Malaysia Project (Cinema)

In recent years the film industry has seen healthy annual box office earnings. In 2019 the total box office revenues for both Japanese and foreign films is projected to reach a record high. There have been top hits exceeding 10 billion yen in revenues, including Weathering with You (2019), Aladdin (2019) and Toy Story 4 (2019). Aside from the domestic popularity of films, Japanese cinema has received a decent level of international acclaim including the 71st Cannes International Film Festival Com-petition screenings of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shopliers and Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Asako I & II from Japan, with the top prize Palme d’Or going to Shopliers.

These achievements may be attributed to the historical fact that Japan’s film industry inherited cinematic expression techniques from the Studio era, which is now commonly considered to be the Golden Era of Japanese cinema with masterpieces from internationally renowned filmmakers including Akira Kurosawa, Kenji Mizoguchi, and Yasujiro Ozu, and then proactively applied advance digital technologies to film production. With this approach, Japanese film took advantage of Japan’s status as an international leader in the age of digital technology. The Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media was established in 2005 in the midst of the transition from film to digital production, and the school is noteworthy as the first full-fledged cinema education and research center within a national university in Japan. Over the last few years, the Graduate School of Film and New Media has undertaken research projects on film education systems based on new types of film production that are suited to the digitalized cinema environment that has become standard in the film industry today. Completed in fiscal 2015, “Digital Cinema Production Workflow Guide-lines” is one of the outcomes of this research.

The Graduate School of Film and New Media is in the process of building its own global net-work in the area of cinema education through international cross-appointment agreements and joint workshops with prominent cinema education institutions including École Nationale Supérieure des Métiers de l’Image et du Son (La Fémis), University of Southern California (USC), LASALLE Col-lege of the Arts (Singapore) and Tehran University of Art. In holding this workshop, we recruited students not only from the global network that our graduate school has built, but also primarily from ASEAN-based film education institutions that belong to the International Association of Film and Television Schools (CILECT).

The cinema of Malaysia, the host country of this program, remains relatively unknown on the international scene, with the exception of a handful of world-famous filmmakers such as Mingliang Tsai. When viewed in terms of international cinema standards, it may well be said that Malaysian cinema is still at the developing stage. However, the situation is changing and the Malaysian film industry’s momentum within Asia is in the spotlight, as the entertainment industry entered the Malaysian government’s large-scale Iskandar urban development plan in the Johor Bahru region. Another characteristic of Malaysian cinema is that the toughest obstacle, the language barrier, to be overcome when it comes to the world market, is relatively low. This is because a wide variety of languages including Malay, English, and Chinese are spoken in this country. Malaysia’s geographic proximity to Singapore, one of the economic giants of Asia, also cannot be ignored. Malaysia’s motion picture culture and cinema industry clearly have plenty of potential, given the lively economic, cultural and social exchanges already taking place.

This important workshop enables participants to directly experience passion for film production, as well as the ideas and techniques needed for artistic expression through instruction from Japanese leaders in the areas of cinematography, production design, sound and editing. This is accomplished in the ideal environment of a fully equipped film studio with cooperation from Multimedia University, Malaysia’s renowned film school, and OLM Asia SDN BHD, the Malaysian operations for a Japanese company. In the areas of lighting/cinematography, production design, editing and sound, the project aims to embody the further possibilities of cinematic creativity and Japan’s visual and artistic expression, while also offering valuable opportunities for youth from ASEAN countries to gain a deeper understanding of Japanese culture. We have great expectations that this project can become a foothold for film production networking for the next generation in ASEAN countries.

