Edited by: Bakhtawar Ali
PC: Uzair Riaz Photography,studio 92
The inaugural event of I-MARC 2014 Day 1 and the harbinger of the I-MARC three-day legacy…the activity ‘Ba-Ikhtiyar Mukalim’ truly did justice to the name marked by sheer energy, enthusiasm and creativity. The activity commenced with peaking anticipations and enormous vigor of 9 teams, 108 participants who were dying to ink out their linguistic artistry and passion for their national language. A short video was shown at the beginning which was the crux of the activity based upon the imaginary country of ‘Rustaministan’. Elections in ‘Rustaministan’ were right around the corner and the two main rival parties, ‘Aam Awami Party’ (AAP) and ‘Majlis-e-Rustamin’ collided against each other.
During the activity, short simulations were conducted where a success rally was done by members of the victorious party with their flag in hand and clamorous voices echoing through the overcrowded auditorium. Then, all of a sudden the auditorium was raided by “party jiyale” who kidnapped the team captains leaving a tense and awestruck atmosphere behind.The participants were given 40 minutes to showcase their linguistic skills and draft their final Urdu newspapers. All the teams were determined to fight against censorship and all odds so prevalent during this era in order to unlock and display their hidden potential; hence they presented exceptional and original masterpieces.
Tamseel Ghar was the second milestone down the lane of activity on the first day of I-MARC 2014. The theme ‘Breaking the shackles of yesterday’, was met to its fullest by the participants as they delved into the pages of history, with their seven-minute-long enactments. The teams had been provided with collages of 4 pictures each prior to the main event. These collages depicted the social atrocities of yesteryears, such as ‘Suttee’, plight of immigrants to Pakistan, black magic and religious disparity. Teams moulded their performances around these themes. They did a commendable job and presented a plethora of emotions.
The judges included Faisal Qureshi, Aijaz Aslam, Nadia Hussain, Tipu Sharif and Naveed Raza. The judges not only commented on the positive areas of the performances but also offered suggestions and advice for further enhancement of the participants. The activity concluded on a constructive note, with the judges providing great feedback and opportunities for improvement.
The Guests' Verdict about the Event:
Hira Siddiqui: “I am impressed with the kind of activity the management team has conducted. It’s a great initiative.”
Tipu Sharif: “The performances in the theatre activity were better than last time. The event is more disciplined, the venue is decorated well and I can see the enormous effort the management team has put in. It’s evident. Great work.”
Faisal Qureshi: “Once you’re on the stage, you’re the king. Baki sab ki aisi taisi.”
The second day of I-MARC 2014 dawned with an air of mystery, suspense and speculation. The theme brought to light was ‘transforming the present’ and the participants proved their mettle, as they set about their job unraveling the crime with zest, thinking caps on.
The first activity was ‘live reporting’, based on a simulation witnessed by all the teams. The scene presented revolved around a stalwart - a talk-show host Naveed Shah, who while interviewing the captain of the cricket team and a cricket analyst regarding involvement of the former in match-fixing deals, took a break promising to return with a bang got shot. Pandemonium and mayhem ensued as a fatally wounded Naveed Shah was whisked away into an ambulance, while the police jostled with the overwhelming crowd thronging the spot.The participants had 50 minutes to prepare a video showcasing the live report of this event. They were judged on their objective stance, their eye for detail and the quality of the video which they recorded.
The second activity for the day, ‘investigative journalism’, followed suit. The big question to be answered was why a person as important as Naveed Shah was murdered. The first segment of this activity was given 1.5 hours where clues where placed at 9 designated locations. The participants had to put two and two together, be Sherlock Holmes and use the clues and documents to envisage and envision whether the murderer was a co-host, a political party, an agency or someone else. Later, 40 minutes were given to solve and prepare to present the case as a live anchor.The teams breathed in moments of stress, pressure, pure tension and insecurity, till they emerged victorious as successful media anchors.
The day concluded with participants commendably transcended to the present and met every challenge that came their way.
The third day of IMARC’14 began with the theme of future that offers unrestricted tools of media. Mr. Javed Jabbar gave an enlightening session on the future of media and the 5 paradoxes of mass media followed by Q&A session. Thereafter the event activities began where teams had to envision the future through photography activity and research-based activity. In photography activity, themes were designated to teams and they were required to make a digital poster by taking camera clicks on the spot. Ultimately, the team proved their talent by showcasing some creative e-posters that was much appreciated by none other than Tapu Javeri. Afterwards, in research-based activity, teams were assigned themes like fashion, entertainment, music, etc and had to come up with presentation based on issues surrounding the theme at present, international benchmark and solutions with regard to the issues highlighted to improve in future.
All in all, the Program Design and the overall event were unanimously appreciated from all the participants as they find dearth of such media conventions in the country.Well,it’s time to take it international!!
No comments:
Post a Comment