Young filmmakers get a wider focus on their lives and community
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For Uttaradit's Tha Fak School student Wutthinan Taowong and his class-mates, a recent Bangkok workshop literally gave them a new, clearer aspect on life. The topic was short-film making.
It was an opportunity to obtain ideas and techniques from professionals, such as film directors Mom Rajawongse Chalermchatri Yukol, Manuss Worasing and Pattana Jirawong, who in turn were enthusiastic about telling the story of film-making.
Equipped with what he learned, Wutthinan and his friends were more confident about entering the upcoming short film contest on February 17-19.
“To fit the given theme of “unity is power to create a good society”, my team submitted a short film about a local water war to the annual contest by the Office of Basic Education Commission (Obec),” Wutthinan recalled.
“We tell a story about the fight of two villages over a pond, in terms of fishing and water usage. We are trying to say that the villages are like Thailand; if we are not united, it gives an opportunity for outsiders to exploit our country,” said Wutthinan. He felt honoured to be selected to represent the 39th Secondary Educational Service Area Office (Phitsanulok-Uttaradit) in the subsequent workshop.
Teacher Sutima Phromnet from Songkhla’s Ranodwittaya School, representing the 16th Secondary Educational Service Area Office, said she and her students would benefit much from the workshop. “Teaching short films to primary students, a teacher has to pay more attention than when teaching older children. You have to think through all the steps from writing a script, casting actors to fit the characters, filming and editing. This workshop is the much-needed supplement because there are many high-profile speakers to transfer the knowledge and film-making techniques to students,” she added.
Wutthinan and Sutima were among 336 teachers and students selected from around the country to join the Obec-organised workshop in early January at the Adriatic Palace Hotel Bangkok.
The workshop was planned to boost students’ learning and skills by applying the creative use of technologies in making short films as a learning material - as well as stimulating positive attitudes among students towards a film-making career.
The workshop was provided for the school teams that won the first, second and third rankings in a short-film contest held in four levels (primary, lower secondary, lower secondary - educational expansion opportunity, and upper secondary) in four regions – a total of 48 teams involving 336 students and teachers. After the workshop training, the teams will compete in a short-film contest.
