Storyteller finds audience through contests

“No story lives unless someone wants to listen” – J.K. Rowling, author.

One way or another, we are all storytellers, some just need a bigger audience. For example, if you are an enthusiastic novice videographer who spent tens or even hundreds of hours labouring to make a video, it would be rather demoralising if only a handful of your friends ever saw it.

In the age of YouTube, it is possible for a videoclip to go viral, reaching hundreds of thousands of viewers globally. But that’s rather rare!

For the rest of us, finding an audience wide enough is tough. Sashvin Raj Batumalai sees the opportunity in competitions.

“For so long, I have wanted to participate in various short video contests in order to showcase my storytelling skills. When you are a newbie, it is hard to bring together a group of viewers to watch your creations for you to improvise based on their suggestions and constructive criticisms,” he says.

Hence, when he came across the LoveMYPalmOil90 contest organised by Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), he jumped on it.

“To be honest, the cash prize really attracted me to give it a try,” he admits. “And I was happy to see many other participants coming up with great ideas as well!”

Rallying a few of his friends, fellow students from City University and KDU, Sashvin went to work.

“I am blessed with a good team, a bunch of friends who are passionate about making films and videos to tell stories to the general audience. With them, I brainstormed for an idea. It was very challenging since we were required to come up with something which is not more than 90 seconds,” he recalls.

Their endeavour paid off. Sashvin’s entry Earth Year 2576 won the second prize. Fellow teammate Sivanesan Ramdass received a special mention for Generosity.

Summary: A man wearing a face mask walks through a deserted street, his breathing laborious. He finds oil palm fruits on the ground and follows the trail to a plantation. He removes his mask, now able to breathe freely. He concludes: “I can’t imagine life without these palm oil plantations. This heat would have killed us, if we’ve had no carbon sinks.”

On how he got his inspiration for Earth Year 2576, Sashvin recalled that the day before he found out about the contest, he was stuck in traffic while driving home from class and had wound down the window in an attempt to get some fresh air.

“I realised how hot it was and the heat could make us uncomfortable for a long time. I decided then to script a sketch that relates to the heat together with the importance of having green plantations around us… I knew this would be more impactful if set in the future,” he says.

Summary: The video features two individuals. 1) A 19-year-old recalls how hard his father had worked, often foregoing rest and sometimes even meals. He says oil palm is his family’s lifeline as they have been working in oil palm plantations for many generations. 2) A 34-year-old Indonesian shares that he and his friends had come to Malaysia to work in oil palm plantations to seek a better life.

What did Sashvin and his team learnt in the process?

“I was surprised to learn that palm oil is being used in various products and how it is surely to be present in our daily lives, just like oxygen! Speaking to farmers at the oil palm plantation educated me on the importance of palm oil for both local and foreign families. To get close and personal with those plantations and farmers was indeed a wonderful experience for an urban boy like me,” Sashvin says.

“Palm oil is used in many products in various industries, it is definitely something Malaysians can be proud of!” he declares.