" Small Steps in A Long Journey "


Aaah...it's nice to sit my ass back and let what's been turning upside and down out of my head. Actually, it was like the other seven-days-a-week days, but I've got some particular -most were happy- moment in my single day that I think need to be noted down.

1. Surprisingly, my mermaidslife.com has been included as one of The Best Indonesian Websites 2002, specifically in Personal Website section, conducted by Komputer Aktif, a local computer magazine. Though mine was not the one that was being reviewed, but the small caption written together with the other sites in "Come Over" table, undoubtedly was impressing me so much. I don't know to what criteria I could be chosen, thinking that there's so many incredible websites that I KNOW their capacity are much much better than I am, either in its design, technology, and/or its content. Actually if I could say, it's trully embarrasing me!

In the other hand, I can't turn my excitement down and pretend that I'm not flattered...hell, actually I am! Not just because this is the first achievement that I ever had in my life, especially come from public acknowledgement, but that has given me a higher degree to my naturally lack of self confidence to do whatever I want to do. Finally I could manage to be on the same track without thinking to what result it would be at last. At least, the acknowledgement should be meant to be more responsible to keep up the best work and not to quit too easily when I feel tired or bored, just like the way I usually do.

Let's see what they've reviewed:
Rainhard.net, Dedidude.com, Dipatok-ayam.com, Amadhea.com, Lukaluka.net

The "Come Over" Table:
Amellya.com, Bukrie.com, Doneeh.com, Indoteen.net, Jasonmccane.com, Mermaidslife.com, Sherinaonline.com

Thanks to Aan to share the info!


2. Another surprising story, my producer trust me to choose a certain number of interviews and stockshots that has been taken for Farida Oetoyo episode, A Maestro in Ballet, to become a story. Usually, this kinda job is part of his authority, when the reporters only responsible to the interviewee's business, collect the reportage, write the Time Code for each question (and Cameraman to the stockshots), and deliver it to the producer who then chooses the best shots for some scenes he intends to create.

It came up when we discussed about some program in National Geographic. I asked him why we don't make program like NG does, by exploring the people and culture in Indonesia. In fact we've proven that our program, i.e. Maestro, has been a leader to other documentary program that released afterwards (considering that we need 2 years just to make broadcasting interested to this brand new style, as they more attracted to non-documentary program like Sinetron). So, I think we have different style, reaches high rating in Metro TV and has loyal audience. It's not bad after all. Well, maybe NG has more skill, experience, and technology, but actually we have what they don't have, the soul of Indonesian. So, I have certain confidence that we could make some good program, at least better than local competitors do. Maybe not even close to the great program NG has (I bet!), but at least we have self confidence to start! PD euy...

So, back to business, my producer then asked me to make the rough cut by choosing Farida's best shots to see my style and my taste in journalism. Hell, it's a challenging task to do and a chance to learn many thing here, so I didn't miss the opportunity any longer. At first he said, I need to understand Journalism Terminology, so I won't lose my track, which is 5W-1H; WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHOM, and HOW. As I said before, to make reportage for writing purpose is much easier than reportage for visual. He said, you should HAVE stockshots (visual), then you can create a story, or vice versa, you create the strory, then find the stockshots which represent it. No picture, then you WON'T BE ABLE to create story about anything. So, picture being taken by the cameraman, and the recording media (Digital Video) somehow like your life. You lose it, then you're deadman. Well, maybe I'm too exagerrating, but I'm lucky working in this kinda environment, not too deadly stressful like in TV Broadcasting and not too loosen up also. We still can retake or repeat shot that is considering failed or if we need to get the best shot (but sure, due to the interviewee's time and energy, we must be very careful about this). So I might say everyone is freely to extent their skill if they want and have wide oportunity to grow together.

I need three days to understand picture's workflow by paying attention more to the producer and editor's work. It's quite difficult to me, not just to decide which one is the best shot, but the important, how to make this unstructured shots become a whole story that would describe the Maestro's life only in 19 minutes, without missing any single moment in their life. Every second is significant and need high concentration not to missing the detail that certainly would give bad result to the whole work. However, it's what so-called Creative Work. There WON'T be any Right/Wrong statement to the final result, but more to Bad/Good, and Satisfied/Disappointed opinion. It's merely a TASTE problem.

My producer's finished the rough cut I've made the other day, and sent it to the other party to fill its Music Illustration Yesterday. Frankly, I don't really satisfied with my work, but I'm happy to learn some new thing. This episode will be running on Jan 19th, Sunday 10.05 pm, while tomorrow will be Arifien C. Noer, A Maestro in Film Directing. And the Editing Room still waiting for Iwan Tirta, A Maestro in Batik, and Amrush Yahya, A Maestro in Sculpture being worked.

Still got something else in my mind, but I need to take some rest now.