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‘My Drawing, My Pledge’ is a 3-min short film about a young girl drawing a picture of what the Singapore Pledge means to her – from citizenship and multi-racial people living in harmony, to achievement of progress and happiness.
We hope that this short film will inspire others to think about the Pledge from their personal perspective, like what this little girl did.
A very fun project with an adorable little actress full of life and sparkle.
Written and Produced by Desmond & Eryn
My Drawing, My Pledge Demystified
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My Drawing My Pledge Demystified
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Scene 1 - Opening Scene
Shows the young actress beginning her drawing of what the Singapore Pledge means to her. She starts off with the Singapore Flag.
Scene 2 - Sparkling Water, Singapore City Skyline, Merlion, Esplanade Roof, Sir Stamford Raffles, Vanda Miss Joaquim, Singapore Flag.
Captures the unique symbols of Singapore, which reflect the beautiful country we live in. It also shows the places the little girl has been to.
Scene 3 - Malay, Eurasian, Indian & Chinese
Shows the multi-racial aspect of Singapore. The young girl has teachers, friends and relatives of different races.
Scene 4 - Students chatting, Man reading newspaper and four books in different languages
Refers to our four major languages.
Scene 5 - Chinese Temple, Church, Mosque & Hindu Temple
Young girl visits four different places of worship to show diversity of religion. She would include them in her drawings at the end of the film.
Scene 6 (Interlude) - Drawing Scene
Shows young actress continuing her drawing of the things, people and places she has encountered.
Scene 7 - Former Supreme Court @ Padang
The building behind the actress is the former Supreme Court. 'Justitia', the statue shown holding a balance scale and a sword, represents equality and justice, and the fairness of our judicial system.
Scene 8 - Bread Cutting & Balance Scale
Young actress playing with her toys - first, she cut bread into equal parts; then she balanced her scale with equal weights. Both illustrate equality from her personal perspecitve.
Scene 9 - Stacking Hands
Stacking of hands, a sign of cooperation and teamwork, represents unity among Singaporeans.
Scene 10 - Young Actress Climbing Rope Ladder
Progress is illustrated as a literal upward climb. On the left of the screen, a line graph gradually goes upwards to meet the little girl's hand. The little girl eventually climbs to the top and catches hold of the peak of the line graph, signifying success.
Scene 11 - Prosperity
"Laughing Buddha", Stock Market Indices and Fountain of Wealth are closely related to prosperity, measures of wealth and fortune respectively.
Scene 12 (Closing Scene) - Young Actress Playing at the Water Fountain
Final scene captures the young actress's lovely, knowing smile as she plays and enjoys her freedom splashing water. Her pure, unguarded joy depicts the final message - happiness.
Closing Words - "If we believe in our pledge, and live by it... we will succeed as a nation, for generations to come."
Thought-provoking words that challenge us to think whether the pledge is still relevant to us today and in the future, in this fast-changing world.
Credits - Young Actress's Completed Drawing
The little girl's completed drawing of the Singapore Pledge is animated in the last few seconds of the film.
Scene 1 - Opening Scene
Shows the young actress beginning her drawing of what the Singapore Pledge means to her. She starts off with the Singapore Flag.
Scene 2 - Sparkling Water, Singapore City Skyline, Merlion, Esplanade Roof, Sir Stamford Raffles, Vanda Miss Joaquim, Singapore Flag.
Captures the unique symbols of Singapore, which reflect the beautiful country we live in. It also shows the places the little girl has been to.
Scene 3 - Malay, Eurasian, Indian & Chinese
Shows the multi-racial aspect of Singapore. The young girl has teachers, friends and relatives of different races.
Scene 4 - Students chatting, Man reading newspaper and four books in different languages
Refers to our four major languages.
Scene 5 - Chinese Temple, Church, Mosque & Hindu Temple
Young girl visits four different places of worship to show diversity of religion. She would include them in her drawings at the end of the film.
Scene 6 (Interlude) - Drawing Scene
Shows young actress continuing her drawing of the things, people and places she has encountered.
Scene 7 - Former Supreme Court @ Padang
The building behind the actress is the former Supreme Court. 'Justitia', the statue shown holding a balance scale and a sword, represents equality and justice, and the fairness of our judicial system.
