Infohumor

Wag kang masyadong seryoso. Minsan masmagegets nila pag nagpapatawa ka lang.

Ang project na ito ay isang history lesson na nagpapanggap bilang isang joke. Nailabas namin ang package na ito sa GMA News Online isang linggo bago mag-25th anniversary ang EDSA People Power 1. Salamat na lang at sumakto kami sa timing at nakarelate ang aming audience sa mga jokes. Buti na lang din at kinumbinsi ako ng boss ko na sumubsob sa research para maging base sa historical fact ang mga kaganapan sa timeline na ito.

Sa tingin ko, balang araw ay magiging ganito na ang taste ng mga Pilipino sa humor, gaguhan na may nakatagong impormasyon.

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Loosen up a little bit. Make it look like a joke and they'll get it.

This project is a history lesson disguised as a joke. We managed to publish it on GMA News Online one week before the 25th anniversary of the EDSA People Power 1 revolt. Our timing was spot on and our audience (thankfully) got the jokes. It's a good thing my boss convinced (commanded) me to dive deep into research so that the events in the timeline would be based on historical fact.

I think Filipinos will eventually learn to like information coated with a thick layer of humor.

(The events and players are true, the status updates are based on fact, and the comments are totally imagined.)

Published by: GMA News Online

Concept/text: Paolo Ferrer

Layout: Analyn Perez
Java: Wayne Manuel

Faster than the speed of TV

Click here for a full screen view of GMANews.TV's provincial tally map

Concept/design: Paolo Ferrer

Design/Flash UI: Kyx Castaneda

Super tech magics: GMA NMI

Mayo 10, 2010, ginanap ang kauna-unahang automated national elections sa Pilipinas. Kabado ang buong bansa. Sino ang magiging bagong Pangulo? Sasablay ba ang mga PCOS machines? Magkakaroon ba ng malawakang dayaan 2.0?

Ang sitwasyon:

Ilang oras matapos magsara ang bilangan ay magsisimula ang COMELEC sa pagtransmit ng mga boto. Ang bilangan, na dati ay inaabot ng ilang linggo, ay maaaring matapos kaagad sa loob lamang ng ilang araw.

Execution:
Ilang interactive, user-friendly applications na ipapakita ang national, provincial, at regional election tally in real time. Oras na magtransmit ng boto ang COMELEC, agad itong lalabas sa GMA News Online.

Ano ang natutunan ko sa gig na ito?
Mabilis na ang ikot ng mundo, ang pangangailangan ng iyong audience ay mabilis ding nagbabago. Kailangan mong kumilos faster than the speed of TV kung gusto mong maibigay ang impormasyon na makabuluhan para sa henerasyong sanay sa Internet.

PERO, bale wala ang bilis kung hindi naman nila naiintindihan kung ano ang pinapakita mo.
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May 10, 2010, the Philippines held its first automated national elections. The whole country held its breath. Who will be the new President? Will the expensive PCOS machines conk down? Will there be widespread election fraud 2.0?

The situation:

A few hours after the closing of the elections, COMELEC will start transmitting the election returns electronically. The counting, which used to lag on for weeks, would now be done in a matter of days.

Execution:
Interactive, user-friendly applications that will feature the national, provincial, and regional election tally in real time. The second our systems receive the COMELEC transmission, the results show up on GMA News Online.

What I learned from this gig?
We live in a fast-paced world where the needs of your audience rapidly evolve. We must move faster than the speed of TV if we want to deliver information that is relevant to the Internet generation.
BUT speed is useless if the audience doesn’t understand what you’re showing them.

UPDATE: Nanalo kami ng award dahil sa Eleksyon 2010 coverage namin! Yehey!

Babay, comfort zone.

Sanay ang WeeWillDoodle sa paggamit ng markers. Dahil konti ang kulay na mapagpipilian, kadalasan ang mga trabaho namin ay monochrome. Ang video sa ibaba ay isa sa mga unang beses na gumamit kami ng pintura sa aming mural. Oo, mahirap siya. Inabot kami ng dalawang araw para matapos lahat, pero kailangan talaga lumelevel-up ka. Dahil kung hinde, darating ang araw na ikaw mismo maasiwa sa sarili mong trabaho.

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The WeeWillDoodle crew usually works with markers. Because there are limited color options, most of our pieces are in monochrome. The video below is one of the first times we used paint to infuse some color into our work. Yes, it was challenging. It took the team two days to finish the entire mural. But your style has to continually evolve. If you stay in your comfort zone, one day you'll end up hating your own work.

Greater Good x Weewilldoodle: The White Cross Children's Orphanage from Raf Palencia-Canlas on Vimeo.

