"OB" Set Designs for "COMEDY NITE / 搞笑行动” (1997-1998)
And while I’ve not had the pleasure of “Art Directing” for any Jack Neo movies here in Singapore, I have had the opportunity instead to service his wildly successful television show in the late-90s’, with "COMEDY NITE" (“搞笑行动”) - broadcast on Channel 8, via the Television Corporation of Singapore.
The show essentially consisted of various 20-minute long sketches (for standard settings, and was recorded "live" in front of a seated studio audience), shorter sketches (pre-recorded with no audience, and edited into the final show package), and a "news reporting" segment, which satirised events (in the vein of Channel 5's "The Noose"). I had designed for and serviced the program's requirements, during the period of 1997-1998/9?
Besides the “standard sets" in TV Theatre - including Liang Xi Mei’s house (where Jack Neo performed in drag), the weekly show required a ton of additional non-standard settings, for skits - both short run and one-offs - and a whole lot of them were NOT set in the film studio, but around the TCS indoor premises, considered as part of "OB Setting" ("Outside Broadcast"), for which this particular blog-post features.
The designs were not particularly "special", nor groundbreaking, but it shows the effort needed to have these sets prepared and set, for recording.These were distributed to the Setting/Striking Department, the Props Depart, lighting, OB filming crew, producers - basically anyone and everyone involved in making each and every set happen and ready for recording/filming, and even broadcast (after editing, of course).
Unfortunately I did not take photographs of these settings (except for the in-studio Standard Sets), and all I am left with decades later, are these copies - which I had taken photos off my iPhone, and reposted digitally.
One of the reasons I adored working/designing for TV Variety, is the different requirements for each episode, something fresh and different each time - which is a real boon for someone with a (somewhat) short attention span like myself (I’ve learnt very quickly during my time in TCS), but at the same time, also something which I abhor - the sheer amount of changes and different requirements, tend to take its toll, with late / over night documenting in the office multiple times thru the years, as my “memory proof” of my naive desires to excel in my profession … but I have no regrets, quite frankly, and wished I had kept a better archival record of my past work, as it is.
One particular thing of note, is that the budget for most of these "OB Settings" - though apart of the final costings of the weekly program - does not cater for OB sets, which were mostly made up of recycled sets I could find from the entirety of sets/props in TCS, with a portion of funds put aside for maintenance of existing flats/sets, and ever so often "special" hand-props made specifically for the specific set, that might or might not continue with subsequent filming.
Such is the level of (*internal) logistical support, which could help make such a show like this a reality, IMO. Something which folks outside of TCS might have had to struggle with, I know I certainly did.
Cheers
Andy Heng
