Over the last 5 years or so, Singapore documentaries have been growing on the back of two pan-regional channels, namely Discovery and National Geographic. In the mid-nineties, the Economic Development Board (EDB) of Singapore had strategically lured these major broadcasters of factual programming into the Republic. Not least on its agenda was to jumpstart a slew of high quality, made-by- Singapore documentaries. Through aggressive courtship incentives and hefty investments, EDB's hedge on Singapore's position as a regional hub for producing factual programming content seem to finally be bearing fruit.

"That has paid off handsomely," says Tony Chow, president of Singapore's Association of Independent Television Production Companies (AIPRO).

"Today, I can identify companies who have directly benefi ted from EDB's vision: companies like The Moving Visuals, The Right Angle, Three-Six-Zero and Beachhouse, to name a few. "These companies, in many respects, have been the benefi ciaries of government support for a long time. They have also proven with their track record what they can accomplish by producing documentaries of high regional standards."

This year, Secrets of Battleship Yamato and Emperor of the Seas: the Voyages of Zheng He debuted on Discovery Asia and the National Geographic channel to wide acclaim. These compelling documentaries, along with other productions like Guge - Lost Kingdom of Tibet by Bang Singapore, TX: Discovery Channel (Asia) and France 5; and Manmade Marvels by Beach House Pictures and Natural History New Zealand; TX: Discovery Channel (Asia), are currently being distributed in worldwide markets including North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

The collective success of these local productions has stirred the interests of international broadcasters and content producers, all eager to exploit Asia's wealth of untapped stories - rich in heritage and tradition; diverse in culture and scenery - that lend themselves almost perfectly to documentary subjects. Meanwhile, Singapore's fledging TV production community still needs to cut its teeth on more lucrative and bigger-sized projects, before staking its claim on the international stage.

Such mutual attraction and benefits are not lost on Singapore's eager beaver media bodies.

AFF invites Oscar-winning documentarian

With the support of the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA), AIPRO will be staging the upcoming Asia Factual Forum, under the auspices of the Asian Media Festival (AMF), to be held in Singapore from 14 November - 4 December 2007.

Besides showcasing new content ideas and discovering new talent, the Asia Factual Forum is a networking and development event for the television industry designed to bring the Asia's best factual content creators to the attention of international buyers and commissioning editors.

Chow explains the rationale behind organizing the event: "We realized that one of the things that Asian producers lack is information on how to tap into the international markets, especially when we're talking about Europe and North America.

"The gradual interest in all things Asia has given Singapore a very good opportunity to attract international broadcasters who are interested to get Asian partners to produce Asian content. Secondly, there are a lot of co-production opportunities to be explored for Asian content."

Chow prefers AFF - being the inaugural - to start "on a modest note". Targeting about 200 delegates from around the world, primarily consisting of Asian producers, the organizers will be inviting key speakers, conference panelists as well as commissioning editors to join the session.

The session also covers key trends in documentary productions; alongside 'in-conversation' symposium talks with top directors and filmmakers. Chinese American filmmaker Ruby Yang, the 2006 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary (short subject) will share her experiences as a documentarian of China centric subjects. The Blood of the Yingzhou District, her thought-provoking documentary set in an AIDs-inflicted rural Chinese village in Anhui, clinched the coveted Oscar this year.

For more details on the forum, visit www.asiafactualforum.com

Below is an excerpt of two e-mail interviews - with Man Shu Sum, director, Strategic Relations, MDA and Frank Smith, managing director, InFocus Asia (IFA) Films – and a face to- face interview with Tony Chow, president, AIPRO. IFA Films is an established player in the Asian and international production market, especially with its skills in HD wildlife filmmaking. Recent commissions include: a 4 part HD series for Animal Planet; a 4-part HD series for Discovery; 2 one hours for NGCI; and numerous commissions from

broadcasters such as the BBC, al-Jazeera International and Channel 4 - including the recent film Escape from North Korea.

