ABS-CBN Corp Comm (Week 6)

At the end of every month, all newspaper and online articles about the ABS-CBN programs are compiled by the PR Department. Each PR writer handles his own accounts (shows). The PR writers compile all the articles written about their accounts, summarizes a report about them (total media values, total PR values, etc), makes several copies of the PR Acticity Report and distributes them to the shows producers or business unit heads.

On an average, each PR writer should handle just 3 accounts. Here at ABS-CBN, their PR writers are overworked. Ms. Christelle alone handles 14 shows/channels-- PBB, Marthe Cecilia's Kristine, The Correspondents, I Survived, Kulilits, Us Girls, ABS-CBN Foundation, Twist & Shout, Panahon Ko 'To, Showtime, Pilipinas Got Talent, DZMM and ANC.

This week, Ms. Christelle asked to photocopy the PR activity reports since three PR Activity Reports per show are needed--one for the show's producer, one for the head of the unit where that show belongs to, and one for Corp Comm. As I was photocopying the reports, I noticed that some of the press releases I wrote during my first few weeks of OJT already got published. YAY! I felt all giddy as I photocopied my own copy of the press releases I wrote haha. Here are some of them:

Aside from writing press releases for The Correspondents, Us Girls and Kristine, and preparing the press kit for Kristine's launch press conference, my OJT hours this week was spent mostly finishing the PR Activity Reports.

--Clara Roxas

The Real Folk Blues

(Week 8)

My last week at GMA. Everyone was aware of this fact and so let slip some words of advice every now and then. My supervisors even asked when I'd be graduating and to make sure I check out if there are any vacancies in the department by then. Sir Jeff whipped out his camera and had the whole department together for a group picture which made me feel very touched. My last task for this week was to compile all the Title Cards that Sir Jeff uses/used in one tape and then write down the time codes of each title card afterwards so that whoever may need to use the T-cards wouldn't have a hard time finding each one. I did enjoy my stay at GMA although I know I could have learned so much more, nevertheless it was enriching I guess to have been able to learn the predecessor of today's editing softwares.

What Does the Future Hold

(Week 7)

Pretty much the same routine this week. I segmented I Love You and My Sassy Girl for Sir Rolly and certified some other shows. I also got to preview Deathrow for SNBO. Ma'am Rosyl is the one who likes to have me tag along with her sometimes when she has to go out the Department. She usually takes me to the Ingest room and the Library. The ingest room is where they have the edited tapes digitized and fit to transmit through the airwaves. The library is where all the tapes are stored so we borrow and return the master or edited tapes there. Jenina is my co-intern but she is under the administrative section of the Program Management Department while I am under the Editing section. Sometimes I help her out with her work, which primarily is paper work. There was this one time where I helped her sort out the rejected program proposals. She was with Ma'am Chari at that time, a UP Broad Comm. graduate so we got to chat and ask her questions. She told us her stories of when she worked as a researcher for I-Witness under Sandra Aguilnaldo. There are other UP graduates in the Department as well and while I talk to them I just have to wonder where I will be after I graduate. It's a nerve wracking thought but definitely something to look forward to as well.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST

10TH WEEK

SATURDAY IS INTERNSHIP DAY
August 28, 2010.


Agenda: BLACK BOOK SHOOT AT MANILA HOTEL

But wait… there’s more, as I arrived at Lifestyle Network which is located at 8th floor of ELJ Bldg., I was asked to bring down thick styrofoams at the Dressing Room located at the 2nd floor of the bldg. And then I was asked to eat my lunch first… And then after that I was asked to buy 3 bottles of 2-liter COKE and a big sachet of coffee creamer. Imagine? I was holding a heavy plastic bag under the heat of the blazing sun rays and had to go back to the second floor to give it to the Personal Assistant of the shoot. Then after that, I was asked to go to Baluarte to get the receipt of the breakfast of the hosts and the crew of the morning shoot at the studio and tasked to do the accounting of all the expenses for the production.
I WAS AN ERRAND GIRL THAT DAY.


Around 3 PM, we left for Manila Hotel, went to Astoria Plaza to pick up the gown for the model and arrived at Manila Hotel around 5 PM. As we arrived there, I was told by the segment producer of the production to take pictures of the shoot for my internship’s documentation (ang bait nya, kei?).

I was really overwhelmed while we were there. So I took lotsa pictures before, during, and after the shoot. HAHAHA.














