End of First Term (Part III)

It was precisely 9:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. The weather outside was cloudy with a slight chance of rain.

Michelle and I were walking leisurely towards the classroom when we suddenly bumped onto Francesca.

"I'm sorry girls," she nervously said as our books fell all over the floor.

"Why are you hustling so quickly?" Michelle questioned.

"My final exam is coming up and I'm a bit late," Francesca answered. "Not to mention my body was still weary from all the studying last night."

"Calm down Francesca," I advised her. "It's only 9:30 in the morning. You can still review for a few minutes. Take a deep breath and relax, okay?"

Francesca helped us pick up our books before departing to her next class. At around the same time, a freshly showered Ella showed up.

"What's the matter with Francesca?" she inquired.

"Don't worry about her," Michelle replied. "We better go to our classroom now."

Minutes later, the professor arrived inside the classroom with a gentle smile on his face. As the entire class assembled on their seats, a picture of boundless confidence permeated each student.

"Ladies and gentlemen, today we'll have a final oral test on the effect of social media in journalism," the professor announced. "Each of you will be given three minutes to speak in front of the class."

When it came time for my class presentation, I felt an overwhelming sense of tension and anxiety all over me. Spontaneity was never my strongest suit.

"You can do it," Michelle quietly uttered. "Don't feel afraid and speak your mind."

Fortunately, I managed to pull off this exercise. With experience and wisdom garnered from Charissa's years of service, I made it clear that social media helped newsgathering become easier and faster.

"That was so comprehensive," Ella commented on my speech.

"It was no big deal," I confidently answered back. "After all my mother was a prominent journalist and a frequent social media user."

Later that afternoon, the three of us conveniently assembled inside an empty classroom alongside Debbie.

"Regarding our musical show, who will be our guest?" Debbie sincerely asked.

After carefully pondering for a few minutes, Michelle finally elected to speak up.

"Why not we recommend Kevin's band for the musical?" she wisely suggested.

"Kevin?" Debbie shockingly reacted. "The Kevin of the local band 'Slapshot'?"

"Indeed," Ella smilingly assured her. "He is our classmate at video production class and has a band himself."

"Okay then," Debbie nodded approvingly. "You must sincerely convince Kevin and his band to come this Thursday for the musical show as long as acoustic instruments are only allowed inside."

Later that evening, Michelle and I were taking photographs of Manila night life when we recognized a nearby bar. A lighted sign outside brought our considerable attention.

"Is that Kevin's band performing right now?" Michelle pointed eagerly at the sign.

"We better go inside," I replied back.

By the time we arrived inside the local bar, 'Slapshot' had just completed their performance. As the lively crowd applauded, Michelle and I sneaked in from behind the stage and waited for Kevin.

"Hey Michelle and Christine," he said with a startled look on his face. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, can your band come to the television studio this Thursday?" Michelle inquired politely. "It's for our final project: a musical."

"Sorry but our schedule is completely booked," Kevin replied bluntly.

"Please, we sorely need your band to perform at our class," I uttered back. "We're begging you."

Without providing a definitive answer, Kevin walked back to the dressing room. Michelle and I reluctantly sat down and ordered a bucket of cold beer.

But instead of chugging at one of the bottles, we opted to flash a few images of the bucket. Then we took pictures of the stage, some ashtrays and the arranged furniture inside the bar.

Just then, Kevin and his band arrived and promptly called us out.

"Girls, my bandmates and I deliberated about your proposal, and we decided to accept your invitation," he nodded in approval. "The band made a few changes to our schedule, so we're god to go."

"I'm glad you obliged," Michelle responded favorably. "However, you must bring only acoustic instruments since the studio is small."

"We understand," Kevin accepted the offer.

Thursday afternoon, the studio lights were opened, and the cameras began to roll. The musical was about to begin.

As Michelle, Ella and myself walked inside the studio, we saw Jamie and Jaime assembling the cameras at the stairway. Talk about procrastination at its finest.

At the dressing room, Debbie put on the final touches of makeup on her face. Meanwhile, Kevin's band 'Slapshot' performed a few sound checks.

After the customary call of 'Lights, Camera, Action' the musical show commenced. Debbie was her usual confident self, speaking eloquently and smoothly in front of the audience.

'Slapshot' performed a five-song set consisting of a mix of song covers and original compositions. In between performances, Debbie interviewed the band and talked about their history.

Behind the scenes, Michelle and I operated the television camera with relative ease. After all, handling this device was just as simple as using an SLR camera.

An hour later, the musical drew to a close and the producer yelled 'Cut!'. Kevin and his band congratulated Debbie for a job well done, before turning his attention to Michelle and myself.

"Appearing on television wasn't so bad," he commented upon walking towards us. "I could get used to this much attention."

"Be careful Kevin," Michelle subtly reminded him. "Fame may be a bountiful blessing, but it can also be a curse."

As 'Slapshot' left the studio, the professor quickly announced that the viewing of final grades would take place next Thursday. She promptly closed by telling the class to anticipate a slow internet connection.

As Michelle, Ella and I left the studio we saw Jamie and Jaime sitting peacefully at the stairway.

"We're delighted to see you back," Jamie cordially greeted us. "Jaime and I just finished perfecting some necessary shots and proper angles for the video project."

"I see," Ella remarked thoughtfully at the preparation. "So are we ready to shoot?"

"The two of us can't wait to start," Jaime replied eagerly. "Let's go."

The final project for video production centered on a two-lap footrace between Jaime and Jamie. We arrived at the local stadium just as sunset commenced and darkness gradually enveloped the glowing sky.

Ella took care of the dolly shots while Michelle and I focused on each twin's movements. We managed to finish recording the scene in about 45 minutes, just in time for the onset of sunset.

Fortunately Jaime and Jamie already taped the training scenes earlier in the week, so the project was almost done. All it required was some editing and the video would be good to go.

After two exhausting weeks, I was thrilled to have finished all my obligations. However, the final grades are still up for grabs.