One more Film Master Talk is held in Room 702 of Block O, Macao University of Science and Technology (MUST), on Mar. 15th, 2018. It is sponsored by Macao Foundation, organized by Macao Academy of Cinematic Arts (MACA), MUST. Cheryl-Lee Fast, the Head of Film at Shanghai Vancouver Film School on the Shanghai University Campus, is invited to talk about “the Evolving Filmmaker: Jobs in Creative Industries”.
At first, professor Fast introduces that filmmaking processes have been impacted by various Technologies. However, Filmmaking is not about technology, but the communication of human experience. In other words, it is human centric. This is an important reason why the film industry still needs many talents. Then she talks about the importance of soft skills. A film producer needs soft skills to convince the investors that a movie is worth the money. Soft skills like critical thinking, creativity, complex problem solving, people management, decision-making etc., are universal recognized skills emphasized by employers. For producers, every film is unique. Therefore he (or she) has to make sure that staff of all positions can perform their strengths and do their best. Then, she mentioned that Virtual Reality (VR) is becoming more important in filmmaking, which needs more attention from producers. Finally, she shares George Lucas’s tips of success in making the film Star War (1977). He used soft skills to attract sponsors, such as “follow your passion - not about the money” and “discover your talent”. She emphasizes that Technology supports the journey of filmmaking, but is not the journey. The value of producer is to discover the advantages of each person.
During the question and answer part, students and the professor had further exchanges and interactions through questions and answers. Professor Fast expands students' thoughts and made it easier to understand the elements needed for film production. The lecture ends with the enthusiastic applause of students.
（A student communicates with professor Fast after the lecture）