From Japan
Instructors	Katsumi Yanagijima [Director of Photography; Professor Emeritus, Tokyo University of the Arts]
	Toshihiro Isomi [Production Designer; Professor, Tokyo University of the Arts]
	Shinichi Suzuki [Editor]
	Kenichi Fujimoto [Recording Engineer]
Assistant Instructors	Mami Morisaki [Cinematography]
	Keisuke Ikeda [Lighting]
	Naoki Tanaka [Translator]
Director	Shogo Yokoyama [Assistant Professor, Tokyo University of the Arts]
Assistant Director	Satoru Hirohara [Freelance Director]
Project Producer	Mitsuko Okamoto [Professor, Tokyo University of the Arts]
Workshop Assistant	Nana Kitaji [Freelance Art Department]
	Natsumi Shimizu [Student, Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Film and New Media, Department of Film Production, Art Direction Course]
	Sun Yi [Student, Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Film and New Media, Department of Film Production, Art Direction Course]
	Yuan Zi Qian [Student, Tokyo University of the Arts, Graduate School of Film and New Media, Department of Film Production, Art Direction Course]
Planning and Administration	Tokyo University of the Arts Graduate School of Film and New Media
General Management	UNIJAPAN
Project Chief	Takenari Maeda [Group Manager, International Promotion Group, UNIJAPAN]
Project Administrator	Kiyomi Nakazaki [International Promotion Group, UNIJAPAN]

From Malaysia
Local Coordination	Kentaro Kusaka [OLM Asia SDN BHD]
Production Staff	Quinn Amalore
Art Assistant	Mary Grace Pacat
Supporting Organizations	OLM Asia SDN BHD, Multimedia University, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), IMAGICA GROUP, WONG ENTERPRISE, Professional Film Equipment, IMPIAN PRODUCTION, GIGGLES&GEEKS

From Singapore
Instructor	Hideho Urata [Director of Photography; Professor, LASALLE College of the Arts]
Assistant Instructor	Tan Jin Lin Jesmen

 

Participating Educational Institutions:

Mahakarya Institute of the Arts Asia (Brunei)

Jakarta Institute of Arts (Indonesia)

Multimedia University (Malaysia)

University of the Philippines Film Institute (Philippines)

LASALLE College of the Arts (Singapore)

Silpakorn University (Thailand)

The University of Theatre-Cinema HCMC (Vietnam)

《Project Name》

ASEAN2019 Digital Cinema Production Workshop in Malaysia

《Dates》

November 11 to 16, 2019

《Venues》

Cinematography workshop/master class

· Multimedia University studio (set shooting)

· Multimedia University campus (location shooting)

Production Design/Editing/Sound master classes 

· Multimedia University Editing Room

· Multimedia University E-theater

Location scout

・Melaka

《Participants》

18 students

《Students’ Affiliation》

Mahakarya Institute of the Arts Asia (Brunei) 2 students

Jakarta Institute of Arts (Indonesia) 2

Multimedia University (Malaysia) 5

University of the Philippines Film Institute (Philippines) 2

LASALLE College of the Arts (Singapore) 3

Silpakorn University (Thailand) 2

The University of Theatre-Cinema HCMC (Vietnam) 2

《Languages》

Japanese, English (consecutive interpretation)

《Day 1 : Orientation》

The opening ceremony for the workshop was held at Multimedia University’s E-theater.

Project director Yokoyama explained the workshop goals and a representative from UNIJAPAN, the project’s management organization, delivered the welcome address, followed by an opening speech from National Film Development Corporation Malaysia Chairman Dato Hans and greetings from Multimedia University Faculty of Creative Multimedia Deputy Director Dr. Lim Kok Yoong.

The orientation included self-introductions of the instructors and participants, introductions of the assistants, explanations of the workshop aims and content, announcement of the team members for the cinematography workshop component, and review of the schedule. After the orientation, the group moved to the Multimedia University studio for the cinematography workshop and master classes.

《Cinematography Workshop & Master Class》

Based on prior discussions with the instructors, the cinematography workshop used the same topic as last year, namely “How does cinematic expression change with the camera setup? (composition, position, etc.)”

Just as last year, Instructor Yanagijima wrote the shooting script used in the workshop to enrich and clarify the students’ understanding and experiences in the cinematography workshop. The setting for the studio scene was a room in an apartment, and the on-location set was a parking lot (inside to outside a vehicle). On the first day of the workshop, each group was given an explanation of the actors’ movements (blocking), script commentary, and the setting. The students worked in their groups to split up the script into scenes and discuss their roles during the workshop.

