丽的周报RED-NEWS第一期-3月14日2013年

Volume 1-14th March 2013

认识新加坡的艺术媒体教育和媒体业

三月七号对于两组学生而言是很特别的一天。首先，对于那些踊跃参与了教育部和义安理工学院所联办的Schools Digital Media Awards 2013而言，那天是学生们终于能够得知他们辛辛苦苦制作的作品是否获奖。同时，对于南洋理工学院的毕业生而言，那天是他们的毕业展(Unit 13)和他们踏入社会的第一步的日子。那也是一个启发了我们丽的呼声新闻小组的一天；原来新加坡的艺术媒体界是如此的热闹，如此的蓬勃。因此我们今天想要透过学生，教师和媒体发展局的眼中来认识新加坡的媒体教育和媒体界的真实面孔。

SDMA 2013 和Unit 13都是为了展示和认同新加坡艺术媒体界未来的新星的一个平台。SDMA 2013的目标当中就包括了让学生有机会通过媒体来发表他们的意见和让学生和老师们能够对媒体有更深层的了解。从以上的例子，我们可以看出新加坡正非常积极的发展和刺激本地的媒体业和培养下一代的媒体人。

新加坡的媒体界的实况

　普及大众对新加坡媒体业的看法都逃不出“薄弱，狭窄，不赚钱”等标签。很稀奇的是，外国人对新加坡的媒体界的印象却和本地人的概念有着天壤之别。在与新加坡媒体发展局（MDA）的助理局长，陈继贤先生的采访中，陈先生向我们透露了加拿大和

美国的媒体机构对新加坡作为一个媒体中心的高评价和赞许。就连挑剔的外国演员也会很乐意的搭乘２０多小时的飞机，就为了来新加坡拍摄。

　我国除了安全干净，就连我们的时区都让我们在跨国合作方面占据了优势。我们的白天刚好是许多西方国家的晚上，所以与我国合作就可达成２４小时午休的优越工作效率。除此之外，新加坡虽然小，却多姿多彩，。现代的高楼大厦，具有历史文化的建筑物和翠绿的草原在新加坡都能找到，而且正因为新加坡小，所以从金融区到文化区的距离也短，对于电影人士来说是再好不过的拍摄景点。当然我们也不能忘记新加坡先进的网络科技设施，最快，最新的器材在新加坡都一定能到手。

　总的来说，新加坡的大环境，尤其是硬体设备上的环境对媒体来说是非常有利的。而虽然大众对我们的艺术媒体产业不保持这乐观的态度，其实许多的媒体相关人士和学生都对于我们在环境设施上的优势感到庆幸。受访的南洋初级学院学生（作品　“Do you know that traditional food is still popular?”, “你知道传统食品其实还很受欢迎吗？”荣获了SDMA的金奖）在采访中向我们分享了学校为了让他们新闻部Channel News Nanyang(CNNY)的学生能够拍出更优质的作品，特别购买了新的专业摄像机，这是在其它地方不太可能会发生的事情。

　优良的设备要有优秀的人才来使用才能够发挥最大的作用，因此新加坡除了提供一流的仪器，也尽力培养一流的艺术媒体人才。正如陈继贤先生在SDMA颁奖典礼上所说的，现代科技虽然能够让学生们创造出技术上不亚于专业人士的作品，但是技术再怎么优良，没有一个能够感动人心的故事就没有意义。因此一个媒体人最重要的是要有故事和看法。不过，在我们和获奖同学的采访中，我们发现陈继贤先生完全无须担心未来媒体人的创意能力。

　　以“Sleeping Child”（睡着的孩子）拿下金奖的辅华小学的学生们向我们分享了他们将同学的亲身经历改编成短片的过程，而圣安东尼女校（小学）的同学们也光荣的向我们告知她们的获奖作品“Crazy Germination”（疯狂发芽试验）从头到尾，除了摄影机的架设之外都是她们自己一手包办的。在新加坡，学生们在参与比赛时能够有那么多自主权是非常罕见的，但我们从采访中得知的了另一件更加惊人的消息，那就是大部分参赛的同学们都是毛遂自荐，主动参赛，而就连那一些被老师挑选参赛的学生们也非常兴奋的向我们告知，若还有机会的话，他们绝对会再次参赛，拍摄创作。