Asia Image: More Singaporemade documentaries are gaining popularity both at home and overseas. What is your outlook on this?

Man Shu Sum: 80% of documentary content used to be developed in North America but this trend is now changing with documentary makers moving towards Asia instead. There is an abundant treasure of stories from Asia that have yet to be shared with the world and this bodes well for Singapore as factual programming is a key strength of our local media industry.

We are pleased that Made-by-Singapore content, whether these be factual programming, dramas or telemovies, are now being distributed in diverse markets in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific, example: - Guge - Lost Kingdom of Tibet by Bang Singapore; TX: Discovery Channel (Asia) and France 5

- Man-made Marvels by Beach House Pictures and Natural History New Zealand; TX: Discovery Channel (Asia) - Secrets of the Battleship Yamato by Bang Singapore and NOVA Production (US); TX: PBS (US), Discovery Channel (Asia), ZDF (Germany), Discovery Channel (Italy), History Channel (Poland), Spektmmtv (Hungary), Ceska Programova Spolecnost (Czech Republic) and History & Biography Channel (UK).

Local documentary filmmakers have grown stronger over the years in producing compelling stories with East-West sensibilities and global relevance. Being in culturally rich and diverse Asia, they have access to a wealth of interesting and untapped stories/ subjects that can resonate with viewers in East or West. We have a good base of libraries, researchers, historians, academics and other repositories of information for our filmmakers to cover subjects in a sensitive, authentic and balanced manner - an important ingredient for a successful documentary. Coupled with an educated, English speaking talent pool, cosmopolitan outlook and an ecosystem filled with ideas, innovation and creativity, these factors have also led many international content producers to establish their regional base here.

Viewers in Singapore have also become more receptive to documentaries, having access to quality and acclaimed documentaries which are produced by local and overseas film-makers, on Discovery Channel, National Geographic, BBC, Channel NewsAsia, etc.

Frank Smith: Singapore made programming is now reaching international levels of quality and expectations in terms of pace, content, drama and style - its good timing since all over the world, audiences are showing broadcasters they still have a strong appetite for factual shows. Channels go through cycles, 5 years ago the documentary was considered a dying art - now it's back in fashion with the commissioner, but the format is constantly changing.

Tony Chow: For me, the goal for Singapore documentary makers is to produce documentaries beyond that of supplying to broadcasters like Discovery or National Geographic. Even from an association point of view, how do we get to a level where we can find work beyond these two biggest broadcasters of documentaries in Asia? I think there are some years to go before our local production houses are up to the level where they are able to approach international broadcasters and pitch for big projects. We still have a long learning curve in terms of skill sets and capabilities.

For a long time, interest in documentaries made by Singapore production firms has been spurred by governmental incentives. So far the documentaries are in the SGD $20-30,000 range; and have been targeting the local market - hardly blue chip or high end to begin with. However, Discovery channel typically spends USD $120-150,000 per documentary. For local companies to be able to bridge that gap is not something that can be done overnight.

That is partly the reason why I had initiated Asia HD Doc, a 3-year plan to develop the documentary skill sets by introducing a mentorship program. The program managed to get a distributor, documentary broadcaster and the government to co-invest in an initiative to produce a slate of 18 documentaries. A closed-door pitch will be held to select 8 suitable production fi ms for the undertaking, from a group of invited-only Asian companies that have proven track records in producing documentaries. The investing partners are National Geographic, MDA and Off The Fence.

AI: What are the pros and cons of making documentaries in Singapore?

MSS: The trend today is towards co-production and Singapore is one of Asia's leading players where we are leveraging on our key strength in factual programming to develop a strong co-production market, not just for buying and selling of content.

We aim to be the focus and gateway for international companies looking to collaborate with Asian content producers. The upcoming inaugural Asia Factual Forum (AFF) to be held during the Asia Media Festival 2007, is a platform precisely designed to link international documentary producers with their Asian counterparts to share insights, learn best practices and strike collaboration opportunities.

