Taipei City Government

In 2019, Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation’s (TRTC) annual corporate image film has abandoned the traditional micro movie approach and adopted the animated film technique for the first time. An assortment of sounds recorded inside MRT stations is highlighted in the film to let the audience appreciate the interesting amalgamation of virtuality and reality. The animated corporate image film entitled +1 is now being screened at various MRT station platforms and ticket barrier TVs!

The ridership of the MRT system has reached the 10 billionth mark in late March this year; the astonishing number is accumulated by passengers riding the MRT train, and each person forms part of the city’s story. In the film, 5 mini stories representing different ethnicities and themes are portrayed: MRT – Vertical City, Children – Fantastic Adventures, Senior High School Students – Recollection of Friendship, Passengers – Daily Image, and Passengers and MRT Colleagues – Counting Down to New Year. These are merged to create a spectacular epitome of MRT that also resonates with the relationship between the passengers and MRT. This is metanarrative of MRT by combining the mini stories of many individuals.

If you examine the details of each scene closely, you will discover a great number of collective memories shared between Taipei and MRT, such as the Universiade MRT train, MRT colleagues guiding pedestrian traffic on New Year’s Eve, the army of motorcycles and cars seen from inside the MRT train, and the Ferris wheel, etc. These are like randomly placed Easter eggs that are full of surprises. Any one of these images will certainly evoke resonance within the heart of MRT passengers, regardless of age.

Besides the story structure, the exquisite animation has been created frame by frame, reaching nearly 10-12 FPS, totaling 3,000 frames. This means that the expression of each character is so much more vivid, and the flow of the sequences is considerably smoother as well. The innovative filming technique has significantly increased the challenge of perspective drawing, but it allows the audience to appreciate a fresh experience of MRT through the transitions of unique perspectives.

The bird chirping-like alert sound of closing doors is a familiar melody for all MRT passengers. For the film’s music and sound effects, the sound team of Universiade was hired to record a variety of sounds such as announcements in MRT stations, the alert sound of closing doors, and the sound of driving trains. When the audio recorded at the stations is complemented by the virtual world of animation, the film is endowed with humor and playfulness that will strike a chord in your heart!

In recent years, TRTC has released a number of touching micro movies to convey the new form of transportation made possible by Taipei Metro and the friendly service that is provided. After the Interchange and Lost and Found micro movies released in 2016, the theme of “MRT 10 Billionth Trip” was used as the inspiration at the beginning of this year to communicate the company’s gratitude to each and every traveler.

Do you wish to make your story a part of Taipei Metro’s film? Entries for the Taipei Metro Micro Movie Screenplay Competition are now open, so everyone is welcome to submit their screenplays inspired by the theme of “Be with You” using any material such as love, friendship, kinship, nostalgia, anecdotes, youthful exuberance, aspirations, and life adventures, etc. Participants are given free rein to unleash their creativity; the micro movie screenplays should be 3-8 minutes long, and the gold award winner will receive NT$100,000 and a certificate of merit. Last but not least, the winning screenplay stands a chance of being adapted into a micro movie.

The competition is open to people of all nationalities, but each person is limited to one submission. The submission deadline is 17:00 on August 16, and all registration and submission must be conducted online. If you are interested in the event, please fill out the registration form on the event’s Chinese website (https://ssl.metro.taipei/micromovie2019/) and upload the necessary documents in accordance with the regulations. Everyone is welcome to participate in the competition.