Acclaimed local director, Mr Boo Junfeng and Mr Samuel Seow, together with past award winners Mr Dynax Yiu and Mr Eugene Tay shared their experience in Micro Film making and intellectual property rights at the Micro Film Sharing session on last Saturday, 15th December. Over 110 participants attended the sharing session.

110 members of the public participated in “My Singapore Style” Micro Film sharing session

Mr Yiu, who was the winner of Best Director and the Gold Award (Open Category) in the second edition of the Micro Film Competition, shared about his experiences filming his award-winning micro film “Joss Sticks and Paper Shop”. According to Mr Yiu, many shop owners were unwilling for him to film onsite for fear of affecting their businesses, hence the process of finding a suitable location to film was extremely tedious.

Mr Yiu shared about his experience participating in the second edition of the Micro Film competition

Mr Yiu mentioned that as “Joss Sticks and Paper Shop” depicts the story of how the younger generation lacks interest in inheriting old trades, finding a suitable joss sticks and paper shop as the backdrop for the entire film is of utmost importance. His team was rejected more than 20 times before finalising the filming location.

Mr Yiu also advised film makers to learn to be flexible when filming. Instead of being constrained to a singular way of presentation, film makers should be open-minded and edit the script when needed. Audience must be able to capture the message conveyed.

Renowned local director Mr Boo Junfeng also shared about his thoughts when creating his pieces. His works were also showcased during the sharing session, including “Apprentice” which was shortlisted for the 69th Festival de Cannes, and his latest piece “Plague”.

Mr Boo Junfeng shared about film-making techniques with this year’s participants

Mr Boo also expressed his opinions regarding film-making during the Q&A segment with the audience. He finds that the budget for micro films usually depends on the theme and it is unnecessary to overspend on the production. Some films can even be filmed using phones and instead of professional actors, film makers can also consider engaging amateurs.

Acclaimed lawyer Mr Samuel Seow was also invited to answer queries regarding intellectual property, especially since soundtracks is an integral part of micro films. His engaging sharing allowing participants to gain more insights.

Mr Seow briefed the audience on the essence of intellectual property in a fun and engaging manner

The organiser presented the Certificate of Appreciation to the four guest speakers. From left: Director of the Microfilm Competition Dr Zhou Zhaocheng, Mr Samuel Seow, Mr Boo Junfeng, Mr Dynax Yiu, Mr Eugene Tay and Editor of Lianhe Zaobao Mr Goh Sin Teck

“My Singapore Style” Microfilm Competition is jointly organised by Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations (SFCCA), Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) and Chinese Daily Lianhe Zaobao. All works should be submitted before 1st February 2019. Interested parties can head to microfilm.zaobao.com/2018 for more information.