"Selamat Pagi Singapura" 1998 (Set Design for TV)
In my 4 and a 1/2 years at the Television Corporation of Singapore, I had the opportunity to have designed for two "morning talkshow"-style programs, one of whom was the previously featured "Good Morning Singapore", and the other is today's featured set: "SELAMAT PAGI SINGAPURA"!
This Malay language talkshow was set in "Studio 1" at Caldecott, and had been one of the larger morning talkshows than "usual", where I was able to provide a Sit-down Compare Area (2 + 1 TV), a massive sit-down Interview Area, and even a "Entrance" with steps coming down to the studio ground (*I have since acknowledged and embraced my own propensity for grandiose "steps-down entrances").
I had chosen to go on a limited colour palette, playing on different levels of tones, in slight contrast to the wood and browns, with more decorative plants/greens, and provided light-up niches for pottery and decorations - somewhat like a "welcoming home" but with a touch of faux-glam.
While I am unable to find my documentation/studio floor plans for this particular program, instead I have coloured photographs of the set, which I have since snapped off my iPhone, and posted here today. The particular "sepia" hue was inherent from the original photographs though...
All the images here were actually from a spare "Set Dresser's Copy" of the Standard Set(ting) I had done, and replicated for the different departments, to have a visual record of said setting (which I most times try to provide for my sets), in case of any setting/striking, for references of what the decoration had been. I wished I had kept more of these image-boards, at the very least I would have more copies of my past shows I designed for!
Nevertheless, the Set Decorator played no small part for this particular setting, as he was able to imbue it with the spirit and sensibilities the program and design required, giving "life" to spacial partitions and furniture.
What I did not realise, until this very moment of doing up this blogpost was the similarities in the usage of "WOOD" and it's grained-visual textures, and that of my other morning talkshow "早安您好"! I certainly liked my "wood" at the tail-end of my career at TCS!
Cheers
Andy Heng
(Images featured here on Facebook)
