In another nine hours, I am going to cover yet another Kampung Buah Pala saga. Strangely, this video pops up a while ago while I was setting a new widget.
I take that as a divine intervention to remind me of my main driving force. The reasons why I brave the muddy field full of cow dung, the hot, burning sun that gave me a dark complexion until today, the smell of cow dung stuck to my jeans and the verbal abuses hurl by stupid people against me.
The people of Kampung Buah Pala. I may not like some of them. I may find a few of their sons too stubborn to reason with. Some have sons who is so fickled. Some are so ignorant I just want to scream at them to ‘wake up already’.
But ultimately, we have a big group of old folks who are really attached to their kampung. That attachment is so deeply ingrained in them, they just won’t accept anything else but the soil they had stepped on for decades.
They may not get a house like the other 24 house owners. I had said my piece. I think I was out of my mind that day to dare to put forward my reasonings to the person whom I expect can make a difference.
So, maybe it is closure to some. But I know it is like a wound festering and one day, the nasty pus will burst. Hopefully, it doesn’t. But if it did, at least I can look back and said, “I told you so.”
Oh ya, another note to self. Out of them, one family is Catholics. And my Catholic leader said he doesn’t want to be involved when out of desperation I phoned him to help the old man who was so distressed. That remark had been my driving force. If I cannot even rely on a religious leader to help a distressed old man, who else can I count on?
The other lesson I learned is the world is full of arrogant rats who call themselves politikus.
People hate me because I can’t keep my mouth shut.
People hate me because I always seem to be smarter than them.
People hate me because they hate to admit that I am indeed smarter than them sometimes. Kekekekeke.
So, I need to rant today because I have seen so many videos edited by fellow CJs who just do not notice this very annoying, ear splitting and distracting point.
Putting many changing shots into one video make the video interesting. But for goodness sake, cut off all the audio first. Unlink the audio from video. Remove the audio. Add as many padding shots as you wish.
Then, find one pleasing background sound, be it music or the speech and use that in the soundtrack or narration.
This way, you do not subject your viewers to banging drums, clanging cymbals, music, traffic, talking heads and what nots in one single video. People can go insane, you know?
I just don’t get it why some people just don’t get it after watching other’s videos. Oh wait…maybe they think they are so terror-merror that other people videos, for e.g. mine, are without quality. So they don’t watch. Yeah, someone once bitched that I am only good in producing videos in quantities but with no quality.
Who the hell cares, man? I got a story or news to tell, I am not a creative person. I tell my story, move on and find more stories. Why would I want to waste my time trying to be OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) with the artsy-fartsy thing? I am a citizen journalist, not Yasmin Ahmad.
After this post, I hope CJs do not give 6 seconds shots with different audio anymore. Sigh…Lilian, you are a such a bitch, you know? *grins*
Utter nonsense uttered. That’s why I dug out a month old video clips which I have no intention of editing to make two videos out of it. I have a stack of press conferences videos which I never produce any documentaries because I sometimes feel the issue is a non-issue where the focus of our citizen journalism is concerned.
I attended the briefing by the Penang Botanic Gardens Director on the development of the gardens on November 18, 2009. After weighing the issue, I see it as yet another tussle between the previous government and the new government.
I do not wish to get entangled into yet another one of those ping-pong case. I had enough with Kampung Buah Pala. Moreover, from what I had gathered during the press conference and also site visit, it appears to me that the top leader is surrounded by some inefficient folks.
However, when I see some clueless, over egoistic, unknown folk talk about the Chief Minister with so much disrespect and self-centeredness, I decided to produce the videos. This chap is obviously being very naive, out of touch and doesn’t seem to know who and how to report his grouses.
As with every case, there are politics involved. Smart people will know that. You can’t run away from politics. You want to make life easy? Sit on the right side.
I have been bombarded with criticism over at my Youtube account, other people’s blog, my own blog and even on social networking sites over my tendency to put myself in a video.
There was this one time when I attended a 3-hour long event and I made a less than 10 mins video of it with my questions in the video. Well, someone said this on my Youtube account :
This video by the egoistical Lilian should focus on the 3 hours forum yet it was made purposely to protect & defend herself.
She had also abused her privilege as a “citizen journalist” in KBP to provide insider information to DAP. It is time for her true colours to be exposed!!!!!
