A strong advocate of second skilling, I always encourage my friends to learn and develop a second skill in life. It should be a skill that revolves around their personal passion. If you have bothered to read ‘About AspirantSG‘, you will know that the blog got its humble beginnings from a Social Media Course by Belinda Ang at Singapore Media Academy (SMA). I failed terribly at blogging once but with proper guidance from the subject matter experts, I learnt the ropes and developed my content curation and social media skills to become a blogger. While exploring my third skill in life, my Shutter Strut guest blogger got me interested into short films productions with his recent 7th Month Hungry Ghost Festival Series – one of which being ‘The Other Wife’. After a quick search, I was pleasantly surprised that my alma mater SMA has video production courses too!
How To Produce An Individual Short Film
This workshop is like a dream come true for aspiring short film makers who wish to one day make it like Anthony Chen!
Although the title sounds like a self help book, this is actually a rather comprehensive 2 days (14 hours) workshop that covers the essential framework of short film production.
Instead of allowing ideas to jump all over the shop, the course calms overly-excited newbies (probably you if you have a strong passion for film making) and introduce them to the intricate frame of an independent filmmaker’s mind. You will be carefully brought through the idea development process where you get to transform your vision into a film product that can be easily consumed by your intended target audience. With this framework in mind, you can effectively navigate the world of storytelling through your own short films and production.
Of course, the storytelling process is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to producing your short film. Be prepared to get your hands dirty and master the Pre-Production, Production and Post-Production workflow. This is the very means through which you tell you short stories.
The short film industry is not all glamour and glitz. There is usually no luxury of budget so you have to be prepared to double up as both the director and producer. To make sure that you are up to the job, you will be imparted with basic directing and production knowledge during the course. Last but not least, you will also be taught how to shoot and edit videos on free editing software and get your hands dirty to create your own simple film.
Who’s the Trainer?
Ray Pang, an award-winning filmmaker, both locally and international will be your master for the course.
Besides representing Singapore in the first World Event Young Artists (WEYA) – a global art & culture event held in Nottingham, United Kingdom, he was also the recipient of the “Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World” – 2012 Singapore Merit Awardee by JCI TOYP.
In 2012, Ray was nominated as the finalist for Yahoo Singapore 9 and runner up for Entertainment Category. During the same year, his short film, “Closer To Me” has been shortlisted for the prestigious Louis Vuitton’s second edition Journey Awards. Making the only Singaporean to be nominated for the Jury’s awards and People’s Choice award of the contest. The film later gets to participate at the 66th Festival de Cannes’s Short Film Corner. Ray was also invited to screen some of his films at the 8th Sapporo Short Fest 2013 under a special program “Asian Typhoon”.
Recently, his latest short film “The Grandfather” was the winner for 180 Short Film Competition under Professional Category organized by Singapore Media Academy and supported by the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA). Watch the award winning video below:
Professional Holiday Video-Making
Alternatively, if you are looking for something a little more relax (forget professional, think holiday), you may want to have a go at this 1-day workshop instead. Created for absolute newbies with zero video making knowledge, you get a hands-on introduction to video production that covers all the basic techniques of making a video with simple recording devices. Yes, we are talking about really simple set up like your handy cams and mobile phones.
Rather than just capturing without a clear vision and direction in mind, you will be introduced to film genres and be taught how to create storyboard and get hands-on practice at shooting and doing simple post-production editing of your own movie. By the time we are through with you, you will be able to wow your friends with profession videos of your latest holidays. How cool is that!
Who’s The Trainer?
David Suen is a filmmaker whose body of work is a celebration of the human experience. Inspired, highly stylized imagery and creative composition characterize his style. His style is as unique as the diverse projects he tackles. His ability to mix lifestyle vignettes and documentary inspired reflections of real people in situations, present a refreshing perspective underscored with sincerity.
David graduated from Murdoch University, Australia with a BA in Marketing. Combining a successful degree with his experience in various projects, David is a natural choice for many productions. From his humble background as a runner in TCS during his secondary school days, his technical knowledge with camera-work and editing as well as production knowledge allows him to widen his work opportunities and enhance his strength as a Director.
For the past 7 years, David is a part-time adjunct lecturer in Ngee Ann Polytechnic giving media related courses to new media students. (Digital Audio Video, Digital Cinematography, Digital Photography, Digital Visual Effects). He has also taught storyboarding, video production and infographics at the Singapore Media Academy (SMA) for corporate professionals.
Passionate about filming and video production? Click here to read up more about the courses. Who knows, you may develop it into your second skill just like what I have done with my blog after my course at SMA.
Have fun and remember to share your experience in the comments section below.
