JLfest 2024 | The 17th Annual Japanese Language Festival
「地元の空」
2-MIN DOCUMENTARY VIDEO COMPETITION
JLfest 2023
Objective
The competition aims at enhancing learners’ objective reporting skills in Japanese and creative video production as well as raising awareness of the community, issues, and challenges.
Theme：「地元の空」
For this competition「地元」shall be defined as a place: -
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where a person grew up or lived for quite some time; or
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has grown very fond of or belong to.
Hence, 「地元の空」may be translated as ‘the sky over my native home’.
The story may focus on: -
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an aspect of one's native home such as history, culture, art, natural resources, industry;
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one's personal experience in your native home; or
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the personal experience of an interesting resident living in or regular visitors to your native home.
However, the narratives must be based on facts, common hearsay or actual personal experience. FICTIONS are NOT allowed.
UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA TERENGGANU
(1) Khor Kean Kai
(2) Loke Joo Tuck
(3) Lam Jing Kit
(4) Siti Nurul Hafizah Binti Ismail
TERENGGANU
1st Prize
SEKOLAH DATO’ ABDUL RAZAK
Faris Aiman Syamsudin
Muhammad Arif Firdaus Khairul Anuar
Farhan Mohd Izaharuddin
The reason behind the video.
A fun video to watch. The narrator, instead of talking about his 地元, chose to pick a state and find out more about it by interviewing his friends who originated from that state. He then finalised his findings and ended the video by expressing his desire to visit the place - a refreshing take. The interactive interviews between him and his friends were also entertaining. The explanation on Nasi Kerabu was great, but I am still puzzled about its relation to American food.
The team showed great teamwork and seemed to enjoy making this video, despite of busy with their studies. I love their bloopers in their PR video!
However, the team also needs to place equal importance on the video production. There were mistakes in the subtitles, for example, some kanji were wrong, and the particle WA was written as 「わ」 instead of 「は」. Secondly, it could have been better if the video had been edited tighter for a smoother flow. Blank black screens are indeed annoying.
EDWARD LEE
Confidence usage of Japanese Language in the conversation.
LOH KOK HOONG
2人の学生にそれぞれ違う話題でインタビューして情報を取るという構成は、とてもよかったです。音声も明確で、わかりやすくまとめられています。最後の部分が、黒い画面に文字の情報だけになってしまったのがとても残念です。
ABE YOKO
I absolutely loved watching this video! It's evident that the creators put a lot of effort into their research and shared their genuine personal experiences about their hometown. The warmth, uniqueness, and magic of the place truly shine through. I found it to be a special and memorable journey, and it made me feel incredibly comfortable. Thank you for taking us on this enchanting ride through your hometown!.
MOHD ANUAR ABU BAKAR
UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA TERENGGANU
(1) Khor Kean Kai
(2) Loke Joo Tuck
(3) Lam Jing Kit
(4) Siti Nurul Hafizah Binti Ismail
廃墟になった豪邸の元
2nd Prize
SMK (P) TEMENGGONG IBRAHIM
Angel Tan Ke Qin
Ng Qi Yuen
(The Ruins of a Former Mansion)
The reason behind the video.
Anchoring the story with the 'past, present, and future' of a subject is indeed a great recipe for a good story. You would lock your audience in if the story is well-researched and told. The team did that convincingly. Their story was supported by archived news articles as shown in the video and interviews with locals as claimed in the PR Video. But what does the audience get out of this story is the question. Unfortunately, what the people of Batu Pahat wished for the planned Chinese Heritage Center in this restored mansion was left unanswered.
Again this team has placed less focus on video production. When there is more than one (1) narrator or speaker, the loudness of their voices should be equal and clearly captured by the microphone.
EDWARD LEE
Interesting video with good and confident Japanese narration. Best if there were interviews with the locals regarding the history or some stories about that place.
LOH KOK HOONG
This video is a true gem! The creators have done an outstanding job with their research and the way they share their personal experiences about the ruined house in Batu Pahat. I was genuinely amazed and found their explanations to be both fascinating and interesting. Their passion for this place shines through, and I love the reasons they provided for choosing it. It's a captivating journey through history and personal connection.
Well done!
