A Fantastic & Unforgettable Experience at SIDM Movie Night 2015

SIDM Movie Night, an annual event for NYP�s School of Interactive and Digital Media (SIDM) students and alumni, was back for another year. This year�s movie pick was Avengers: Age Of Ultron, sequel to The Avengers which premiered in 2012. I attended the event with my fellow Write Stuff member, Nauli.

The event was held on 30th of April at Filmgarde, Bugis+.  It was a great opportunity for students to hang out with their friends, and alumni to catch up with their former schoolmates, lecturers, and network with each other.

Before the screening, our guests mingled at the box office. It was great to see many SIDM alumni still keeping in touch with their alma mater.

A Chat With Several SIDM Alumni
While waiting for the movie to start, we went around the box office to talk to some of the moviegoers and guests.

Muhammad Farhan and Cheryl Lim 

The first alumni we talked with were Muhammad Farhan who graduated in 2014 with a Diploma in Game Development and Technology and Cheryl Lim, who graduated in 2013 with a Diploma in Animation. They�re now furthering their studies at DigiPen Institute of Technology, which specialises in game development.

They looked excited and really looked forward to watching the movie with their friends and catching up with their former course-mates.

Chris Xie (in green shirt)

Another SIDM alumni whom we spoke with was Chris Xie (pictured above) who graduated with a Diploma in Digital Media Design, specialising in Interactive Media, in 2005. It is amazing that even after 10 years he still keeps in touch with his alma mater. He recently opened a photography business as he has a passion for photography.

When asked if he has attended previous Movie Nights before, he answered with a firm �yes�. He enjoyed the previous movie screenings and also chatting with his former course-mates (one of them is currently a lecturer in SIDM).

We asked him what kind of advice he would give to existing students and he had this to say: �Keep your network wide, make friends who you�ll be in contact with for years to come so that you can help each other out when you are looking for a job or are setting up a new company.�

(Left to Right) Roger Toh, Nicky Soh and Ven Wong

Apart from Chris Xie, we also met up with Roger Toh, Nicky Soh and Ven Wong (pictured above), who set up their own advertising company called 7 Steps Productions in 2013. They have worked with clients such as the National Youth Council, Sport Singapore and several others.

The trio graduated in 2003 with a Diploma in Digital Media Design and have been friends ever since. This event was a chance for them to relax after working hard at their recently-established company. They also took the opportunity to talk with current SIDM students to recruit them for their company.

We asked them about  advice they have for current students and Nicky jokingly replied, �Work hard and don�t be so picky.�

Getting Ready for the Screening

Inside the cinema, each guest was given free sweet popcorn and a can of Coca-Cola. Every seat was taken up and it was a full house! The Principal and CEO of NYP, Mr Chan Lee Mun, also made an appearance.

Before starting the movie, Mr Daniel Tan, the Director of SIDM, gave a short speech about Movie Night, and thanked everyone for attending the event.

�For those of you who just started in the industry either in animation or visual effects, it�s possible to work on big movies and we hope that one day, your name will also be on the credits of such movies, whether you are working in Lucasfilm, Double Negative, Ubisoft or for local companies,� he said.

Mr Tan then went on to list names of SIDM alumni who contributed to the film and it was definitely a great honour to see their names featured on the big screen. It definitely brightened up everyone�s mood at that night. Mr Tan encouraged all of his students and alumni to work hard and do their best.

A chat with the Director of SIDM

(Left to Right) Mr Daniel Tan, Me and Nauli

We had a chance to talk with the Director of SIDM, Mr Daniel Tan (pictured above) and gathered some interesting insights from him. He was a friendly person and was glad to answer our questions. He made us feel welcomed and we had a great time talking to him. He even accepted our request to take a �selfie� with him which you can see right above.

When asked why this movie was selected, he said, �We actually identified some movies and we posted the list on our Facebook group and asked alumni which movie they would choose. Most of them wanted the Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Some of our alumni actually worked on this movie as they are lead animators and supervisors at Lucasfilm.�

He added: �We have been running this event for many years so we have students, staff as well as former alumni from all our diplomas. We try to organise a good event and invite alumni from different batches to come back and mingle and to talk to each other. That�s the main purpose of this event and usually we have a full house and it�s nice to see that.�

My Thoughts on the Movie
After spending 2 hours watching Avengers: Age Of Ultron, I thought it was definitely an excellent movie. Although, I don�t usually watch movies, I was taken aback by how good the production was. It was truly an immersive experience and the visual effects were really out of this world.

The movie was part comedy, part drama and part action. It appeals to superhero fans and non-fans alike. A fair warning though, it helps if you watch the first movie, The Avengers (2012), first.

The Real Heroes of the Night, the SIDM Ambassadors

The SIDM Ambassadors, who donned black SIDM T-shirts, were students who spent months planning the event. They did all the hard work, took photographs of the guests, distributed tickets, and made sure that the event went well. They are also responsible for planning other events for SIDM students. To me, they are the real heroes of the night.

After the movie, the moviegoers could be seen smiling and heard talking about the movie. It was obvious they had a great time.

We want to thank the organisers for inviting us to attend this special event and we enjoyed it very much.

By Hanafi Bin Sedik, Year 3, Diploma in Engineering Informatics

I like to spend my free time and weekends exploring various places around Singapore, taking long walks at public parks and eating delicious food. Not only that, I also like to make videos, write on my personal blog and hang out with my awesome friends and family. I wish to work at a major software company and start my own production company in the future.

Pictures by Nurmasria Nauli, Yr 3, Nursing