Ambitious>Interested>Needed>just for sake of some else.

This is our product after all that process and efforts.

Whether you liked it or not, I am still appreciate your time on watching this.

The reason for the title is the winning factor of the champion.

If someone's forced to make one just because someone else said so, he or she would feel: "Better done than never!" 

If someone's needed to make a film due to some assignment, he or she would just concern: "Okay the job's done. Oh look, right on time!"

If someone's interested in film-making, he or she would just kept thinking: "As a beginner, this ain't bad."

If someone's ambition is to be a filmmaker, he or she would produce the best of it.

Any courses would be similar. A job can be finished by anyone, yet the outcome is different.

The question is
Which kind of person are you in the process?

Does it worth it?

[Warning! This post will took you a lot of time, if you're blogwalking, please don't read or it'll torture you. If you do intend to read this, god bless you. BTW, please read the last post first if you just walked in.]

Post Production Stage.

We were recommended Power Director to do the editing. Like all advanced software, they don't give it out like presents. So we decided to download their trial mode.

Trial mode is A PAIN, said my friend, a teammate who attempt to download it.
Slow, yet succeed.

Due to the location of my home, my teammates did all the primary editing. During the process, good news just shown up. The expiry date just postponed till the 28th. (Saturday)

It is a GREAT NEWS to my friends in the other group too. They finally pumped up to start their production. (They too faced problems on actor's attitude. But they fixed it.)

After receiving this wonderful news, we started re-shooting imperfect footage and missed out scene. (With one camera since my friend want the camera back. But my camera did well, so nothing to worry about.)

Monday 23rd - No progress was made. Everyone's busy.

Tuesday 24th - We borrowed a friend's Macbook to finish some editing and realize the convenience of iMovie.

Wednesday 25th - We went to the teammate's (who downloaded Power Director Trial mode.) house to stay for 6 hours. (From end of school [3.20pm] till my hostel's supper time.[9 pm]) We worked through the primary editing again as the files were corrupted. In the meantime, we searched through various songs to select background musics.
Thursday 26th - We re-shoot some of the scene to patch up the lost footage. Again, we went to another friend's house to connect every ends of the ropes on the iMovie. (In other words, connect every footage. Don't misuse it as cinematography phrase.) We were surprised by iLive, the system in iMovie which contains hundreds of sound effects and soundtracks (I found most of it familiar and immediately recall all the YouTube channels who used it. For example, NIGAHIGA, JinnyboyTV, WongFuProduction, KevJumba, etc.) which eased our process. My friend said we were so lucky to discover these tracks.

We cheer as the video was done eventually. The friend who borrowed her family desktop (iMac) became the first non-producer-viewer of the video. We quickly finished the website and uploaded the video on the YouTube under the name Popcorn Team, a name we thought up the previous day while eating popcorn, literally. The video was later embedded into the website.

Friday 27th - Everything turns out great and the competition's organizers agreed to let our schoolmates who participated the Outdoor Activity section the next day transfer our soft copy along with the URL to INTI.

Saturday 28th - We felt relief after both of the teams handed in their production. All that's left was wait.

SEVEN DAYS PASSED AND NOT A SINGLE MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED..........

We felt disappointed again as we didn't make it into the finals. (We thought.)

"It doesn't matter. We gained an experience, didn't we? At least, one of our dream was fulfilled, even if we made it, i would consider that was a kind of a bonus." , said my friend. 

That comforted us. (We do got complimented by our friends as an affirmation of our efforts.)

