perfect mistakes

post-Good Friday post

once a producer, always a producer. being one for nine years certainly changed me. there was hardly a time when i couldn't watch a tv commercial or movie without wondering where the location was, what time they got up to get the shot, or what time the call time was. i became more sensitive to cinematography, editing, and scoring. i was no longer watching to be entertained; i was criticizing!

oh, but it got better! in the latter part of my producer career, the company ventured into live stagings. my boss claimed not to have the stomach for the stress (i've seen her cry from it, the stress), so she passed the projects on to me. i, on the other hand, thrived on the pressure. there are no take twos here. you had to be think quick on your feet; fix the situation now, now, NOW! when the show wasn't mine, i noticed everything! miscues, misaligned sets, dying batteries, wardrobe malfunctions, and the dreaded dead air. worse, i would mumble solutions... as though the stage manager could hear me!

self-imposed stress. aaaaaargh!

after working for nine years and aging for what seemed like fifteen, i left all that for a more gratifying vocation of teaching... or so i thought.

once a producer, always a producer. years after i bowed out, i found myself wearing communication headsets, marking runsheets, and cuing lights, sounds, video, actors, and multimedia... all in the service of community.

after running a virtually perfect "show" in last year's triduum, a sister asked if i could "do what you (i) did last year." of course, i was only too happy to say "yes."

this year's show was less perfect than what we would've wanted. the inside of the tech booth was chaotic! we had so many miscues, technical slips, and technical malfunctions that i lost count; i was too busy making on-the-spot resequencing and counting down the segments. i wanted it to end, and end quickly!

in the end, we got all the segments in... not in the proper order, but all in, nonetheless. the audience feedback was positive, saying that the recollection was moving, solemn, and effective... and they had the swollen eyes and stuffy noses to back it up. heave a deep sigh of relief.

this year's production was a lesson in humility and faith. before the show, at call time, tito eddie said that it wasn't important that we had a perfect show, but a good one. how prophetic! the slip-ups weren't failures for it wasn't for lack of trying. i remember putting my faith on the ability of the person at the other end of my comm set, trusting that they can do what they said they can do, and not letting me down. i placed my faith in God that He had a better runsheet and that it was i who was being given the cues. quick thinking, agile hands and responsive teamwork were the perfection of the day.

i guess God just wanted a different sequence. He should know; He writes the script... and thankfully, He doesn't criticize.