Steering students to new heights
WHILE entertainment may seem common to many, there is no doubt that people need it. This need should drive the type of courses that universities offer.
With a growing market for Malaysian- made movies, television series and Internet videos, more and more creative people need to be equipped with the skills and knowledge to produce high- quality content.
Multimedia University ( MMU) meets this need with its new campus at Educity @ Iskandar, Nusajaya.
Launched on Jan 25, the Nusajaya campus is MMU’s third building after establishing campuses in Malacca and Cyberjaya.
It is a purpose- built campus to specifically offer the Bachelor of Cinematic Arts Programme ( CAP), an exclusive offering of MMU’s Faculty of Cinematic Arts.
The course teaches students the entire script- to- screen process and CAP graduates can build their careers as animators, scholars, teachers, writers, directors, producers, cinematographers, editors, sound experts or even industry executives.
Prof Dr Ahmad Rafi Mohamed Eshaq, president of MMU, says, “CAP was conceptualised and implemented from the ground up to make MMU a regional hub for creative industries. By being in this location, we are positioned to have access to better experts via our collaborative programmes, not just with local industry players, but also international ones whose output help ensures the quality of CAP.”
With the MMU campus in Educity, the Iskandar International Education Hub is poised to make an impact in the national and regional content creation industry.
Establishing the campus also reflects Telekom Malaysia’s pivotal role in nation building through its production of highly skilled knowledge workforce for the information and communications technology and innovations industry.
The campus is fully equipped with comprehensive facilities to offer a good film school, including a digital library or media resource centre, gallery, post- production laboratories, motion capture studio, shooting stage, recording studio and workshops. MMU Nusajaya students have access to Pinewoods Iskandar Malaysia Studios located in the vicinity of the Nusajaya campus, where they can apply their skills in an environment conducive to learning.
The studio is part of the Pinewood Studios Group, providers of studio and related services to the worldwide film and television industries.
Pinewood Studios have produced some of the most successful feature films and television shows ever made and is considered to have an impressive heritage.
Movies that it has worked on include Star Wars: The Force Awakens, In the Heart of the Sea, and the James Bond vehicle in Spectre.
MMU has also partnered with the School of Cinematic Arts ( SCA) of the University of Southern California, which is one of the best cinematic schools in the world, to offer a more global package.
As a trainer of filmmakers, the SCA is a powerhouse. Its alumni have worked on well- known shows on the big and small screens, including George Lucas of Star Wars, Ron Howard of A Beautiful Mind and Apollo 13, Cinco Paul of Despicable Me 2, and Cort Fey of CSI, Lost and House.
MMU is well known in Malaysian circles as a producer of first- rate movie makers, animators and special effects artists.
The university’s alumni include Ghaz Abu Bakar, who directed the 2015 box- office hit Polis Evo; Nizam Razak, the creator of BoboiBoy; and Azim Hulaimi, visual effects artist who helped bring the movie Life of Pi to life.
In conjunction with its 20th anniversary celebrations, MMU is offering special rebates and scholarships for students who enrol for its April intake.
For more info on MMU, visit www. mmu. edu. my or call 1300 800 668.