Around 6 PM, I was asked to pick up the food for dinner. (feel na feel ko naman daw dahil ako lang ang nasa van. :D)

The shoot ended at around 8 PM. I had fun on the shoot. I even had conversations with the segment producer, the personal assistant, and the cameramen. They’ve talked about their work, their experiences and life stories.  So I really really had fun that day! :D


P.S
BALIK SA REALIDAD. As we were on our way to Astoria Plaza to return the gown of the model, I was asked by the PM to accompany the segment producer to return the gown. AND THIS IS THE THING. I couldn’t open the door of the van and the PM said “KAYA MO NA YAN” while looking at me without offering ANY HELP to open the door.HMMM.. MEAN.


Good thing that the SP helped me open the door. And as we arrived at ELJ building, I was holding three paperbags with perfumes, make-ups, external hardrive for around 30-45 minutes while waiting for the PM to end the call she’s made. And walaaahh! I had to go back to 8th floor to return those stuff in the cubicle.  WHOO! WHAT A DAY!





SEPTEMBER 4, 2010

8:55 AM. I was there at LN waiting for the coordinator because she's set our meet at 9 AM. And guess what? NOBODY WAS THERE IN THE OFFICE. I just got text messages from the coordinator on what I was supposed to do--- find the laptop, find the EHD, connect it to the laptop, segment video clips of shoots, and convert them to MP3. Whoooohhh! Good thing that Kim and Icee arrived as well.

WE WERE CONVERTING AND SEGMENTING FILES FOR ALMOST A DAY.

And I was the last person from our department who went home because I was waiting for the files to be converted.
I WAS THERE FOR ALMOST 12 HOURS.

I’m really having fun on the production per se but what I find abusive is the fact that they give us work loads with DEADLINES (okay lang sana kung credited eh) to be transcribed and make shot lists of these video clips without crediting the hours spent doing that.

I find it UNFAIR on our part as interns because as much as we want to finish our internship as soon as possible, we can’t.

We’re not just interns spending this semester for internship.

We’re also students enrolled in other classes which have requirements to be submitted on time.


And the thing is I’ve learned that they get paid for these EXTRA WORK LOADS that they pass on to the interns..
GRRRR. :|


OH WELL, THAT’S LIFE. SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST.

Editing as Individual Assembly Line

(Week Six)

At the office everyone is facing their own machines. This is of course due to the fact that editing has an inherently individualistic nature, more so in this case since we are linear editors. Despite (or because of) this, the group goes along well so the work environment/dynamic is ok. We sometimes suddenly have a conversation and just as suddenly we go back to editing. This week I basically segmented some more tapes for Sir Rolly... with the occasional chit chat of course.

Editing as Ideological Filter

(5th Week)

Unfortunately for me I had a fever so I only got to go to GMA on Monday. Basically the whole day I segmented Sir Rolly's tapes. The shows he handles are Love City a I Love You. For Love City, I segment them into four parts while for I Love You, I segment them into 3 parts. This amounts to around 4-5 tapes for Monday. Sir Rolly would then insert the Title Cards where I have indicated the possible time gaps. The MTRCB team outside the office is often consulted by the Editing team as to whether or not a certain scene may be shown on air. I Love You is a Korean comedy show but they discuss such subjects as abortion, divorce, pornography and other subjects which, at least for the MTRCB, are sensitive to the Philippine audience. So here is where regulation occurs and decisions are made on the spot. I see then how these handful of people get to set the ideologies for the mass audience, who unknowingly watch a 'filtered' episode. Some scenes are obviously not fit for airing, in the case of the movies they edit for SNBO or other movie specials, such as torrid sex scenes or gore. But when it comes to topics, take abortion for example, it really then relies on the call of the MTRCB representative. But in reality, the topics featured are dealt with sensitivity and actually offer different views on the subject and do not in any way encourage the audience to get abortions or get a divorce. So when they edit it out, we are deprived of getting different views and stuck with one.

Trip to Memory Lane

(4th Week)

This week I got to certify Detective Conan tapes. There's a list of all the correct terms to label each kind of video distortion such as artifact, folding, pixelized etc. Again this is to 'certify' that the tape can be aired. If in case the tape has too many distortions then they would have to re-dub (or re-record the tape). As I am a fan of Detective Conan I didn't mind certifying around 9 tapes with 2 episodes each.