"I'm interested in love stories or stories related to human emotions," says Tan Shiling, who co-produced Xin Qing (<<心情>>, "mood") with Elaine Ng. Inspired by a short story by Haruki Murakami, the two students combined new film-making techniques with the power of a touching narrative to produce a film that showcases the strength of IJC's New Media Arts programme.

The programme consists of four units: Film Production, Innova Broadcasting Station (Radio and TV), Innovation Technology and Photography. With a membership of 150 students, it is the college's largest CCA. In weekly meetings with industry professionals, students acquire a range of skills to help them master digital media tools and apply these skills to create works that both educate and entertain.

"I've learnt many useful skills such as scripting, filming and editing," says Evannia Huang from the Film Production Unit. "These have allowed me to execute my creativity from the beginning to the end of a project."

A Centre of Excellence for New Media

As the Centre of Excellence for New Media Arts, IJC is at the forefront of Singapore's strategic drive to become a global media city. It seeks to nurture new talents and equip young people for the demands of the digital economy.

Script writing, filming and editing are some of the skills acquired by New Media Arts students.

New Media Arts members have won many national awards, including a merit in the 2007 Asia Photo Awards (Open category), 1st and 3rd places in the National Smoking Control Campaign 2007 (JC category), and other achievements in competitions for podcasting, digital music, poster design, photography and videography.

The New Media Arts team also actively reaches out to schools with its Mentorship Outreach Programme. Participants from Fuchun Secondary School have enjoyed podcasting classes, while Woodgrove Primary School students gained insight into using Flash animation tools. IJC students also helped pupils from Admiralty Primary School to convey various National Education stories through new media formats.

In addition, more than 100 students take part each year in an iBlog National Interschool Chinese Weblog Competition. This is supported by IJC via a blogging platform on its server and learning resources such as a short film and CD-Roms.

The highlight of the New Media Arts calendar is sCene 3, a national event spanning May through September, and featuring a 3-day New Media Arts Camp for secondary school students. It climaxes in a New Media Arts Challenge, with a public screening at Festival Di'Arts for the winning entries.

Creativity in and beyond the classroom

As they explore ways to incorporate digital technology into the classroom, New Media Arts teacher consultants Ms Tan Li Wee and Ms Shen Qiuhua have presented a conference paper on how podcasting can help students acquire oral communication skills, enhance subject content and address various social and emotional learning needs. "I was pleasantly surprised when the New Media activities transformed some of my students from those who do not speak up into those who don't stop talking!" remarks Ms Shen, who guides students at the Innova Broadcasting Station.

Digital recording and podcasting technology are now finding their way into the classroom.

For Film Production Unit member Tan Mei Hao, the most valuable lesson lies in the pursuit of quality. "I realised the need to do everything well - the scriptwriting, shooting and editing," she says. "Because if we don't do it with hard work and excellence, the audience will not be satisfied with our final production."

Likewise, Evannia took home experiences that will stand her in good stead later in life. "New Media Arts skills have helped me to be more decisive and more confident. For example, during the process of production or filming, we might face sudden problems that I had to solve on the spot," she says, adding that her stint in the New Media Arts has opened her eyes to the possibilities of a career in directing and media production.

Such lifeskills were put to the test during the filming of Xin Qing. As Shiling recalls, "On the day of the shoot, it was raining, so we had to change the background and the script to factor in the weather." Along with the intensity of shooting highly emotional scenes, Shiling learnt the value of having "a good team to get things done". And at the end of it, she reflects, "the fulfilling thing is when people praise the work and I get a sense of satisfaction."

What's next? sCene 3 will return in 2008 and Ms Tan revealed that a New Media Arts Space will be set up at IJC to engage students, and stretch their horizons and thinking skills beyond textbooks. It will play host to art installations, film screenings and critique sessions. IJC welcomes participation from students from other schools and Ms Tan expects the gatherings to burst with creativity: "We're waiting to see what the students surprise us with!"

Xin Qing (心情)
Inspired from Murakami's short story 100% Girl, this film explores the inner thoughts of a boy, as he chanced upon a girl of his dreams in a small bookstore off the streets in Taipei. Was it just his hallucination or did he really know this girl before? Enjoy the various sights of Taipei as the story unfolds.
Producers: Tan Shiling and Elaine Ng