By Agustin Vicente G. Bas | Layout Artist
Vol. XCI No. 4
I believe that we live in a generation full of creative minds, as I’m one of the products of it. From having the idea of creating Facebook, all the way to constructing Burj Khalifa, this generation is capable of making almost anything happen. This fact does not exclude us, Sillimanians. This Hibalag 2019, Miss Silliman, the longest-running annual campus-based beauty pageant in Asia, will run for the 73rd time, and we’re all excited for it. As wine tastes better with age, I believe the pageant should too, at least on its creatives.
I’ve been a fan of great designs, jaw-dropping creatives, fascinating stage setups, camera works, and even audio engineering for years. In fact, to personally validate and satisfy my undying fandom, I’ve joined groups and organizations on where I can hone my bad-but-improving skills. And if I were to comment on the pageant’s creatives this year, they could’ve done better, way better.
This year’s theme is quite obvious, my guess is that it’s “The Great Gatsby.” Why? Because their creatives have the exact font and design of The Great Gatsby way back in 2013. I’m sure they did their best, but the stage design still has still not improved after all these years; it’s a little bit good and a little bit bad.
On this year’s glam shot, the candidates did a great job, but the backdrop they had seemed like it was rushed – a long piece of cloth with visible, crumpled spots and a bunch of shiny and dangling crystals on a thread. Last year’s was better. Although this year’s were good too, but if you look at it as a whole, it could’ve been improved.
In terms of infomedia, they had a video posted on Facebook. The candidates shared their advocacies, but what caught my attention was the audio quality. It sounded like it was recorded on a low-quality microphone: the noise was very audible and you can even hear someone talking behind the camera! But the rest of their videos was fine. For example, the video montage they have where the candidates are wearing their green gowns and the actual videos played during the event (but most of the parts are inaudible) were fine.
Why did these things happen? Is it because the said allotted budget for the event is lower than what’s expected to be spent? Or is it about the lack of manpower (considering some of the committee members left to be part of other events?) Well, I’m sure they have their reasons on which we all could understand.
I understand it’s not easy to run an event. I have been part of event organizing teams, and it’s stressful. But amidst the stress, as a team, we do our best to showcase what we have and give out more than that is expected. My favorite part is the creatives because it’s where I could imagine, design, and create. At the same time, I also give justification to the beauty of the event.
To the crowned 73rd Miss Silliman, congratulations! It could’ve been amazing if our college got the crown twice in 3 years, nevertheless, you deserved the win. To this year’s Miss Silliman Committee, you did great! I came here to say these words because I care, and I am an avid fan of this pageant. To the next Miss Silliman Committee, step up the game and exceed all expectations, or else end up like the 99% of wines not meant to be aged – better enjoyed with friends.