Also, the studio group was divided into three teams to enable detailed explanations in small groups covering the three perspectives of cinematography, lighting and direction, putting to use lessons learned from past workshops. As a result, all of the participants were able to engage in the workshop with detailed knowledge about the distinctive qualities and proper handling for the equipment used. Then, they set up the base lights and confirmed the workflow as well as the roles for each student from Day 2 onwards.

《Cinematography Workshop》

Days 2 and 3 followed the schedule created by the organizers. The specific content was left up to the on-site judgement of instructors Yanagijima and Urata, and each instructor structured the workshop based on the workshop progress and the participants’ requests and aptitude.

Instructor Yanagijima led the studio set shoot, and instructor Urata was in charge of the on-location shoot. The participants were divided into A and B teams, which were further split into teams for studio and location shooting.

Just like a typical film shoot, the set was constructed based on the plans created by the art department with furniture and other elements. First, the blocking was based on the script distributed in advance and participants in each team decided who was in charge, and they set up the camera angles and lighting through discussions with the directing assistant. Since the studio group was divided into three teams, the specialized staff were able to give detailed advice in keeping with the goals of the students in charge of the camera and lighting setup. The on-location shoot was conducted in the same manner, as the responsible students handled the camera angle and camera direction based on the directorial staff’s blocking. The students were rotated with each cut during the shoot, and the instructors and staff gave advice and technical support in keeping with the students’ aims. When there were changes to the location or direction, the participants were able to freely pick spots for shooting within the area permitted for the shoot.

The lighting had to be created from scratch for the studio shoot. The participants started with the base lighting that the instructors set up in advance and exchanged ideas about camera-work and lighting as they worked on shooting the scenes. The instructor gave lighting and camera demonstrations with explanations in each situation about the differences in expression based on camera position and movement.

For the on-location shoot, the participants discussed issues including ways to handle ever-changing lighting conditions (daylight) and the changes to expression created by the camera position. At the end of the workshop, participants gathered in teams to watch the dailies with instructors and get feedback on the footage that they shot. The participants were able to grasp how they could achieve even better cinematic expression with the footage that they shot and the perspectives from which professionals look at film. The camera demonstrations enriched their understanding of cinematography expression.

In the cinematography workshop, instructors Yanagijima and Urata screened footage from professional shoots to give behind-the-scenes commentary and explanations including camera methods and intentions in professional situations.

《Location Scout》

This year a location scout was held in Melaka with cooperation from Multimedia University. The goals of the location scout were enabling students to achieve a deeper understanding of the script and socialize with each other, as well as creating more opportunities for cultural exchange. Melaka was recommended by Multimedia University, and it is also a place that is used for film shoots and where instructors Yanagijima and Urata had done previous film production location scouts.

The participants took photographs in Melaka for use as insert shots in the script for the cinematography workshop, and they were informed that the instructors would review the photos on the final day. The instructors assessed the photos, and they also selected and presented photos that were in keeping with the script (film).

The students gained a greater understanding of Malaysian culture through visiting historical sites, museums, churches and temples as well as proactively hunting for locations in the old town.

《Editing Master Class》

On Day 1 of the editing master class, the participants were divided into six groups with three people each and spent the day editing one scene using footage (approximately 10 minutes) prepared by the editing instructor. They were informed in advance about how to use the editing software and the groups were arranged to pair inexperienced students with those who had experience.

The students first checked the footage on the large screen and then divided into their teams to do the editing. The footage prepared by the instructor was shot and directed by professionals in Japan. The footage showed a scene of two actors conversing in a Japanese house and had five shots in total with a master shot and two types of closeup shots for each actor. The participants were able to experience the pauses in conversation specific to Japanese and the characteristic mise-en-scène of a Japanese house. The instructors and staff gave technical support, and in addition students participated to ensure smooth communication.

