E-Paper
Video addict
“Watching films is not a hobby,” announced my yoga teacher during our mini conference about discovering your hobbys. Why? I asked in shock.
I don’t remember what my hobbies were as a kid. Probably ‘singeeng aur danceeng’ like the irritating kid in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The answer might have changed over the years, but the question still lingers.
“Watching films is not a hobby,” announced my yoga teacher during our mini conference about discovering your hobbys. Why? I asked in shock. A hobby is a creative activity that helps you unwind and take your mind off work, like cooking if you aren’t a housewife or painting if you aren’t an artist. But listening to music, or watching a film which takes your thoughts back to old times, or people is not an ideal hobby.
It was quite a task for me then to discover an activity that qualified as a hobby. Dancing, acting, watching movies and even writing (this column) were all related to work! I finally traced my roots back to something I absolutely loved doing but haven’t had the time to in ages — Video editing!
I spent sleepless nights while video editing. The first home video I made was a slideshow of pictures that ran to music. I was kicked and screened it for everyone who came over. I was Spielberg! As my Windows Movie- Maker skills got sharper, my videos became richer with graphics and cool effects, transitions and fonts!
Over time, I graduated from windows to Mac, from tacky slideshows to really neat home videos for friends, boyfriends and even edited my first show-reel! To see all my acting work come together as one cool package just gave me a creative high.
The usual Cadbury and cash gifts every Rakhi were replaced by Sony gadgets and softwares! My latest birthday gift is a handycam and I’m really excited about the prospect of what I can shoot and edit. I can rehearse my scene before auditions, play it back and study my performances; or even shoot a video show-reel, or just more home-videos? You’ve got to admit that watching a slice of your life in motion 40 years down the line gives you more goosebumps than a bunch of 4x6 pictures. So while I’m off filming my own sting operations at home, hope you find the time to explore your long lost hobby.
