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ZhangYuan Winter Movie Camp 樟原寒假電影營

For the winter break, we were invited back to Zhang Yuan Elementary School to organize a portion of their winter break study camp. Just like the last time, it was all up to us on what we want to do. However, we only have three days to organize the workshop, so we went for the easy option.

The easy option meant that the students will create content that they are already very familiar with - Their school and community.

The goal of this workshop was for the students to create a short video that helps outsiders get a sneak peek of the community, almost like a teaser of a movie, with a twist of including original plots to help make this introduction video more interesting. So just like the summer camp, the students were split into groups of 4 members. They will decide which parts of the community or school they will be filming, create a story around it as well as craft their own lines. We will help translate some of the more important lines into English as well as helping them hold the cameras.

This workshop, compared to the summer one, is much less elaborate due to the time constrain. We didn't have an opening presentation. We did not make a intro video to show them what we were expecting. We just showed up, told them what we are going to do and got right on it. It was also because almost all of the students had been in our summer camp before, everyone knew what to do. We crafted worksheets to help them organize their thoughts and they knew exactly what to do with them. Again, there was plenty show of leadership from each group, and unlike the last round, every group was energetic and ready to run with their stories.

I am constantly impressed by these students in Zhang Yuan. They have no fear of speaking English, whether or not they are saying right. Some of them can even write as I spoke, which is rather rare for students in this part of the country. It made my job a lot easier, because not only can they grasp the English translated lines quickly, they are able to help those who are a bit slower.

All of the kids are out going, so the performing part is a no brainer. This was our concern the last time because we have never met them before, not knowing if they are camera shy. It turned out that most of them can't wait to get in front of the camera, and this confidence was what made this three-day workshop so successful.

There were many learning moments, and time for laughter. And that's the point. Everyone should be having fun, genuine fun, from kids to the adults. It should then exist as a form of memory that they want to relive in again. I hope this experience is something that they look forward to again, and me too.

這次的寒假跟暑假一樣,到樟原國小辦活動。雖然跟上次一樣由我們自己安排及設計活動內容,時間卻從五天變成三天,所以我們把活動簡化。

這次的活動還是以內容的創造為主,而主題是學生們已經非常熟悉的社區和自己的學校。

學生的任務是拍攝一部介紹自己校園和社區的短片,好讓外人能夠簡單有趣的認識樟原。不過為了要讓影片增加趣味,也讓學生們有更大的創意空間,學生也將以短劇的方式間接介紹內容。學生也如上次一樣分組進行,並自己決定要介紹學校或社區的哪個地方或項目,自己編排故事,人物設計和臺詞。我們也會幫他們翻譯臺詞,把重要的段落以英語呈現。

跟暑假的活動比起來,這次的簡單多了。少了開場的活動介紹簡報也沒有製作範例的短片。就在我們簡單的介紹活動目的後,學生們很快的就進入狀況,開始編導,對話設計等等。大家都已經參加過上次的活動,所以每個人都駕輕就熟,而進度比我們想像得快。我們也如上次一樣準備了一些能夠幫學生們整理思緒的問答卷,好讓他們能夠更有效率的運作。而他們也展現出領導能力,很有活力的執行自己編出的計劃。

從上次的活動,樟原的學生表現出的能力一直讓我覺得很驚艷。不管會不會,大部份的學生不畏懼講英語,有些甚至有很不錯的書寫能力。在東部的偏鄉學校,這是很難得的。不止如此,程度好的也很主動幫比較弱的學生,這也讓我們的工作簡單許多。

這裡的小孩都很活潑外向,所以在鏡頭前表現不是個問題。之前我們以為有些學生會卻場,所以用玩具來代替親自上場,不過小朋友的自信十足,是我們太多心了。

在這整個過程中有很多學習的時間,也有很多歡樂的片段。這也就是此活動的目的,每個參與的人都歡樂,不管大人小孩,都能夠把這個回憶帶回家。我希望這是個他們會懷念的經驗,也是我往後可以再重溫的經歷。









































And last but not the least, the movie and blooper!!!

當然不忘最終的作品和幕後花絮!!!

Simple Life 2013 Jan 10

This is such a Cranbrook piece!

It is a critical design. It presents such a precise point of view, definitely a conversation piece and probably win an award if placed on a pedestal. Yet it is also so innocent.

So here’s a first grader walking to school on a Thursday morning. In a rather unusual sight, she was behaving just like a city kid, walking with her head down staring into a handheld device, working her stylus pen like as if she’s in a hurry to email the power point presentation out before the 8 o’clock meeting.

Yet, this hand held device is like no other. It requires no battery. It is extremely light weight and compact. The screen has excellent response and unparalleled tactility, with a stylus pen giving a natural feedback and resistance, with absolutely no lag or visual parallex from a thick glass, like most LCDs do. The pressure sensitivty cannot be described through “bits”. It just felt like what all stylus pad is supposed to feel like.

No wonder this girl’s attention is glued to this handheld device. It’s arguably the best interactive portable device ever created!

Now let’s watch her give you a live product demo!



So you have it, an age old trick applied to micmick the lastest and greatest, with such simplicity that it really becomes an irony, or a sartire, and is something you would see in a Cranbrook critic session, or a sketch on The Onion. For those who didn’t understand what was going on in the video, it is basically a elastic piece of clear pink plastic laid over a white soft back. When the pen presses the plastic against the back, it sticks to the back piece showing a color contrast. That’s how the drawing is created. Of course, the slider simply separates the two pieces of material, hence “clears” the image.

So why is this ironic? Well, this toy has existed since when we were young as a drawing board. In the world of today when everything is moving towards digital and virtual interface, and when every city kid wants an iPad, someone answered the desire of digital luxury with a very low cost technique for the country kids who can’t afford first world technology. To me, the irony is that in pursue of the ultimate interaction experience, we’ve gone so far to develop tools using advance technology and exploiting such vast amount of resources, only to be recreated with such a simple technique that already exist since before the digital age even started.

Oh and BTW, this girl got this toy as a prize that she won at a pin ball machine at the weekly Monday night market. It’s literally a give-away.

Simple Life 2013 Jan 16

I don't know how many of these videos I will get to film. This was taken by chance and I've been wanting to do this, just without the courage. Here's a student from my school, a third grader who was from here, but left for the city with his mom for two years before being sent back to live with his grandparents. He's considered lucky, because he got to live with his mom for a while. The other little girl in the video is a first grader. I asked her where her parents are and how often she gets to see them. She just said once a year, for a few days. This is pretty much the norm here. This boy is also the best performing student in his class, academic wise, simply because he's been to school in the city before. The expectations between city and rural is huge. The kids here lack stimulation from home because they are mostly raised by their grandparents who don't know any better. This is a complicated vicious cycle of inadequate education, family values and low prospects.

Christmas 2012 Berlin and Madrid!!!!