On Day 2, the scenes edited the previous day were reviewed. Before the review, the instructor presented editing done by students of the same age using the same footage at other workshops and spoke about the possibilities of editing as seen in the variations that can be generated from identical footage.

After the review session, instructor Suzuki gave a lecture on editing based on prepared materials. Instructor Suzuki presented his experience as an editor, and then gave a demonstration on editing with actual 35-mm film. Participants had a tangible encounter with the history of film editing and also were able to understand the actual process through which film is edited. The use of actual film footage enabled the participants to share their film editing variations with other students and also hear commentary about editing technique, including the fundamentals and hands-on application. It was an even more practical editing master class than last year.

The sound master class that was originally scheduled was cancelled due to the instructor’s emergency return to Japan, and the editing workshop was held for two days. A reception was held with participants and instructors after the completion of the workshop. This event provided an opportunity for the participants to interact with the instructors and staff and engage in discussions.

Alfath (Brunei)

Before I only learned about lighting and I learned about camera setup for the first time. And it is fun working together with other countries, making friends, getting to know each other.

Aqil (Brunei)

I really enjoyed this workshop. This is my second workshop outside the country, and in this workshop I learned about how to set up the lighting and the camera. I learned many new things here from the professional lectures. This workshop will help me develop more in the future.

Nadhira (Indonesia)

This seven-day workshop was very lovely and fun experience. I asked so many questions of the mentors and lecturers and I learned a lot. I heard that it was really rare to gather all of these professional filmmakers into one workshop. So I tried my best to not waste time here and just be hungry for knowledge. If I could enter this workshop next year, I would like to. The people from other countries were very nice. Other than film production knowledge and skills, I also learned a lot about the Thai and Vietnamese languages and the cultural differences between Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia, which are neighboring countries.

Aldo (Indonesia)

I love this kind of workshop where I can learn firsthand from professionals. Everyone was very nice, and they helped to teach us new things. They also taught us other languages.

Mushi (Malaysia)

When I first learned that I’d be here representing Malaysia, I was so happy. Although I am not majoring in cinematography, I got to go out of my comfort zone and learn new things. Using an expensive camera was cool for me and my friends as well. It was really fun. That is most important.

Sam (Malaysia)

When I first found out about the things we were going to learn in this workshop, I was not only surprised. I was a little bit anxious, since cinematography and editing are not my top skills. I think it’s good since these are the things that I don’t do usually. I got out of my comfort zone, I learned a lot of new things from professionals, and I shared knowledge with students from other countries as well.

Kayreen (Malaysia)

In my workshop experience, I really learned a lot, such as how to stand on dolly, how to shoot angles and do lighting. It was definitely an amazing experience. Students from other countries were so supportive and it was really easy to make friends. We’re not staying in the hotel like the other groups, so we didn’t get to join the ice breaking at first. So we had to introduce ourselves here, while they had met each other at the airport and the hotel. But, they were nice.

Yuve (Malaysia)

I’ve never experienced anything like this before because I’m not studying film, I’m studying animation. I learned a lot from watching the professionals work and seeing how the students from other countries do things. I actually learned a lot from them because most of them have interesting questions to ask. Everyone was so nice.

Vish (Malaysia)

When I first found out that I was coming to this workshop I was feeling more excited than I was practically thinking of things. I learned a lot more than I thought I would about cinematography and editing.

Xzy (Philippines)

It was a really amazing experience working with Japanese mentors because I got to see Japan’s filmmaking style. It is really an invigorating experience when you see the different styles of different filmmakers from other countries. I hope others from the Philippines can experiences this as well, because it is really a big experience to see things from a different point of view.

Claudia (Philippines)

Back in the Philippines I usually work as an assistant director, but having learned all of these things I feel like maybe I can try cinematography. What I like about this workshop aside from the technical stuff is we get to learn about the sensibilities of the other countries. It showed in their filmmaking, in their framing and their editing.