Scene 8 - Bread Cutting & Balance Scale
Young actress playing with her toys - first, she cut bread into equal parts; then she balanced her scale with equal weights. Both illustrate equality from her personal perspecitve.
Scene 9 - Stacking Hands
Stacking of hands, a sign of cooperation and teamwork, represents unity among Singaporeans.
Scene 10 - Young Actress Climbing Rope Ladder
Progress is illustrated as a literal upward climb. On the left of the screen, a line graph gradually goes upwards to meet the little girl's hand. The little girl eventually climbs to the top and catches hold of the peak of the line graph, signifying success.
Scene 11 - Prosperity
"Laughing Buddha", Stock Market Indices and Fountain of Wealth are closely related to prosperity, measures of wealth and fortune respectively.
Scene 12 (Closing Scene) - Young Actress Playing at the Water Fountain
Final scene captures the young actress's lovely, knowing smile as she plays and enjoys her freedom splashing water. Her pure, unguarded joy depicts the final message - happiness.
Closing Words - "If we believe in our pledge, and live by it... we will succeed as a nation, for generations to come."
Thought-provoking words that challenge us to think whether the pledge is still relevant to us today and in the future, in this fast-changing world.
Credits - Young Actress's Completed Drawing
The little girl's completed drawing of the Singapore Pledge is animated in the last few seconds of the film.
Credits & Acknowledgements
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Credits and Acknowledgements
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Written & Produced by
Desmond & Eryn
Trinity
as Young Actress
Eryn
Voice of Young Actress
Characters
In Order of Appearance
Norliza
as Malay Girl
Sean
as Tourist
Punitha
as Indian Lady
Uncle Neo
as Chinese Retiree
Jancy, Genevie & He Shun
three chatting students
Uncle Neo
as man holding chinese language newspaper
Vera, Joel, Chloe & Ryne
for modelling their hands in the Unity scene
Places of Interest shown in the Film
Merlion
Merlion Park
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
Esplanade Drive
Sir Stamford Raffles Statue
Boat Quay - Sir Stamford Landing Site
(Singapore River)
Vanda Miss Joaquim (Singapore National Flower)
Botanical Garden
Padang, Former Supreme Court
St Andrew's Road
Kuang Im Thong Hood Cho Temple 观音堂佛祖庙
Waterloo Street
St Joseph's Church
Victoria Street
Abdul Gaffoor Mosque
Dunlop Street, Little India
Layor Sithi Vinayagar Temple
Keong Saik Road
Clarke Quay
River Valley Road
Others
Zaobao Chinese Language Newspaper from SPH Singapore Press Holdings
Different language books from Cheng San Library (National Library Board)
Written & Produced by
Desmond & Eryn
Trinity
as Young Actress
Eryn
Voice of Young Actress
Characters
In Order of Appearance
Norliza
as Malay Girl
Sean
as Tourist
Punitha
as Indian Lady
Uncle Neo
as Chinese Retiree
Jancy, Genevie & He Shun
three chatting students
Uncle Neo
as man holding chinese language newspaper
Vera, Joel, Chloe & Ryne
for modelling their hands in the Unity scene
Places of Interest shown in the Film
Merlion
Merlion Park
Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay
Esplanade Drive
Sir Stamford Raffles Statue
Boat Quay - Sir Stamford Landing Site
(Singapore River)
Vanda Miss Joaquim (Singapore National Flower)
Botanical Garden
Padang, Former Supreme Court
St Andrew's Road
Kuang Im Thong Hood Cho Temple 观音堂佛祖庙
Waterloo Street
St Joseph's Church
Victoria Street
Abdul Gaffoor Mosque
Dunlop Street, Little India
Layor Sithi Vinayagar Temple
Keong Saik Road
Clarke Quay
River Valley Road
Others
Zaobao Chinese Language Newspaper from SPH Singapore Press Holdings
Different language books from Cheng San Library (National Library Board)
Publicity & Promotion Images
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Publicity and Promotion Images
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Scenes from the film
Scenes from the film
Opening Scenes - Trinity began her drawing of the Singapore Pledge
Unique & Beautiful City
Happiness!Message Behind The Film
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Message Behind The Film
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The simple message behind this film is summarised by the closing words.
