Viddsee creates five short films to showcase Singapore Tourism Board’s culture shaper stories
Viddsee has launched five short films, directed by Singapore filmmakers, which were produced in partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board as part of STB’s Passion Made Possible’ campaign.
Launched in 2017, Passion Made Possible is STB’s new brand, which tells the story of Singapore as a destination that constantly brings new possibilities to life. Passion Made Possible is also built around the concept of Passion Tribes, which groups potential visitors based on their lifestyles, interests and what they travel for.
The five new short films are targeted at STB’s ‘Culture Shaper’ Passion Tribe, which refers to
travellers who enjoy immersing in arts.
The concept of the loosely connected short films was first conceived by Viddsee, and further
developed with veteran filmmaker Wee Li Lin as part of STB’s initiative to co-create content with local talent. Each short film was then directed by Li Lin, Sabrina Poon, Sun Ji, Tariq Mansor, and Don Aravind – all of whom have been featured on Viddsee. The Culture Shaper videos will be distributed through both broadcast and online media, and will also be featured on social media platforms in STB’s key overseas markets
Each short features prominent personalities and cultural locales in Singapore. ‘Interwoven’
(directed by Li Lin) depicts a charming Malay seamstress who creates a batik that draws
different culture shapers like Ivan Heng to use the fabric, which symbolically ties the five films
together; ‘2002’ (directed by Don Aravind) is a love story set against a performance at the
Esplanade featuring actress Siti Khalijah; ‘In Generations To Come’ (directed by Sabrina Poon) features Indian dance veteran Santha Bhaskar, who is Bhaskar’s Arts Academy’s artistic director, and her student set in Kerbau Road; ‘Walls’ (directed by Tariq Mansor) depicts an office worker discovering the street art of Zul Othman in Kampong Glam; and ‘Alone Not Alone’ (directed by Sun Ji) is about a young boy and a senior reflecting on the paintings in the National Gallery Singapore.”We wanted to highlight the passionate artists who bring to life Singapore’s multifaceted culture through their diverse work, to do this as a narrative was both challenging and fun. This anthology is an ode to their passion for creation, and serves as a visual celebration of the places they seek inspiration from,” said Li Lin, who is one of the pioneer female filmmakers in Singapore.
Weaving A Tale
One of the key differentiating factors of this campaign was the use of short films set against real locations and personalities, bucking the trend of most travel marketing videos, which tend to favour documentary travel shows.
“Co-creating these films, along with the previously launched ‘In Transit’ music video for the
Socialiser tribe, highlights STB’s wholehearted commitment to empowering the creative
community, a passionate tribe who not only have stories to tell, but also live out their stories as
socialisers and culture shapers.
“In engaging different filmmakers under Li Lin’s guidance, we were able to weave five stories,
each with a distinct style that would appeal to travellers curious about Singapore’s arts and
culture scene,” said Kenny Tan, the head of Viddsee Studios.
“STB is glad to partner Viddsee, along with so many creative and passionate local talents, to
make these films that tell the stories of the Culture Shapers through their lens. We hope that
visitors who see these films will be inspired to further discover our diverse and distinctive arts
scene, and gain new perspectives of Singapore,” said Ms Lim Shoo Ling, Director, Brand, STB.
These films are part of the second wave of STB’s ‘Passion Made Possible’ global campaign,
which involves a wave of marketing activities that will cover 17 overseas markets, bringing the
brand to life by celebrating Singapore’s people, talent and stories through marketing campaigns, consumer events and industry partnerships.
Viddsee’s previous work for STB featured a music video directed by Jacky Lee for the Socialiser passion tribe, which refers to travellers who are passionate about music, nightlife and entertainment. It featured the track ‘Vacation’ by Sobs, as well as personalities such as rapper THELIONCITYBOY aka Kevin Lester, comedian Rishi Budhrani, DJ Myrne, and mixologists Cedric Mendoza and Lee Panying. It was launched on Dec 20, 2018.
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