Dec. 8, 2023

Mediacorp Premieres in Virtual Production with Chinese Dramas

Singaporean media company Mediacorp has started integrating virtual sets into their scripted content, beginning with two Chinese drama shows. It was unveiled in the ongoing Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF). By: Dylan Low

One Chinese drama is Strangers in the Dark, which describes a school outcast, who makes use of her powerful imagination to help tackle several mysteries. Virtual production granted the production team the ability to use a dynamic canvas, where the protagonist could be situated in different locations and time periods that were previously claimed too challenging to portray.

In Once Upon a New Year’s Eve, the protagonist encounters a man from the future, who helps him travel back to the past, in various stages of his life to make atonements with his family members. Virtual production made the time-travel narrative possible, by recreating historical backgrounds and imaginary sceneries, consisting of buildings and scenes that are no longer around, an example being Singapore’s old National Library and National Theatre.

Singapore authorities disclosed a major development of government funding for virtual production.

“A first for Singapore’s largest content creator, virtual production marks a quantum leap forward in Mediacorp’s efforts to constantly innovate and augment its storytelling and production capabilities,” Mediacorp announced in a statement. “With virtual production, Mediacorp will leverage cutting-edge technology to push the boundaries of creativity by seamlessly integrating real-world elements with computer-generated environments. This gives producers more creative license to deliver on ambitious concepts and storylines which were hitherto challenging due to logistical constraints, minimizing the need for extensive physical sets and location shoots. The result is stunning visual effects which create a more immersive, dynamic and richer experience for audiences.”

They further elaborated, “One of the key benefits of virtual production is that it opens the door to more diverse storytelling, allowing a show to easily transition between different cultural, historical and futuristic settings.”

ATF makes up a portion of the Singapore Media Festival that involves the Singapore International Film Festival, Nas Summit Asia and Singapore Comic Con.

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