"If we believe in our pledge, and live by it....we will succeed as a nation, for generations to come."
The pledge was first drafted in 1966, at a time when racial, race and religion were a major issue in our country.
Today, more than 40 years later, is it still relevant to us? Do we recite the pledge and not know the meaning and history behind it?
Do you believe that Singapore's success today is due to our commitment described in our pledge? Do you believe that if we teach and pass our values to the next generation, they will succeed as we do?
This film does not attempt to examine the pledge in detail, but hopes to stir an emotion and perspective in us from a child-like view.
The simple message behind this film is summarised by the closing words.
"If we believe in our pledge, and live by it....we will succeed as a nation, for generations to come."
The pledge was first drafted in 1966, at a time when racial, race and religion were a major issue in our country.
Today, more than 40 years later, is it still relevant to us? Do we recite the pledge and not know the meaning and history behind it?
Do you believe that Singapore's success today is due to our commitment described in our pledge? Do you believe that if we teach and pass our values to the next generation, they will succeed as we do?
This film does not attempt to examine the pledge in detail, but hopes to stir an emotion and perspective in us from a child-like view.
About the Young Actress
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About the Young Actress
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Trinity, an active 2 1/2 year old girl (DOB 17 Sept 2006). Currently in preschool.
Her love for drawing prompted us to write about her in this film.
Given the nature of our script, which required many on-location shooting and re-enactments by our central character, a 7- to 9-year old would have been an ideal actress for this film.
However, we were willing to give our dear daughter a try, despite her young age. We understood her moods and temperament well, and hence were able to schedule our filming to suit her. It usually worked when we gave her a task to do and we filmed her in action, without rehearsals and no fixed results in mind. Many times we ended up with long raw footages, which we had to carefully edit. However, there were several scenes in the final film which were first-version footages. Somehow, the first was also the best.
With our little girl, every scene was as real as it could get. Everything happened spontaneously. In particular, the final 'happiness' scene where she played with fountain water touched our hearts every time we viewed it. That was a first-version footage. Pure joy, pure freedom.
Given the short time frame, unpredictable weather and our various schedules (and moods!), we would say that everything went pretty well. It was daunting at times, especially when we had to shoot and re-shoot the same scenes, but the fruits were rewarding.
Most importantly, we all had fun!
Trinity, an active 2 1/2 year old girl (DOB 17 Sept 2006). Currently in preschool.
Her love for drawing prompted us to write about her in this film.
Given the nature of our script, which required many on-location shooting and re-enactments by our central character, a 7- to 9-year old would have been an ideal actress for this film.
However, we were willing to give our dear daughter a try, despite her young age. We understood her moods and temperament well, and hence were able to schedule our filming to suit her. It usually worked when we gave her a task to do and we filmed her in action, without rehearsals and no fixed results in mind. Many times we ended up with long raw footages, which we had to carefully edit. However, there were several scenes in the final film which were first-version footages. Somehow, the first was also the best.
With our little girl, every scene was as real as it could get. Everything happened spontaneously. In particular, the final 'happiness' scene where she played with fountain water touched our hearts every time we viewed it. That was a first-version footage. Pure joy, pure freedom.
Given the short time frame, unpredictable weather and our various schedules (and moods!), we would say that everything went pretty well. It was daunting at times, especially when we had to shoot and re-shoot the same scenes, but the fruits were rewarding.
Most importantly, we all had fun!
Illustration - "My Pledge"
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Illustration - "My Pledge"
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The drawing depicts all the elements found in the Singapore Pledge.
Starting from top left [clockwise direction]
The stacking hands - Unity;
Group of 4 people - regardless of Race & Language
Their smiling faces - Happiness;
Graph - Progress;
Justitia Statue - Justic & Equality;
Religious Building - regardless of Religion
City Skyline - Democratic Society
Fountain - Wealth
[Center] National Flag - Citizen of Singapore
Voice Over
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Voice Over
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Voice over were recorded using Zoom H2 from Samsontech.
We recorded the voice of young actress and a 7 yr old girl, cousin of the young actress. In the end, we chose to go with Mummy's voice.