Angel (Singapore)

I learned a lot from the friends that I made here, and I learned the most from the mentors and assistants. I learned how they practice their work and how they communicate with each other, which was very interesting to see. I will definitely apply it in my future work.

Randey (Singapore)

In this workshop we get to communicate with people from different countries, and I got to ask questions to the mentors from Japan. The really important thing that I feel helps make a cohesive set is communication. For me, this workshop actually helped me to understand other countries’ work styles as well. I can take what I learned back to Singapore and apply these skills to the future in whatever I do.

Clyde (Singapore)

It was good that we got to mingle with many international students and we got to know their culture and we saw how they work, and also we had interchange of knowledge as well. The mentors are all really masterful at what they do, so it was a very good opportunity for us to engage with them and take home something to our own countries.

Bua (Thailand)

I really liked the energy in this workshop. Everyone was just super focused and we learned a lot from the many great mentors, and also our friends from other countries as well. And I got learn about equipment I’d never used before. That was very fun and challenging as well.

Nai (Thailand)

I learned new things like how to control the camera for cinematography, light and the light meter. I learned a lot that I didn’t learn back in Thailand. And also I got experience with editing in this workshop. People are hungry for knowledge and the mentors are ready to share knowledge to others. It gives me passion to go back to Thailand and study more. Everyone was very nice to us. They always taught new things I didn’t know, even a little role like slate in and slate out. If I don’t know how to do it, they taught me and always helped me. And the staff are very cool.

Annie (Vietnam)

Everyone is really friendly and I learned a lot. In Vietnam I don’t have the opportunity to touch the camera. I got to touch the camera and I know what to do on set, so it is a new experience. I made a lot of friends. I can share culture and we are going to be friends for quite a long time.

Beth (Vietnam)

It was a great opportunity for me because this is the first time for me to work with a professional team. I learned a lot of things, and the important thing is how to work professionally with people on set. The mentors and teachers from Japan are so great and nice, and I love it.

This year’s workshop had participants from the seven ASEAN countries (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) in which applicants were recruited. We recruited students at the undergraduate level only, which had the advantage of ensuring that the students were at the same level. However, it was difficult to recruit students from countries where we lacked relationships with a university, and it was challenging to mobilize students within a short timeframe. As a result, there were not as many participating countries as last year.

The participants came from neighboring countries, but they have different cultural backgrounds and had to communicate with other participants using a language other than their mother tongue. The participants and staff alike experienced the challenges of communication that transcend language and culture, as well as the joys of achieving communication that transcend those barriers. Most importantly, we think the participants were able to experience the importance of communication in film production. We expect that the participants were able to fully appreciate cinema as a common language for mutual understanding that goes beyond language and culture. In particular, this year we emphasized social interactions among the students not only through the cinematography workshop, but also through group activities in the Melaka location scout and groupwork in the editing workshop. As a result, there were more bonds among the countries than in previous years.

Last year, we recognized the gap in levels for participants drawn from the entire ASEAN region. In response, we held a program to enable broad experience of comprehensive filmmaking techniques and knowledge, rather than focusing on each area’s specializations. This year we further reduced the gap among the students’ levels, and in order to facilitate more in-depth learning we held repeated discussions with each instructor to decide whether each area’s workshop and master class should use a lecture or hands-on format. Also, we were able to balance knowledge and skill capabilities within each group through asking each country’s educational institution to provide information on participants’ filmmaking production experience and language abilities.

The cinematography workshop was held using a script and actors. For this workshop, we aimed to focus on each camera position, composition and camera movement, rather than shooting in the context of an actual film production (i.e. fully shooting each scene). Also, in order to create ample opportunities for participants to ask questions directly of the instructors during the workshop, we created cinematography, lighting and director groups and had the participants experience each section with two-hour rotations. Thus, participants were able to proactively speak with the instructors, and they also had time to engage in filming.

