Missing My Shot — To tell a 2019 SEA Games story
It was 8pm on December 11th. I had just arrived back home from Changi Airport following our flight back from Manila, where the SG Sports TV crew and myself had concluded our 10-day stint covering the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines.
Luggage still packed, I rushed to plug in my laptop as I raced against the clock to get my 41st and final SEA Games video out in time. This had always been a selfish, preposterous ambition, fuelled by a desire to take advantage of my privileged position of being the sole editor of 40 videos to tell a compelling story of, and for, the contingent of Singapore athletes. And given the ongoing media discourse, I was further motivated by a genuine belief that I had with me materials with great potential to effect a positive change to the public dialogue of Singapore sports.
As always, it was a race against time – for good content mismatched in its time of release is often a wasted opportunity. Advice from seniors confirmed my window of opportunity – to have the video be out latest by 10pm on December 11th, the night of the 2019 SEA Games closing ceremony. To fail in doing so would likely cripple the video’s relevance.
Already exhausted from a hectic work schedule, I had no opportunity to extend the lead time in days leading up to this ridiculous, self-assigned task. So, as the sun rose on December 11th, I got to work. From the hotel to the airport to our four-hour flight back to Singapore, I listened and weaved soundbites from the 98 interviews conducted by the crew into a four minute verbal expression of the value in “doing one’s best”. I was satisfied with the key message and believed in it.
But by then it was 7pm and I had only three hours to elevate those words with imagery from what the crew had recorded over the 10 days. A terabyte of footage totalling 24 hours - it was a treasure trove of moments and emotions, many of which I had become familiar with having worked with them at least once in the other 40 videos that were produced.
The taxi ride between the airport to my house, extended by the evening traffic, reduced my working time to 2 hours. But it also gave me the only time of that day to ponder. Turning off deliberate ignorance of a moment, it was rational to think that there no way that this video would be done in time for the 10pm release. If so, what was the point then? As a documentary storyteller, I want my work to do justice to the stories told, which in this regard, requires that it have a significant, positive impact to public dialogue. Missing the window would negate all this effort. Maybe I was fuelled by hope and arrogance that the content produced would be so good that it defies such normal conventions? Or perhaps the inherent value of such a video should warrant its existence, though its lack of impact would beg to differ. Regardless of the result, I was determined to simply see this production through.
Back at home, when the clock struck 10pm, I was merely done with a third of the video. I would spend another 10 hours with it before it was complete. Missing the deadline relieved some pressure. It allowed me to be refuelled by some good ol' minced meat mee pok on a very cold night, giving me an enhanced focus on not only on getting the video done, but getting it right.
I was not very good with sound design (the final video reflects that lack of polish) but I am proud of the other aspects of the video, namely the beats in each scene as it is dialled to the music and the spoken word. I am most proud of how the video manifested the core of its title. In many of my works, crafting its title is usually one of the most difficult part. But for this, it was easy. “Pride of Singapore” was clear from the get-go for it encapsulates the description of our Singapore athlete contingent as well as what our emotions should be for them as a nation being represented by their tenacity and unity.
As the video was being exported, I was slipping slightly in and out of sleep as my body demanded rest. But it did not slip my mind that what the crew had achieved in those 10 days were remarkable. A rag-tag team of four who had hardly any experience with the camera equipment they had issued delivered beyond all expectations – allowing this editor the privilege to tell 40 stories and have an attempt at an important 41st. It may be late, but I am happy it exists.
The video premiered on Facebook and YouTube on 8pm, 12th December and it did not have the impact that I hoped it would have. If I were to give an analogy, it would be that I had tolled in preparing some good, nourishing food. But my guests had already left the table. Fortunately, unlike the analogy, videos such as “Pride of Singapore” may become relevant once again.
So I shall leave this labour of love on the table for whoever that may consume it. I may have missed my shot here, but if I end off this experience feeling disheartened – then I would have learned nothing from the people this video sought to represent and advocate.