Of course, I find it soooo amusing that someone actually took offence with me and accused me of being a spy. I don’t blame them for thinking I am a spy because I was holding a 9-page Kampung Buah Pala chronology of events which I downloaded from the State Gov. official website and printed them. Then, I am not the kind of person who can sits and listens only. I can do many things at a time. So, I was busy texting, Facebooking and etc with my mobile phone. Naturally, people think I am feeding information and getting my instruction on what to question the Gerakan president.
But this post is about how much do we put ourselves in our citizen journalist video? For me, I think it is only right to put ourselves in there when necessary because the video is from our point of views. We are not representing a media company as a reporter. We are reporting our own news so we have to be part of the video.
The above video is a press conference by the Chief Minister. Again, the whole event took about 2 hours because the CM also visited the site. I have added my conversation into the video because it is about my concerns that I am addressing. I am not the mouthpiece of any party but representing the citizens in reporting. The Chief Minister has accepted that whenever he sees me in his press conferences, I am there not as part of Malaysiakini but the general citizens.
When I have been instructions by Malaysiakini to ask questions, then, I usually identify myself that I am there because my editor asked me to. Then, I clearly made it known that the questions are from Malaysiakini and not me.
But for the above Botanical Gardens project, I brought questions I have heard from people on the grounds and also picked up concerns voiced over the internet. I asked the CM and he replied to me as a leader to a citizen.
I wish people will learn what is citizen journalism before lumping me with the professional journalists and then, try to demean me by putting me down. I am not one of those who can be easily intimidated. I will tell them off that they are the noobs for not understanding the meaning of citizen journalism, not me. It usually pissed them off. Hehehehe.
The other thing is, if I am going to waste many hours of my time in pursuing a story, on a voluntary basis, with no fixed income, why should I hide myself? Moreover, people have heard thousands of news, serious ones, so why bother with more? Let’s chill and make news our way, the CJ way.
News channels like Al Jazeera, CNN and BBC are always looking for contributors from around the world and they pay fairly well too. There are also other television channels from different countries that are willing to buy stories from specific parts of the world. For example, I also contribute to several European channels that focus on Asian content. Then there are local channels too that are always on the lookout for stringers for their newsdesks.
Websites are another good source of revenue. Heard of Kevin Sites? He’s one of the first solo-journalists to be hired by a website (it was Yahoo! In case you’re wondering).
Lot’s of news sites are popping out internationally (such as VJMovement, Current TV, BeamUp, etc) and locally (The Malaysian Insider, Malaysiakini, The Malaysian Mirror, etc) that utilise multimedia to the max. Heck, if you’re really desperate, there are even websites that help you sell stock footage.
For me, I love the smug look I can afford to give people when I tell them, “Nay, I don’t get a salary nor am I paid for my videos. I do it because I believe in the issue.” That is priceless. No amount of money can get that kind of satisfaction.
Of course, if you are an expert and has played the field enough, you can be a stringer. Grab videos and sell it to our local TV stations. But then, your work will be greatly edited and what you video-ed may not appear at all.
So, it is back to ‘I don’t get paid for this.” Priceless.
I have been sitting at home, painting my nails, waiting for them to dry and taking long baths. Which actually caused my nail colours to peel and I have to start again. So, that’s what I basically do this past week.
No more CJ outings for me. No press conferences too because the CM was away in overseas. No video features. No interviews.
It has been a relaxing week and I am enjoying the slow phase. Though I have lots of idea to do lots of things, I just hate the idea of video editing. Video editing needs concentration and one video can take at least one hour even if it is just a simple press conference with no scene changes.
I think it is better that I do not do any videos rather than coming up with con jobs. What are con jobs? Filler videos that we do just to make up the numbers. Of course, I had my share of con jobs where I just put up something because they are there.
Now, I want to make sure that each video leaves some impressions, opinions or impact to the viewers. Otherwise, they are not worth my time.
So, tralalalalala…no CJ videos from me until something hot comes up.
I am going to rant on my citizen journalism activities. I don’t give a damn because it is better I rant than to back-stab, bad mouth, gossip, whine and then, pretend to put on a smiling face. My character is such. If I like you, you know it. If you pissed me, I will tell you off.
So, here goes…
ON TEAMWORK
I am a very efficient, fast worker and I cannot stand working working in groups where I need to wait for things. I also do not like to be like a bunch of school kids where we need a bunch giggly girls and boys to do something. I prefer to be a lone ranger. Or have only one reliable partner who gets what I am thinking of doing.