The advantages of making documentaries in Singapore include:

- Pro-business environment and vibrant financial sector with strong IP protection and legal infrastructure;

- Growing pool of content producers who are experienced in international co-productions;

- With a mix of East-West sensibilities, Singapore content producers can also be a source of new original concepts that have an Eastern flavor, but can be exportable to Western markets.

- Strong technological capabilities and global connectivity that enables efficient co-ordination of projects and a base for top-line personnel.

- Provide a gateway into Asian markets for international partners from North America and Europe.

Given the availability of a ready talent pool, MDA welcomes international partners who are keen to work with Singapore producers/ animators to contact us via our Singapore Media Fusion industry website at www.smf.sg. FS: It's a young industry - lots of passion and new ideas; good governmental agency support too here, but it's hard to be taken seriously as an international provider of content. The decision makers are still in Europe and America, and they still view Singaporean companies as very small fish in the pond. The industry is small too - there are still not enough homegrown talents yet. The next generation is still learning the ropes in terms of technical and editorial standards.

AI: Are there enough support or government incentives/ grants for Singapore documentary filmmakers?

MSS: MDA is looking at developing the local media industry in a holistic manner and we seek to promote all genres of content, including documentary. By far, we are one of the very few countries in the world to have developed a concerted and comprehensive ecosystem comprising funding schemes, co-production initiatives, assistance in location services and international marketing efforts to grow our media industry. Our schemes are continually reviewed to meet the needs and demands of the industry.

Facilitating the development of these collaborations have been co-production agreements between Singapore and various countries in television, film and animation projects. To date Singapore has forged international co-production agreements and cooperation MOUs with Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Korea and various ASEAN countries.

In June 2007, MDA signed an Arrangement with the Korean Broadcasting Commission (KBC) to facilitate the co-production of broadcasting programs. Kicking off the agreement is a project between Oak3 Films (Singapore) and Channel Q (Korea) titled Taming the Savage: Prowess, Plunder and Butchery of the Far East Pirates - a one-hour High-Definition (HD) documentary which made its debut at MIPCOM 2007. The MDA-KBC Arrangement complements existing media cooperation agreements that we have with other Korean government agencies. For instance, under the MOU with KBI which was signed last year, producers from both countries have co-produced three HD documentaries that were launched at MIPCOM 2007. These documentaries touch on subjects that are closely intertwined with the Asian culture and psyche, and brought together producers from both countries to work on television projects for international distribution.

At the Asia Television Forum 2005, 'Gateway Asia', an initiative by MDA, Discovery Networks and the Right Angle Media, was sealed to version high-quality Asian-made documentaries for broadcast on Discovery channel for audiences throughout Asia Pacific. Arising from this collaboration were 10 documentary films which were launched at MIPCOM 07 and distributed worldwide by Off-the-Fence.

FS: Yes, the MDA and EDB have been pushing the industry forward for years now, and they've been essential to the growth of the TV business here. It's vital support and it's still much needed.

TC: Many years ago, EDB recognized that documentary is one area that Singapore production houses can thrive in by bringing National Geographic and Discovery to our doorstep. That has paid off handsomely. Today, I can identify companies who have directly benefited from EDB's vision: companies like The Moving Visuals, The Right Angle, Three-Six-Zero and Beachhouse, to name a few. These companies, in many respects, have been the beneficiaries of government support for a long time. They have also proven with their track record what they can accomplish by producing documentaries of high regional standards.

The government - in particular EDB and MDA - has been instrumental in giving Singapore an added advantage in this field. Since there is already a great need for documentaries in the English language, Singaporeans being proficient in English, have a good head start, compared to many Asian countries.