Tama na ang palusot

Patuloy pa din ang mabagal na proseso ng pagguhit ng Bangas, isang komiks nobela na nag-uumapaw sa aksyon at goto. Ito ang project na sampung taon kong ipinagpaliban. Bakit kamo? Kasi mahilig akong magpalusot sa aking sarili. Heto ang top 5 bullshit excuses na sinasabi ko sa sarili ko:

1. Hindi ko yata kaya.
2. Ok lang yan, may panahon pa.
3. Kailangan ko pang magrevise ng kwento.
4. Hilaw pa yung konsepto.
5. Di bale, bukas sisimulan ko na.

Noong 2009, nagpasya ako na ibasura na ang mga bullshit excuses at isusulat ko na ang Bangas. Noong 2010, sinimulan ko na ang seryosong paglalaan ng oras para maiguhit ito. Mahirap balansehin ang trabaho, ang mga raket, at ang "personal project." Ganon talaga ang buhay. Mahirap talagang magluwal ng ideya sa mundo. Kaya tama na ang bullshit. Game na.

Lalabas ang Bangas sa last quarter ng 2011 sa Paltik Komiks Anthology. Kasama dito ang mga gawa ni Ivan Despi, at Chester Ocampo.
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I’m still working on Bangas, a comic book filled to the brim with action and goto. This is the project that I’ve been putting off for ten years. Why? Because I give myself bullshit excuses. Here are the top 5 on my list:

1. I can’t do it.
2. It’s ok, I’ve got lots of time.
3. The story needs to be revised.
4. I still need to develop the concept.
5. I’ll start working on it tomorrow.

In 2009, I decided to get rid of all my bullshit excuses and I started writing the script. In 2010, I started seriously devoting time to draw the pages. It’s difficult balancing your day job, your sidelines, and your “personal project.” But that’s just how it is. If you want to bring an idea into this world you’ll have to go through birthing pains. So get rid of all the bullshit and get to work.

You’ll find Bangas in the Paltik Komiks Anthology together with stories from Ivan Despi and Chester Ocampo.

Here's a short preview of Bangas...

Small Victories

Ang susunod na mga larawan ay gawa ng fans ng WeeWillDoodle. Pinopost nila ang mga ito sa Facebook wall namin. Linggo-linggo ay may mga bagong submissions. Hindi namin sila dinidiktahan na gawin ito, kusa nilang binabahagi sa amin ang kanilang mga obra.

Ito ang dahilan kung bakit may WeeWillDoodle, upang hikayatin ang mga "non-artists" na subukang gumuhit. Pag nagsawa na sila sa doodling, umaasa kami na lelevel-up sila sa ibang klase ng art forms. Para sa amin, tuwing may nagpopost ng kanilang likha sa aming wall, ito ay isang maliit na tagumpay.

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The following set of image were created by fans of WeeWillDoodle and posted on our Facebook wall. Every week we get an interesting mix of new submissions. We don't ask them to do it, they just like sharing their work.

This is the reason why WeeWillDoodle exists, to inspire "non-artists" to try and draw. Hopefully when they get tired of doodling they'll seek out more advanced forms of art. For us, everytime a fan posts a doodle, it is considered as a small victory.

Fact you!

Sa GMA News Online, ang trabaho namin ay mamahagi ng impormasyon. Sa newsroom, kapag mali ang impormasyon mo, mabuti pa umuwi ka na lang.

Nung una ay nahirapan akong bunuin araw-araw ang agos ng data na kinakaharap namin. Kailangan mong magresearch, kailangan mo ng spreadsheets, at kailangan mo mag-aral tungkol sa data visualization. Kailangan mong ihulma ang malalaking tipak ng impormasyon upang mas madali itong maunawaan ng iyong audience.

Galing ako sa trabahong copywriting at concept development, doon ay gumagawa ka ng mga kwento. Samantalang sa journalism, BAWAL gumawa ng kwento. Kailangan lahat factual. Kailangan laging may source. Kailangan mapapagkatiwalaan ang source.

Ang masarap sa trabaho ko ngayon ay marami akong natututunan. Minsan sobrang dami. Pero ok naman yun kesa petiks ang utak mo, diba?
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GMA News Online’s job is to inform people. In the newsroom, information is gold. If you got the wrong info, then you might as well just go home.

At first, I found it challenging to deal with data and information on a daily basis. You need to do your research, you need to work with spreadsheets, you need to study about data visualization techniques. You need to mold the information into a form that your audience will understand.

I came from a copywriting and concept development background. My job there was to make stories up. In journalism, that is the WORST thing that one can do. Everything has to be factual. You need to site sources. Your sources need to be dependable.

