s blessings. I’ve also tried story boarding for the first time for my 2019 Winter break video, “Family of Me.” My Instagram account has been a very good creativity outlet and I really am thankful for that!
I’ve even cried while editing a video! And that was for my mom’s birthday this year. This was a video where I really immersed myself in the process, and what a fulfilling experience it was, not only because of the emotional relief from the tears of homesickness and gratitude for family, but also to see the impact that a project can have on me if I allow it. I keep this video on my desktop to rewatch from time to time.
I carried this on into my dear sister’s wedding video, which is by far the largest project I have undertaken until this day. Coordinating more than 40 people to send in their well-wishes in the form of a lip sync to the song “Have it all” by Jason Mraz was a mammoth task, but I’m so glad it worked out in the end.
In this video, I experimented with doing a zoom out from one video into a huge collage of friends and family in a heart shaped. Those 15 seconds alone in the 5 minute-video took more than 5 hours to put together, while the rest of the video took 6 hours at most. It was where I was reminded about how editing is such a humbling job, one which few will be able to appreciate the time and effort that goes into it.
chapter 6: what’s next
I have many ideas for projects that I want to do, some that will be completed in the coming months, others that I’ve planned for but can only finish years from now. Additionally, I’ve always been writing songs since I learned how to play the ukulele, but I do have 2 songs that I’ve written with quite a clear vision of a video to go with it, although I’m quite reluctant to go ahead with it because I feel like my singing has a lot of room for improvement.
Concluding thoughts
As I type all this, I smile as I look back and see the many faces who have been instrumental in my journey thus far. And I’ve come to realise that I really enjoy that, ‘looking back’, that is. Looking back at footage I’ve recorded, looking back at people’s faces when my video plays, looking back at the person I was and comparing him to who I am today. Retrospection has been both an immense part of my own character growth, but there are also days when it has trapped me in nostalgia and intense desires to go back to what life once was instead of looking forward and making new memories.
Making videos has and will always be a very special part of my life, and I thank God for this gift that has blessed both myself and many others around me!
Do you even dentist? 