Life became once again rosy and lively after reading an email sent by a television producer from Channel News Asia, inviting me to be part of this show called ‘The Cost of Living Well’ on Channel 5. I didn’t know whether to laugh and roll on the floor or scream and run down the corridor at my workplace with excitement. But instead, I did the most logical thing which is to respond to the email sent by Channel News Asia with a resounding ‘YES’.
So, why me?
They are intrigued by my current lifestyle of going vegetarian and staying off meat completely.
Fast forward to weeks later after that wonderful day. I had finally completed my shoot where they brought me on a journey to meet nutritionists to investigate the truths behind ‘health foods’. And also to find out if it is really worth spending on such health food which is more often than not expensive.
To be real honest with you, it did burn a hole in my pocket but I think it’s worth spending considering that it has a long term positive impact on health. But I guess it is better for you to watch this episode which will be showing on Channel 5 as well as Channel News Asia at 9.30 PM on the 4th of June.
Day 1 at The Orange Thimble Cafe
The shooting took across 3 days in the afternoons. On our first day of the shoot, we filmed at the Orange Thimble, a warm cosy cafe along Eng Hoon Street at Tiong Bahru.
Filming with Channel News Asia
Over there, I met Steven Chia, the host of The Cost of Living Well series on Channel News Asia where we sat down with nutritionist Sheeba and asked her about organic food production.
Mic test.
Testing, testing 1,2,3…
Wiring up myself with the mic.
The shooting process isn’t that simple as they often had to take several shots from different angles with one big sturdy camera. So at times, we have to repeat our lines several times for them to capture at different angles. It’s hard to be natural on camera because 95% of the time is scripted. We prepare, we act and the camera capture. It requires 101% concentration to get it right. Also, you would require some form of chemistry between the producer, cameraman and the people you worked with at the set. I would say that the success of a good shoot depends on a lot of teamwork. And the secret ingredient is patience.
Background noises was another challenge we faced. I remembered the heavy rain that goes ‘pitter-patter, pitter-patter’, hitting rhythmically on the roof tiles. It is soothing to my ears but irritating to the ears of the camera crew as the microphones are able to pick up the background noises as well.
Waiting…
Luckily, it was only for a short while before we got back to shooting.
The Green Drink Challenge for Steven Chia
I was introducing about my plant-based diet to Steven and I also prepared a nasty juice concoction for him to try…
It’s a mix of ginger, spinach and celery.
Yucks.
I know, right.
But it’s a super healthy green drink ever.
The next scene was filmed outside the cafe where we made our entrance into the Orange Timble.
The crew was pretty quick and the filming ended within a couple of hours. By then, I already got the hang of being on camera. I wasn’t particularly nervous or anything as I have gotten so used to be videoing myself on YouTube. I guess that helps.
It’s a wrap with Channel News Asia filming team!
Check out my next post on Day 2 and Day 3 of my filming process with Channel News Asia.
Watch it on Toggle here!
http://video.toggle.sg/en/series/common-cents-2015/ep10/332780
