(Wriiten by Ifeanyi Ibegbunam)
I am an adventure seeker like
Indiana Jones. So it was a fun filled experience for me when I had to assist
the production crew that filmed the Farmer's Quest reality competition in my
school. As part of the organizers and planning committee, I was not just a mere
spectator wandering about in the forest who took delight in watching my fellow
students search for a missing farm tool. I also participated in a demonstration
exercise so as to ensure that the obstacles and physical tasks being set by the
army cadets were somewhat civilian friendly. So I inevitably ended up jumping tires,
crossing over bamboo sticks and climbing trees with the aid of a rope. At some
point I felt like Vin Diesel pulling dangerous stunts on the set of XXX. "These guys that participate in Ultimate
Search dey try o" I said to myself.
When it was time to shoot, I
and my colleagues had to hide in the bush like Vietnamese soldiers laying
ambush, so that we won't be captured on camera. I recall during a late night
shoot, the social director who is also a member of my association, stepped on a
nail accidentally and it resulted to severe bleeding. Thank God we had a
first-aid box. Unfortunately, the key to open the lock was kept somewhere else.
So I was accompanied by an army cadet, and immediately we dashed off in search
for it. Some minutes later, we arrived and made sure the victim was properly
treated.
The burning torch at the
place of the talking drum kept us warm. It was a cold night. The contestants
were drenched in the rain before arriving at the location. I really admired
their endurance. The anchor whom we referred to as Uncle Steve would give Chidi
Mokeme a good run for his money. Honestly, he wore a very stern look on his
face that succeeded in instilling fear in the mind of all the contestants. His
diction could have been better though. Nobody is perfect.
We are in the post production
phase of the project and I am most likely going to handle the narration. Our
vision is to premiere the final cut in various higher institutions across the
country, Farmer's Quest Season I’ may not be a high budget production as
most critiques would expect. We started small. A lot of improvisation was done.
However, we did not compromise standards. It can only get bigger and better.