Edited and tweaked with Adobe Soundbooth.
Voice over were recorded using Zoom H2 from Samsontech.
We recorded the voice of young actress and a 7 yr old girl, cousin of the young actress. In the end, we chose to go with Mummy's voice.
Edited and tweaked with Adobe Soundbooth.
Filming Duration
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Filming Duration
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Filming started on 23 May 2009 and ended on 28 June 2009.
Major scenes were done during weekends when the little actress was most available.
Some scenes were filmed on weekdays. Those were mostly scenery scenes where the actress was not needed.
The spell of good and hot sunny weather helped us in getting the scenes filmed quickly, but it also gave us terrible burns.
In total, it took us 6 weekends and 4 weekdays to film this 3-min film with some extra footages to spare.
Filming started on 23 May 2009 and ended on 28 June 2009.
Major scenes were done during weekends when the little actress was most available.
Some scenes were filmed on weekdays. Those were mostly scenery scenes where the actress was not needed.
The spell of good and hot sunny weather helped us in getting the scenes filmed quickly, but it also gave us terrible burns.
In total, it took us 6 weekends and 4 weekdays to film this 3-min film with some extra footages to spare.
Filming Gear - Nikon D90
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Filming Gear - Nikon D90
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This film is shot entirely in Nikon D90
Main lens is AF 50mm f/1.4D ,
Other lenses include AF DX Fisheye 10.5mm f/2.8G ED , AF-S DX 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED, AF-S DX 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED, and AF 80-200mm f/2.8D ED.
This film is shot entirely in Nikon D90
Main lens is AF 50mm f/1.4D ,
Other lenses include AF DX Fisheye 10.5mm f/2.8G ED , AF-S DX 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED, AF-S DX 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED, and AF 80-200mm f/2.8D ED.
Filmed with Nikon 80-200mm AF-D IF f/2.8 lens with 1.5x teleconverter mounted on a monopod.
Filmed with Nikon 10.5DX AFS f/2.8 lens Fish Eye LenseFull List of Equipments:
DSLR Camera with HD Capability
Nikon D90
Nikon Lenses
AF 50mm f/1.4D
AF DX Fisheye 10.5mm f/2.8G ED ,
AF-S DX 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED,
AF-S DX 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED,
AF 80-200mm f/2.8D ED.
Tripod/Monopod
Carbon Fibre Tripod
Kangrinpoche Ballhead
Slik Monopods with Manfrotto Ball Head
Accessories
3 EN-EL3e Batteries
2x 8GB of SDHC card
1x 4GB of SDHC card
Bags
Lowepro Backpack
Manfrotto MBAG70 Tripod Bag
Lightings
Continuous Fluorescent Lights (CFL)
Lightstand
Umbrella (to diffuse the lights)
Reflector
Video & Sound Editing Software
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Video and Sound Editing Software
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SOFTWARE
Video Editing Software: Pinnacle Studio 12 Ultimate
Sound Editing Software: Adobe Soundbooth CS4
Background Music: Score Fitter
Graphics : Adobe Photoshop CS3
HARDWARE
Sound Recorder: Zoom H2
Film Camera: Nikon D90
PC: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, 4GB RAM, Nivdia 8800GT, 1.5GB Harddisk, 20 inch ViewSonic LCD Monitor, Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit.
Storage Server: Dlink 343 , 3TB of storage space, RAID 1
SOFTWARE
Video Editing Software: Pinnacle Studio 12 Ultimate
Sound Editing Software: Adobe Soundbooth CS4
Background Music: Score Fitter
Graphics : Adobe Photoshop CS3
HARDWARE
Sound Recorder: Zoom H2
Film Camera: Nikon D90
PC: Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, 4GB RAM, Nivdia 8800GT, 1.5GB Harddisk, 20 inch ViewSonic LCD Monitor, Windows Vista Ultimate 64bit.
Storage Server: Dlink 343 , 3TB of storage space, RAID 1
What We Left Out?
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What Was Left Out?
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Did we leave anything of out of the film?
Yes, we did. "Democracy" was deliberately left out, partly for our audience to spot the missing link and also to let them guess what the little girl would have drawn to represent "Demoracy".
