Faculty of Cinematic Arts
Multimedia University, Cyberjaya, Malaysia
Students At Work
It was lunch when I arrived at the AirBnB. The Film Students of MMU greeted me enthusiastically, happy to have someone interested in taking their BTS shots. Yeah, BTS- Behind The Scenes, Not BTS: the famous Kpop Idol group.
After the customary greetings, they went back to what they were doing and I went about unloading my gear and quietly observing them. The Director: Ling, was seated at the dining table with the two talents probably going about the details of the shoot. As they were speaking in Cantonese, I could only guess that was what it was about. The story they were shooting today would also be in Cantonese, I later discovered. This was normal for me; hearing languages other than the standard Malay language, being Malaysian. If you don’t know much about Malaysia, there is one thing you should know. Malaysia is made out of several races: Malay along with Indigenous people make up the Bumiputera at 70 %, followed by Chinese at 22% and then the Indians at 7 %. Those that do not fall in these three groups fall under Others at 1%. One might assume that the Chinese are from China and the Indians from India, but this is not the case because although their ancestors may have come from these countries a very long time ago (during the British rule), and although most speak their own language as well as Malay or formally called Bahasa Malaysia and English, they are truly Malaysian, with generations being born and raised and most likely educated in the public Malaysian schools. Most have never ever even been to China or India.
I stole a few moments of a couple of crew members to interview. They explained to me that the house was not as it was when they arrived. It was a standard AirBnb rental: with basic amenities but void of the fluff or clutter that make up a home, but they had set it up to appear like it was lived in with props like paintings brought in, books and plants carefully arranged on bookshelves, and even a dining table from one of the students, and a kitchen full of food and set up to be like someone in the midst of cooking a meal. The scene today would take place in the kitchen so that was where all the props were set. The rest of the house was a mix of personal items and film gear: audio recording kits, tripods and lighting on stands.
I looked around the rest of the group. There was a computer on the dining table as well, its screen showing recordings of the previous scene they had shot that morning. They seem to be working while eating their lunch. Looking away from the norm of a lived in house however were these large lights on stands. They were placed at specific locations to light up the scene. There were also stickers on the floor, which I was told later were marking for the tripod placement.
After hurriedly finishing their meals, they went about the set, doing what needed to be done. It was interesting watching them as they appeared to me; in my untrained eye of course, to know what they had to do. Each carrying out their own tasks. This was rightly so, as the purpose of the shoot was to train the film students on carrying out their specific roles in filming and being able to work as a team. Everyone was very serious and professional about it. Clearly passionate and determined to get their ideas to become a reality and I hope it does.
Screening Day
What would a Film Course be without its own Screening Day. Just like a movie premier minus the red carpets, a combination of student assignments and final year project are played in on the big screen.
By the entrance there were some students with their stands selling popcorn and treats and other things to raise money for their upcoming film projects, for with all films, comes the need for funding to make it happen.
As I entered the hall, it felt like I was entering your usual mid size cinema. There was a steady buzz of conversation and a feeling of anticipation in the air. We took our seats and waited for it to start. It didn’t take long before a student Emcee made an announcement that the show would soon begin.
The only difference from watching a standard movie was that when it started, there was the clapping and cheering from the audience clearly excited to see all that hard work materialising onto the large screen.
What I found impressive was that the event was held totally by the students. I didn’t see any lecturers; I’m guessing that they were somewhere in the crowd watching on. There were no speeches and no time wasted on boring formalities. It was fun and just a very straightforward viewing followed by a Q&A session and the students were very confident in running the show whose audiences consisted of parents and whoever else wanted to come. There were of course the fellow film students who were asking their seniors as well as peers for general as well as technical advice on the film they had just viewed or just to tell them that they had done an amazing job.
Is Studying Film Necessary to Get into Film?
Some say that studying film is unnecessary, a waste of money, so is it? While anyone can pick up a phone or a camera and start recording, film school clearly taught these students the systematic way of getting from idea to film and all the little bits and pieces that make up a successful film production. They also have access to gear and shooting setups that they may not be able to afford on their own. Studying film also brings you in direct contact with others in the field so it’s a start for the important networking. This is especially the case in Malaysia as the film community is indeed a small one and therefore the chances of working with the same people are higher.
During Foundation years they learn how to draw; useful when you need to put your ideas on paper like preparing a storyboard, which is a necessary skill to sell your idea to your team and to get funding for their film, lighting, post production, sound design, screenwriting and much more. Film students are not only learning the technical side of making a film, they are also learning how to replicate emotion onto the screen. The course teaches you to understand yourself as well as how to research in order to be able to tell a story because good stories are told by taking their own experiences and through thorough research. On top of that, MMU also regularly invites guest lecturers who are current players in the film industry, giving students the necessary criticism to help build better films and a stronger portfolio.
So is studying film necessary to get into film? One might argue that there are people who have made it big without film school. I, on the other hand believe that while you might be able to succeed in this field without going to film school, go if you have a passion for film and experience it from the experts in the field, because it certainly helps!