　

随着对艺术媒体感兴趣的学生们的增长，到了高等教育阶段选择就读艺术媒体科系的学生们也随之增加。受访的义安理工学院影视传媒学院院长官怀敏女士向我们表示她的媒体课几乎每个学期都爆满，报名人数都远超越了课程的名额。而受访的南洋理工学院室内设计系的毕业生们，同时也是担任了我们丽的呼声的标志和国家图书馆里的“文化糖”的三位设计师（Amanda Tay, Zheng Bao Xue 和Daryl Chia）都表示他们选择了室内设计这个科系多半是因为他们对艺术和设计感兴趣，也觉得自己透过艺术设计能够为新加坡带来更大的贡献。参加SDMA的许多学生们也表示，虽然他们还小，所以还无法确定他们未来的方向，但是他们绝对不排斥从事电影，动画等艺术媒体行业。

艺术媒体的教育和工作机会

　若真的想从事艺术媒体行业的学生们到底有哪些工作机会呢？陈继贤先生在SDMA颁奖典礼上表示，除了新传媒和其它电影，艺术工作室之外，艺术媒体的学生其实在游戏设计和拍摄游戏预告片方面也是有生路的。随着手机游戏和电脑游戏的增长，游戏产业也开始成为一个热门又赚钱的领域，同时也拓展了艺术媒体学生的工作机会。新加坡媒体发展局同时也有提供许多格式各样的赞助金，帮助想创业的新媒体人能够有个稳定的开始。除此之外，现在许多的大公司为了节省外包的成本，反而在公司内部创立了媒体部门，也为毕业生们的工作机会中增添了新的可能性。

　在教育方面，除了大家熟悉的理工学院，南洋艺术学院和拉萨尔艺术学院之外，新加坡在近年也新开了School of the Arts (SOTA)，让那些小学毕业后就已经肯定自己对于艺术媒体的热诚的学生能够有个能够帮助他们发展的学府。艺术媒体教育界的老师，教授和讲师们都非常重视他们的工作，根据官怀敏女士所表示，许多外国的电影媒体学校的教师们来到新加坡，看见我国所提供的设施，教育环境和支持都让他们羡慕不已。南洋理工学院的讲师，林先生也表示他们身为老师最重要的工作就是要确保学生毕

业后已具备了能够在职场上工作的技能和水准。据我们所知，许多参与Unit 13的女毕业生都已在毕业前就找到工作，可见得教师们的苦心都没有白费。

给家长和学生的意见

　无论你是一时兴起想要从事艺术媒体行业还是你经过了深思熟虑，终于决定要进入媒体界，以下是一些教师和毕业生的意见忠告提供你参考。官怀敏女士建议对艺术媒体有兴趣的学生们应该一步一步慢慢来，先从专科文凭读起，如果经过了时间和课程的考验依然笃定自己对媒体的热诚的话才继续就读学士。官怀敏女士也想告诉学生们，如果读了之后发现媒体并非你的所爱，也无须气馁，因为自我认知的道路也是人生中的一种乐趣。

　毕业生们则希望告诉想要就读艺术媒体科系的学生们，请不要抱着一颗轻浮的心去选择艺术媒体科系，更不要以为艺术设计不过是会画画就可以安全毕业的科系。在许多设计和创作的背后都包含了长时间的研究，深思和一次又一次的修改，不是自己高兴怎么画就可以的。不过，他们也承认，虽然艺术媒体科很辛苦，但也正因为苦，完成作品时才会有无上的成就感。同时他们也建议，虽然深思是好事，但是有时在创作时想太多反而会适得其反，所以偶尔也要放松心情，凭感觉创作。

