FAVOURITE REELS
One such talent who became a favourite among online users was 20-year-old Lance Corporal (LCP) Ethan James Chang.
He was featured in the station’s take on the La La La trend, which he told CNA was the first dance video he had done for the team.
Though he said that he was not a dancer, he was “pretty on board” with being a part of the reel. “The moves were quite simple to do, so I found them okay, manageable.”
As for the most memorable reel he did, it was of the “microwave challenge”, one of the many viral trends on video-sharing platform TikTok.
It involves a person sitting or standing while spinning, similar to a plate that is being heated up in a microwave oven.
“It was really simple, straightforward. All I had to do was stand on the mat and strike different poses while the team just spun me around. Being so simple, it made the filming process really quick and easy,” LCP Chang said.
CPL Faris’ most memorable videoshoot was one that involved their colleagues in different vocations.
“During the filming, I remember telling Syahrin and Valerie, like, wow, this is my favorite shoot so far. It was just a really wholesome moment, seeing everybody come together,” he said.
The filming went by smoothly and did not require many takes, he added.
For SGT2 Lim, however, choosing just one reel that was her favourite was a difficult task. “It’s like picking a favourite child,” she said with a laugh.
SURPRISED BY RESPONSE FROM PUBLIC
Apart from coming up with ideas for the reels and starring in them at times, all three social media ambassadors also take charge of editing, producing and directing the videos.
Of the trio, only CPL Faris has a background in social media. He has a diploma in mass communications and also has experience working as a videographer and editor for an agency as part of his internship.
“My ‘Encik’ (commonly used to refer to warrant officers) basically heard that I have this background and straight away appointed me to Nursyahrin, saying, ‘Hey, this guy has some background, I think you should consider’,” CPL Faris recalled.
On the job, the trio generally share the workload and take turns editing each video.
“That’s what really helps us to not feel so stressed and I think that’s what makes it really fun, because we are able to take (on) different parts for different videos,” he added.
As someone who did not have any background in producing videos, WO2 Nursyahrin said that social media content creation can be picked up easily, especially with the help of the right mobile applications.
Asked if it was difficult to juggle their roles as both a frontliner and a social media ambassador, SGT2 Lim said that it can be challenging but the three of them simply enjoy their job “a lot”.
“We enjoy our primary role of saving lives and this additional responsibility of being a social media ambassador just adds more fun to our work life.
“We get to work with everyone in the station … We make videos that rack up a mind-boggling number of views that we can never imagine, so it’s all in good fun.”
WO2 Nursyahrin said: “Even when it comes down to the nitty-gritty or even with the thumbnail itself, we take it very seriously and make sure that it resonates with the public.”
It did surprise them initially that their videos, especially those that involved dancing, were so well-received by the public.
“Being firefighters and frontliners, sometimes our job scope is inherently very serious. So having these light-hearted, trendjacking reels and people liking them, honestly, that surprised me especially, and I’m very happy,” WO2 Nursyahrin said.
