Malaysian Media Icon: Shila Amzah
Biography
Shila Amzah (real name: Nurshahila Binti Amir Amzah)
is a well-known singer in Asia. She was born in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on
August 13, 1990. She is eldest of four siblings. Her father, Amir Amzah Salleh
(ND Lala) was a famous local singer in the 80s while her mother, Fauziah
Sarman, was an actress. At the age of ten, she crafted an album, Terima
Kasih Guruku. Since then, she won several awards, including the ‘Most
Popular Kids Artist’ at the Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian in
2000.
Shila
Amzah - Interview with Astro AEC 1
Before achieving fame, Shila used to
upload videos of her singing on YouTube. In 2007, Shila participated in a local
singing competition, One in a Million and was placed second.
Five years later, she managed to get her big break when she was invited to join
the singing competition, Asian Wave, in China and was crowned
champion. In 2014, Shila was also the winner of a similar contest, I Am
A Singer. Her performance of Xiang Ni De Ye in the seventh
round propelled her to bigger prominence in the country.
I Am A Singer - Shila Amzah《æƒ³ä½ çš„å¤œ》
What We Can Learn From The Icon
Despite the obvious language barrier (she
has now learnt Mandarin), Shila was willing to venture to China to try her luck
and adapt to a foreign environment, even knowing it would be tough. She had
admirable perseverance to keep going until she achieved her dreams.
Furthermore, she is humble, unlike other
singers. Never is she rude to her fans and is always respectable to others.
Because of this, she has gained a large fan base from various countries such
as: Malaysia, Hong Kong, China and Taiwan, even bestowed the moniker Asia’s
Sweetheart.
Conclusively, Shila Amzah is an admirable
being, great personality and talent. We, as people, can learn a lot from people
such as her, and instill the values she holds in our daily lives.
International Media Icon: Nick Vujicic
Biography
Biography
Nicholas James Vujicic is a motivational
speaker, who was born on the 4th of December, 1982 in Melbourne,
Australia without four limbs. During his childhood, he struggled and suffered
due to his disability, which also made him a vulnerable target to school
bullies. He was depressed to the point that he thought of committing suicide
when he was eight and even attempted to drown himself two years later.
Fortunately, reading about a man experiencing the same disability made him
realize that his disability is not a curse but a gift. Since then, he tried to
commit to activities such as swimming, skateboarding and football. He hosted
his first motivational speech when he was seventeen, inspiring and moving many
by his speech. In 2012, he married Kanae Miyahara, and was blessed with a son,
with another currently on the way.
Now, he has wrote many books and hosted
many motivational speeches, inspiring more people. His first book, Life
Without Limbs was published in 2010. He later went on to
write several others, Your Life Without Limit and Unstoppable:
The Incredible Power of Faith in Action in 2012 and The
Power of Unstoppable Faith: Your keys to a fulfilled Life and Stand
Strong: You can overcome bullying (and other stuff that keeps you down) in
2014.
What We Can Learn From The Icon?
Nick is undoubtedly, an admirable person.
He managed to overcome his disability and the demons in his mind and is now
helping others with his positive attitude and motivational speeches, even
holding charities and disability campaigns. Sometimes, he would consult
teenagers who have the same problems as him. He teaches people that anything is
possible, no matter what. He also makes us appreciate what we have in life, as
some suffer from worse predicaments than us.
How can the industry overcome these challenges?
Suggest at least three recommendations that you would implement to help
boost the local media industry.
In recent times, the masses (be it the native audience, the people of the
creative sector or international journalists), can wholeheartedly reach a
common ground – that the Malaysian media has taken a sharp turn for the worst.
With the lack of talent and originality in the music, small screen and film
industry, the hashing of recycled themes in films and the visible biasness
of news platforms, things do not seem to be looking up for the country. It is
no wonder that local stars such as Yuna, Shila Amzah and Michelle Yeoh has
found success overseas and continue to do so, when there are so many restrictions
in Malaysia. It is no wonder that locally-made pictures are underperforming at
our residential box-office, when film companies keep churning out the typical
cliché rom-coms, unfrightening horror movies and hilariously grungy gangster
films that has been made so many times before. It is no wonder that the news
are no longer trustworthy, when printed papers advocate for the government
while online portals throw their support for the opposing side. Because of
this, many Malaysians turn to their Western counterparts which are more
superior in many aspects. It is a shame our media has been experiencing such a
slump since its Renaissance era in the 70s.
