Diary of a College Kid: Working Behind The Scene

Who said farmers can’t think outside the box? Innovation and creativity is power, First of all, it was an idea conceived by an A.A.T.S executive, and now this dream is gradually unfolding into a reality.

Farmer’s Quest is a unique project spearheaded, organized and planned by the Association of Agricultural Technology Students of Yabatech (2012/2013 tenure) in association with the lecturers and army cadet of the institution. Over 30 students of the department showed interest, and only 15 students made it through to the competition.

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. As part of the organizers and planning committee, I was not just a mere spectator wandering about in the forest, watching my fellow students search for the quintessential hoe. I also participated in the demonstration process 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 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 was 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.

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.