Fusion 2012: The Brand New Show

For arts graduates, it is a dream to be recognised for their work. It is no different for 291 graduating students from the School of Interactive and Digital Media (SIDM), each one hoping to be recognised for their talents in creating Animation, Games, Interaction Design, Digital Visual Effects and Motion Graphics and Broadcast Design, which is why each and every student is mighty pleased to be displaying his/her work at Fusion 2012: The Brand New Show at NYP Auditorium from 22-24 March.

Why is it called The Brand New Show you might wonder? It's because this is the first time in SIDM's 16 Year history that students from all 6 diplomas will be graduating and showcasing their work. Previously it had fewer diplomas because students from the other newer diplomas are not due to graduate yet.

Industry guests and visitors even get to take home a nice goodie bag with good stuff at the reception.

The showcase area is separated into two parts - The Atrium and the Auditorium. The atrium features mainly video clips of projects done by various diplomas' students.

A quirky animation done by graduand from Digital Media Design

The auditorium area consists of various booths set up by students from all 6 diplomas. All their best work will be on display and these students are also on hand to explain more about their work to visitors. 

It is also their hope that they would be noticed by  industry visitors, who are potential employers and likely to give them their big break into the industry!

These gorgeous creatures are by Tay Yi Chong, who would like to work as a Concept Artist Illustrator.



Really elaborate illustrations by Valerie Lim, who hopes to be able to get a job as an illustrator or concept artist



Guests are free to leave their namecards at booths of interest :)

A really cute namecard by Jovelle Goh, an Interaction Graphic Designer

Jovelle Goh speaking to a visitor

Now you may wonder what exactly is Interaction Design, which is quite mind-boggling. We spoke to a Interaction Design student Elie Ang, who explained that it's basically design that you can interact with. These include games, web cameras, and other forms of audio-visual interaction.

Check out all these other beautiful illustrations and work by SIDM students.

You can see more of their work at their official website at http://fusion.nyp.edu.sg/. The site is interactive and you can even put artists you like on your 'Watch List'.

The show is not just about illustrations and animation, as students also showcased their technical skills and expertise in certain artistic areas. This piece of work is by Daphne Tan, who is demonstrating Modelling, Texturing, and Lighting, around a room to create an atmosphere.  

This game must have taken ages to create. Can you imagine how many frames (still shots) are required just to animate a scene? A game with length and depth requires a lot of hard work in scripting, animating, conceptualising, drawing and illustration, and much more.

There's a lot of technical skills in Interactive and Digital Media we can't even imagine. Here, student Zeng Shichang, a 3D Character Animator and CG Compositor showcases his Green Screen Compositing. No idea what it is? Take a good look at this picture and the one below!

Yes it's basically laying a subject over a backdrop. This is rather nicely done. Just look at all the intricate greenery and the subject's shadow.

So what are you waiting for? Pay a visit to The Brand New Show, from 10am to 6pm tomorrow, and you may even learn something new, in addition to getting to meet some of the latest talents!

CADC: A Legacy of Excellence

NYP’s Current Affairs and Debating Club’s (CADC) recent win at the Inter-Poly Debates Competition could not have been more poignant. It was the club’s 12th victory and a momentous occasion for the alumni coaches, the seniors and the new members.

It also seemed like the perfect present for NYP’s 20th Anniversary.

After two days of gruelling competition, NYP’s team A, consisting of Kanna Paramatheva, Marcus Ng Aik Wei  (both from School of Engineering) and S Prabu Dev (School of Chemical & Life Sciences) brought home the trophy for an unprecedented 12th time.

Business as usual. The CADC is victorious again. (From left to right:  S Prabu Dev, Nazmus Sakib, Kanna Paramatheva and Marcus Ng.

The team swept the tournament with an undefeated 3-0 result. The win was further sweetened by Kanna Paramatheva winning the Best Speaker (Series) Award.

Discover NYP speaks to the winning team to learn more about their recipe for success and what this means for the club’s legacy.


The Alumni Coach – Coming back For Victory
For Nazmus Sakib, one of the club’s three Alumni coaches, victory was sweet vindication.  Sakib was a former CADC member and graduated from NYP in 2009. But even though he made it to the finals of the competition, he never won the first prize.


Instead of lingering on this, he moved on and when asked to return as an alumni coach in 2010, he jumped at the opportunity.

Sakib is described as the 'Good Cop' by the team for his approachability, jovial personality and contrasting coaching style to Pirakash (another alumni coach).

“I’ve always like NYP and I’ve always had an affinity for it,” he said.

He credited NYP’s “family environment” for the CADC’s phenomenal success. He said that the coaches are close and there is a strong sense of tradition in the club. The flipside of maintaining tradition is the pressure it places on newer members.

“I have lots of fun coaching them,” he said, “and even though we hoped to win, we (coaches) never expressed our wishes  to the team because some of them were nervous and we didn’t want to pressurise them.” But he acknowledged that even though the coaches never communicated any expectations to the members, some may feel obligated to continue the club’s winning ways.

Fortunately expectations were met this year albeit with some anxiety.

“The way they announce the results is done to create some suspense. So instead of saying who won, they’ll say  ‘The Motion falls’. So when the results were announced, both teams needed time to process the meaning, but once it sunk in we were very happy!” He said with a laugh.

