What happens when you have a group of eight year 11 boys who struggle to stay serious for more than 3 seconds, and get them to make a video that reflects on their views on discipline and mercy? You get a team of boys that end up making an incredibly authentic video that dives into the world of a young group of friends, and witness their struggles as they try to navigate a loud world where discipline and mercy are often seen as harshness and softness. Oh and the realization that the journey is just as important as the destination.
As someone who typically prefers working alone, in a quiet environment where there are no distractions, it honestly felt incredibly refreshing to work in a group setting, especially when it’s people who are like my peers. As someone who strives for perfection and getting work done as soon as possible, it was nice taking it slow for once. Rather than focusing on an important shot and getting it done with minimal errors, we embraced the imperfections - simultaneously breaking into laughter whenever we forgot to record, or sharing a laugh through the little slip ups when delivering our lines. It’s moments like that which remind me of how much more enjoyable working in groups is.
We weren’t merely putting on masks and compiling a video, we opened a window into our hearts. Throughout every step of the journey, we stayed patient with each other, and even embraced our shortcomings. There are countless cases of someone laughing in the middle of an important take, but rather than choosing anger, we joined in and laughed together. Instead of being frustrated at each other, we chose to support each other through the many, many bloopers. I’m pretty sure around 85% of the videos we recorded were bloopers, saved to be cherished as lifelong memories.
I remember us walking together for tens of minutes, simply searching for a place to take a good shot, sometimes even having to come back on another day due to the timing being wrong. Honestly, it was far tougher than we’d anticipated it to be, our naive selves thought that simply going to a big park would be plenty, but we never took into account the fact that on top of having to search for an ideal location to shoot, we also had to deliver the lines and not take too long, as there were many days in which the sun set before we knew of it.
On top of that, we were striving for perfection. This wasn’t just a simple reflection - We were showing people our views on discipline and mercy, so we wanted it to be picture perfect. In doing so, there were so many moments where we questioned whether the video could even be ready in time, especially with us wanting to make so many changes. However, we pulled through as a team and managed to finish.
That brought me to my realization that discipline and mercy aren’t about perfection. The little moments where we argue over who should ask Rukshana muallimah if we could buy ice cream, or the little breaks to grab a drink and chill together all remind me that the true beauty of such projects aren’t just the end product, but the bonds and unforgettable memories forged.
And so, my view on working in groups for projects has been altered. I’ve realized that discipline isn’t isolating yourself from the rest of the world to complete a project, but is to stay true to yourself and others when working on something. I’ve learnt that mercy isn’t just about forgiveness, it’s about supporting those around you and embracing the little nuances that make us who we truly are. In conclusion, we didn’t simply compose a video in which we spoke of discipline and mercy; we lived through it every step of the way, which ultimately gave us our desired outcome, as well as a journey to be remembered.
