A deep breath and a short countdown before pressing the red record button set the scene for a masterpiece to unfold.
Despite the doubters and the looks we got at school, senior Ray Hsu and I filmed the highest-quality video for the “Bobaballers” TikTok account.
The ideas behind the genius TikTok account have not always come easily, and initially, we were meant to be a different crew.
Before the Bobaballers, Ray and I were part of the lesser-known “Chucklenutjesters,” led by junior Cole Huey.
Ray and I were active participants in the Chucklenutjesters, often playing key roles in the creative videos directed by Cole.
However, Cole eventually grew distant from the account and frequently asked Ray and me to film “emergency upload” videos. This negative loop of picking up after the account led to our departure from the team.
“He wasn’t really too active on posting,” Ray said of Cole, “so we felt like we could do better.”
As a result, the Bobaballers were born.
We immediately jumped into a substantial production schedule, promising to upload two videos a night. This rigorous schedule endured for the first week of the account, but eventually slowed.
Unlike before, the content was well received, averaging more than 1,000 views per video. Despite the spike in popularity, Ray ensures “we just do it for fun.”
While social media influencers are constantly pressured to produce the next best thing, the Bobaballers remain consistent in staying true to the account’s purpose: fun.
Despite the account being made for our own enjoyment, its taste of fame was the popular perched-bird trend. Ray sat perched on my arm for our most viral video yet.
While this was a trending idea, we didn’t know what would come of it. The video has since become our most popular, with over 35,000 views and 5,000 likes.
The videos don’t come without intense training and many takes.
A favorite from our TikToks is most commonly referred to as “The Cologne One.” In this TikTok, Ray becomes a human cologne bottle and sprays a perfect mist at the camera, leading to a comedic ending.
The task was heavy for Ray as he was “in the bathroom for 2 to 5 minutes learning how to spray water in the mirror.”
It took several takes to make the final version of the video, but eventually the skit was perfected and became our second-best-performing TikTok.
Around campus, many students are familiar with the account and give mixed opinions on the content created the night before. We are mostly praised for the work put into such videos, but we have received negative feedback from our peers.
“There are always going to be people that hate, but the haters don’t matter,” Ray said.
The Bobaballers don’t plan to slow down, and during the second semester with a lighter workload, we expect to improve the quality of our content and production.
It is rumored that we will eventually incorporate special guests, but our audience will have to wait and see what the next move will be.