Having said that, I think it is important for the government to recognize that not everything can be quantified as in the number of productions alone. I think there is another area worthy of investment. For example, pharmaceuticals spent a lot of money in the R&D process that never sees the light of day but is necessary evil for the industry to evolve and find new ways of developing new products. The same way with our industry, we must spent more resources to build up our skills sets and technical skills, with a long-term view to develop the right talents for the future. We may incur so called 'losses' in the interim but that must be viewed as investing in the future,so that in good time, local productions can meet international standards.

AI: Is HD fi lmmaking shaping the way documentaries are being made?

MSS: The global popularity of HD technology is driving demand for factual programming where the breath and clarity of HD brings out the best in themes such as wildlife, action or adventure.

It is not just HD, but other formats too, that are infl uencing the way documentaries are made. To make a successful documentary, the producer has to be fully conversant with the different global formats available and what makes a series "format-able" as formatting series is often a viable way to get into the international market. This will be addressed at the AFF which will help producers understand the different formats and how to pitch a particular format to the broadcasters.

In Singapore, HD is an important component in our digital media landscape and we encourage content producers to develop made-by-Singapore HD content to position themselves for growth. Today, the industry has completed some 100 hours of Singapore-made HD content in 2006 and this is set to double to 200 hours by end 2007.

At MIPTV 2007, Singapore showcased a slate of over 50 Made-by-Singapore HD programmes from documentaries to lifestyle and sports programmes to dramas. Continuing a trend of strong HD programming by local companies exhibiting at the MIP markets, 46 new factual and lifestyle HD titles were featured at MIPCOM 2007 including Little Big Dreams (Threesixzero Productions) and Path of Typhoon (Oak3 Films); as well as First Flower (Bang Singapore), Kylie Kwong: My China (Sitting In Picture) and Taming the Savage: Prowess, Plunder and Butchery of the Far East Pirates (Oak3 Films) which made their debut at the market. MDA will continue to work with the industry and establish co-production collaborations of quality HD programmes.

FS: The higher costs are obviously a barrier to younger or smaller would be program makers/companies and at a technical level, the technical standards of the broadcasters have meant a steep learning curve for many in postproduction. But in terms of content or style, it's not a major change maker.

TC: You can't avoid HD. Eventually everything is going that way.

Interestingly, HD wipes the slate clean. Whatever was previously done on SD, can almost now be totally replaced by HD, so that you start from point zero all over again. Even in terms of archiving footage, HD is definitely a better option for the long run.

The biggest challenge for HD now is that broadcasters are still not willing to pay more for HD quality. In fact, due to current lack of a standard format, some broadcasters are demanding for different format delivery of the same program, adding to the cost that is often shouldered by the production houses. Since most consider HD quality good enough for digital projection, this will also open up new markets for HD documentaries crossing over to the big screens.

End of the day, HD is just a technological issue, which should not deviate from what is really important in documentaries, which is coming up with compelling content and how you craft and present it.

AI: There seems to be a trend towards documentaries on historical subjects, from the likes of Secrets of Battleship Yamato and Emperor of the Seas: the Voyages of Zheng He. Are there reasons for this phenomenon?

MSS: Historical subjects are one of the many genres available in content production. Asia, being home to the largest population in the world, is a wealth of historical subjects and cultures. In addition, the growing traction of Asian content in the global entertainment industry with countries like Japan, Korea and India having successfully exported their content to the world and establishing an audience base in many countries, have helped created awareness of Asian culture and history. More importantly, they have demonstrated that Asia has compelling stories that strike a chord with international audiences.

FS: It's cyclical, to be honest. One year it's history, the next it's wildlife. Eco and green programming is the one everyone's been pushing in the last few months. Tastes change constantly in the market.

AI: Documentaries are crossing over to the big screens in the US, with fi lms like Arctic Tale and SICKO playing to critical acclaim. What would it take for local documentary productions to do likewise?

