As a video journalist, I am always excited to work with publications that engage in thoughtful curation and critical reporting that does not compromise on the humanness of the story. I was thrilled and highly-flattered when Jom Media approached me to create their first ever video essay which featured an environmentalist advocating for the preservation of a forest in Singapore.

As a huge nature-lover myself, filming in the forest with Chin Tat the environmentalist and Sudhir from Jom Media was very enjoyable as Chin Tat generously shared his knowledge with us. One of my favourite moments was when Chin Tat and I tried to bait spiders out from their hiding spot and I managed to capture that on camera - that exhilaration when the spiders popped out of the tree-hole made me feel like a child again (as a child, I had always dreamed about making animal documentaries).

Overall, the entire process of the production felt like a breeze. Being a one-woman camera team, there were moments when I had to get Chin Tat to re-do certain scenes, some even several times, but he was very patient with me throughout the filming process. Working with the Jom Media team was also very smooth as the producers, Charmaine and Sudhir, were efficient in their communications with me, thorough with their research, and most strikingly, the way they sought and respected my creative inputs made me feel like I was part of their team with equal stakes in the process - as an independent freelancer, I highly appreciate and respect collaborators like them!

Jom Media is a weekly digital magazine based in Singapore, covering arts, culture, politics, business, technology and more.

https://www.jom.media/saving-dover-forest/

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Videographer and Editor - Weilee Yap

Production, Research and Script - Jom Media

Animations: Jon Chan