30th of July, great day, my hair reach a new record for average length: 12cm. Of course, the discipline teacher won't let me and the rest who obviously broke the hair rule of our school and get away with it. (You know, since the evolution of K-POP, most boys today like to have Korean hair, even if it didn't suit them, and many girls didn't really like that kind of hairstyle. Nowadays, male teenagers prefer to be swaggy boy than being a mature man. Even when provoking, many of them acted like gangsta instead of mafia. Know the differences young ones.) Their PUNISHMENT was getting non-free barber to give us a bald head. I was not matter being bald but the others did!
Lemme use four characters to describe them. "惜发如金" (Cherish their hair like gold.)
After a negotiation, the discipline teacher took a step backwards and gave us time to fix our hairstyle.
I followed my friends to a mall after school to find a salon. Just as i walk into the salon, my phone rang.

"Is this LOO JUN YUAN?""yes?""Congratulations! I am here to inform you that....

Your team have been selected into the finals of MY SCHOOL MY PRIDE OF I-CHALLENGED COMPETITION. " 

[I believe i screamed in my head.] (Yes, you did. And you picked a "marvelous" reply.)

"Wow.......Thank you very much....." (And the caller informed me about the representatives will be arrive at my school to give us the rules and regulations.)

As quickly as i could, i text my teammates. (One of them wasn't inform until the next day as she switch her cellphone off the whole day.)

Finals 11th of August.

Our school has 12 participants who made into the finals.

MY PITCH (Business) [4] - They need to make a promotion plan for a brand no matter the brand was self-created or existed in our world. My friends made a promotion plan for MASSIMO (A young brand of bread.)

 

The drama team playing with judges' table during the lunch break before award ceremony.

I DO IT THE "I" WAY [3 + 5 helpers] - Outdoor activities finalists who needed to make a drama with the theme "i-Generation.". One of them shocked by the final event and feared of acting on the stage. (He even desperate to find a replacement member. But his teammates denied. Fortunately, he got the hang of it in the end.) 
MY SCHOOL MY PRIDE (IT and Mass Communication)[5] - We got the EASIEST mission among the participants. Make a presentation and talk the concept and script of your video. Answer three question and we're done! You know what they say: No sweet without sweat. (Google translate.)
 TOWER POWER (Engineering)[0] - Model building. That's all.

We wrote and memorized a speech that suits the time limit. (5 min) One of our teammates even obtain the time to make stage props for the drama team.

That day, we shared the same bus with a government school. (Different races, different languages, yet become friends thanks to this BIGBANG poster. This result left us speechless.)

Most of the finalist that day were government schools from Negeri Sembilan and Melaka, the furthest participator came from Johor. Hmm, Why isn't there any KL schools? I believe the publicity of the competition did well. Maybe, the other school were busy preparing for SPM trials. Talk about activeness of this generation, sheesh.....(The pot calling the kettle black......)[Damn myself.]

We were taken to a lecture hall, (That university have 3 to 4 identical hall.) after their opening speech. (Surprisingly not long and boring. Or wasn't I listening?)

Ooh, they even set five minutes on the timer.....(Strict.)

After the rules and regulations briefings, we found out we misunderstood them. There isn't a 5 minutes presentation and a video session later, only the presentation. Nothing more.
We got the number 7 in the sequence. (What a relief, for a moment we thought we were the first, since they put us on the top of the finalist's list, alphabetically.) So we sat through the first part before the tea break. We saw many schools' finalist introducing their schools like they're advertising, including their administrative department, achievements, and school events. Some used dances, some used songs featuring guitars, some just muttered along the way. I tried not to criticize them as i am one of the participants too.

"Chung Hua High School Seremban." The MC called out my school's name. We step on the stage and go on with our patterned speech. Some of the audience/participants laughed at our pattern, some might think we were acting cute, and basically we were. We finished our speech within 3 and a half minutes, unexpectedly. The times is still going, so? (The other teams made PowerPoints for introductions, we didn't make it because we didn't know we needed to.) We let them continue to watch our video playing on the screen.

We didn't continue to watch the teams after us (So as everyone else.) and walked forward to the other lecture hall to support our friends in THE PITCH. The is an apparent difference between the independence school and the government school at THE PITCH: The fluency of English speaking. Environmental factor, need no explain. Of course, there's exception, such as lack of preparation and stage fright.

