US Film Students Take on Real-World Clients

By Sebastien R., '24, Fall 2022 Communications Intern

This semester, the TAS Film Program received an incredible opportunity to be able to work in close collaboration with Carrefour, Environmental Animal Society Taiwan (EAST), and the European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT) to help spread awareness on animal welfare, sustainable food supply chain, and responsible consumption.

Carrefour is a French retail and wholesaling corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets, groceries stores, and convenience stores in over 30 countries. EAST, established in 1999, is a non-profit and non-governmental organization campaigning for improvements for animals, people and the environment in Taiwan. Finally, the ECCT, founded in 1988, is a non-profit organization that promotes the interests of European companies operating in Taiwan through proactive engagement with government and institutions.

Honors Film 3,4, and 5 students are currently in the pre-production stage of creating a micro-documentary film. As part of the process, they completed research on the clients’ brands, missions, initiatives, and the company’s visual styles.

They then compiled all that information and practiced presenting a client brief in a meeting with a TAS faculty member. This ensures that when the students meet with the company’s representatives, they are well-versed in the process of conducting a client brief. In the near future, students will take this practice and implement it into countless fields.

“Our students are extremely skilled and they are capable and ready to take those skills and put them into a professional scenario,” Mr. Barrus, one of the honors film teachers, said.

Many students are excited and grateful to be working with clients outside of the TAS campus since Taiwan’s Ministry of Education has loosened restrictions regarding school trips amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the pressure in a new professional environment, the film students are ready and willing to take on this new challenge.

“Although it definitely compels me to be more mindful of the quality of my work, it is super cool to be able to use our film skills outside a school setting,” Nicole Y. (‘23), an Honors Film student, said.

This project is scheduled to be completed by January and the students are expected to meet with the EAST representatives very soon.