Primary School Video Competition

[Siraj]

This 3.5 min music video was actually done by my Primary 5 students for a competition themed 'The places I love'. I merely guided them along. They did the lyrics themselves and using some traditional folks songs (No copyright) to the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9cv9tZqUTY


Care for some comments please? Maybe I can train my students to be better next year!

[Siraj]

The students managed to clinch the top award for this competition! The entry topped 72 others.. guess they won cos of content more than the technical aspect of the video..

[Takumi]

Hi bro.

Are you from Asknlearn, by any chance?

[Siraj]

Originally Posted by Takumi Hi bro. Are you from Asknlearn, by any chance?

No I'm not from that company. I am a full time teacher.

[Takumi]

Originally Posted by Siraj No I'm not from that company. I am a full time teacher.

Hello Siraj;

I can tell you why your team won probably, so if you continue this pattern of working, it would be successful.

1) Music is done by your students and vocals too. Please continue this, judges like it.
2) Camera pans and tilts and movements are good, camera handling techniques are quite steady. No 'blair witch project'.
3) Editing is quite smooth - about 4 - 6 seconds per scene.


How to improve?

1) special effects - e.g. half mixes, speed up, slow down - try them for these kind of montages
2) content - maybe weave in a storyline or intro before. e.g. student goes 'hi, lets move around Singapore'

Ok? I do this for a living. Kudos to you, teacher! I'll be expecting your school's entry for this years SVA.

[Siraj]

Originally Posted by Takumi Hello Siraj; I can tell you why your team won probably, so if you continue this pattern of working, it would be successful. 1) Music is done by your students and vocals too. Please continue this, judges like it. 2) Camera pans and tilts and movements are good, camera handling techniques are quite steady. No 'blair witch project'. 3) Editing is quite smooth - about 4 - 6 seconds per scene. How to improve? 1) special effects - e.g. half mixes, speed up, slow down - try them for these kind of montages 2) content - maybe weave in a storyline or intro before. e.g. student goes 'hi, lets move around Singapore' Ok? I do this for a living. Kudos to you, teacher! I'll be expecting your school's entry for this years SVA.

Hey thanks Takumi! Will explore the special effects suggested. As for content wise, it's a great suggestion! Will look at it.

You speak of SVA. Are you a teacher too? Since you said that you do video for a living, then that should rule teaching out. Are you one of those guys at MOE HQ? Actually all these achievements are added stress in schools! haha.... it never ends. Ever growing expectations..

[Takumi]

I'm one of the video trainers for schools. Outsourced from training company. So our goals are to help schools win video awards, advise schools on what equipment to buy, etc.

Anyway don't stress over these things! Doing video should be fun. But you as the teacher-facilitator should do quality control checks over the student's script and storyboards, so that your students won't produce a 'crap video' (and believe me, students CAN do that). If they win, it's to your benefit too!

Anyway, winning is always fun.

Anyway just to share with you this quote from my friend, who was formerly a video professional

Quote: Crap, good thing I got out of the industry, even kids can do for free what I charge hundreds of dollars for...

[Johnaturn]

Hi all, being a full time student and a regular participant of SVA, i would like to air some of my views of the SVA scene from a student's POV.

Firstly, as a film enthu. i feel that the standards of SVA ( now rebranded as SDMA ) hasn't improved much. I' ve been following it since the 4th SVA ( when Canberra Sec. was the dominant force with entries like Promises) to the recent SVAs ( with winning entries like Ah Ma, Angels etc.) and i do not see much improvements over the years. All i see is schools trying hard to win titles for themselves, film after film, i see repetitive elements, over-used cliche, and very conservative storylines. While i respect fellow students for their efforts, i wonder if students can be more creative, and if the competitive atmosphere and the kiasu-ism, the must-win attitudes had hindered student's ability to really experience the freedom that filmmaking, as an art form, offers. Is SVA trying to 'promote the use of IT' or is SVA providing students with a platform to strut their stuff? I hope the rebranded SVA would shed some light on this matter.