The instructors wanted the participants to grasp the difficulties of simple cinematic expression, and thus they used only a 32-mm lens and shot in black and white, not color. Also, it was highly effective for the instructors to give camera demonstrations, which enabled the participants to see first-hand how professionals operate the camera in the same conditions that they faced, what things they pay attention to, and the differences in technique and thinking. Like last year, it was also good to have the instructors write the scripts themselves, so that the script content and the things that the instructors wanted to convey to the participants were directly reflected in the workshop.

Also, the footage shot by participants and instructors was reviewed the same day, and providing them feedback while the shooting experience was still fresh in their minds further enriched their understanding of cinematic expression and techniques. The organizers prepared the scripts, workshop themes, actors and directors in advance, which enabled the participants to focus solely on the act of cinematography. The sets conformed closely to the needs of this workshop within the restrictions of the studio, as they were prepared and constructed in advance to reflect the intentions within the script.

The directorial staff were informed in advance of the educational premise and intent of this workshop, as opposed to aiming for an actual film, which made it possible to have them direct with flexibility and respect the educational aims on the set. We think that the participants were able to gain experiences and knowledge in keeping with the cinematography instructors’ intentions because of this preparation and the flexible responses during the actual shooting. During down time, instructors Yanagijima and Urata proactively shared their own experiences in cinematography. The participants were able to have the precious opportunity to learn about the experiences of professional cinematographers.

The participants’ survey responses show that this workshop provided camera and lighting learning opportunities that are not available in their home countries, and also that students learned many things including the importance of good communication. In addition, participants commented that the workshop was a valuable opportunity to directly observe and experience professional filmmaking techniques. These outcomes show that this cinematography workshop enabled the participants to experience many things that cannot be learned at ordinary film shoots and school settings.

The editing master class was structured as a workshop in which the participants edited footage. This format choice was based on prior discussions with the instructor about the idea that students could learn more deeply about expression through editing with a hands-on workshop actually using footage rather than a one-way lecture. We considered a workshop format with each participant editing by himself or herself, but it would be difficult to provide an environment for all participants to do editing and we thought that the educational impacts would diminish because the larger number of edited works would reduce the review time allocated to each participant.

For this workshop, we considered the time required to review each piece in deciding to have the students edit in six groups with three members each. In actual professional editing situations, editing is not a solo undertaking and communication with the director and producer are important. Because there were three people in each team, the students were required to exercise their communication skills to persuasively convey their ideas to teammates, rather than editing based on his or her own ideas alone. In other words, this workshop provided the opportunity to experience the comprehensive skills required for editing, and not just editing techniques.

For the review session of the edited works, each team gave a presentation about their intentions in regards to editing. This made it possible for a third party to objectively judge whether or not the team’s cinematic ideas were adequately expressed, and whether their intentions were conveyed in the editing. The presentations were highly effective as a tool for learning as they clarified how each team engaged with and approached the editing, and the students heard about the intentions with which other teams tackled the same footage. Also, in the Q&A period, the question “Why did you edit it that way?” led to detailed queries about composition, editing cut points and the treatment of sound. Building on his responses during the Q&A, Instructor Suzuki went beyond editing technique to discuss his philosophy of editing, including his perspective as a professional on how to best convey one’s intentions through editing. His lecture was extremely easy to grasp with discussions on how editing (composition) transforms meaning even when using the same footage, and the key points in making the audience relate to a specific character. Also, the footage used for this workshop was shot by professionals in Japan using a Japanese set, which gave participants the opportunity to encounter aspects of Japanese culture through mise-en-scène and the tempo of the Japanese dialogue.

In the lecture following the review session, the instructor went beyond basic editing knowledge and techniques to explain the differences between digital and film editing using 35-mm film footage that he prepared in advance. It was the first opportunity for most of the participants to handle actual film, and it became an occasion to encounter the origins of cinema. The participants were able to imagine the difficulties of working with film stock through the experience of film-based editing and seeing for themselves the inconvenience of editing during the film era. It is evident that gaining knowledge of both digital and film editing was a meaningful and precious opportunity for the participants.

