We are now living in the digital age, when anyone with a smartphone or a digital camera can record video footage and instantly broadcast it on social media and share it with everyone. But have you ever considered sharing your stories and ideas with the world in the form of a mini-movie and perhaps paving the way to a career in the movie industry at the same time?
Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong, Magna Education Centre and the Hong Kong Micro Movie Institute have teamed up once more to organise the sixth Hong Kong Secondary School Mini-Movie Competition. In light of the fact that the Hong Kong government and schools across the SAR are promoting STEAM projects which use animation and computer design to resonate with students, the theme of this year’s competition is “My City, My Creation”, and participants will be allowed to present their mini-movie in animated and infographic forms in addition to the traditional video form. This will give the participants expanded room for creativity and hopefully attract even more entries.
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“The ingenuity of the mini-movie comes from using limited resources to express endless ideas”, says Mr Hui Yik Piu, Coordinating Secretary of Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong. Mr Hui encourages this year’s participants to pay attention to the details of their everyday lives and look for inspiration by closely observing their surroundings.
Taking part in the mini-movie competition has led many students to identify their goals in life more clearly – for instance, 16-year-old Jasen Ho, who won three gold awards in the individual group with his film “View Founder” in last year competition, had no idea that he had a passion for making movies until he was asked to submit a five-minute video clip as part of an English assignment in school. From then on, Jasen began learning film techniques in his own time.
“There is not much dialogue in my work; I prefer using music and lenses to tell story. I like to give my imagination room, and I want to gradually create a distinctive style for my work,” says Jasen. He believes that having a passion for creating things and shooting video are the most important elements in the movie-making process. Besides always trying to learn new things, Jasen is committed to learning from his teammates ¬– expressing that embracing disagreement is a good way to get the best results.
“View Founder” was also nominated for the Second Golden Jubilee Award at the Chinese Youth Micro Film Festival; while his father, the movie’s protagonist, was crowned Best Actor at the event. His film also won the Best Editing award at “Inno-Action!”, the seventh HKBU Academy of Film Seeds Project Digital Short Video Competition, and the film has also been nominated for the New York Festivals Award – TV and Film Awards and the New York Festivals International TV and Film Awards Gala (Student Group) award, both of which will be presented in March of this year.
Jasen has not only benefited from the experience of making his mini-movie and participating in various competitions; he has also found his future direction. He told us that, “After the DSE, I’d like to apply to a film studies course in Germany to prepare for my future career”.
To ensure that their work is of competition-worthy quality, participants in this year’s competition are suggested to refer to the winning entries of past competitions. Mr Hui relates that, “the story structure of the entries in recent years has become much more detailed and sophisticated. Since renowned filmmakers have been invited to share their filmmaking tips and tricks with the participants, and since the winners will have the opportunity to take part in international film festivals and overseas exchanges; I believe that this year’s competition will draw a lot of film enthusiasts, adding further positivity to the industry.”
To learn more about the 2019 Hong Kong Secondary School Mini-Movie Competition, please click
here.