If we had decided to include it, it would have been placed here "The pledge also means a democratic society built on justice.".
Democracy, in our viewpoint could be illustrated showing our "Election Department" and our actress drawing a cross on a mock voting slip and a scene of her inserting the voting slip into a box. We may include that in our next version.
Did we leave anything of out of the film?
Yes, we did. "Democracy" was deliberately left out, partly for our audience to spot the missing link and also to let them guess what the little girl would have drawn to represent "Demoracy".
If we had decided to include it, it would have been placed here "The pledge also means a democratic society built on justice.".
Democracy, in our viewpoint could be illustrated showing our "Election Department" and our actress drawing a cross on a mock voting slip and a scene of her inserting the voting slip into a box. We may include that in our next version.
Nikon D90 Experience
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Nikon D90 Experience
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Why Nikon D90?
DSLR with HD movie capabilities has taken the world photography community by storm.
We have a Sony CX12E that delivers crisp HD video footages with 5.1 surround sound.
But why we chose to go with Nikon? It's simple - to deliver film-like effects. To do that on our Sony CX12E, it would require expensive 35mm vibrating lens adapters that will result in light loss.
With Nikon D90, we have wide options of existing lenses we owned and the ability to play with depth of field.
Camera Video Settings
Our choice of lens is the Nikon 50mm f1.4. We shot in Aperture Mode.
Aperture is set between f2.8 to f8 (depending on lighting and scene conditions)
ISO - 200
White Balance - Auto (we set to K mode when using CFL)
EV - Usually set to 0 (-0.3 to -0.7 on a sunny outdoor and +0.3 to +0.7 for indoor/evening shoot)
Lastly, we always locked our AE-L just before shooting. This was to prevent momentary flickering due to change of angle and lighting condition during the filming.
Under fluorescent light, D90 tends to flicker. You can solve that by using external lights or minimise flickering by pointing your camera to a spot in your room which has lots of midtones, something to the likeness of a bright cream colour. Once you see that the flickering on your LCD has stopped, press AE-L to lock the exposure.
We do not have much problem with D90. In fact we are constantly amazed by it. The quality it delivers is superb. Learning to use and overcome its limitation is important. Once you understand your camera, filming becomes a breeze.
5min limitation
Nikon D90 has a 5min limitation per footage. The main reason is to prevent over-heating of the sensor. We faced the problem of hot sensor, particularly when we were shooting under the hot sun for an extended period of time, which automatically shut down the camera midway during shoot. With proper shade, the heat problem should take care of itself.
White Balance
D90 has a superb auto white balance. All the footages in the final film are direct from the video files. No colour corrections were applied to it.
Why Nikon D90?
DSLR with HD movie capabilities has taken the world photography community by storm.
We have a Sony CX12E that delivers crisp HD video footages with 5.1 surround sound.
But why we chose to go with Nikon? It's simple - to deliver film-like effects. To do that on our Sony CX12E, it would require expensive 35mm vibrating lens adapters that will result in light loss.
With Nikon D90, we have wide options of existing lenses we owned and the ability to play with depth of field.
Camera Video Settings
Our choice of lens is the Nikon 50mm f1.4. We shot in Aperture Mode.
Aperture is set between f2.8 to f8 (depending on lighting and scene conditions)
ISO - 200
White Balance - Auto (we set to K mode when using CFL)
EV - Usually set to 0 (-0.3 to -0.7 on a sunny outdoor and +0.3 to +0.7 for indoor/evening shoot)
Lastly, we always locked our AE-L just before shooting. This was to prevent momentary flickering due to change of angle and lighting condition during the filming.
Under fluorescent light, D90 tends to flicker. You can solve that by using external lights or minimise flickering by pointing your camera to a spot in your room which has lots of midtones, something to the likeness of a bright cream colour. Once you see that the flickering on your LCD has stopped, press AE-L to lock the exposure.
We do not have much problem with D90. In fact we are constantly amazed by it. The quality it delivers is superb. Learning to use and overcome its limitation is important. Once you understand your camera, filming becomes a breeze.