Our school's team did a great job, the sample giving actually surprised the judges. Speaking of judges, our category judges asked us: "Do you have any guidance to make this video?"
"No, we don't, just by watching YouTube videos. "
We realized, we came here without any teacher guidance, (Including the business team and the drama team.)mainly because our school see this as a voluntary participation, needn't concern too much and doesn't have the necessity to get us a teacher in charge.

I'm proud of our school participators. Each and every team.

"Let me go back and check who is on the stage back in our category."

"Okay." They said.

When i got back, it is Seremban's Bukit Mewah's turn. I've seen their videos, they did great. They managed to place school life and their pride on their school in a video which has the same length with ours. Quite awkward that our school's students wasn't so proud of our school. Guess that's the shortcoming of us, NOT SO proud of anything. (You call that humble? No.)

When the two categories' event i mentioned ended, we went back to the Multipurpose hall where the drama event should has ended half an hour ago. We saw the guest performers (a.k.a. pastime-er.) Double Cheeseburger. (A trio from HALOFOREST [stands for conch forest.] music company.) They performed singing as entertainment and publicity for their disk. (Speak Chinese where there's Malays and Indians, weird........)

Whoever doesn't look like a student is the DCB. 

After a lunch break and sneak-peaking the diving event of the Olympics,(And amazed by an unknown country's representative who got 99.75. ) It's the final ceremony, The Award Ceremony!!!!!!

THE PITCH - Ironically, the instant noodle vending machine (as the whole subject.) team who jokes about our school's team's MASSIMO vending machine (as one of the suggested methods.Totally different.) inability and non-assurance of preservation [That's because instant noodle had too much preservatives!](After that, they did apologized to my friends lately and became friends.) won the champion. Our team didn't win. (NOT LOSE, there's a big difference between DID NOT WIN & LOSE.)
 I DO IT THE "I" WAY - Unluckily, they didn't know about the time limit, the organizers switch off the light instantly when time's out,way more strict than ours.
MY SCHOOL MY PRIDE - MC (The speech below isn't EXACTLY what he said. I summarized it.)
"Because at the 2nd runner up, " [heart beating]"There's a tie, so we have two 2nd runner ups. (3rd place, just to avoid misunderstanding.)" [heart beats faster.] "The first 2nd runner up is S...." [heart beats slower, as we knew that's the starting for government school, S.M.K.] "The second 2nd runner up goes to ......" [heart beating faster] "Chung Hua High School....." [heart stopped] "Kluang! (Johor)" [heart pounds again. Yet haven't lose hope.] "the 1st runner up goes to......" [heart beats faster again.] "Chung Hua High School....."[Experience gained, thus calmer, heart still beating.]"Seremban!"

[SCREAM]

The champion goes to Bukit Mewah, which we expected, no, actually everyone expected as the judges was impressed by them. We could prove that from the question the judges asked in the Q&A session, way too different.

The rest of the time was photographing time. We were photographing all over the hall. This is what you get for over-excitement. We got 3500 ringgit cash prize for the whole team. (That is 700 ringgit per person.) Many people in my class said almost the same thing."When are you going to treat us?"


We ended the day with pizzas and Step Up Revolution. (The best thing in the movie is obviously the dance.)

Pizza!! NOMNOMNOM.......

Aside from the other incidents and flaws, we had great fun in the whole process. For once, we all have the urge to make another one, but considering SPM, we just have to hold that thought.

Anger, Laughter, Frustration, Regrets, Depression, Disappointment, Hardship, Stresses, Experience.

Does it worth it? Yes.

[The End.] (Sorry for the stinky long post, as always, thanks for your time.)

It all started during the end of June

[Warning, this is a really long post, please make sure you don't to get to the bathroom or having any appointments or dates while you're reading this.]

"Hey, would you like to join us?"

"Join what?"

