As ‘Lockdown Dreams’ director Nico Belasco said, “Dreams are meant to be chased, not locked down. So keep pursuing them!”

“The pandemic won’t stop us from reaching our dreams.” was the theme of Lockdown Dreams, a live stream talent showcase production that Thames International hosted on their Facebook page last November 7, 2020. 

It was weeks before the busiest (and dreaded) times in a college student’s life that Mr. Baha Vergara, professor of The Entertainment Industries class for Communication Arts students, announced what the Fall Term’s final project would be – a livestream production. Well, needless to say, it was met with gasps of excitement, and anxiety as to whether such a demanding task could be completed on time. 

Meetings were held. Dates were decided. And with less than a month left to the term, a big project, and fifteen students all determined to pass – the plans were finalized. Ask any of these students, and they’d say it was the longest two weeks of their lives. 

The members of the class were each assigned a specific role that played to their strengths and skills – Nico Belasco, director; Denise Pascua, assistant director and performer; Arna Lañas, Nadine Manuel, and Amidala Mallari, the production team and performers; Ivan Combalicer, scriptwriter and editor; Andree Lualhati, scriptwriter, editor, and performer; Arielle Caubang, scriptwriter and performer; Jullien Resplandor, creative marketing team and performer; Lance Rementina, creative marketing team; Stephie Rosete, creative marketing team and performer; Dani Marcelino, creative marketing team, scriptwriter, and performer; Giorj Ganibe, editor and performer; Nicolaj Borjal, Jennien Jose, and Mikolo Laviña, performers.

Going into the project, Sir Baha’s guiding motivation was, “Let’s just have fun. Don’t get stressed about it.” But organising a production is a lot easier said than done, and these students, most of whom already have experiences in event planning, also know how difficult things can be even if they were reminded to have fun doing it. 

Creative marketing team and performer Stephie Rosete remarked, “It was time consuming, especially with the editing. But working with the people who are close to you made it easier, since we’re able to identify who’s good at making posters or editing videos and the like.” 

 Suggestions were thrown left and right – whether to make the script flow this way or the scenes to be more of that – and the only comforting fact was that it was not the first time they had to work together, so voicing out opinions and criticisms never became an issue. 

Creative marketing team Lance Rementina said, “From past experiences, we were able to work under pressure and multi-task. Thames students are team players, and it’s something to be grateful for.”

But as the days went by, the project only proved to add to the ever-growing mountain of stress that the students were already climbing. It wasn’t until filming started that everybody’s confidence in their work began to grow. 

The thought behind the production, Lockdown Dreams, was to inspire people to continue achieving their dreams, despite the lockdown. This was what both the performers and scriptwriters aimed to show. It was unanimously decided early on that the performers would have the freedom to decide what to do for their own segments, with guidance from the director and scriptwriters to ensure that these individual ideas would be unified by the theme. Still, the heights to which the performers could take liberties with on their segments was a creative delight. The stress of ensuring that the project will push through and there would be a production to show, started to feel fulfilling.

Scriptwriter and editor Ivan Combalicer had a similar thought when he remarked, “The process was stressful, but the result was fulfilling.” 

What may have started as an added stressful workload to merely pass a class turned out to be one of the most unforgettable learning experiences for the students of CMA213 – The Entertainment Industries. November 7, 2020 was beyond gratifying for the whole class who had painstakingly worked hard for the production to be realized. 

Director Nico Belasco had this to say: “It was an amazing experience! Putting together a show that showcased so many talented individuals in pursuit of their dreams, despite the pandemic, was not easy. But with the passion and drive of everyone involved, we were able to power through and create something that ultimately touched the lives of many people.”

There was a lot learned and a lot gained. The production, though a small one, was an eye-opener to the students under Sir Baha’s guidance. The production would not have been possible without the guidance of a good mentor. It was also thanks to Sir Baha’s constant motivation that the project was possible. It was his faith in his students, acknowledging their innate creativity and talents, that pushed them to create something more than they thought they could. 

Production team and performer Arna Lañas commented that, “Until now, it feels surreal that I was the prod manager of the show. I’m very proud of the effort we put into this. The production ain’t easy, but with Sir Baha’s supervision and working with the best people (my classmates), everything fell into place.” 

Scriptwriter and performer Arielle Caubang said, “I learned that scriptwriting basically serves as the whole foundation of the production. It is important that things are organised and as creative as possible. It’s something I overlooked when I was younger, but without them, a production can’t run smoothly. Even for something as simple as Lockdown Dreams,” she further added that, “The dedication to be a scriptwriter isn’t a joke.”

Indeed, to commit to a role takes dedication. Striving towards the same goal brings people to work efficiently. More than learning how to put on a small production, the students were reminded of the value of camaraderie in a team. The reason that the class was able to put out a production, despite the exhausting weeks of working on it, can be attributed to the fact that they know each other well enough to divide teams and delegate tasks with ease. They know each other well enough to know how to encourage each one to work, and when to support and extend their help as needed. They know how to keep each other in check and give constructive criticisms where needed.

Assistant director and performer Denise Pascua remarked that,“Lockdown Dreams was truly an incredible experience. There was a lot that happened behind the scenes that I wish could be seen by the audience…We all went through struggles and a lot of stress, but we all helped each other through it and came out strong.” 

Lockdown Dreams, which may be viewed here, had only furthered the relationship of these students with each other – as both a team and as friends. Undoubtedly, the production would be another added to the growing list of memories they would look back on ten years from now as they grow into the people they’ve dreamed of being.

Thames International is committed to building a new order for the world by giving talented students and entrepreneurs the tools to thrive and lead the way in a world beset by rapid change. If you’re interested in augmenting your skills and making connections with some of the brightest minds in business education today, please take a look at our future-proof undergraduate and postgraduate programs at https://thames.edu.ph/degree-programs/ and https://thames.edu.ph/lifelong-learning/.