Tuesday, December 2, 2008

"Thai women" gets first prize!

Thai Women: A different portrait... from SUIC Multimedia Design on Vimeo.

"Young Directors" was a contest organized by Event'Asia, a joint-collaboration between the University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis (IAE) and the Naresuan University (Phitsanulok). The main goal was to collect different documentaries based on Thailand as a country for tourism.

The main conditions was to have a part of the documentary interviewing a person who is related to France (a thai who lived there or a frenchman who lives in Thailand). To achieve this goal, two lecturers from Silpakorn University International College decided to combine students from Vatel who can speak french with students from Multimedia Deisgn who are keen on editing and video making. At the end of August, two teams were ready and working hard on 2 different topics.

Both won the contest with a First and second Prize, it was announced during a cocktail reception on Thursday 13th October 2008.


The first Prize winners: Non, Kay and Mint, (photo M.C/Gavroche)

First Prize: (Video topic : Thai Women )

Ms Tapanee Phongmaykin 'Kay' (3rd year student BBA Hospitality Management)
Mr Chanon Ketsuwan 'Non' (4th year student BBA Hospitality Management)
Mr Juldej Dejnoprat 'Mint' (3rd year student BFA Multimedia Design)

Second Prize: (Video topic : Bangkok Nightlife )
Ms Waraluck Wongwitdecha 'Rung' (3rd year student BBA Hospitality Management)
Mr Ratnachat Saibua 'Tik' (3rd year student BFA Multimedia Design)
Mr Saran Sirikasamsap 'Bank' (3rd year student BFA Multimedia Design)

Thai Women: a documentary about another side of Thailand...


Mint, the man behind the camera...

Multimedia Design student Mint collaborate with Vatel students Kay and Non on a video project promoting Thailand and Thai culture. This is the interview that we posted in our newsletter dated from October.

Kay: Our project’s topic is about Thai women. We think Thai women have something better to offer than what foreigners think. We want to show the talents, abilities, and the way of thinking of Thai women. Women are like jewelry. They are present images of the country. We want to show foreigners that Thai girls are talented and are successful in a variety of careers.

Mint: Yes, we wanted to present 5 unique women, their thoughts and their social life; to show the good side of Thai women to the world. To show that not all Thai woman are sex workers. To show that they can also can be business women, fashion designers, painters, and have a big effect on Thai society.

What was your first feeling when you heard about this Thai/
French video?
Mint:
The first feeling that came to my mind was a feeling of pride and excitement. Because with this project I can present a part of our culture to other countries, and inform them about how amazing Thailand is.


Kay from Vatel, concerned by the topic...

Can you tell us more about the women from your video?
Mint:
We went to interview K.Toto, who is an artist. She’s doing Thai graphic art that has an abstract meaning. And also, K. Amm: she’s a fashion designer and she has her own brand.

Non: K.Nit, who is a music composer and sound engineer. She creates jingles for TV advertising and radio, and makes music videos. She belongs to a Thai/English rock band and has already been promoted in the rock music market while she’s only 25 years old. I would like to let other people know that young Thai women can be successful.

Kay:
K.Pop used to be ‘Miss Thailand Universe’ and now she’s working in the film industry. She is a great support for many documentaries such as DEK-TO and PAK-TAIBARN-RAO. I have to say that my best memory of this project was to meet her. She’s so beautiful, friendly, and talented. We also met K.Natnalin, owner of the Harley Davidson shop. She’s capable of competing in a man’s world. And also she founded her own Photo Magazine. She’s a super star!

Did you learn something new through this experience? Mint: Yes, I have learnt new ideas and new thoughts from the new people that I met. Every one has their own unique style and way of thinking. This lead me to form new thoughts about society and Thai women. Also, this experience helped me to get more experience of shooting and making a documentary. It was both helpful and enjoyable!
Kay:
I know a lot more people now and understand how they think about Thai women. I learnt how Thai women can be successful and I also learnt how to work with others.



Non in the middle with Rung, Bank on his left and Kay, Tik on his right. during a shooting in Bed Supperclub for the video Bangkok Nights

How was it to work with the other students from the other program?
Mint: It was great. It was a new experience, and I made new friends. My major is about computers. The other students study hospitality, and they can speak French. So each of us has our own skills that can be used together to produce an effective documentary. It was a perfect combination! Kay: It was fun and it felt great to work with other people. I have more friends now. Are you proud of your work? What do you expect to do next, now that it’s done?
Kay:
I’ m proud of it because at first I didn’t think I could do it, but then I did my best, so I don’t expect anything more.
Mint:
I am proud of my work. I did my best on this project, and so dido my team mates. I expect that my work will meet the standards required to win this competition. I expect to receive a reward too. But my main hope is that my work is good and that everyone loves it. I have to say that I enjoyed every moment while completing this project.

Aj. Harinala and Aj. Gabriel