News and Events

Academy of Film joins Government Youth Portal in launching Seeds Project on digital video production for secondary school students

The Academy of Film under the School of Communication is collaborating with the Government Youth Portal (Youth.gov.hk) to launch a nine-month project entitled "Youth Inno-action!" Seeds Project with the aim of enhancing the artistic knowledge and aesthetic appreciation of secondary school students, and nurturing their professional and creative skills in digital video production through a series of creative seminars, interactive workshops, a competition and exchange activities.

The Seeds Project was officially launched last Saturday (5 November). Officiating at the ceremony were Mrs. Patricia Lau, Managing Director of Youth.gov.hk and Deputy Head of Efficiency Unit, HKSAR Government; Mr. Wellington Fung, Assistant Head of Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) and Secretary-General of the Hong Kong Film Development Council; Mr. Raymond Wong, person-in-charge of Pegasus Motion Pictures and Advisory Board Member of the HKBU Academy of Film Seeds Project; and Professor Cheuk Pak-tong, Chairman of the HKBU Academy of Film Seeds Project and Director of the Academy of Film, School of Communication, HKBU.

Following the ceremony, students gained valuable insights into techniques in film creation and production from four veteran film practitioners at the Project's first seminar on the topic "Seeing creativity from 361ﾟ". Speakers at the seminar included Mr. Lau Tin-chi, renowned media professional; Mr. Kenneth Bi and Mr. Derek Kwok, film directors; and Mr. Liu Kai-chi, renowned actor, and Lecturer of the Academy of Film, School of Communication, HKBU.

Mrs. Patricia Lau said that the collaboration between Youth.gov.hk andthe Academy of Film under HKBU was inspired by the first award presentation ceremony for "Fresh Takes on Nature – A Moving Image Competition for Secondary Students in Hong Kong" organised by Youth.gov.hk. Impressed by the creativity, talent and passion of the participants in the Competition, she and Professor Cheuk Pak-tong decided to establish a Seeds Project providing professional training in digital video production.

"Youth.gov.hk has always been encouraging and promoting creativity. I have experienced the creativity of many young people. A lot of the students' creativity and productions are featured on the Youth Portal, such as the animation produced by the students of Shun Tak Fraternal Association Yung Yau College and outstanding works from the Hong Kong Interschool Film Festival. I hope that students will grab this precious opportunity to polish their video production skills through an enjoyable learning process and explore their creativity," she said.

Professor Cheuk Pak-tong said the HKBU Academy of Film is dedicated to nurturing professional talent in the film and television sector as well as in digital video production. Over the past decades, the Academy has been offering professional higher diplomas, Bachelor's degrees, Master's degrees and doctoral degrees which combine a theoretical and practical approach. In addition to providing students with an integrated academic programme in the field of film, the Academy has also nurtured many outstanding and talented professionals, thus promoting the development of the film and television industry.

He said: "To further carry out its mission, the Academy has joined hands with the Government to organise the Seeds Project in order to nurture more professionals for the film, television and digital video production industry in the Greater China region. The Project not only gives students who are interested in developing their career in this discipline a taste of the technical operation of the industry, but also enables them to learn more about the working of each professional area through a series of interactive workshops so that they will be able to decide which area they are interested in and opt for suitable courses at university."

The Seeds Project received funding support from CreateHK's CreateSmart Initiative. Mr. Wellington Fung said that CreateHK as the dedicated office spearheading the development of local creative industries is committed to nurturing the next generation of creative talent. The Project could systematically cultivate the secondary students' creative minds through a subject in which they are interested, he added.

He said: "We wish to let the students not only understand what film and video production is, but also ignite their interest in pursuing further education in this profession and opting for it as a career, becoming our future workforce in the film and TV industries."

In addition to the above seminar, a series of digital video production workshops will be held covering five key professional areas – directing, cinematography and lighting, sound recording, post-production and film language – through which students will be able to identify specific professions that suit their interests. They will also have the chance to produce a digital video under the supervision of professional experts and practice what they have learnt as well as exchange ideas with other participants in a short video competition. For details on the Seeds Project, please visit: http://www.youth.gov.hk/innoaction.

	Officiating guests kick off the project by passing four creative elements representing passion, light, young people and the source of inspiration to the students, symbolising the continuity and development of creativity