First Instincts Are Always Right

studio lighting and equipment

with Ely Buendia

Ely while recording inside the studio

1^st week

Day 1- July 26

It wasn’t supposed to be my first day in Channel V since I decided this day to be a rest day since I’ve just went home from Catanduanes last night. But Bryan told me that the production team needed me today because he and our boss will be leaving, and nobody will be in-charge of the production but me. And so I grudgingly agreed, decided to come back home cause I felt the need to change my clothes, and then we went off. When we came, Bryan introduced me to everyone. And true enough, first instincts are always right. A little later, our HR asked me if I knew how to do make-up. I said yes, and then she said, “Okay, you do Ely Buendia’s make-up.” And I was in awe.

It took me a little while when I blinked again, and the HR was already giving me budget to buy Ely’s make-up. It turned out that the make-up artist did not arrive, and Ely will be coming in no time. And so, everything had to be urgent.

When Ely came, he seemed a bit stoned since his words were quite garbled, his eyes were droopy, and he was a bit uncoordinated. At first, I had qualms about doing my job as a “make-up artist” since what if he doesn’t even want me to touch him, you know, that artista syndrome. But since I was already there and there’s nothing I can do to run away, I played my role.

When I first touched his face, I felt some kind of chill since I realized I was currently touching the face of a music legend. But when I saw his dandruff (haha), I realized he was still human after all.

After I was done with his make-up, I coordinated with him for his video choices for Channel V’s program VIP (Very Important Pinoy), which we will be shooting. At the studio, everything was already set-up. From the green wall, ID, prompter, boom mic, and appropriate lights which we do not have in our CMC TV studio. Their equipment seemed all state-of-the-art which enabled the fast shooting of five episodes, and it only required three people—the director, the cameraman, and the prompter operator. The job of the director was so easy that what we were doing in our TV productions were even harder; since we had to deal with more than one camera, and our equipment are so out-of-date that technical glitches are always expected.

The shoot did not last an hour. Then when Ely was about to leave, he mistook someone else’s car for his own. Good thing the car did not have an alarm since he was really forcing the car to open. 

And then after everything was over, I realized that boy, oh boy, it is my lucky day. J