VIDEO MATSURI

STUDENT SHORT FILM CONTEST

2017 Judges’ Comments

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2017 Video Matsuri Contest. This year’s Video Matsuri Contest was a huge success with a large number of entries (129) , and once again we were very impressed with the high quality of production. The judges thoroughly enjoyed viewing and assessing the videos.

The videos indicated a high level of team work between students, an enjoyment of the process and the ability to express themselves creatively in Japanese. Rehearsing and performing in Japanese promotes language learning, while video making requires the integration of skills from other learning areas. The Judges found it very difficult to choose an outright winner in each division, and as a result chose to recognize a number of outstanding entries with a special prize.

This year’s contest signature item was a ‘button’ and the submissions showed an interesting array of ways for it to appear in the videos. Some interpreted the word ‘button’ as a push button, and others as a button on a piece of clothing. Some videos used it as a major theme whilst in others it only played a small part. The Judges thoroughly enjoyed discovering how the button would appear. Judges highly praised the videos which delivered a clear message through a good script and a subtle use of buttons, which cleverly held a key part in the story, rather than being over emphasised.

In the primary division, the winning videos showed good humour and originality in the script, well-rehearsed delivery and displayed excellent teamwork.

In the secondary divisions, a popular theme was horror, bullying and romance.

A number of the videos submitted included profound messages regarding some of the common issues surrounding high school life. We hope that these students will take advantage of the opportunity to share their videos with a wider audience. Another common theme was a focus on the concept of 第二(だいに) ボタン, in which students were able to show their knowledge of Japanese high school culture. In Japan it is common among high school girls to ask for the Dai-ni button (the second button from the top of a boy’s school coat) of a boy they like, and the boy gives it to the girl who asked. In the tertiary division, the entries used humour, and many were based on themes surrounding university life.

We were pleased to find out that many videos particularly in the secondary and tertiary division were used for assessments this year. We hope that teachers will consider sharing their assessment methods with their colleagues.

This year is the first time that not only the winning entries, but all entries are available to be viewed on-line. We do hope that students and teachers enjoy and share their own videos with friends, families and beyond.

Thank you all for taking part in this year’s Video Matsuri – including all teachers and parents who supported the contest. どうもありがとうございました。

The Video Matsuri Judges