The Department of Communication at the University of Macau will host a screening of the Video Workshop II student films on April 27th, at 6pm in the Student Activity Centre Theatre (E31). These 8 short films are produced by students in the Dept. of Communication specializing in Creative Media.
Video Workshop II is a capstone course that is designed to challenge students to think critically and creatively through the hands-on experience of making their own short films. The theme for this semester is “Co-creation.” Co-creation is a concept that involves working creatively with technologies from AI to older media. It also involves collaborating with people, spaces and material culture during the production process.
Each one of these original short films also importantly addresses issues and concerns important to this new generation of filmmakers, from the pressures they face after graduation to care for friends and the impacts of new technologies.
Nº001605
“The more indifferent the world becomes, the more crucial it is to protect rare innocence.”
This is a story set in the 1990s about a bored taxi driver named Panda who lives like a robot every day. One day, a friend entrusts his daughter, Sam Tong, to Panda’s care. Through the relationship between the two, Panda is gradually influenced by Sam Tong’s innocence.
「這世界越是冷漠，越是需要有人守護那難得的純真。」
故事發生於九十年代，是一個關於出租車司機和小女孩的故事。無聊的鵬達每天過著機械人般的生活。一天，朋友借理由把女兒心瞳寄托給鵬達照顧。透過二人的相處，鵬達慢慢地被心瞳的純真所感染。
side b / 反面
Relationships between people are like the roots of trees, intertwined yet growing differently: different directions, different paces and different lengths. If a person decides to cut off contact with us, would it be as simple as on the internet where we can just ghost people without remorse? Some move on with their lives, some get stuck in the moment. Some search for a glimpse of a sign and some leave a message behind on side b.
人與人之間的關係就像樹根，互相交織卻又生長得不同：不同的方向，不同的速度，不同的長度。若果有人決定與我們斷絕來往，會像在網絡世界上一樣，可以無情地憑空消失那麼簡單嗎？有些人會放低向前走，有些人會被片刻停住；有些人會尋找一絲蹤跡，有些人會留下一段信息…在反面。
Light up the sky / 藍白知己
Due to the rapid development of society air pollution is very serious, which brings uncontrollable diseases to human beings. Even the blue sky can no longer be seen – the sky is gray. Therefore, ‘Blue’ became obsessed with blue, and tried to use her own method to reproduce the blue sky in her memory.
In everyday life, have you ever seen people trying to do something for the environment? Or you haven’t paid any attention? Would you look at them differently? If it were you, would you want to join them and try to do something for nature, or just let nature be destroyed?
由於社會急速發展，導致空氣污染嚴重，為人類帶來不可抵抗的嚴重疾病，甚至再也看不到蔚藍的天空 – 天空為灰色。女主亦因此迷戀上藍色，並試圖用自己的方法再重現出回憶中的那個蔚藍色的天空。
在日常生活中，你看過有人為環境做出貢獻嗎？還是你没有注意到？或是你會用異樣的眼光看他們？若果是你，你會想加入他們，並試圖為大自然盡一份綿力嗎？還是任由大自然被破壞？
Wherever you are / 不期而遇
A thief addicted to collecting old things ‘accidentally’ gets a hold of a pocket watch that grants her the ability to travel through time. In the blink of an eye, she travels back to the 90s. When the owner of the pocket watch catches up the two crossed paths and an unexpected story of their time traveling adventure unfolds.
一個沉迷收集舊物的小偷，她「意外」地獲得了能穿越時間的懷錶。一夕之間她回到九十年代，懷錶的主人尋找到她。兩者在意料之外的時間遇上對方，發生意想不到的故事。
Right Now
In this busy metropolis of Macao, you meet many different people every day. Do you know if you will ever meet them again? A girl accidentally discovers that she can see the number of times she will meet people again. What will she do? Will she work hard to cherish every meeting? What would you do if it were you?
在澳門這個繁忙的都市，每天都會見到很多不同的人，你能知道你還能見到他們嗎？一個女生意外發現她能看到與每個人還可以相見的次數，她會怎麼做呢？會不會努力地去珍惜每一次的相見？如果是你，你會怎樣呢？
One Way To be a Scriptwriter / 一個劇本的誕生
An unemployed former gambling industry worker, who has been struggling to find new job opportunities, stumbles upon a black market product called Echo AI. He manages to secure a job as a screenwriter, but soon realizes that his work is becoming repetitive. With the government passing a bill on AI, he is asked to write a story on the topic. As flyers flood his home and neighborhood, he feels uncertain and turns to Echo AI for help. He is, however, asked to input his personal story, leaving him conflicted and unsure of how to face the rapidly evolving AI trend and his own potential obsolescence.
一個失業的前博彩從業員，不斷尋找新的職業機會，但屢次碰壁。他意外獲得一個名叫 Echo AI 的黑市產品，並成功地獲得了一份編劇工作。然而，逐漸地他的作品開始出現重複的元素。一天，他收到任務要求他寫有關 AI 的故事，因為政府通過了有關 AI 引進的法案。他的家和鄰居都被傳單淹沒，因為 AI 正在迅速地改變社會和經濟。他感到不安，並向 Echo AI 尋求幫助，但被要求輸入自己的個人故事。他陷入糾結，不知道應該如何面對這個未知的 AI 風潮，也擔心自己將被二次淘汰。
Inframe / 定格
The bouquet is fake, the funeral is fake, only death is real.
Misfortune is like the tail of a meteor across the sky,
the young woman can only secretly lament the unfairness of her fate.
She chose to cover her eyes, then the brilliant neon lights turned into darkness.
Suddenly her hands are held by her companion which made her feel that
it would still be worth it painting on this black canvas.
手上的捧花是假的，葬禮也是假的，唯有死亡是真的。
不幸像流星的尾翼或然劃過頭頂，年輕的她只能暗嘆命運不公。
她選擇摀住眼睛，再絢麗的霓虹燈都變成一片黑暗。
但突然被同伴牽起的手，讓她覺得在這片黑色畫布上作畫好像也不錯。
One Step from Death
Chan Tai Man is sitting under a tree and waiting. He does not know why he is waiting, what he is waiting for and what will come next. Before dying, he meets a priest and the God of Death. They talk about the meaning of life and death. Then they embark on a journey to death together.
陳大文坐在樹下等待，他不知道自己為何等待以及在等待什麼。在臨死之前，他遇見了神父和死神，他們談起了生命和死亡的意義，然後一起踏上了通往死亡的旅程。