　家长担心孩子的前途是天经地义的事，因此在家长方面，官怀敏女士说，她所接触到的家长可分为两种。一种是全力支持孩子的梦想的家长，可是因为对于艺术媒体不了解所以不放心。另一种是因为不放心孩子选择追求艺术媒体，因此想要更深入的了解这门科系。两种家长最终都是为了求一种安心，而根据官怀敏女士表示，许多家长在了解了艺术媒体和相关的工作机会后便全力支持孩子的选择。陈继贤先生在采访中指出，家长对艺术媒体系的不安多半是因为艺术媒体业在新加坡太新，因此没有太多的业绩和模范做参考，以导致大家对该业的误解。这些不安，只要有人提供实据和咨询就能轻易解决。林讲师也希望告诉家长们，艺术媒体课系是个以实践为中心的教育系统，和其它以理论为中心的传统科目不同。因此，如果你的孩子比较适合实践式教育，那就应该考虑让他就读艺术媒体系。

　正如怀敏女士所说的，“与其强迫孩子去学习让他反感的科系，不如让他花３－４年的时间，追求他真正想要的。毕竟，人生并不是只有法律，医药，商业等单一项目，而是人生经验的一种累积。所以只要孩子们有机会能够体验生活，认识不同的人，从而更加了解人生和社会，因而能够更加完善的面对未来，那也就足够了。”林讲师也赞同这个说法，他认为人生不只是为了钱，让你的孩子去追求他们的梦想将会带来比钱更加值钱的成果。不过，或许在不久的将来对于艺术媒体业抱有不安的家长很有可能会变成少数；许多参与了SDMA的同学们都向我们透露，他们的家长非常的支持他们的拍摄，有些甚至还帮忙充当演员，担任司机的角色，因此我们也能从中看出，家长也渐渐的变得更加开明。

不要误解了

　新加坡政府和企业面对的最大问题之一就是人才的流失，但是陈继贤先生却一点都不担心我们的艺术媒体人才出了国后就一去不回，反而还鼓励年轻的艺术媒体人如果有机会的话一定要到国外闯一闯。我们所采访的南洋理工学院毕业生也提出了同样的看法，虽然他们目前打算在新加坡发展，但是有朝一日，一定要去国外挑战挑战自己。至于人才一去不回头方面陈继贤先生说，虽然如果他们肯回来当然很好，但如果他们不打算回来也没关系，因为人才在国外依然是我们新加坡的代表，反而可以帮助新加坡拓展在国外的影响力。

　综上所述，新加坡的艺术媒体界正一步一步的迈进，而像SDMA这样的平台也提供了一个让中小学生们能够在不增加课业压力的情况下，有趣的接触艺术媒体的机会。我们已经为了我们未来的艺术媒体界的成功耕耘了，但是是否会有收获还是个未知数。但是，从SDMA 2013 和 Unit 13可以看出新加坡的艺术媒体界的未来是乐观的。

丽的周报RED-NEWS第一期-3月14日2013年

Volume 1-14th March 2013

The 7th of March was a special Thursday for two particular groups of students. The first were those who have enthusiastically participated in the Schools Digital Media Awards 2013 (co-organized by MOE and Ngee Ann Polytechnic), where the participating students finally found out if their weeks of hard work have won them a hard-earned award. The second were the graduating batch of students from Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Design, who had their 2013 Graduation Show (Unit 13) on the very same day. It was also a day that helped this reporter and perhaps many others wake up to what the Singapore media landscape truly looks like. Thus today we would like to introduce to everyone, from the eyes of the students, teachers and Media Development Authority (MDA), Singapore’s media education and landscape.

The ultimate purpose of both SDMA 2013 and Unit 13 was to give recognition to Singapore’s budding creative talents; in fact the SDMA was organized with the goals of providing a platform for students to express themselves creatively through media and enhancing development of media literacy among students and teachers (amongst other aims). Thus it is safe to say that actions are being taken to not only keep the local media industry alive but to develop and promote it to the next generation.