MSS: Local documentary filmmakers have been traveling the international film circuits and having their creations screened. They include:

Where the Sun Rises (Grace Phan), a documentary narrated by East Timor's President Gusmao Xanana which clinched the Amnesty's International Movies' That Matter Award, Jakarta International Film Festival's Human Rights Film Competition. Other accolades include the Top 3 Documentaries Audience Award, Sydney Film Festival 2006; Offi cial Selection, Melbourne International Film Festival 2006, and the Special Jury Prize, AFI Dallas International Film Festival 2007. The fi lm has also been sold to Australia and New Zealand. Aki Ra's Boys (James Leong and Lynn Lee), a documentary about two young landmine victims growing up in Siem Reap, was selected for the Offi cial Selection, Yamagata Documentary Film Festival 2007.

Ultimately, it is the content that sells. We need to constantly keep taps with what the international broadcasters are looking for - understand what their channel and viewers need; how to strike a collaboration deal from idea through development, to marketing and financing and production and delivery. I believe Singapore has several attributes that enable us to develop quality content which can be distributed across different delivery platforms. A microcosm of Asia, our cosmopolitan influences and Western outlook are grounded in a multi-cultural, multiethnic mix, enabling us to tell stories with a unique point of view. This, coupled with our traditional strengths such as an educated, IT-savvy workforce, open and business-friendly environment, stand us in good stead as we continue to nurture the content development capability of our media industry.

MDA will continue to work closely with the industry, and where possible, facilitate collaborations for the creation of Singapore-made content that can entertain both local and international audiences, on small as well as big screens.

AI: What are your hopes for the future of Made-by-Singapore documentaries?

MSS: We believe in the concept of exporting Made-by-Singapore content and believe in creating, owning and commercializing intellectual property (IP). Through international co-productions, our Singapore companies take stakes in IP creation and ownership. By building up a strong distribution network, our companies will be able to commercialize and exploit the IP. We have begun to see this strategy bear fruit in the TV and animation sectors and will continue to expand upon this strategy.

We have to explore and capture original themes that are available to us in the region, example themes on fast disappearing heritage and community groups; be seen as a centre for producing quality documentaries; and continue to expand our collaboration base beyond existing partners and produce for more international broadcasters.

FS: Stronger relationships with commissioners overseas, and also stronger business relationships with distributors and co-production partners.

Singapore needs to do a landmark series - or program, one that can't be labeled Singaporean - one that audiences remember for the show itself.

TC: Even as the industry grows, I think we have another 3-5 years to catch up on, as we're not a mature industry. Although we have been developing documentaries for more than a decade, some countries take 25 years to gain maturity as an industry. However, comparing with the last decade or so, there's a lot more happening now.

I think although our market is small, what I am beginning to see is that our industry is slowly coming together. People are more receptive to working together and more into the idea of hunting in packs and not individually. More production houses are synergizing their strengths to pitch for bigger projects. The grapevine tells me that in the coming months, more companies will be joining forces to pitch for bigger projects. That does not necessarily mean a merger. You can stay autonomous as separate entities but tap on each other's strengths, instead of cannibalizing each other. That's what I hope to see more of in the not-too-distant future.

Rate This Article

Excellent
Very Good
Good
Quite Good
Poor

  Rate This Article

Related Stories

Singapore’s media facilities to expand with addition of movie studios - 15/12/2008

Singapore will build new movie studios for use by independent and foreign productions as part of a new S$1 billion facilities cluster, Mediapolis @ one-north. A consortium of public agencies and priva [...]

Camera Corps heads back to Australian rainforest - 8/12/2008

Gearhouse Broadcast has chosen Camera Corps to provide speciality equipment for the eighth series of ITV's autumn reality television programme I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!. The contract include [...]

Gearhouse Broadcast’s return to the jungle - 11/11/2008

Gearhouse Broadcast will provide I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here!, ITV’s autumn reality programme set in the Australian rainforest with technical and broadcast facilities for the production using f [...]