The Other  Alumni Coaches

The team affectionately described Pirakash as the 'Bad Cop' for his to-the-point and tough coaching style.

CADC respectfully refers to Joey Pang as 'The Oracle' due to his extensive knowledge and experience. Joey has represented Singapore in international debating competitions and is recognized as a powerhouse in the local debating scene.

The Senior Debater – FINALLY Getting His Due
Though Sakib was humble and cautious about the team’s chances, for senior debater, Kanna, victory was never in doubt.

He was the leader and only senior member in the three-person team.

This year's results will give Kanna (center) even more accolades from his time at CADC.

He said that, “There was no pressure. It wasn’t about whether or not we could win. I felt confident, because I’ve debated for a long time and we won last year.”

For Kanna, who graduates from NYP in May, this year’s competition was especially meaningful because he won the “Best Speaker Award”.

“Finally!” he exclaimed with a laugh.

But when asked to pin-point his team’s success, Kanna was quick to attribute it to his coaches and teammates.

He said that he felt no pressure from the coaches and that they were always objective about how they could do better. Having alumni coaches was also a boon because it provided continuity and familiarity as generations of students came and went.

Kanna added that that the environment allowed them to become friends outside of NYP, and it was helpful that his friends understood his quirks.

The Unlikely Upstarts
Kanna’s teammates,  Prabu and Marcus, were the wildcards in the team. Both first-year students were unlikely candidates for a champion debating team.

In fact, Prabu did not even consider debating when he was searching for a CCA. He was more interested in the IT Club and soccer. But he was approached by a CADC member and decided to give it a try.

Marcus was another unlikely candidate. He was a scout in his secondary school, Raffles Institution,  - a CCA vastly different from the adversarial nature of debate.

Marcu Ng - From scout to champion debater.

Both men were quickly put through the paces under the careful tutelage of their seniors and coaches but it wasn’t smooth sailing. Prabu said that initiation into the club was difficult because they tended to make “logical leaps” due to their inexperience.

But despite the tough training and rigorous debates, Marcus says that the club is a great place to make friends. “There’s always lots of joking around and even when we debate heatedly, there are no sore feelings.”

The new members will have their hands full as recruitment for the next generation of CADC members begins soon.

Sakib said, “We want to attract the right kind of people; it’s a competitive CCA, so we’re trying to find more like-minded individuals.”

Kanna added that a love for debating is a must. “A high level of commitment is important. If you love debating, you’ll always find a way to get better.”

Know What Flatters Your Shape : Dress to Impress!

By third-year student MisStyles

Diversity is nature. Nevertheless, it is pretty hard to be satisfied with the way we are shaped.

Think of celebrities such as Megan Fox, Mischa Barton, and K-pop artistes like Girls Generation. From the east to the west, these are people with ‘perfect’ figures. However, in reality, there are celebrities who are not ‘perfect’, yet, they can dress to impress! Let’s stop admiring others and be admired by others! We can start by appreciating our figures first.

Apple shape

The main traits of an apple shape body are larger bust, broader shoulders, narrower hips and less defined waist. Well-known celebrities with such figures include Elizabeth Hurley, Jennifer Hudson and yes, even Angelina Jolie!

Check out this flowy vest from lexilyla.com, which are sure to flatter apple-shaped bodies. 

Boyish or athletic shape

Do you have undefined waist, narrow hips, probably smaller bust and always feel like shaping up? Then, you belong to this boyish category. However, fret not. Fabulous looking celebrities and models such as Alexa Chung, Gwen Stefani and Victoria Beckham also belong here!

The shift dress from lovebonito.com  and skorts from agneselle.com gives you a fuller looking figure while the blouse from lexilyla.com defines your shoulders.

Pear shape

Pear shaped people are identified by their smaller bust, wider bottom, narrow shoulders and wider hips and thighs. Mischa Barton, America Ferrera and Rihanna are some of the famous celebrities who are pear-shaped but are among the best dressed in Hollywood.

Try this pair of graphic shorts, which creates a slimmer effect on the hips. It is available at lovebonito.com.

Hourglass

An hourglass figure is probably the most desired of the four. It is the epitome of a woman’s figure from the 1800s, to the Victorian era and up to now. The iconic Marilyn Monroe, Scarlett Johansson, Drew Barrymore and Katherine Heigl to name a few, have a well-defined waist, shapely legs and full busts that represents the hourglass figure.

Those with hourglass figure are the luckiest bunch! You can wear anything!

Try this orange and blue block coloured dress from tracyeinny.com and strapped black dress from lexilyla.com. The block coloured dress will inject some fun in your outfit whereas the black dress gives you an edge with the studded top.

Petite

Besides battling with our shapes, being petite is another problem for many Singaporeans. Well-known petites Eva Longoria and Hayden Penettiere are pear-shaped.

 This abstract colourful dress from tracyeinny.com brings out a fuller figure for petites.

The knit top from lovebonito.com and wide leg shorts from tracyeinny.com look effortless yet chic!

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MisStyles is a third year Molecular Biotechnology student who loves dressing up! Fashion for her is clothes, clothes and MORE clothes. She dresses according to her moods and she loves to play around with colours! Personally, she feels that the best fashion accessory a girl should have is attitude :)

Her interest includes burying her head in books and magazines of various genres, namely, thrillers, interior design, architecture and of course, fashion!