Singapore’s Media Landscape

So how do most Singaporeans see media in Singapore? Typical responses are that it is in its infancy, it is narrow and not the most lucrative industry in the country, which is strange given the outlook that many foreign media companies and talents have on Singapore as a media hub. In an interview with Mr Kenneth Tan, the Assistant Chief Executive Office at MDA, at the SDMA, he gladly shared with us how media companies from Canada and the States sang praises of Singapore as a potential film location and media hub. Apparently, as a country, Singapore is so appealing that there is little difficulty in convincing hard-to-please actors to fly over 20 hours just to shoot in this city state.

In addition, we are even in the perfect time-zone for international media collaborations as we can pick up from where those living in the west have ended through our work day (which is their night) and allow for seamless work flow back and forth. And despite being small in size, we have a plethora of sights, from modern skyscrapers to lush forests and historical shop-houses, all of which within an hour’s drive from each other. Our technological infrastructure, from fibre broadband to having the most advanced equipment available is also an attractive bonus.

In short, Singapore’s media environment is at the very least very sound in the hardware department; and despite popular beliefs, our own current and future media people are very aware of our advantages. In an interview with students of Nanyang Junior College, who won the Gold Award for their video “Do you know that traditional food is still popular?”, the students gladly shared that they are from Channel News Nanyang(CNNY), a media and news CCA within their school and that the school has bought a new camera just for the competition.

Hardware is not all we excel in, Singapore is definitely making strides towards making sure that we are nurturing the next generation of creative professionals and if the SDMA 2013 is any indication, it is working. During Mr Kenneth Tan’s speech, he said that thanks to modern technology, the work produced by the students are not far behind those produced by professionals quality wise, however what really matters is the story and plot behind the piece. As we found out through our interviews with the winning students, great stories and ideas are definitely aplenty.

Understanding Singapore’s media education and landscape

The students of Fuhua Primary School shared with us that their entry “Sleeping Child” is inspired by a true story of a student in their school and that they collectively made the decision to adapt it into a short film. The students of St. Anthony’s Canossian Primary School also proudly exclaimed that they had come up their idea for their entry “Crazy Germination” and that the teachers largely took a hands-off approach during the production of the video. This definitely goes against the stereotypes of teachers hijacking student projects to guarantee a win and is a trend that we hope will continue. An even more optimistic revelation is that most of the students volunteered to be in the SDMA and even those who were chosen by their teachers would gladly make short films and animations again.

In fact, more and more students are choosing creative arts and media over the more standard science and business route in higher education, as Ms Anita Kuan, the Director of School of Film and Media Studies at Ngee Ann Polytechnic pointed out that there is actually an oversubscription for her class in school. During our interview with three graduating students of Nanyang Polytechnic (who are also the proud designers of our Rediffusion logo and ‘Culture Candy” exhibition space in NLB), Amanda Tay, Zheng Bao Xue and Daryl Chia cited their reasons for choosing interior design to be mainly due to their personal interests in design and drawing and felt that they could achieve more and contribute more through arts and design as opposed to other academic tracks. Many students at SDMA also stated that while it is still too early for them to decide what career choices they will be making in the future, filmmaking, animation and other media related occupations are definitely on their ‘When I grow up’-list.

Career and education prospect

So what can students look forward to in the media industry when they grow up? As Mr Kenneth Tan said in his address at the SDMA, aside from the standard MediaCorp and production house route, media graduates have the choices of going into game design and making trailers for games, which if current sales trends on the iTunes store and Android store are any indication, a very profitable career prospect. The MDA is also providing many schemes to support independent filmmakers and media entrepreneurs. Also, many large companies, such as RWS, now have their own media production division, further expanding the career opportunities available to graduates.

Aside from polytechnics, NAFA and LaSalle, there is also School of the Arts (SOTA) for those who have realized their interests early as a viable education pathway. The teachers, professors and lecturers involved in media and arts education all take their job very seriously. Our institutions are amongst one of the most well-equipped, to quote Ms Anita Kuan, “I have visited many film and media schools and when they make a reciprocal visit to my school in Singapore, they’re just awed over, ‘wow, you have all this wonderful equipment, this environment and all this support’.“ Mr Sean Lim, Senior Lecturer at Nanyang Polytechnic said that ensuring that their students are industry ready is their top priority and as many female

students at Unit 13 have already found jobs prior to their actual graduation in May (with the male students having to serve NS first), the teachers’ words are certainly promising.