Next, I question, at times, the roles of teacher mentors and 'trainers' in the student's SVA experience. I am extremely lucky to have a teacher that believes in my team and i, a teacher that allows for our free expression and a teacher that frees us from the pressures of delivering results. ( that is probably why I've never won anything to speak of in SVA, i had better luck elsewhere ) While I am in no position to speak for others or about others, i wonder if teachers and trainers actually pressure kids to perform?

Lastly, I do not see SVA as a good platform for students who are really into the art of filmmaking to strut their stuff and showcase their talents. There are too many restrictions, and too much emphasis on winning or (for my case, losing). However, one must credit MOE's E-video branch for providing the sole platform. I yearn for a second platform,a more liberal one, to be established in the near future.

SDMA .. i hope there's more substance in it ... relative to its predecessor .. juz my 2 cents' worth

[chanxj]

I feel that the SVA had grown to become a very popular competition. But Now a days, i feel that schools have been misguided on the purpose of CCA's. The school i studied in even gave a comment that if they give funding to train students for video shooting and film making, will we assure them a platinium award in the SVA. Therefore i feel there is too much emphasis on winning awards, rather than equipping students with useful skills and moulding them to be great citizens.

[Takumi]

Hi guys, my 2 cents worth...

While you guys may be thinking that the emphasis is on winning ... consider this.
SVA and SDMA is a competition. The purpose of joining competitions is to aim to win. I mean, in a race, all runners compete for the prize right?

Quote: All i see is schools trying hard to win titles for themselves, film after film, i see repetitive elements, over-used cliche, and very conservative storylines.

Well, isn't it up to the students and their teacher facilitators to decide which direction they want to go? Besides, SVA has themes in it. If you deviate from the theme, you risk going out of point. And the purpose of a competition is to strive to win.

Quote: While i respect fellow students for their efforts, i wonder if students can be more creative, and if the competitive atmosphere and the kiasu-ism, the must-win attitudes had hindered student's ability to really experience the freedom that filmmaking, as an art form, offers.

I agree. But film making is as much a science and a skill as it is an art form. I've watched students produce such crap that I wanted my 3 minutes back spent viewing the video. I think, as creative as you can be, if your fundamentals are not there, you might as well don't produce a video. Passion without precision counts for nothing.

Quote: The school i studied in even gave a comment that if they give funding to train students for video shooting and film making, will we assure them a platinium award in the SVA.

That's impossible and defies the logic of common sense. Good training and funding doesn't guarantee awards! It just increases the likelihood of winning.

Quote: Lastly, I do not see SVA as a good platform for students who are really into the art of filmmaking to strut their stuff and showcase their talents

Good thing there are other competitions out there! Like 24!

Hey Jon, I like your spirit. Just don't be too negative about the competitive spirit there. I don't think the competitive spirit among schools has not become that negative. There are good entries too, I find! Take part, strive to win, enjoy the experience. I'm waiting for your entry.

You don't happen to be from FMSS would you?

[SJvizuals]

Here's my view on SDMA

SVA or SDMA as it is known as now.... isnt really much of a platform for the the pupils to express themselves creatively through video. The content have to adhere to certain "themes" that reflects a certain kind of value. Break this restriction, and your video is out of the window sooner than you might expect. This year's SDMA even has its themes clearly stated. (except for the short fim category)

But then again, it is a competition for schools. So it has to have some "meaning" to it that would give a positive impact to the target audience(pupils). Technicalities of the videos aren't really the main selling point, judging from the winning entries. Not even the story sometimes. Creativity can be explored, but only if it stays within the boudaries of "good,clean" fun.

Winning is not Everything, But wanting to win is. (And to want to win is to stick to true and tried methods in this case... )

Oh well, hope to see more creative videos this year. (Highly unlikely though) - PS: Wanna make more interesting videos for this year's SDMA? Try merging animation and video together (Chroma keying rings a bell?) Since SDMA has expanded to include an animation category, lines are pretty much blurred no?

Anyway.. my condolences to Mr Astley Wong from AnL, who has departed us. The pupils videos who were trained under him sure have win numerous awards in SVA. I'm not from AnL nor am I a student who ever studied under him. Just saying it out of respect for him as a competitor.

