Farrell Shah, the director of Calcutta Archdiocesan Social Communications Commission, has come up with a novel plan to get the news and message of Mother Teresa’s canonization worldwide through social media, with an innovative web TV channel which brings alive the soon-to-be-saint in the Pokémon Go age.
Despite his commitments as CEO to three organizations, Shah finds time to train a new breed of young Christian media professionals. Matters India caught up with him on a rainy Sunday, at an afternoon shoot for the channel, to unravel his publicity plans for Mother’s canonization.
How did you come up with this BluesStripes Channel Live streaming concept?
BlueStripes celebrates Mother Teresa and in the run-up to her Canonisation this year – possibly the last big occasion we get to celebrate our local saint on a world platform – I thought to reboot the WebTV we started in 2010, Mother’s birth centenary.
Though we called it “WebTV”, in 2010 we would actually upload 2-5 minute testimonies on Mother to YouTube, where they could be seen on demand, embedded on our website, once uploaded. We also did stream some events live, in the low-def available at the time. In total, this effort lasted a few weeks, around 3rd Mother Teresa International Film Festival (MTIFF) 2010.
This time round, BlueStripes is more TV-like. For example, you can catch the latest stream (broadcast) at a scheduled time (7:00 p.m. Mon, Wed, Fri) at www.mtiff.net.tv/ – so you would have to tune in at that time – like traditional TV – to catch the fresh episode. Also the temporary channel will stream for over four months – right up to the final event scheduled in the celebrations calendar of Calcutta archdiocese. Unlike the tiny testimonials of 2010, this time each broadcast is much longer – 15 to 30 minutes. Besides testimonials; now packaged as a show within BlueStripes “Mother & Me”, we have discussions on Mother and her work, cover events of the Kolkata celebrations, stream music celebrating Mother (by artistes contributing from all parts of India and abroad, and even – “Vintage Blue Stripes.” That’s selected testimonies from the 2010 edition!
How is it different from your earlier BlueStripes VJ show?
BlueStripes has evolved from a show, to a channel. This means greater and more variety of programming, scheduled timings and of course, in the back end, x100 times more difficult! Otherwise, it’s still all about Mother Teresa and the testimony we want to bring to the world about her, through this medium.
How did you put together your VJ crew this time?
The Video Jockey (VJ) and technical crew are mostly college students and some are members of the Parish Media Teams (PMT) of the archdiocese. After the initial members were recruited from volunteers to the Media & Publicity group, others joined through their friends, having a common interest in the visual media, and the desire to do – and learn – something new. This is a purely voluntary activity.
In 2010 St. Xavier’s College had provided almost all the VJs, who were given Credits for participating in the VJ activities.
Could you elaborate on the diversity of the crew and their strengths?
The BlueStripes crew are students having basic equipment like cameras, etc, and know enough how to use them. This has made training easier, faster. Some of the seniors from PMTs are good writers and that is a very important backroom department, too, when you have to program for over 7 different shows! Ethnically, we have a real potpourri – Bengalis, Nepalis, Punjabis, Anglo Indians, Goans, and a few more!
What sort of help you get for the production of each episode?
The team gets no external help for the technical production. We research, shoot, present, edit and stream all on personally owned equipment. At Archbishop’s House we have an Online Media Office room, to be used as a hub for the team and it has worked very well for meeting, exchanging media, green shoots and even broadcasting from, at times. Though the channel has been listed as an Official Event of the Kolkata Canonisation Celebrations, we happily have not required funding from the organising committee.
Any ‘miracle’ you experienced in this venture?
Keeping a large group of young people committed to a project that requires day to day commitment and discipline over 4 months… that’s big. I don’t think it’s ever been attempted or achieved outside academic or professional settings. We’ve already been broadcasting for over a month, regularly. In this Pokémon GO age, that has to be miraculous!
What has been the help of diocese, MC Sisters, CAB, and Youth groups etc?
Well, really the archdiocese is allowing this to be a major activity of the Publicity and Media effort. So that’s a big help in promoting it, through official channels as well as social media and websites of the archdiocese, and the Canonisation Celebrations.
What you wish you had to do a better job?
Time. That’s the number one factor.
You have been mentoring young people in media ministry for over 30 years now? What propels you?
Well, somewhat less! Seeing those very same youngsters develop a love for media, and oftentimes making it their careers is very rewarding. If I did have a part in shaping some of these remarkable Christian media persons who reach much further and influence much wider… then that is very satisfying.
Comments from people about your work / productions?
It’s the ones I don’t hear which count.