The sound instructor had to return to Japan unexpectedly, so the sound master class could not be held. Instructor Fujimoto had deep regrets, but the situation was handled by holding the editing workshop for two days.

One notable aspect of this workshop was the location scout. The goals were not only to create more opportunities for the participants to socialize and experience Malaysian culture, but also for the participants to have a shared experience with the instructors to grasp how they view locations for shooting on an actual production and how to take snippets of the real world for the artificial world of cinema. The participants were given the assignment of getting an insert shot for the film in keeping with the script used in the cinematography workshop. Their insert shots were later reviewed by the instructors and a grand prize was awarded. With cooperation from Multimedia University, the participants visited cultural institutions to experience Malaysian culture beyond tourist spots. Through visiting the world cultural heritage site of Melaka, they were able to able to deepen their understanding Malaysian culture. Also, each participant searched for a scene of the film while touring Melaka as a group.

In addition, efforts were made to get all of the students to actively engage with the entire workshop from start to finish by having instructors present awards at the final overview session, including prizes for best insert shot, best editing team, and student who contributed the most to the workshop. The impact could be seen in the level of enthusiasm from both the participants and staff at the final overview session.

Even beyond previous years, this workshop provided highly practical knowledge and made professional experience and techniques accessible through the use of demonstrations and reference visuals, thereby pushing beyond the basics of cinematic expression in the areas of cinematography and editing. The surveys show that the participants were able to experience and learn more practical filmmaking knowledge and techniques that differ from ordinary film workshops. That is a significant outcome from this workshop.

Also, having seven ASEAN countries participate created a valuable opportunity for international cultural exchange. This year we created more occasions for the students to interact with one another, and as a result the participants spent time with teammates who had shared goals and exceeded the organizers’ expectations in their creation of close bonds, and the participants were also able to experience cinema as a shared global language that transcends culture and language. The instructors are among Japan’s leading filmmakers, and the participants were deeply impressed by their techniques and knowledge, as well as their attitude toward filmmaking and humanity in being approachable outside of the lectures. We were delighted to hear concrete comments about awakened interest in Japanese culture and the desire to visit Japan and learn more about Japanese cinema.

This project has been held together with participants from ASEAN countries over the past five years. Like last year’s workshop, this year almost all of the participants were able to deepen their understanding and gain a certain degree of knowledge about all aspects of technical expression in cinema. This year the participants not only learned about the group-oriented filmmaking skill known as “communication,” but through the hands-on format in small groups they acquired filmmaking techniques and knowledge in various areas and gained experience in how to engage with others on a film production, even beyond previous years. This is a highly valuable educational achievement. We expect that this workshop will contribute to the maturation of each participant as an individual, and not just as a filmmaker.

Also, it is significant for Asian film education that we have recruited participants from educational institutions in ASEAN countries over the past several years. We held this project using the network of the International Association of Film and Television Schools (CILECT). It is unprecedented for a film school to offer a film workshop at this scale, and the CILECT Asia-Pacific Association (CAPA) has high expectations for this project in the future. This project also has attained greater visibility within Malaysia, including the opening speech by Dato Hans, Chairman of the National Film Development Corporation Malaysia. Over the past five years, this project has made significant contributions to the expansion of film education in ASEAN countries and has become a source for film education methods developed in Japan. In the future, we hope to contribute to the spread of an even more fully developed program for Japanese film education in Asia. And, we have high expectations that this project can become an entry point for interest in Japanese culture among ASEAN countries.

This year both the Japanese instructors and staff as well as numerous participants told us that they are truly glad to have been able to participate in this year’s program. We have been able to develop this program to this level thanks to the dedication of Mr. Kusaka and the entire team at OLM Asia SDN BHD, the enthusiasm and cooperation from the staff at Multimedia University, and the precious time taken from the busy schedules of instructors Yanagijima, Urata, Isomi, Suzuki, and Fujimoto, as well as the assistant instructors. We wish to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for their contributions to this project.