"The i-Challenged competition, you know, organized by INTI international university, you just announced loud in front of the class."

"OH, that one, which category?"

"MY SCHOOL MY PRIDE (IT and Mass Communication) video and webpage competition."

"Cool, but why did you ask me?"

"Because according to the rules you have to have boy and girls in the 5-person-group. We have four girls here. We need a boy."

My impression as a class photographer finally became useful! PS: My other teammates was my Junior 3's classmates. (As the photographer of the Singapore trip if you remember.)

 

Le strange group photo.

"What kinda video are we going to make?"

"We are gonna make a video about what makes our school life so unforgettable."

"Great, not so difficult at all. Let's try to create a script before......When is the expire date?"

"July 25th."

"Three weeks from now. We have time."

"No, we have sport day to prepare, remember?"

"Oh, right! And our school 99th anniversary is around the corner."

"After that four of us have to accompany the study tourist from Taiwan, takes about two....three....four days...."

"Great~~~" (Fake smiling.)

Before anything of that, I am so excited about make a video like a YOUTUBER or like WongFu-s or JinnyBoyTV-s. I immediately borrow one of my dad's camera tripod and study its structure and functions back in the hostel room.

The Taiwanese finally ended their study tour. (I am not sure what did they study during the tour, all i know about them is they came, they traveled around, they played, they formed groups to study in different classes, and i don't even know the names of the group who came into my classes.) I looked at my watch to confirm the date that day.

July 18th.

Right after the first recess bell went off, I stared at one of my group-mates and held up a gesture represents the number SEVEN.


"We, have seven days left."(I feel like i was a grumpy old uncle back then.)

 "Ya, right,.....You know, i was thinking of giving up, since the time is the issue now........"

"WHAT?!"

"I think he is angry, or furious."

"Really? No, I am not mad or anything." I admit i suppressed myself. "Let's don't give up for that, shall we?" Then again, I think I'm kinda desperate for that. It works like that, think about a mission to make a balloon burst. You have the potential (The flat balloon.), you were filled with excitement (Pump it with air.), you feel desperate when things don't go the way you want (Decided to press the balloon with bare hands, turns out that was against the rules.), So, all you need to do is find a suitable components or tools (A needle.), and pop it. (Achievement unlocked!)

"Okay, calm down guys, we'll make it." Great work, now i think of the friend."We stay till evening tomorrow at the library to discuss the script, is it okay?"

Everyone agreed, we went to the library and successfully made a prototype script, in note form. And some scribbles for the dialogue of the first scene and it became the only dialogue in the whole video.

During the process, we ran into another group's member (participating the same category competition.) or a friend. In my first impression, that group consist of a above-average-skilled cameraman, a potential writer, a good speaker, a good actor, and a skilled webpage programmer. (So I've heard, till now, I haven't confirm this info, yet.)
My friend said, they haven't start. Firstly, only some of them are mutual. Secondly, most of them didn't talk about it. Lastly, they thought of the time issue is almost impossible to overcome.

Good grief my teammates aren't strangers to me.

We settle down with the tools and the venue.
One tripod, two cameras (borrowed from the cameraman friend i mentioned above.), a script, storyboard (Saved in head).
As for the venue, our class. 

The Schedule for the shooting phase wasn't that great. As the expire date sat on the following Wednesday, we only have Thursday (July 19th) and Friday (July 20th) to get the all the footage shot. (Obviously as a hostel student, I need to go home at Saturday.) And the schedule ended up like this.

Thursday 19th - Script discussed

Friday 20th - Shooting phase

Saturday 21st - Shooting phase. Test our recommended video editor, POWER DIRECTOR.

Sunday 22nd - Get the primary footage edited.

Monday 23rd - Get all the editing done. In the meantime, set up the webpage. (We chose WIX.COM as it is easier.)

Tuesday 24th - Send the URL and the video to the organizer.