The nice thing about my current job is I learn a lot. Sometimes the flow of information is a little overwhelming. But that beats any job that requires you to be a drone.

Big kids

Story by Paolo Ferrer

Art by Chester Ocampo

Expeditions Comics: The Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards Vol.1, 2007 by Fully Booked

Kapag isinantabi mo ang lahat ng gulo ng mundo, babalik-balikan mo pa din ang iyong first love.

Noong 2006, sumali kami ni Chester Ocampo sa unang Philippine Graphic Fiction Awards. Ang entry namin ay isang fictional retelling ng laban ng Mactan. Nanalo kami ng 3rd place, nailathala yung gawa namin, at nakipaghapunan kami kay Neil Gaiman (grabe starstruck talaga ako). Pagkatapos ng karanasang ito ay inisip ko nang balikan (at seryosohin) ang pagguhit at pagsusulat.

Pagkatapos kasi ng college halos nilimot ko na ang mga dati kong hilig. Akala ko dapat nang ituon ang pansin sa mga gawaing mas “mature” tulad ng “TV production” at “project management”. Seryoso kasi sila pakinggan eh. Akala ko dapat maging isang bagong tao ako dahil nagtatrabaho na ako at ito na ang “totoong mundo”.

Pero kung aalisin mo ang lahat ng ingay at gulo ng buhay, kapag alam mong walang nakatingin sa iyo, mapapansin mo na parang bata ka pa din kumilos. Kahit na gaano ka pa katanda. Lahat tayo sa adult world ay malalaking bata. Nagbago lang ang mga laro, nagbago lang ang mga laruan. Kung ano yung gusto mo noon, malamang gusto mo pa din yan hanggang ngayon.
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When all the clutter of the adult world is pushed aside, you will always go back to your first love.

Back in 2006, Chester Ocampo and I joined the 1st Philippine Graphic Fiction Awards. Our entry was a fictional retelling of the battle of Mactan. We won 3rd place, got published, and had dinner with Neil Gaiman (OMG that was so awesome!). It was only after this experience that I seriously thought of going back to drawing and writing.

After college, I left behind these "childish" interests. I thought I had to move on to more "mature" pursuits like "TV production" or "project management." They just sound more...serious. I though I needed to be someone else in the adult world.

But when you take away all the clutter and the noise, when you think no one is looking, all you have left is the child inside. No matter how "adult" we think we are, we're really just a bunch of big kids. The games change and the toys change, but what we love remains the same.

Team, work.

Bahagi ng trabaho ko sa GMA News Online ang pag-aaral ng mga nakakalulang bundok ng data. Ang data na ito ay kailangan ayusin upang masmadaling maunawaan ng users ng website.

2010, bagong halal pa lang noon si President Noynoy Aquino. Sinasabi nilang ang unang 100 na araw ng Pangulo ay mahalaga dahil dito makikita ang "leadership style" ng bagong administrasyon.

Problem: Paano ipapakita ang leadership style ng bagong Pangulo sa kaniyang unang 100 araw ng panunungkulan?

Solution: Ilista lahat ng mga opisyal na kilos ng Pangulo sa loob ng 100 araw upang makita kung may pattern na lalabas.

Executions:

-Isang interactive Java application na maipapakita ang lahat ng news articles na related sa unang 100 araw ni PNoy

Concept by Paolo Ferrer, interactive grid designed by Wayne Manuel, data compiled by Candice Montenegro, Yasmine Arquiza

-Isang Google Calendar na nakatala ang lahat ang official functions ni PNoy sa unang 100 araw niya sa pwesto.

-Isang infographic na magpapakita ng patterns na lalabas mula sa datos na nakolekta.

Text by Paolo Ferrer, infographic by Analyn Perez
Hindi matutupad ang mga ito kung hindi nagtulong-tulong ang iba-ibang galamay ng GMA News Online.
Kailangang buntutan ng mga reporter si PNoy kahit saan siya magpunta.
Kailangang maitala ang lahat ng impormasyon na galing sa mga reporter na nanso-stalk sa Pangulo.
Kailangan i-design ang visual executions.
Kailangan gawin ang code ng Java app.
Kailangan i-double check ng editors kung tama ba ang impormasyong ilalathala sa site.
Nasan na nga pala yung mga thumbnails?
Kapit bisig, tulong-tulong. Walang matutupad na ambisyosong project kung hindi kikilos ang lahat ng galamay.
Teamwork. Team, work._____________________________
Sorry, no speak English for this one. It was difficult to lay this entry out with an English translation.

Taglish or Englog?

