2021-06-18

SIFF EXPLORE | Announcement of Recommended Works of Short Video Unit

The special activity of the short video unit of the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) held on the afternoon of June 17 announced 20 selected recommended works and 6 recommended works recommended by mentors. Five mentors discussed with one another about the theme of "exploring the test field of the future television and film", and encouraged young image creators to bold explore and bravely create works.

 

Six recommended works recommended by mentors stood out

 

The short video unit this year received 1,500 signup works in total. Through layers of selection, 20 excellent works finally stood out and obtained the on-site recommendation opportunity of the short video unit. The average age of the authors of these works is merely 29 years old. Through the four-minute short videos, they shared stories and creativity, showed their talent and enthusiasm and won attention and affirmation of the mentor group.

 

 

On the activity site, five mentors, including the national Grade I director Ding Sheng, the scriptwriter A'Mei, the animation director Cheng Teng, the actress Qi Xi, and Liu Qian, the chief editor of China Mobile Migu Video, recommended 6 excellent works that they preferred. The copywriter A'Mei announced the best documentary short video works Ordinary Love. Director Cheng Teng announced the best animation short video works Jiu'er. The actress Qi Xi announced Anonymous User, the short video works with the most exploring spirits. Liu Qian announced the best production short video works Mode. Director Ding Sheng announced the best director's short video works Happy Dance: Entropy and the specially recommended works of A the mentor group After the Summer Solstice.

 

 

Migu Video, the official strategic partner of the short video unit, will continue to explore excellent original strength through the platform advantages and support creators of excellent works. Zhao Ying, deputy general manager of China Mobile Migu Video, awarded the certificate of honor to creators of Migu's special attention works Play the Ball! Early Youth, the best VR works One More Minute and the best VR effect works Kizhi: Wooden Art Wonder in Russia.

 

On the activity site, Tong Ying, Deputy Director General of Shanghai International Film Festival Center, Yang Xingyang, Vice-General Manager of China Mobile Migu Video and Cai Yun, the badminton Olympics champion jointly launched the "dream-pursuing plan" of Migu, so as to help young people realize their dreams and help explore and cultivate new strength for the film industry.

 

 

Easy to start, with high thresholds

 

In recent years, the short videos that are very popular in social platforms have provided the young with more selections in leisure time, and new creation spaces for young creators. On the activity site, through the form of roundtable forum, five mentors shared their exclusive insight of the creation of short video works.

 

 

As the predecessor of the industry, Ding Sheng, who once directed films like The Underdog Knight and Little Big Soldier, once offered the short video teaching courses for multiple times. He held that he could tell the story very wonderfully within 4min. "But it is very challenging to compile the four-minute story and touch people through various video means." Ding Sheng said that short videos "do not have to pursue the very refined images. Excessive pursuit may lead to opposite effects. The most important thing for shooting short videos is to arouse creators' dash and boldness".

 

 

The actress Qi Xi once performed in multiple short video works. She said that it was easy to start shooting short videos, but it didn't mean that the threshold was low. "It has very high requirements for the executive force. To finish accurate expressions within the short period of time needs many skills and rich imagination." But she emphasized that in terms of emotional expression of works, whether long or short, sincerity is still the first standard of measuring all works. "As long as the works is sincere, it may touch audiences even if it is short."

 

 

Relaxed to start, bold to attempt

 

Although a four-minute short video may tell a story, the scriptwriter A'Mei held that "it is very limited for short videos to tell stories; it is very hard to tell complete stories." A'Mei suggested that creators should relieve their burdens and start work in a relaxed way. "As long as your creativity is new, you may attract more audiences willing to watch it until it is over. The advantage of short videos is that we may try everything boldly."

 

 

Jiang Ziya, the animation film directed by Director Cheng Teng had good performances in the spring festival this year. With rich shooting experience of feature-length films, although the creation of short video animation is small, yet it needs all procedures and sections as an animation works. Cheng Teng said that he also had a creation experience of short videos and absorbed much experience from it. "For both short and long films, the animation creation has high thresholds; the production cost is also much higher than that of live shot works. For animation employees, short video is indeed a good form that we may try."

 

 

As the manager of the short video platform, Liu Qian, the chief editor of China Mobile Migu Video, said that he would pay more attention to the innovation of short video technologies in the future. "New technologies may spread the contents that audiences need more effectively, and allow creators to express it more accurately."

 

 

Unit overview

 

The short video unit of Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF) was set in 2019. It is an innovative measure of perfecting the cultivation system of freshman. It jointly creates the ladder-type freshman incubation system along with Golden Goblet Short Video, SIFF NEXT, SIFF PROJECT, Asian New Talent Award and Golden Goblet Award. This unit aims to take the short video film works within 4min (including 4min) as the carrier. Through forms like collection, recommendation, trace and training, it sets up the long-term effect mechanism of "discovering the freshman and exploring new works", encourages the young image creative talents to bravely explore and boldly create works, and lays the first ladder to the lengthy videos. Meanwhile, through the platform advantages, it aims to exert the platform effects, integrate social resources, boosts talent reserves, cultivates and transmits the new talents for the future of the film industry.