Advice for keen students and concerned parents

Perhaps you have woke up in bed one day and suddenly decided that you wish to pursuit a career in arts and media or perhaps you have been thinking about going into the media industry all along, regardless of which side of the fence you are on here are some advice from educators and graduating students. Ms Anita Kuan advised that keen students to take it one-step at a time and perhaps begin with a diploma degree to ascertain that media and arts is their calling and to enjoy the journey of self-discovery regardless of whether or not they choose media and arts in the end.

The graduating students’ advice for future art students is to not enter the course assuming that it will be a piece of cake. An arts and media course is as demanding if not even more so than other more academic courses, it is not just about being creative and drawing whatever you like. There is a science and proper methodology in creating designs that work and more often than not you will be going back to the drawing board repeatedly to perfect your piece. On the plus side, the students have admitted that it is this rigorous process that makes the end product so rewarding and that sometimes thinking too much is a bad thing and to just let your creativity carry you through.

As for parents, Ms Anita Kuan says that there are largely two types of concerned parents. Those who fully support their children and their passion in arts and media but would like to find out more in order to feel more at rest and those with reservations about their children going into media and arts because they are not well-informed about this field. Apparently, after taking time to understand what media and arts course entails, what career opportunities their children have and gaining an insight on where graduates have gone and what graduates have done, most parents end up supporting their children fully. Mr Kenneth Tan also added that the root of concern for most parents are that the media industry has not had as long a history and many examples to look up to, something that is easily resolved through some research and communication with industry personnel. Mr Sean Lim gave a very expedient advice, stating that media and design courses are project-based learning as opposed to most academic subjects’ theory-based learning, as such if your child excels in project-based learning, then they should definitely consider going into media and arts.

To quote Ms Anita Kuan, “it is better to let the child pursuit their passion for the next three years of four years through either a diploma or a degree program than have a child forced into something that he or she would absolutely hate. After all, life isn’t about law, media, medicine, business. Life is an amalgamation of experiences, and if the child has got opportunities to go through life, enjoying what he or she learned, putting it together, networking, making relationships, understanding a bit more of life, in order to be prepared better for the future, I think that is good enough.” Mr Sean

Lim echoes her sentiments and has stated that life is not about money but passion and it is more fruitful to allow your child to pursuit what their passionate about. But perhaps concerned parents will be a rare species in the not too distant future as from what the students at SDMA have told us, most of their parents have been very supportive of their participation in the competition and many even pitched into help out as actors and chauffeurs.

Clearing the air

A big concern for many employers and perhaps even the government is that we are losing talents to foreign country. According to Mr Kenneth Tan however, the media industry does not share is woe and both he and Ms Anita Kuan strongly encourage students to go abroad if given the opportunity. Their sentiments are echoed fully by the graduates of Nanyang Polytechnic, Amanda Tay, Zheng Bao Xue and Daryl Chia all said that they will try to make headway in Singapore first but if given the chance they would definitely want to go abroad and challenge themselves in a new environment. As for talents not coming back, Mr Kenneth Tan pointed out that whilst it would be nice if they came back, but even if these local talents choose to stay abroad, they would still be supporting Singapore as a representative and foothold of Singapore’s media prowess abroad.

All in all, work is definitely being done to improve and promote the Singapore media landscape, even if it is one small step at a time. Competitions such as the SDMA is a great alternative to getting the next generation exposed to media and arts at a young age without having to add yet another subject in our education system. Seeds of interest in media and arts have been sown, only time will tell if they will yield fruits of success. However, given the success of SDMA 2013 and Unit 13, the future looks bright for the Singapore media landscape, and that in its own is already a great achievement.