Creative Director/Copywriter: Paolo Ferrer

Graphic Artist: Nelz Yumul

Flash Animation: Ramil Escarda

Video Editing: Arjun Yap

Kinumisyon ako ng Roadrunner Sound para gumawa ng strategy kung papano ipapackage ang kanilang content translating service. Bumuo sila ng isang grupo ng mga producer, sound engineer, manunulat, at mga voice actor na may kakayahang i-translate ang mga TV shows na nasa Filipino at gawin itong Inggles para maibenta sa ibang bansa. Ang video sa itaas ay bahagi ng isang interactive promotional DVD na dinistribute ng Roadrunner sa kanilang mga international clients. Masaya yung pagbuo ng DVD. Isa ito sa mga bihirang pagkakataon na ako at ang kliente ay parehong-pareho ng gustong gawin sa project. Kapag ikaw at ang kliente mo ay pareho ng “wavelength”, mas maganda ang kinakalabasan ng trabaho.

Bukod sa promotional DVD ay nagsilbi din akong head writer ng Dub Lab. Sa loob halos ng dalawang taon ay trinanslate namin ang mga teleseryeng tulad ng Lobo, Iisa Pa Lamang, at Sa Piling Mo. Challenge ang project na ito. Palagi kang naghahabol sa deadline at madalas ang mga rewrites.

Mga natutunan ko:
-Gamitin ang Inggles. Gamitin ang Filipino.
-May demand para sa original Filipino content mula sa international audience.
-Maraming advantage kapag pareho kayo ng “vision” ng kliente mo.
-Ang pagtranslate at paglip synch ay metikolosong trabaho.

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Roadrunner Sound commissioned me to come up with a strategy to package their content translating service. They assembled a great team of producers, sound engineers, writers, and voice actors fully capable of preparing local language TV shows for the English speaking international audience. The video above is part of the interactive promotional DVD that Roadrunner distributed internationally. Creating the DVD was fun. It was one of the few times that the client and I were on exactly the same page. Projects like that are priceless.

In addition to the promotional DVD, I was also The Dub Lab's head writer. I spent almost two years translating teleseryes like Lobo, Iisa Pa Lamang, and Sa Piling Mo to English. It was tedious, grueling work racing against deadlines and rewrites.

What I learned from the experience:
-Use English. Use Filipino.
-There is demand for original Filipino content in the international market.
-Always try to see eye to eye with the client, it will pay off in the end
-Translating and lip synching is HARD FREAKING WORK.

Simulan mo. Now na.

Ano pa ang hinihintay mo?

Ang tamang pagkakataon

ay palaging ngayon.

Sampung taon nang naglalaro sa isipan ko ang isang kwento. Palagi kong sinasabi sa sarili ko, “balang araw,” o kaya “hindi pa ako handa.” Paggising ko isang umaga, isang dekada na ang nawala. Hindi niya isusulat ang sarili niya. Hindi niya iguguhit ang sarili niya. Hangga’t hindi ka nagsisimula, ang nagagawa mo lang ay maraming wala.

Simulan mo. Now na.

____________________

What are you waiting for?

The right time

is always now.

For ten years there was this story running through my head. I always told tell myself, “one day I’ll be ready.” Then one morning I woke up and a decade has gone by. It’s not going to write itself. It’s not going to draw itself. Until you start working on it, all you’re doing is a whole lot of nothing.

Start. Now.

Banat lang ng banat

Takot Stories by Paolo Robles Ferrer

Gawin mo lang ng paulit....

ulit...

ulit...

ulit...

ulit.

Mula pa noong 2006 ay gumagawa na ako (on and off) ng maiikling horror stories na pwede mong pakinggan gamit ang iyong cellphone. 7 horror stories ang naka-assign sa akin bawat linggo. Sa halos 5 taon nang pagsusulat ko, nakaipon na ako ng daan-daang mga kwento. Karamihan ay re-hash lang ng mga napapanood ko sa dvd o nababasa ko sa mga libro at diyaryo. Pero paminsan-minsan, may mga nagagawa ako na sa tingin ko ay...

...pwedeeeehh.

Pwedeng take off point ng isang nobela.

Pwedeng premise ng isang teleserye.

Pwedeng isang character sa komiks.

May mga ganon.

Kaya naman mga 2 years ago, nagdesisyon ako na mas seryosohin ang pagsusulat. Dapat lalo akong mag-effort. Dapat subukan kong gawing unique LAHAT ng kwento. Uniwas ako sa pagtingin sa gawa ng iba, kinalkal ko ng malalim ang akin guni-guni. Mas mabagal ang proseso. Minsan talagang nasasaid ang utak ko. Pero mas masaya ako sa kinakalabasan.