ON FILMING TECHNIQUE
I have a very hyperactive imagination and even as we are filming, I know what I am going to do with the story, what sort of scenes I want and what I am going to include in my editing. So, I can’t stand people who are so worked up over getting beautiful shots and such flowery stuffs. For me, it is just do the farking job of getting the news we want. We are not movie production who needs to produce fantastic, creative, artsy, fartsy stuffs.
ON WHO GETS THE ‘MEATY’ STORIES
It is my understanding that since I work the fastest and has most-est time, I take up most of the chores of editing. So, when people said, ‘when one or two get to edit’, I surely feel pissed because I felt like I am being accused of grabbing all the meaty parts. Doh…I don’t get paid for doing the chores. I am doing it to prove that our GROUP (not me, myself, I, darn it!) is productive.
ON COMMITMENT
I asked one person to help with getting out more stories. He said he doesn’t have the clips. My other coursemate burned a CD for him. He forgot. And he went back to the excuse of ‘I don’t have the clips’. Where is the commitment?
ON WHAT GOES INTO OUR CAMERA
Still on the ‘I have no clips’, all three of us have the same amount of 8GB in our camera. We only need to produce mere minutes of video. Youtube only allows 10 minutes. The 8GB can takes at least 2 hours of filming. Yet, how the fark can one come up with the excuse that his camera recorded nothing worth making into a documentary? No even a single 2 minute video?
ON GETTING FEATURED
This is one I super pissed off. As far as I am concerned, I no longer care if my video contribution gets accepted. I have now matured to the level where I do something because I think it is worth sharing. But people still have ideas that unless your video is going to be featured, it is not worth his time. Doh…There are plenty of places to upload my videos and getting views.
ON GETTING CREDITS
I have been tripled pissed being featured in The Making because if any one of my friends or blog readers knew there are such videos around, they will think that I am seeking credits, glory and were doing all the video filming so that I can make my own show of ‘See what a big heart person I am, I work so hard’. Those videos featuring me going out on citizen journalism ventures left a bad taste in my mouth. It could possibly robbed off my real intention, i.e. to help people.
ON NOT CALLING THE WHOLE VILLAGE
So, yeah, I have quietly went off to some event without telling the others. I went to the candlelight vigil because I had been a hardcore vigiler and the last thing I need is to have a noobie cameraman with me. It is a potential risk and true indeed, the police did arrest someone.
And the conclusion I made is…..the day I began doing things on my own without feeling bad about not shouting to tell all my comrades or screaming for attention by making a video of myself doing the video, I know I have graduated as a citizen journalist. I don’t need my mommy’s boobies anymore. I can walk, I can talk and I can run already.
It is a Malay sayings. Literally translated, it means ‘Shrimp behind the rock’. It means if someone works very hard on the exterior, there is surely some hidden motives behind it.
Some of my faith mentors, i.e. those people whom I look up to for my faith guidance, often asked me to pray for discernment. At times, when I want to embark on something, I have to ask myself if I am doing it for the people or am I doing it for self-glory. When I was volunteering at Mt. Miriam, I struggled through the seven months asking the question over and over again. Every morning when I was there, I usually start my voluntary work with a morning reflection in the chapel.
Funnily enough, I never really know why I spent seven months, going there obediently three times a week, facing the most depressing situation. At the end of it, I still do not quite know except that no one is doing it, so I may as well take it up. The only rewards I get are the satisfaction that somehow, my path has crossed with the hard journey of others and I take comfort that I did leave something behind for them. It could just be a smile, a gentle touch or an understanding look.
And the weird thing is, I am doing citizen journalism with the same kind of ’shrimp’. It is purely my enjoyment of doing something for nothing. No one is going to thank me. No one is paying me. Yet, I feel good that I was there to meet those people whom I have met. The ones on the street. Without my camera and my mission, I probably will never dare to find the courage to reach out to them. I probably will feel freaky touching kids covered with lesions and tiny bumps all over their bodies. I probably will not even think of hugging an old lady who is a beggar and an albino.
So, with creative minds and some good compatriots, let’s take this to the next level. Unless one knows what their shrimp is, one cannot get down to remove the rock. My shrimp is to do something for people. The people is my priority. People doesn’t mean only poor, helpless, homeless people but people who deserves justice.
