SoFTA Hosts “Vlog Contest at Suzhou Amusement Park,” Sparking a Wave of Creativity

The School of Film and TV Arts at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, in collaboration with Suzhou Amusement Park, organised the “Creative May Day: Fun Vlog Contest at Suzhou Amusement Park.” This unique competition provided XJTLU students with a platform to showcase their creativity and filming skills. Additionally, the collaboration with Suzhou Amusement Park inspired students' enthusiasm for vlog production and social media usage.

As a key project between the School and Suzhou Amusement Park, the “Creative May Day: Fun Vlog Contest at Suzhou Amusement Park” attracted nearly 150 enthusiastic XJTLU students from diverse academic backgrounds, all interested in vlog production and social media. The successful event highlighted the students' talent and creativity and underscored the School's efforts in nurturing innovative and skilled professionals.

Faculty members from the Broadcasting and Television Studies and Film and Television Production programmes provided comprehensive professional guidance to the participants. From planning and shooting to post-production editing, students learned to apply theoretical knowledge to practical scenarios under expert supervision, enhancing their professional skills.

Participants uploaded their completed vlogs to social media platforms such as Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Weibo, and WeChat Video, quickly garnering significant online discussion and attention from offline visitors. These vlogs not only showcased the beauty and activities of Suzhou Amusement Park but also served as a window for students to display their personal style and creativity.

In today’s trend-driven world, vlogging has become an important means for young people to document their lives, express themselves, and share stories. The contest encouraged students to explore the diversity and innovation of vlogs, capturing the park's exciting moments from unique perspectives and telling personal stories through creative editing. This highlighted the students' sensitivity to trends and their creativity.

Following professional evaluation and enthusiastic responses on social media platforms, the winners were announced as follows:

• First Prize: Peiqing Zhang
• Second Prize: Vasilisa Sheveleva
• Third Prize: Liyu Yang
• Popularity Award: Quan Yuan, Linxuan Hua, Zhou Yang
• Excellence Award: Xinru Cai

These winning entries were recognised not only for their creativity and technical skills but also for their popularity and acclaim on social media.

The successful organisation of the “Creative May Day: Fun Vlog Contest at Suzhou Amusement Park” provided XJTLU students with an opportunity to showcase their talents and improve their skills. It also promoted the development of film and TV arts education. The School plans to continue hosting similar events in the second half of the year to inspire more students' creativity and enthusiasm.

By Wenzhen Li

Photos courtesy of Danni Tang