5 things I've learned from my TVC stint

Wow, it's been a long time since I last wrote a blog entry, but while the idea that I have in my cranium is still fresh, I should take the time to write it down. 

Every new experience in our life leads to valuable learning. In my years working as a trainer, I would always make the mistake of thinking that I've conquered the greatest challenge I could face for every significant milestone that I would complete. When I trained teachers to become trainers, I thought nothing could be more difficult than that. Then came the chance to conduct training sessions in front of fellow trainers including the American training managers, who had their critical eyes locked on your every move in the room. I thought that superseded the first, but then I was called on to conduct seminars for professionals. This added more pressure because the trainees were paying the training firm a huge amount of money just to improve their communication skills, and that burden was on my shoulders. 

The bottomline is that this cycle keeps on going - just when you think that you've surmounted the greatest challenge you can handle, life surprises you with a new one to test and stretch your skills. Just recently, I found myself on a different stage when I got the opportunity to act in a TV commercial for SMART, one of the leading telecommunication companies in the Philippines. I got a lucky break because the studio needed someone who is articulate in English and a perfect match for the role of a reporter. Fortunately, I passed the client's standards, and I was off to venture into unknown territory. 

These are some of the things that I learned from the video shoot - 

1) Manner of talking - The director told me that a language trainer's way of talking is too smooth and liaised, so I should slow down a bit. Intonation naturally rises and falls, creating a sort of rhythm as if you're singing. However, that should be avoided because some of the words should really be prolonged, with matching emotions. You are supposed to tell a story, not explain a concept like it is in class. 

2) Let your eyes act - Delivering the lines with a clean accent is simply not enough, because your eyes should match what you are saying. Your eyes play a big role in communicating a message, as they do in everyday conversations. The eyes, as we all know, are the window of our soul. If you're not used to it, at first you might feel it's overacting, but actions that may appear a little overboard for normal circumstances are actually expected for video shoots. 

3) Movements should be snappy - Simple movements should be emphasized. For example, in the scene where the phone needs to be picked up, you just don't lousily grab it - you have to accentuate it. Movements for tying your shoelaces, putting the laptop in the bag, or any other basic action which we typically do without even thinking should be subtly accompanied by counts to make it look snappy. 

4) Reporter's stance - When conducting interviews, non-verbal cues like nods and hand gestures are extremely important. You establish good eye contact with the person you're interviewing, and you never look at the camera while you're conversing with your interviewee. For documentaries, you look straight into the camera to communicate with the viewers at home. 

5) Patience - Your patience will be worn thin when doing video shoots. First, the scheduled call time is way earlier than the actual. The directors just want to have all the talents on the set as early as possible, and keep them there so they'll be available when they're ready to shoot the next scene. You sit there with your make up on, anxiously waiting for your turn. Doing multiple takes is normal because even if they're satisfied with it, they will still get another one "for safety". so you need to do the whole routine again. In the train scene, I had to bear the sweltering heat from the Buendia to the Alabang stations, and fight your way through the crowd while you’re staying in character.

 I never thought that I would have the chance to do a commercial to be shown on National Geographic, a premiere cable channel. Sure, I flirted with the idea before because after all, trainers are supposed to be good actors, but I knew it was a long shot. Moving up to the next level is a constant cycle. When you feel you've accomplished something big, you ask the question - what's next?:) 

Here's the full TVC ad - 

On My First 21KM Run

Last Sunday, I joined the Condura Skyway Marathon, where thousands of participants ran for the mangroves. It was my first 21km run, and needless to say, the experience was nothing short of remarkable. Prior to this event, I had done 8 runs with distances ranging from 5km to 16.8km. 

It's not that simple to physically prepare for a run. For a half-marathon, you need to train for a couple of months. I started practicing after Christmas, which was timely since I immediately burned the excess calories from the bountiful food during the holiday season. I ran around our village and the loop at the Madrigal Business Park, just behind our office in Alabang. 

On race day, I planned to wake up at 2am since the assembly time for 21km runners was at 3am. At 10pm the previous day, I was forcing myself to get some shut-eye, coz I figured that a decent 4-hour sleep would be enough. However, since it was earlier than my usual bed time, and probably out of excitement about the run, I only had around 30 minutes of sleep! I was in bed, but I was mentally awake most of the time. Left without a choice, I took a shower, geared up and left the house at 2:30am. 

A familiar sight greeted me at the assembly area - a sea of runners getting ready for the race early in the morning. But this was way earlier than my other runs. 

At the starting point with the Wave A runners, I ran into Jerry, one of my running buddies at Anxa. He's a hardcore runner who has done several half-marathons before. I told him that my target finishing time was 2 hours and 30 minutes, based on my record for the 16.8km run at the Adidas King of Road last year, where I finished in 1 hour and 57 minutes. I thought it was a safe estimate, and it was a pretty decent finishing time because the Milo races would only give medals to 21km runners who make it in 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Jerry said it was highly possible for me to meet my objective. He had an important warning though - the last 5kms of a 21km run is very different. That's when you feel the soreness of your leg muscles, especially for first-time runners of this distance.  

He couldn't have been more right. Found that out for myself a couple of hours after. 

For the first half of the run along the skyway, I was cruising with a steady pace of 6 to 7 minutes per kilometer. In 1 hour and 7 mins, I was already at the 10.5km U-turn spot, and I thought to myself, I could even finish faster than I had anticipated. The runner's discipline really paid off, because even if a lot of runners had overtaken me at the beginning, I maintained my pace and I was not tempted to follow theirs. True enough, I eventually caught up with them somewhere along the way. 

It is really nice to run on the skyway which is usually just traversed by vehicles, and due to its high elevation, the breeze of a cold sunday morning made it even more exhilirating. 

The challenge came past the 14km mark when I started to feel pain in my left leg. Jerry's warning started to resonate in my head. It threw me off my pace, and I had to pause and stretch at the side so as not to disturb the other runners. I thought stretching was gonna do the trick, but the pain kept coming back. Every stride resulted in a cringe, and I did my best to bear and grin it. I stopped 5 times just to stretch, and I breathed a sigh of disappointment every time I did because I knew it was hurting my chances to reach my goal. 

At the 17km mark, my left knee was starting to give. I resorted to a combination of walking and jogging from that point forward, for I felt that I could suffer a more serious injury if I pushed myself to the limit. I was closely watching the time, and fortunately, eventhough I slowed down on the home stretch, I accomplished my objective. I reached the finish line in 2 hours, 28 minutes and 22 seconds.

At the end of it all, I still felt like a winner. I wasn't one of the fastest runners in the 21km category, but I beat the finishing time that I set for myself. I was limping after the run, but my heart was swelling with pride because of my accomplishment.