So, to
overcome these challenges in the industry, the Malaysian media should be
more daring and creative in making films and TV shows. Instead of sticking
to the formulaic cycle of romantic comedies, horror and gangster-themed movies,
scriptwriters and directors should branch out into more uncommon genres such as
science-fiction, historical and fantasy. Creativity is an important aspect
in the media industry and the local media is quite narrow-minded in that
category. So, they need to broaden their horizons and take risks when writing
and filming.
Furthermore, the media
should not be too conservative in broadcasting and filming certain scenes
and shows that feature themes such as the sexual, homosexual and
Christianity. Movies such as Noah and Blue Is The
Warmest Colour has been banned
in Malaysian theaters while TV shows such as Glee and How To Get
Away With Murder had some of
their scenes chopped just because there are homosexual segments in them.
Locally, movies such as Dalam Botol has
also drawn flak for its portrayal of transsexuality and homosexuality. The
media should not censor these segments as they portray real-life themes. In
life, people do engage in sexual intercourse, love people of the same gender
and believe in God and Jesus so there is no reason to censor such themes.
There are some aspects in today’s
cinema and television shows that can be improved on. An example would be movie
trailers. Movie trailers are important as they provide first impressions of the
unreleased film to moviegoers. Because of this, they should not contain too
many spoilers as it discourages the audience from attending them when they are
finally on the big screen since the ending can be easily predicted. In addition
to that, Malaysian films and television shows are also cut choppily,
jumping too suddenly from scene to scene. This might confuse audiences and they
would not understand the plot. In some cases, movies without messages tend to
turn people away as they view the movie meaningless because there is
nothing to be learnt from it. Also, there should be more variations in media,
be it in casting, cinematography and screenplay. Despite the country comprising
of many different races, directors tend to cast actors of similar ethnics,
filling their movies with predominantly of identical actors racially (Malay
actors in a Malay-directed movie, Chinese actors in a Chinese-directed movie,
etcetera), providing an unrealistic portrayal of the Malaysian community.
Furthermore, some dialogues are deemed unsuitable in certain scenes and are
generic so more creativity should be inserted in this aspect. The local film
and television industry should also include more meaningful and relatable
scenes so the audience are able to form connections with them. Directors should
also experiment with camera angles while screenwriters should provide more
intriguing and original storylines and the sound effects can be also further
improved.
Likewise, the local media industry should not be partial to
certain subjects, especially of those concerning politics.
No news outlet should be bias to a certain party as it defeats the purpose of
being a journalist or newscaster – providing the truth. Instead, news portals
should publish their findings fairly and accurately without twisting and
over-exaggerating their stories.
In the music scene, there are many artists, while most are
undoubtedly good-looking, fall short in the talent area. Music companies tend
to choose marketable people, especially ones with better appearances than
talent, as they feel that local audiences will find them appealing. Instead of
focusing on looks, they should be sourcing for great singers, lyricists and
musicians. International artists such as Ed Sheeran (to us as a group, not to
offend the readers) may not have supermodel looks but excels at songwriting,
good vocals and is now known around the world. Local music companies should
take a leaf out of their international counterparts and not judge people based
on appearances. They may deem a talented musician ‘average’ in terms of looks
but some may deem them otherwise, as the saying goes ‘beauty is in the eye of
the beholder’.
On top of that, the local
media should be more supportive of locals who want to pursue their craft
outside the country. If they do so, these locals are able to learn more from
the international industry in better detail, view more perspectives, spread
Malaysia’s name to other countries and even share the knowledge they have
learned when they return. They should not be condemned for ‘abandoning their
roots’ and ‘conforming to Westerners’ mindsets’. Just because one has found
acceptance and happiness overseas, does not mean they have forgotten who they
really are – proud citizens of Malaysia.
Writers: Jasmine, Daphne, Yin Wei, Jia Chie, Sara
Researchers : Daphne, Yin Wei, Jia Chie, Sara
Editor: Jasmine
References:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqpa0uRW9bs
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZQsdNvralw
3. http://fashion.163.com/14/0226/22/9M1TOROK00264NBB.html
4. http://futurezone.at/english/nick-vujicic-online-hero-without-limbs/24.595.357
Editor: Jasmine
References:
1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iqpa0uRW9bs
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZQsdNvralw
3. http://fashion.163.com/14/0226/22/9M1TOROK00264NBB.html
4. http://futurezone.at/english/nick-vujicic-online-hero-without-limbs/24.595.357
- Thursday, August 27, 2015
- 0 Comments