Ang natutunan ko sa raket na ito:
1. Hindi ka makakabuo ng body of work kung pabugso-bugso lang ang trabaho mo. Parang marathon yan. Bira lang ng bira.
2. Umeffort. Lagi.

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You just have to do it again...


and again...

and again...

and again...

and again...

Since 2006 I’ve been writing (on and off) really short horror and sexy stories that you can listen to using your cellphone. I need to churn out 7 horror stories a week. In almost five years of writing these seemingly inconsequential micro stories, I have amassed hundreds of them. Admittedly most of them are uninspired re-hashes from movies and books. But every now and then I come up with stories that are passable as...

As a take off point for a novel.

A raw concept for a tv series

Or maybe a character in a comic book.

Maybe there’s one in every seven.

That’s why 2 years ago, I decided to take the gig more seriously. I put in a little bit of effort into crafting the stories. I tried to make every one unique. I tried not to look for “pegs” and I just dug deep into my own imagination. The process takes a lot longer. But I’m more satisfied with the results.

The lessons I learned from this gig:
1. You can’t build a body of work if you rely on random but intense sparks of creativity. Sometimes you just have to sit there and keep on doing it.
2. Exert effort. Always.

Let it flow

Start simple.

Challenge yourself.

Experiment.

Have lots of fun.

What started out as a time waster in the office has evolved into something delightfully simple. WeeWillDoodle is the brainchild of prolific graphic artist, Nelz Yumul. I'm eternally grateful to Nelz for asking me to be one of the group's founding members. In its zygote stage, WeeWillDoodle was the title of an impromptu art show. We have since modified it into a collective of "artists" who promote doodling as an effective way to flesh out ideas and enhance creativity. Since its inception in 2007, we've doodled on almost anything from recycled boxes to brand new cars.

Working with the group has taught me to relax and just let ideas flow. You can always sort the mess out later. It's amazing what you can come up with when you don't second guess every little thought that materializes in your head.

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Nagsimula siya bilang pampaubos-oras sa opisina. Makalipas ang ilang taon ay marami-rami na ring tao ang naaliw sa simpleng konsepto ng WeeWillDoodle. Nagmula ang idea kay graphic artist Nelz Yumul. Laking pasasalamat ko sa kaniya at sinama niya ako bilang isa sa mga pinakaunang miyembro ng grupo. Nung una ang "WeeWillDoodle" ay pangalan lang ng isang madaliang art exhibit, pero habang tumatagal, unti-unti naming binago ang identity nito. Ngayon ay isa na siyang art collective na nagpopromote ng doodling bilang isang mainam na paraan upang mapalago ang imahinasyon. Mula nang mabuo ang grupo noong 2007, nakapagdrowing na kami sa halos lahat ng bagay, mula sa tinapon na mga kahon hanggang sa mga bagong-bagong kotse.

Natutunan ko sa WeeWillDoodle ang magrelax upang malayang makapaglaro ang aking imahinasyon. Matapos mong ipunin ang mga idea, saka mo na lang piliin kung alin sa mga ito ang iyong magagamit. Kung hindi mo masyadong mamanduhan ang iyong guni-guni, mas nakakatuwa ang mga konsepto na makukuha mo mula dito.

Introduction

Ok, so here I am, I'm writing a blog.

I'm Paolo Ferrer, currently the Associate Editor for Multimedia of GMA News Online, a member of WeeWillDoodle, and an aspiring comic book creator as one of The Paper Vandals. When I can squeeze in the time I take on some odd creative jobs: writing content for...uh, content providers and writing AVPs. I've dabbled in branding and making marketing materials, and sometimes I can be a creative director for projects that I am worthy of. I want to learn FOCUS. It's a concept I'm not too familiar with. I hope that by maintaining this blog I can document my struggles to learn this very elusive skill.

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Ok, so eto na nga at gagawa na ako ng blog.

Ako si Paolo Ferrer, kasalukuyang Associate Editor for Multimedia ng GMA News Online, kasapi sa WeeWillDoodle, at nangangarap na makatapos ng komiks nobela bilang isa sa mga Paper Vandals. Sa pagitan ng pinagkakaabalahan kong mga bagay ay sinisingit ko ang mga raket: pagsulat ng content para sa mga...uh, content providers at pagsulat ng mga AVP. Nakagawa na din ako ng mga marketing materials, at paminsan-minsan (pag kaya ng powers) creative director din ako. Gusto kong matutunan ang FOCUS. Hirap ako sa konseptong yan. Sana sa pamamagitan ng blog na ito, maitala ko kung papano ko matututunan ang kakayahang ito na sa akin ay nananatiling napakailap.