Nokia Mobile Filmmakers Workshop

When they made the handphone smaller, froggie was like gimmick! When they put a radio into a handphone froggie was like gimmick! When they put a camera into a handphone, froggie was like gimmick! When they had a low res video camera...froggie was like gimmick again. But then Nokia has N93,a 3.2 megapixel phone that also records MPEG 4 quality video image and Gary Oldman is in the advert...this froggie gotta have a look.

It's amazing the technical marvels that are now becoming common place, in 1997 when I started filmmaking...I had to edit the videos i shot on my video 8 camcorder manually by connecting two VCRs together, queing and playing tape on one and recording on another. The only computers with speed enough to edit video back then cost roughly an arm and a leg.Today, I can edit video on a mobile phone...go figure.

However,not many are aware of the technical capabilities of the N93 and as an effort to raise awareness and maximising user expriences with the phone, Nokia organised a mobile filmmaker's workshop down in admiral marina, port dickson last weekend. Participants were preselected from applicants received by filling an online entry form (www.mobifilms.net / wap.mobifilms.net) and were all taken down to PD by a specially chartered N93 bus. Froggie did inquire Nokia as to why go so far for a workshop and they told me well, it's a nice place to be and we want them (the mobile filmmakers to be) to be in an ambience where they can just relax and enjoy the workshop.To their credit, they were successful at that. The workshop was not being held in a dingy grey office but in a nice airconditioned hall small enough to be intimate, large enough to be spacious and outside is a marina with fresh sea breeze aplenty.

The workshop consist of Ian Oliver who previously worked under the auspices of the discovery channel. He covered the basic foundation techniques of filmmaking. Froggie (me-lah) spoke on finding inspiration and maintaining inspiration to finish a film. Stan basically the consumate expert when it comes to the N93 taught everyone the power that the little phone in their hands can harness.

After the talks, participants were given an hour to shoot and edit their own little mobile films on the N93. Some were scratching their heads hoping that'll induce ideas, while others hurriedly set up complex scenarios that required a car as a prop while some others found comedy right on their desk. In an hour, the participants all came back and shared their little gems, for most froggie think their very first films. It was a joy to watch the participant's first rather naive and in that highly inspired works. Everyone laughed and cheered each other on as the films played subsequently one after another.

The day ended with certificates and a group photo of the workshop's extended family before we were all ushered to the avillion for a beach side BBQ dinner. Sand on toes while you eat! We were then provided hotel rooms to stay the night and it was a brilliant room with sea breezes and views. The participants had obviously alot of fun... some of them telling me they stayed up till 4 am in the morning to just mingle. Froggie however chosed to sleep as he was dead tired doing editing work on his film the whole week...for froggie,it was a welcome rest.The next day, froggie had breakfast, swam, walked the beach and very much just nature-fied himself with a smile. Some of the participants joined froggie beach combing too...Many thanks to Nokia who brought froggie here and oh yeah, thanks for also coming in to help froggie realise froggie's film. Thank You :P