All seems to be going smoothly. Yet we have to face the first problem.

During the first day of shooting phase, we used half an hour since my arrival at class to shoot some footage with our voluntary actors. 7:20am, the time for morning reading session, a 20 minutes period for us to read under the morning breeze and the warm sunshine. Some teachers used it to announce important subject, some used it to catch up the lessons. We felt that it doesn't matter if we used a little space of the classroom and a little time of the period.

That was a mistake.

Another mistake was the ignorance of the importance of schedule announcement and detailed explanation of our actions.

Right after our trilogy of class for our homeroom teacher (Female, mid thirties.), (Class Stand Bow Good Morning Teacher.) we continue our first and only dialogue scene at the corner of the classroom. When we finished our scene, we found out our homeroom teacher disappeared from the classroom before the morning reading session ends.

We realized something wrong and send a representatives to the teacher's office during our first recess. 

We made a teacher mad. Whoops

My deduction: She came in, asked what's going on, we didn't answer the question, some one might carelessly gave a perfunctory answer which made her felt left out and dashed out the classroom.

To avoid awkward situations after the incidents, we have to keep away the gears from her sight. At the same time, we were hoping such event won't happen again, and worrying about the tight schedule of finishing the project.

At the afternoon, we planned a scene for dodge-ball at the sport center's tennis court. One of my teammates even post an announcement to recruit some actors and players on facebook. Everything looked great as the attenders arrived.

Unfortunately,

The attenders are mostly have the motive to play rather than get record, and didn't have the idea behind every multi-angle shots in the sports field. (For example, there's at least 100 camera in a league championship of football, so no one missed any angle.) What they thought was like the stage drama, you do it one take, you are done, you don't have to do it again.

It is rude to interfere friends' fun. Maybe it is my unclear instruction of what we want. So, in the end, it didn't turn out as we wanted, all the footage of the hour was actually wasted.

We felt disappointed on the outcome of the day, as it was the last afternoon of shooting phase, without any guarantee of the weather and time next week.

Suddenly, a group of Senior 1 students step in the building. Part of them are my friends. They came for playing football at the field next to our sport center. [Light bulb!! by Gru, Despicable Me.] 

Our English teacher was absent at the next day. Great timing! We could shoot the only scene that needs arranged background, THE EXAMINATION COURSE. All tables need to be arrange like having an exam. We even request our last period's teacher to spare us 10 minutes to tell the class what was going on.

What we aren't expecting was there's a substitute teacher! Our Mandarin teacher. (Male, late twenties.)

He was prepared to catch up some lessons in this empty period and never expected there is a filming stage in the classroom. (Since 1913, no STUDENT ever start a video making team. We are basically the FIRST!)

Frustrated, he left the class, not because of our team, i think, only due to not able to do what he had planned. (Not sure if there's perfunctory mixed in the emotion. Let's assume there isn't. )

 

Yet, he participate in the video as we asked. Thanks teacher!

Some friend teased me: "You just displeased two of our teacher, in two days! You just broke our class record!" (Speechless...........)

[To Be Continued.]

PS: The teachers we "displeased" have forgiven us after a few days. They can't be mad forever right?

What happened to me. Yes, i need to do some explanation to myself.

Me   Inner ME

What in the history of lazy ass happened to you?

You know, all those stuff that i think i don't have the necessity to write it on the blog

Oh, which one of them are necessary?

Well, you know, those philosophy upon the pillow.

Which you forgot right after you fell asleep?

Yes, I have a bad memory. Hey, you think maybe there is a possibility that the scientist invented a human memory card or thumb-drive? 

You gotta admit you have bad memories.

Ok, but sometimes i do remember stuff.

You know, as your inner you, i think that you better don't review that "stuff".

Good point.

So, Let's recall what have been forgotten or purposely left out for 7 and a half months.

First, I am now a Form 5 or Senior 2 students, facing a interstate examination call the secondary education certificate a.k.a SPM. 