5min limitation
Nikon D90 has a 5min limitation per footage. The main reason is to prevent over-heating of the sensor. We faced the problem of hot sensor, particularly when we were shooting under the hot sun for an extended period of time, which automatically shut down the camera midway during shoot. With proper shade, the heat problem should take care of itself.
White Balance
D90 has a superb auto white balance. All the footages in the final film are direct from the video files. No colour corrections were applied to it.
Singapore National Pledge
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Singapore National Pledge
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English translation
We, the citizens of Singapore
pledge ourselves as one united people,
regardless of race, language or religion,
to build a democratic society,
based on justice and equality,
so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and
progress for our nation.
Malay original
Kami, warganegara Singapura,
sebagai rakyat yang bersatu padu,
tidak kira apa bangsa, bahasa, atau ugama,
berikrar untuk membina suatu masyarakat yang demokratik,
berdasarkan kepada keadilan dan persamaan
untuk mencapai kebahagiaan,
kemakmuran dan kemajuan bagi negara kami.
Chinese translation
我们是新加坡公民，
誓愿不分种族、言语、宗教，
团结一致，
建设公正平等
的民主社会，
并为实现国家之幸福、繁荣与进步，
共同努力。
Tamil translation
சிங்கப்பூர் குடிமக்களாகிய நாம் இனம்,மொழி,மதம்
ஆகிய வேற்றுமைகளை மறந்து ஒன்றுபட்டு,நம் நாடு
மகிழ்ச்சி,வளம்,முன்னேற்றம் ஆகியவற்றை அடையும்
வண்ணம் சமத்துவத்தையும்,நீதியையும்
அடிப்படையாக கொண்ட ஜனாயக
சமுதாயத்தை உருவாக்குவதற்கு
உறுதி மேற்கொள்வோமாக
Source : wikipedia.org
English translation
We, the citizens of Singapore
pledge ourselves as one united people,
regardless of race, language or religion,
to build a democratic society,
based on justice and equality,
so as to achieve happiness, prosperity and
progress for our nation.
Malay original
Kami, warganegara Singapura,
sebagai rakyat yang bersatu padu,
tidak kira apa bangsa, bahasa, atau ugama,
berikrar untuk membina suatu masyarakat yang demokratik,
berdasarkan kepada keadilan dan persamaan
untuk mencapai kebahagiaan,
kemakmuran dan kemajuan bagi negara kami.
Chinese translation
我们是新加坡公民，
誓愿不分种族、言语、宗教，
团结一致，
建设公正平等
的民主社会，
并为实现国家之幸福、繁荣与进步，
共同努力。
Tamil translation
சிங்கப்பூர் குடிமக்களாகிய நாம் இனம்,மொழி,மதம்
ஆகிய வேற்றுமைகளை மறந்து ஒன்றுபட்டு,நம் நாடு
மகிழ்ச்சி,வளம்,முன்னேற்றம் ஆகியவற்றை அடையும்
வண்ணம் சமத்துவத்தையும்,நீதியையும்
அடிப்படையாக கொண்ட ஜனாயக
சமுதாயத்தை உருவாக்குவதற்கு
உறுதி மேற்கொள்வோமாக
Source : wikipedia.org
Fun Facts & Bloopers
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Fun Facts and Bloopers
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Fun Facts
(1) The first scene we shot was at the Chinese Temple. It was a test shot and it made it into the final cut.
(2) The opening scene of the young actress drawing the Singapore Flag was the last segment we shot.
(3) Planned for the young actress was:
16 sets of clothes, 6 pairs of shoes, and many accessories and props, hair clips, Singapore flags, face tattoos, caps, digital camera, lots of sweets!
(4) Filming with the young actress was done on weekends.
(5) Voice recording by mummy was done at night after our little actress was asleep.
(6) The Vanda Miss Joaquim footage cost $13 plus a few mozzy bites.
(7) Glittering Water was shot at Sngapore River
(8) Chinese Retiree is the young actress' grandpa.
(9) For the 'Fountain of Wealth' scene, we entertained our actress with koi feeding session. $2 per feed. The feeding led us to discover a scene for prosperity. It was not used in the end.
(10) A filming session at Little India attracted over 100 people, crowd eventually became overwhelming. We left quickly as we were outnumbered, and the lack of crowd control on our part.
