Meeting with local celebrities, working with industry experts, travelling overseas on projects with MediaCorp and watching your work being broadcast on national television – these may seem like the work of media veterans, but for the Campus Television crew members from Ngee Ann’s School of Film & Media studies, it is all part of the learning process.

Shawn Tan behind the camera in South Australia.

In just 12 months, the campus television (CTV) station run entirely by third-year Film & Media Studies (FMS) students, has seen a dramatic increase in opportunities for its students to showcase their talents, mostly through collaborations with industry partners such as Channel U.

Most recently, the CTV crew was asked by Channel U to direct three music videos for the local pop song writing competition, “S-POP Hurray!”

“We were asked to produce the music videos within two weeks, and the students worked hard to brainstorm and produce the videos in just 10 days,” said Mr Jonathan Foo, the lecturer-in-charge of CTV. He added, “It was a wonderful opportunity for CTV students to produce music videos with MediaCorp.”

This achievement came hot on the heels of another significant CTV milestone when MCM student Shawn Tan, who was CTV’s General Manager, was sent on an all-expenses paid trip to South Australia with MediaCorp news producer Maggie Chong in February this year.

Helping Chong shoot and direct new stories for Channel U’s and Channel 8’s news programmes, Shawn said that “the industrial experience forced me to step out of the comfort zone of being ‘just a student’ and lock in the mindset that I am someone who can produce work that meets the industry standard.”

With the exposure, Shawn and other students have been approached by potential employers. “Both of them have been headhunted and offered employment contracts,” said Mr Foo. “It shows that our students are capable of work that far exceeds expectations, and with collaborations such as those we have with Channel U, our students are exposed to even greater learning and employment opportunities.”

Mr Robin Yee, Deputy Director of FMS, added that the School “trains students to hit the ground running with realistic projects and external clients in many of our modules...even when they are students, they can produce work of professional quality”.

Like CTV, the other media companies operated by FMS students, such as radio station Heatwave and TriMedia Publishing that publishes the campus newspaper, serve clients ranging from the Prime Minister’s Office to President’s Challenge and other MediaCorp arms.

The CTV crew has just embarked on a 10-day trip to Beijing to film news snippets on the Beijing Olympic Games 2008. Other FMS students on the trip are producing articles commissioned by several magazines, including Lime and Simply Her, a coffee table book and a Chinese Opera resource.

By Joyce Peh, Film & Media Studies Graduate

Unseen but not unheard: Annabelle’s views on subjects relating to youth were heard on national radio.

Listening to the radio might be easy but being a speaker on a radio show is an entirely new can of worms. Or so attested Annabel Lim and Chang Cheng Yao, two third-year Chinese Studies (CHS) students who were selected by their lecturer, Mr Lee Kow Feng, to appear on a weekly radio talk show on Capital 95.8FM.

Other students might have found the studio experience to be daunting and stressful, but not these two budding radio personalities. “It is fun! I get to listen, think and share on topics that matter to young people like myself,” said Cheng Yao. Annabel added that one of the most interesting parts of being on the talk show was getting different perspectives from people of all walks of life. “Di Cong [DJ Daryl Ong, host of the programme] would challenge our stand and make us think deeper about what we say. It is both exciting and insightful,” she said.

It may seem like a glamorous role, but the two girls pointed out that being on the talk show would not have been such a walk in the park, if not for the relevant modules that were taught in school. Modules such as Speech Communication, Radio Production, Global Issues and Presentation Skills in Chinese have prepared the students well for the radio industry. “I took Radio Production in school and by being on this programme, I got to learn what it is like, to actually be on-air,” said Annabel who believes that the experience will help open opportunities for her in the local media industry.

Mr Lee, the lecturer-in-charge, commented that the School of Humanities (HMS) had chosen to collaborate on the radio show because of its relevance to the CHS course of study. “The diploma we offer in Chinese Studies covers two aspects: the teaching track as well as the media track. Going over to 95.8FM for live shows will give our students a chance to see how the actual Chinese media industry works,” he said.

By Joyce Peh, Film & Media Studies Graduate

Everyday, from 23 March to 18 April, excitement was the order of the day as Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) welcomed its latest batch of freshmen with myriad orientation camps, competitions and performances.

The festivities included a Sports Camp, Student Union’s Camp and an inter-school telematch called Fun 2008. There was also a CCA Fiesta, where freshmen could learn more about and sign up for any of the 100-over CCAs that NP offers, as well as a high-tempo pop concert put up by NRA, NP’s award-winning hip-hop dance group.

Highlighting NP’s commitment to continually improving facilities for students, the start of the new school year also saw NP Principal Mr Chia Mia Chiang opening a new students’ lounge, called OurSpace@72. Located at Block 72, the lounge features chic interiors in which students can study or unwind. With food and drink vending machines, a TV room and a games room, OurSpace@72 has already become a prime hang-out location for current NP students.

With the start of the new academic year in April, two additional shuttle bus routes started plying the roads, transporting Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) students to school in air-conditioned comfort. A free service provided by NP, the new routes operate from the bus interchanges in Tampines and Woodlands.

These bus routes are a welcome addition to the existing lineup of shuttle services from Clementi MRT station, Jalan Anak Bukit and Hougang Interchange.

Samantha Tan and Connie Chan, first-year Chinese Studies students, agreed that the new shuttle service from Tampines was a timely addition to the existing shuttle services as “it’s convenient and helps save money” and means that the both of them “don’t have to squeeze on to public transport in the morning.”

Waiting for the Tampines shuttle at Tampines Interchange, third-year Electrical Engineering student Phang Alfred added, “The new shuttle service makes it easier for the ‘Eastsiders’ to get to school on time. It actually allows me to catch a few more winks in the morning.”

By Hong Yu Qing Amelia, Film & Media Studies Student

Organised for students enrolled under the Direct Polytechnic Admissions Exercise (DPA), the eight-week programme featured a variety of activities, both on and off campus, which immersed them in the unique learning experience that NP offers.

To prepare them for the rigours of the polytechnic education ahead, the students took four modules from the School of Interdisciplinary Studies (IS) and one foundational module from the course they were enrolled in.

“It is pretty different from secondary school,” said 17-year-old Glenn Lee of polytechnic education. The Business Studies student, who was previously from Kent Ridge Secondary School, was referring to the projects and presentations that the students had to do in their various modules. But in spite of the jam-packed schedule, Glen was quick to point out that he was enjoying his new and exciting student life tremendously.

Besides, DPA students like Glen will go on to enjoy an increased amount of free time over the next three years of their diploma programme, as a result of accumulated credits through the NPP.

They will be able to use this free time to obtain extra certification under NP’s Diploma Plus programme, develop a healthy Co-Curricular Activities (CCA) record, and take up the various enrichment modules.

Malcolm Ng, 17, a former Commonwealth Secondary School student, feels glad that he made that choice to enrol in the Diploma in Electronics and Computer Engineering through the DPA as he now has an edge over “most people who wanted to keep their options open.”

Besides “having a head start on the rest of the school”, in the words of 17-year-old Mass Communication student Sarah Raziff, the DPA students also conceded that they were a “very pampered” lot. In addition to their very own sports camp, the DPA students were also treated to a movie screening and buffet lunches. The icing on the cake came in the form of a three-day Overseas Adventure Camp in Kota Tinggi, Malaysia.

By Hong Yu Qing Amelia, Film & Media Studies Student