Majoring science other than commerce.

Because i don't like that.

Nor does science. 

Not very much and it took me half a year to realize.

Ever think of literate arts?

Not even sure if language is my strength, i felt stupid even when i was writing Mandarin essay, and my English is almost half of bucket of water.

Depends on how you see it, say, half empty or half full?

Fine enough to survive i guess.

Bad thinking. 

Any alternatives? So, i am mainly heading arts and design. 

Not a great idea for such realistic world.

Better than nothing right?

Unknowingly sent into a room where my juniors (Junior 3s to be exact.) 

Unknowingly became as their leader, a semi-voluntary position to get them well behave at hostel.

Unknowingly? You knew the truth,

Oh, hell, too long to say about it.

Let me summarize then, Warden A thought it is a good idea to send a group of science students to the floor i mentioned and Warden B let us aid him for managing the place. Later Warden B left to start up his counseling career, and graduates whose waiting for their university to start replace the spot. 

And all those juniors, no, devils have no discipline at all. No even a single respect. They thought "讲理不讲礼", in other words, reason speak louder that respects.

You know, if you let me, I'm gonna punch then in the skull.

You know you don't have the strength to do violence, hence, it'll be any side faults. 

I hate it when i am too considerate.

Fuck me, right?

Take that as rationality. It's always better than shell head.

Sometimes i wish i have debating skills like those in the western TV shows.

No use, they'll be mixing stone-age swears which won't evolve in a few generations.

Today generations......Sigh

Aren't you part of them?

Warden graduates did a great job, but forced to leave due to their university. A few of new warden came, doesn't really matter, we put down the position anyway, SPM, DUH.

But thanks to that, you got into the Hostel Self-Management Committee. 

We're forced. All leaders has to, since the dark ages of the committee, it has been trying to turn into a new tree. Trying, i repeat.

Many activities had been held successfully, wasn't it?

Ya, meet many new friends, good old society gratitude verse, never change.

Not to mention you've been doing the same job in every event. Except the first one.

Yes, photographer at first and design and publicity team till the current event.

Ain't bad right? I mean, administrative work never suit you.

Thanks to my non-decisive personality.

Not true, i am decisive in some place.

I know, drawing and other things that related to camera.

Speaking of society, i hasn't switch my societies for some time, achievement unlocked!

I'm not that kinda guy who often switch societies, you'll learn nothing by that.

I'm sure you have some new position in my societies now.

Yeah, leader of the general affairs in the athletic club.

Great! Wait, what does that do?

Well, if your club need something, you go out and buy it.

You're in a ATHLETIC club, running men club, what do you buy? Javelins?

That's the great part! Nothing to do actually.

Fun~~~~~right~~~~~good luck on changing that.

Okay, i'll try.

What about photography society?

I'm one of the 3 musketeers in the society.

Cool, wait, what?

The only 3 non-committee Form 5 members in the club, joining the force as a mutual friends of the presidents, pissing off the junior committees for no reasons as our photographing skills are above average, becoming the clowns of the club, with our jokes and weird actions. 

Wow~very strong team, so not proud of you.

Our only weakness is member absence. If anyone of us absent, we are weak as our bonds creates an incredible force of nonsense. 

'Kay, if you're happy, i'm happy.

 

Wow, this new COMPOSE page shocked me, when did it start?

It's been a while (A while? You have been ignoring your inbox's site meter reports for 7 and half months, how could you call that A WHILE? Almost ETERNITY!!) [Shut up! Inner me!] since my last post. When was my last post? Let me check........

You know what, it doesn't matter, haha, good to get the nostalgic keyboard sounds without any aid of internet's boring typing game, haha, hey, BACKSPACE, i used you quite a lot today. HAHAHA ahem!

What got me started on this post? This ain't le ordinary post! This is a teaser post. Next Time, a new long post! (and another long break.)[Come on!]