School of Communication’s Academy of Film Media Arts Year 4 students Tan Yuehan, Jiang Dingyuan, Zheng Wanxue and Yang Yiran won the Best Animated Feature Award at the 5th "24 Frames Creative Media Festival".

The winning animation Bear me in Mind was created with support from the Creativity and Innovation Fund of the School of Communication. The story is about an ordinary office girl. After an unlucky day at work, she goes home on a bus. As she weeps, a cute bear appears and a magical journey begins.

Director Tan Yuehan remarked that they decided to make a warm and healing story because the hectic life in the city is eroding everyone’s happiness and even bringing about many negative emotions, such as frustration. They incorporated some feel-good elements and objects into the animation, including a huge and furry bear, roasted sweet potatoes, bright glowing moon to create a story which is dreamlike. Even though the plot may seem far-fetched, it brings the audience a very real feeling of joy.

Yuehan added that by taking part in the competition they improved their production knowledge and skills, such as software usage, drawing, shot movements and dialogue arrangement. In addition, they learned to visualise their thoughts through their creation.

It took the team one year to complete the animation. Yuehan said the workload was very heavy as they had to draw key frames one by one. With exceptional patience and persistence, they completed the animation. They regard the award as a valuable recognition of their effort.

24 Frames Creative Media Festival, hosted by Beijing Normal University -- Hong Kong Baptist University United International College, aims at providing a platform for practitioners of media, film industry and students in Southeast China, Hong Kong and Macau to exchange creative ideas.