(11) This film is shot entirely with a Digital SLR with HD 720p video capture functions.
(12) Original Merlion shot was without spurting water, somehow they turn off the fountain when we reached there. After we completed our take and left the place, we saw it spurting water again from afar. And we returned to do a reshoot, this time we were all wet.
(13) After a month of filming, all of us had a nice tan.
Bloopers
(1) 'Fountain of Wealth' scene
The intended scene was of the young actress snapping a picture of the Fountain. It was easy as our actress really knew how to use her compact camera. We got what we wanted... it was picture perfect. What went wrong? Her digital camera battery went dead! The LCD showed black screen. But our actress gamely tried to take photos for us. What a dear! We did not use the footage as we did not like the 'dead' LCD.
(oh, and we almost lost our actress' stroller! Left it behind in a cab. The kind elderly driver drove back to meet us, with a lady passenger in tow!)
2nd attempt - we postponed the shoot due to rain, but were running some errands in the area. It was sunshine (of course...) at the Fountain. We did not have our full gear so could not film.
3rd attempt - on the weekend we scheduled to reshoot the scene, we reached there all ready. The weather was perfect. We saw something white before us - a huge white tent built over the Fountain! We scrapped that scene. Trinity went to fatten the kois again.
(2) 'Justice' scene
1st take of the Justitia statue was unsteady, 2nd take was wrong angle and too much 'nudity' in other nearby statues, which we didn't notice during the shoot. 3rd take was very steady due to use of tripod - in fact, too steady, too static, too perfect - like a still shot. Eventually we used the first footage with some adjustments.
Fun Facts
(1) The first scene we shot was at the Chinese Temple. It was a test shot and it made it into the final cut.
(2) The opening scene of the young actress drawing the Singapore Flag was the last segment we shot.
(3) Planned for the young actress was:
16 sets of clothes, 6 pairs of shoes, and many accessories and props, hair clips, Singapore flags, face tattoos, caps, digital camera, lots of sweets!
(4) Filming with the young actress was done on weekends.
(5) Voice recording by mummy was done at night after our little actress was asleep.
(6) The Vanda Miss Joaquim footage cost $13 plus a few mozzy bites.
(7) Glittering Water was shot at Sngapore River
(8) Chinese Retiree is the young actress' grandpa.
(9) For the 'Fountain of Wealth' scene, we entertained our actress with koi feeding session. $2 per feed. The feeding led us to discover a scene for prosperity. It was not used in the end.
(10) A filming session at Little India attracted over 100 people, crowd eventually became overwhelming. We left quickly as we were outnumbered, and the lack of crowd control on our part.
(11) This film is shot entirely with a Digital SLR with HD 720p video capture functions.
(12) Original Merlion shot was without spurting water, somehow they turn off the fountain when we reached there. After we completed our take and left the place, we saw it spurting water again from afar. And we returned to do a reshoot, this time we were all wet.
(13) After a month of filming, all of us had a nice tan.
Bloopers
(1) 'Fountain of Wealth' scene
The intended scene was of the young actress snapping a picture of the Fountain. It was easy as our actress really knew how to use her compact camera. We got what we wanted... it was picture perfect. What went wrong? Her digital camera battery went dead! The LCD showed black screen. But our actress gamely tried to take photos for us. What a dear! We did not use the footage as we did not like the 'dead' LCD.
(oh, and we almost lost our actress' stroller! Left it behind in a cab. The kind elderly driver drove back to meet us, with a lady passenger in tow!)
2nd attempt - we postponed the shoot due to rain, but were running some errands in the area. It was sunshine (of course...) at the Fountain. We did not have our full gear so could not film.
3rd attempt - on the weekend we scheduled to reshoot the scene, we reached there all ready. The weather was perfect. We saw something white before us - a huge white tent built over the Fountain! We scrapped that scene. Trinity went to fatten the kois again.
(2) 'Justice' scene
1st take of the Justitia statue was unsteady, 2nd take was wrong angle and too much 'nudity' in other nearby statues, which we didn't notice during the shoot. 3rd take was very steady due to use of tripod - in fact, too steady, too static, too perfect - like a still shot. Eventually we used the first footage with some adjustments.
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