At 1:20 pm on 28 November 2024, Mr Mao Cheng, Vice President of the Digital Entertainment Division at Shanghai Roaman Technology Co., Ltd. (Roaman Technology), visited the Digital Image Special Effects Compositing course at the International Institute of Creative Design (IICD). He delivered an inspiring lecture titled Planning and Case Sharing of the 2024 First Shanghai International Light and Shadow Festival for faculty members and students of the Digital Media Art programme.
As one of the primary organisers of the 2024 First Shanghai International Light and Shadow Festival, Roaman Technology has showcased achievements in landscape lighting from various aspects, including internationalisation, professionalism, popularisation, and industrialisation. The festival aimed to create a diverse, symbiotic and cross-disciplinary cultural and artistic event for the citizens, contributing positively towards enhancing Shanghai's urban image and soft power, and establishing the festival as a new signature of Shanghai.
During the lecture, Mr Mao first conducted a survey to understand students' knowledge about the First Shanghai International Light and Shadow Festival. He then comprehensively explained the festival from different dimensions, including the planning concept, resource integration, exploration of innovative operational models and strategies to effectively integrate culture, commerce, and tourism. Notably, in an inflatable-artwork competition organised by Yangpu District for university students across Shanghai, two students from IICD, Zhao Yaxuan and Zhang Jie, under the careful guidance and organisation of the institute, won first and third prizes respectively, with their works successfully exhibited on-site.
Using multiple works from the main venue of the festival as examples, Mr Mao detailed the creative processes behind digital image artworks, enabling students to deeply understand the systematic and comprehensive thinking required during project implementation.
（Mr.Mao specifically highlighted the immersive experience space Boundless Exploration, a key artwork at the main venue, designed by Shi Yihang, an alumnus of IICD.）
Concluding the lecture, Mr Mao summarised the festival's achievements using relevant data and discussed how effectively combining social resources could ensure sustainable development of the Shanghai International Light and Shadow Festival.
The lecture stimulated significant interest and enthusiasm among the students. During the interactive session, students actively asked questions on topics such as projection mapping production methods and design planning for festival sub-venues. Mr Mao answered each question carefully, encouraging students to boldly unleash their creativity and integrate theoretical knowledge with practical operations to explore the boundless possibilities of light and shadow arts.
Mr Mao warmly invited IICD teachers and students to continue contributing their creative energy to future editions of the Shanghai International Light and Shadow Festival, providing even more innovative ideas and wisdom for Shanghai's design and arts community.
The International Institute of Creative Design remains committed to providing students with learning opportunities closely aligned with industry frontiers and actively promotes collaborations involving industry experts in the classroom. The institute looks forward to engaging more outstanding industry mentors in the future, jointly assisting students' growth and cultivating innovative talents who meet the demands of our times.