MOHD ANUAR ABU BAKAR
地元の歴史的な建物を取り上げ、どういう建物なのか、将来どのように活用されるのかが紹介されていました。ヘリテージセンターになったら、見に行ってみたいです。音声が小さくて聞き取りにくいところがあったのが残念です。
ABE YOKO
UNIVERSITI MALAYSIA TERENGGANU
(1) Khor Kean Kai
(2) Loke Joo Tuck
(3) Lam Jing Kit
(4) Siti Nurul Hafizah Binti Ismail
プログレッシブ・ブミ・シャラワット中学校の魅力
3rd Prize
Contestants:
SMP PROGRESIF BUMI SHALAWAT
Calista Rafania Al Mansur
Nisrina Kamilah Hermawan
Yashinta Hayuningtyas Sutrisno
(The Charm of Progresif Bumi Shalawat Junior High School )
The reason behind the video.
This video was beautifully produced. The narrators were jovial and full of enthusiasm. The video shots were fabulous. I love the cinematic shot (at 1:04 of the video) panning across the school sports hall bathed by a single beam of strong sunlight. Subtitling in bilingual (Japanese and English) was indeed very audience-friendly too.
However, I felt that this video was more of a promotional video of the school, than a personal story. We can feel the students' love and gratitude for the school, but what was shown in the video was what was expected from a school. The story lacks depth and the human touch. It would be more interesting if the narrators talked about their favourite spot(s) or activity/event in the school, or even interviewed their schoolmates.
EDWARD LEE
2分という短い時間ですが、学校の様子や魅力をわかりやすく伝えています。このまま学校紹介のビデオとして使えるのではないでしょうか。ビデオを作った学生さんたちの学校に対する愛も感じました。
ABE YOKO
Well done! A very attractive video introducing the school. Good videography with a very confident Japanese narration.
LOH KOK HOONG
The video and editing are superb like a pro video editor. I really love it.
MOHD ANUAR ABU BAKAR
PANEL OF JUDGES
Edward Lee
President
THE JAPANESE LANGUAGE SOCIETY OF MALAYSIA
Loh Kok Hoong
Japanese Language Teacher
SMK ANDERSON
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ABE Yoko
Retired Japanese Language Education Expert
JAPAN
Mohd Anuar Abu Bakar
CEO/ Japanese Language Teacher
CAKAPJEPUN.COM
COMMENTS FROM JUDGES
"From the above results, one would have guessed that the content of the video is given preference over its production in this competition. Creative and good videography is of course very attractive and entertaining. However, its effect wears off after a while. On the other hand, well-curated content enlightens the audience and lingers in their minds for a while if not longer.
Most teams/contestants did well in researching the subject matter over the internet as well as from archives, news articles, and brochures. Some did well in including snippets of their interviews with the locals which lend credibility to their video. However, I wish they would ask more probing questions than those whose answers are easily found everywhere. Asking about personal preferences, experiences, and wishes or concerns of people breathes 'life'.
Having said that, poor video production irritates the audience. Hence, while one may not be able to master the various techniques in movie production, understanding its importance helps. For example, subtitles. They help the audience, with hearing disabilities or language barriers to understand dialogues and narrations in the movie. Badly done subtitling not only confuses but also frustrates the audience. A full-text solely in Hiragana is very taxing for anyone to read, including native speakers. Having Kanji helps as Kanji conveys 'meaning' and they speed up reading!
Lastly, film titles are like an advertisement, soliciting the attention of the would-be audience. But sadly most of the teams paid less attention to it. One entry [釘がないお城] caught my eye immediately and I was looking very much forward to watching it as I want to learn more about it. Unfortunately, halfway through the video, the story deviated from the title and I was lost."
EDWARD LEE
「学生のみなさんが、それぞれ地元を愛していることがよくわかりました。みなさんの地元を知らない人に、一番伝えたいことは何か、地元にはどんな魅力があるのか、わかりやすくビデオにする工夫がありました。一番伝えたいことや魅力がはっきりしていて、撮影したり編集したりするときの工夫が効果的なものが多かったです。ビデオを作るのは大変だったと思いますが、自分たちの地元を振りかえるよい経験になったのではないでしょうか。」
ABE YOKO
"Overall, participants show good effort in preparing the videos. Their dedication and creativity are truly commendable. Their videos showcased a wide range of skills and making the judging process challenging and enjoyable. Well done and thank you."
LOH KOK HOONG
"I really love the idea of this competition. You can see a lot of potential from the new generations. Every participant made a very good effort in making the documentary videos. Some of them can be really good storytellers and video editors if they can get proper guidance. Besides, I really amazed by their level of Japanese. Keep it up JLSM. Should have organized more competition like this."
MOHD ANUAR ABU BAKAR