[ywh]

Good to hear honest feedback and opinions regarding the SVA (SDMA).

A major point I have to put across is content and putting across a message is always a plus point. There was a school which actually had a dolly (tracking shot) and impressive as it might be, I dun recall it winning anything. Get the script right and message across...that's the first thing to get right. The format (HD, DV, etc) does not matter...schools can send a HDCAM master and points wun be added. Audio should be clear (if the cameras are using unbalanced mics...get the Beachtek device that allows XLR mics to be used) and stick to basic simple shots that tell the story.

Oh...and less suicide or sad stories. The one that stood in my heart all the while was a comedy which was about a boy chasing a gal for her school bag...superb!

[ECN]

The Finalists for the SDMA07 competition, I believe you can still vote for the videos:

http://www.evideo.edu.sg/sdma/voting_listing.asp?ct=1

[SnapSnap]

Is it just me or is it true that the primary schools are producing video that is so much better than the one JC video I saw?

[strawstar]

i always suspicious of nice videos by pri schools.
ARe they really the students' works or did the teachers' heavy involvement in them.

i find JC entries tend to be very lyrical. As if a stage-drama being shot in film.

[sgmlyfilmsociety]

Originally Posted by Johnaturn Hi all, being a full time student and a regular participant of SVA, i would like to air some of my views of the SVA scene from a student's POV. Firstly, as a film enthu. i feel that the standards of SVA ( now rebranded as SDMA ) hasn't improved much. I' ve been following it since the 4th SVA ( when Canberra Sec. was the dominant force with entries like Promises) to the recent SVAs ( with winning entries like Ah Ma, Angels etc.) and i do not see much improvements over the years. All i see is schools trying hard to win titles for themselves, film after film, i see repetitive elements, over-used cliche, and very conservative storylines. While i respect fellow students for their efforts, i wonder if students can be more creative, and if the competitive atmosphere and the kiasu-ism, the must-win attitudes had hindered student's ability to really experience the freedom that filmmaking, as an art form, offers. Is SVA trying to 'promote the use of IT' or is SVA providing students with a platform to strut their stuff? I hope the rebranded SVA would shed some light on this matter. Next, I question, at times, the roles of teacher mentors and 'trainers' in the student's SVA experience. I am extremely lucky to have a teacher that believes in my team and i, a teacher that allows for our free expression and a teacher that frees us from the pressures of delivering results. ( that is probably why I've never won anything to speak of in SVA, i had better luck elsewhere ) While I am in no position to speak for others or about others, i wonder if teachers and trainers actually pressure kids to perform? Lastly, I do not see SVA as a good platform for students who are really into the art of filmmaking to strut their stuff and showcase their talents. There are too many restrictions, and too much emphasis on winning or (for my case, losing). However, one must credit MOE's E-video branch for providing the sole platform. I yearn for a second platform,a more liberal one, to be established in the near future. SDMA .. i hope there's more substance in it ... relative to its predecessor .. juz my 2 cents' worth

hey there.. i know how u feel. Let's just say sometimes competition is not the answer. It doesn't mean entering a competition and winning it means the video is the best. Passion for film-making.. means passion. Just do what you like to do. Share it with the people you love. Best if you could impart your knowledge or enthusiasm to other people who shares the same passion or those who want to learn doing digital film-making. There are lots of things to learn and do with video. Teacher mentor or trainers are not always rite. If you join competitions.. you are just pleasing the judges, your teachers, trainers.. to make them happy. Do what you feel is rite. Go do one yourself. Upload it at at youtube and get critics and comments from people. If your video is good. People will like it. If people dont like it.. try harder.. ask and improve. Never give up. If you got what it takes, show it to us.

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them". - Walt Disney

[terry thng]

Hi All,

I really need help from all of you. I just started a commercial project that requires ongoing support from amateur/professional videographers. We need to shoot several videos every month starting April 2008. We can work with students, fresh grads, free lancers, part timers, full timers, amateur or professionals, video production companies etc.

Kindly refer your friends, contacts or associates to contact me at cleangreen@pacific.net.sg.

Regards / Terry