Embrace the Learning Curve: Volunteer Philip Au on Teaching Videography
When the libraries reopened after circuit breaker measures in 2020, Philip Au chanced upon Tampines Regional Library while looking for a place to rest. Not a usual patron of this library, the former engineer came upon the library’s makerspace, MakeIT at Libraries, and was intrigued by its 3D printers and resources.
Interested in the intersection between art and science, he asked library staff if there were any programmes related to computers and photography. The conversation that followed led to him conducting an online lesson on how to create vlogs. He gave tips on lighting, using microphones and how to upload content on different platforms.
The demand to learn these skills was apparent, with over 100 participants attending the session. However, the online platform took Philip some getting used to. “I found it hard to answer everyone’s questions without being able to physically interact with them.”
That was when he decided to form the Video Creators Club, an NLB LearnX learning community open to anyone who wanted to learn how to create videos. Members could share their video creations and learn from each other. The videos presented were as varied as their owners, ranging from vignettes of everyday life to snippets of family trips, or even a day out and about in sunny Singapore.
The group has since expanded to 65 members, guided by Philip’s openness to discovery. “I once read a quote by (Nobel-Prize winner) Albert von Szent-Györgyi: ‘Discovery is seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought.’ I was inspired by this quote wanted to help participants fulfil their potential and get them together as a community.”
His receptiveness to learning has also led him to many new interests. After his stint as an engineer, he moved on to become a human resource professional. However, his passion for the arts never left him.
“When I was in secondary school, I was the Arts Club chairman. That’s where my fascination with art and design started. The school had a collection of cameras and lenses for me to play with.”
So with his wife’s encouragement, Philip decided to delve deeper into photography.
“It was very scary when I decided to go full-time. It was a learning curve working with clients and matching their expectations. It took me a while to develop my craft; what helped was learning from other professionals and people better than me. I started with a few clients and through word-of-mouth, my client base grew.”
Starting with simple shoots for family and friends, Philip now works for a photography studio and takes photographs for the Singapore Ice Skating Association and the Singapore Table Tennis Association.
“I was taking my daughter to figure skating classes and seeing the kids persevere through falls, I started to wonder what it was that kept them going. So, I decided to try it out myself and found that I loved it. Within two lessons, I was skating backwards and learning jumps. My interest in figure skating helped me to understand the best camera angles and techniques to capture great moments.”
The cross-pollination of these experiences has helped Philip develop teaching techniques for his video creation classes. In one such lesson, using a rope tied between two tripods, participants were taught how to do a smooth tracking shot with the rope as a guide.
“The technique was a result of me needing to find a better way to articulate my methods. In the beginning, when I was telling participants to pan, to walk slowly, to keep the camera level, they didn’t know what I meant. So, I had to think of a way to demonstrate this. I remembered in figure skating, when skaters trained their jumps, they had to follow a certain line. Coaches would put something on the ice to create a line for the skaters to focus on, so I adapted the approach for my classes.”
Philip has also came up with other creative ways to teach advanced filming techniques to novices, like putting a camera on a towel and smoothly dragging it across a surface to mimic a camera slider. Although some participants were very shy at first, they eventually came out of their shells and expressed their creativity.
“These were all ideas I had to develop to help participants from all sorts of backgrounds. Once they try it, they find that it’s not that difficult. The key thing is to have fun and feel a sense of achievement.”
When asked about memorable participants, he recalls an older lady who shared a family video. “She’s in her sixties and was afraid of using her smartphone. She felt she was too old to start making videos. But over time, she grew confident and started shooting and editing her own videos. She’s even making videos and putting them on TikTok now!”
As for future plans for the Video Creators Club, Philip says he has many new ideas he wishes to explore, such as taking participants out on filming excursions to art museums or watching artists at work.
A strong proponent for life-long learning, Philip hopes for more people to get in touch with their inner readers and open themselves to discovery.
“Come to the library. You don’t need to buy books, there’s always one nearby. Enjoy the knowledge and share knowledge with the community. There is always something to learn.”
