Adhering to the light in the ordinary: SoFTA launches career planning series with insightful documentary production sharing event

The Career Planning Series – Documentary Production and Career Sharing Event “Adhering to the Light in the Ordinary” was successfully held at the SoFTA Cinema on the afternoon of 16 October 2024. This event marked the first session of the School of Film and TV Arts (SoFTA) ’s Career Planning Series, aimed at providing students with industry insights and career experiences to support their future career planning.

The event featured Yao Zhou, Chief Editor of the Quality Production Centre at Suzhou Broadcasting System and Deputy General Manager of Suzhou Broadcasting Culture and Communication Co., Ltd. With her wealth of industry experience and outstanding achievements, she delivered an engaging talk on documentary production.

Zhou’s works have been awarded numerous honours, including the China News Award and the “Top Ten” works at the China Documentary Academic Festival. Her documentaries have been broadcast on various domestic and international television networks.

During the sharing session, Zhou used her documentaries, such as Pioneers of the Times, Dreams on Water, Gogi Horse’s Plan C, My Homeward Journey, Kenya’s "Chinese Girl", and We Are Walking Together, to vividly convey five key concepts: ideals, passion, strength, connection, and perseverance.

The event also screened the documentary We Are Walking Together, which focuses on the China-Germany Innovation Factory in Taicang, documenting the stories of 41 intellectually disabled individuals working in auto parts manufacturing as they strive for independence. The factory, inspired by the German model, provides these individuals with professional training and job opportunities, challenging societal preconceptions about the employment of people with intellectual disabilities. Through long-term, in-depth recording, the film portrays their journey toward self-respect and independence, showcasing their innocence and charm. The documentary received a warm round of applause from the audience, who were deeply moved by the resilience and hope it portrayed.

Zhou also shared her career journey, from working in the planning department at the broadcasting station to moving to the Film and TV Department for Major Events, which was later renamed the Quality Production Centre. She highlighted the importance of professional learning, particularly the ability to self-learn in technical fields. She encouraged students to maintain their passion for content creation and enhance their professional skills through diverse learning channels. She emphasised that the heart of content creation is telling a good story, with the technical means naturally following.

During the Q&A session, students eagerly asked questions, and Zhou engaged in an in-depth conversation about the communication challenges faced during documentary filming. She shared how her team often encountered difficulties in establishing rapport with people when selecting filming subjects. To gather authentic material, her team would take the initiative to approach and immerse themselves in relevant industries, building trust through patience and sincerity. This approach allowed them to collaborate with families on a water-themed documentary successfully. The team overcame communication barriers and gained valuable first-hand experiences of ordinary people’s lives.

Zhou also discussed the challenges and solutions in documentary production. She stressed that when filming subjects are uncooperative, it is crucial to remain patient and adjust filming strategies. Face-to-face communication works better than online exchanges, providing a better understanding of the subjects’ thoughts and needs. When dealing with ethical issues or conflicts with societal moral standards, especially in sensitive topics such as intellectual disability, documentary teams must take extra care to respect the subjects’ wishes and ensure that the content meets ethical standards. Team members must be sensitive throughout the filming process, respecting the privacy and emotions of those being filmed to avoid causing unnecessary distress.

SoFTA’s Career Planning Series aims to help students of the School of Film and TV Arts stay updated on the latest industry trends and career development paths. The series offers various activities, including career planning talks, experiences from alumni who have pursued further studies, discussions on internship opportunities, CV writing workshops, and interview skills training. These events are designed to provide students with valuable industry knowledge and career experiences to support their future career planning. These activities ignite students’ passion for their field and help them clarify their future career paths and inspire them to delve deeper into their studies. The series will be held monthly, with three events scheduled for this semester.

By Wenzhen Li

Photos courtesy of Yao Zhou and Zhenyu Wang