Week 4: Frustration is the most accurate word that describes my journey in week 4, spending hours of time crafting scripts which still ended up being modified again and again. The effort behind the scene of producing an educational yet professional video is often underestimated.
When first being asked to produce TikTok videos, I thought it would be like a piece of cake. "Explaining complex ideas in laymen terms can be challenging.", my supervisor reminded me before the start this interminable process. I didn't understand the weight of it until I kicked off my video-creating odyssey.
I initially created 10 scripts focusing on how different stakeholders can contribute in reducing the severity of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and shot some of them with Anam, a PhD Scholar from Pakistan. I was planning to create more until I saw my supervisor frowning upon reading the scripts. That was when I realized many of the wordings were inaccurate and could lead to misunderstanding among the public. She suggested me to focus on creating just a few videos with each one having a high quality.
I then rewrote the scripts, narrowing the scopes down to explain the appropriate drug use under different situations, how antibiotic resistance happens and why vaccination matters. I scratched my head to use the most professional terms that help to explain the concepts perfectly. I believe I would be rewarded a full mark if I was explaining these concepts in exams but when my supervisor looked at my scripts, she frowned again and asked if a person having no prior knowledge about this topic would understand the "professional" terms that I used. I was tongue-tied and silenced.
"This expression isn't commonly used by people in daily lives.", "You have to explain the terms again in this video, do not expect people to watch your last video to understand them.", "Use 'cannot' to replace 'can't", this prevents people from mishearing your pronunciation.", I would be lying if I say I wasn't frustrated when receiving these feedbacks.
"You are doing something that other healthcare professionals are also struggling to do. You already did a great job. This is not easy and that's why we have to do it." Anam tried to cheer me up after the end of the meeting. This made me realize how important my work is in bridging the gap between scientific advancement and the corresponding public's perception, as well as how hard it is to introduce a medical knowledge to the general public without making it overwhelming.
Lesson 3: Bridging the gap between the laboratory and the living room is a quiet art; it requires us to deliver life-saving knowledge not as an overwhelming wave of data, but as a steady, welcoming light.
I would keep on finalizing the scripts and producing more interactive videos in the following weeks. Wish me good luck!