Caldecott Hill Old Timer lights up Laos 450 Year Anniversary Celebrations

Seah Hong Gim who retired from MediaCorp as Lighting Designer in TVOB unit is still active as a lighting consultant for shows in the region. Here he talks about his experience at the Vietiane 450 Years Anniversary Celebration in Laos

Vientiane 450 Years Anniversary Celebration ,Laos

Lighting Advisor for the “Vientiane 450 YearsAnniversary”, Seah Hong Gim talks about
his experience at the event that was held in November in Laos.The article was published in
Entertain Technology Asia .

Introduction

My role as lighting advisor on “Vientiane 450 Years Anniversary” celebration was my 2ndproject with Showtec Group since I designed lighting on F1 Singapore Grand Prix from2008 to 2010. Showtec was awarded the job by Tekcast, a technology and broadcast development company under the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, Vietnam.
The show was held on 19 Nov 2010 at the same stadium which featured the Sea Gamesin 2009. The venue is small but it poses a challenge for the LD. It has a very low roof structure due to its limited rows of seating gallery. I estimated that it can accommodate some 10,000 people only.
Lighting Operation
Owing to some constraint, the client had earlier decided on the types and quantities of the luminaries and I was appointed later to execute the lighting operation. For basic illumination, I was provided with a small quantity of 120 Moving Heads at the FOH and 150 at the back stage but with a larger number of eff ect luminaries, namely 130 x 4kw searchlights, 2 x 4kw Follow spots, 4 x 2.5kw Follow spots, 60 x Led floods, 4 x 4kw Sky Trackers, 1 x 16w laser and 4 x 8w laser. Since the luminaries were rigged below the low structure, it had very shallow keying angleonto the display area. When the beam was aimed at the centre portion of the field, itsvertical angle was only 14° instead of the ideal angle of 30° to 45°. This small angle causeda problem as its beam would spread far to the back of fi eld and made localized lighting extremely critical. In most cases, the proper way of design is to include wash luminaries such as the Fresnel or for basic illumination and the Moving Heads for the eff ect. The Fresnel would provide basic illumination required by the TV system and the Moving Heads for eff ect such as scanning, fl ickering, patterning, color changing and etc. Since I did not have the Fresnel, my Moving Heads had to perform double duties of wash plus effect at the same time. It was a compromise which would finally aff ect the quality of TV video. Any LD will agree that lighting a soccer field (112m x 75m) with 120 Moving Heads at FOH is a big challenge to his credential. It worried me initially. However, after working out the lighting level on every part of the fi eld using formula on Beam angle, Canleda, & Distance, my programmer Tai Ping and I were relief that we could achieve 305 to 478 Lux to meet the TV specifi cations and also satisfy the organizing committee who requested for more changing colors and eff ects.
Speech by VIPs
The show started rather early as the Vientiane sky is fairly dark by 1745hr when TV lightingis effective. The celebration began with the Deputy PM presenting a report followed by the President delivering a speech. After the presentation, the President beat traditional gong 9 times to signal the start of the celebration. It started with a choir singing 2 songs followed by a parade where thousands of participants representing various organizations marching past the grand stand. In between, there were colorful floats featuring various aspects of Lao life and traditions. To a foreigner like me, the most impressive was the colorful costumes worn by the various ethnic tribes. Most costumes were stunningly beautiful and attractive.
The Main Performance
The main performance was featured in 3 parts each with diff erent lighting treatment.
Part 1 - A wealthy and Splendid Land A local proverb “in rivers there are fi sh, in farm there are rice” described a wealthy, happy & secure environment enjoyed by the Lao people during the time from 1353 AD to 1695 AD. Lighting was bright and colorful in harmony with the theme.
Part 2 - Blood and Tears
A serious dispute resulted in wide spread discord and divided the kingdom into 3 smaller ones. This weakness allowed foreign forces to invade and killed Lao people. Many were forced into slavery. It lasted more than 100 years. Lighting was contrasty and in low key, with blue wash indicating sorrow and grief; red wash as blood and killing.
Part 3 – 35 years of Vientiane under PDR
National Flag
On 2 Dec 1975, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic as the people’s democratic regime was openly declared on the international stage. This was the greatest achievement in thousands of years in Lao history.
Lighting was pushed to its max level and changed with various hues. 130 Searchlights were dancing to the beat of the national music. Moving Heads on narrow beams were sweeping across the fi eld on multi colors. The beams of the Searchlights were very eff ective due to the foggy air in Lao sky. It is not possible to achieve the same eff ect in Singapore as our air is hardly foggy. Tai Ping’s creativity in effect lighting was appreciated by all around.
Towards the fi nal 15 minutes, fireworks of various patterns and hues exploded into the sky. All VIPs and the general public were in high spirit. The show committee did a good job.

TV Coverage
TV video tends to look flat without side
lighting. Since we did not have the side
luminaries, we decided to switch 38 x 4kw
Searchlight at both sides to fl ood mode (plus
diff user) as side lighting. It came out well. The
Picture looked more solid.
TV Nationale Laos deployed 10 cameras
at strategic locations for the coverage. At
the end of the show, TV director Mr. Inpong
told me that they were very pleased with
our lighting. Cameras could operate at F/3.5
to get reasonable depth of fi eld. In return, I
congratulated him for doing a splendid job
as he only had one camera rehearsal 2 days
before the grand event. In my experience,
most need 4 to 7 rehearsals for a show in
this scale.
Conclusion
My 2 weeks stay in Laos gave me an
opportunity to appreciate Vientiane and its
fi ner things in life. I simply love its laid back
and quiet atmosphere. An old Chinese saying
“work while the sun rises; rest when the sun
sets” is still a practice here. Some shopping
centers & tourist attractions close at 1700hr.
There is no queue and nobody ever has to
rush. However it may not be the cup of tea for
most Singaporeans.

Merry Christmas

Save Mother Earth ...Think Green when celebrating this Christmas

From Caldecott Hill to One North

MediaCorp moving out......

After more than 60 years on Caldecott Hill MediaCorp known previously by names such as RTS, TCS and SBC will be moving out of Caldecott Hill to One North.

The new centre will be at the new Mediapolis@one-north Buona Vista. Mediapolis is Singapore's digital media hub with an area of 19-hectares.

MediaCorp will occupy 1.5 hectares of land and a built-up area of 79,500 square metres, just at the side of the MDA building Fusionpolis. It will house all the media facilities including television studios and broadcast facilities.
CNA reports
"Speaking at the opening of the Asia Television Forum, Information, Communications and the Arts Minister Lui Tuck Yew said the move would attract other local and overseas industry players involved across the value chain -- such as creation, production and post-production -- to Mediapolis, and to participate in collaborative projects with MediaCorp.

The broadcaster could also extend its facilities and services to other production houses "for greater synergies and possible cost benefits".

He said this would contribute further to the growth of the media landscape.

Mr Lui also said he hoped the infocomm infrastructure at Mediapolis, which includes a high-speed network and high density storage systems, would be a lure for digital content companies.

MediaCorp CEO Lucas Chow welcomes the decision.

He said the group looks forward to playing a catalytic role in attracting new and foreign media players to Mediapolis.

In 2006, MediaCorp had announced its decision to relocate to a site at Bukit Batok, but the plan was shelved due to high construction costs and the onset of the economic crisis.

But it said in a statement that the move to a new campus gained traction as the economy improved and new options presented themselves.

The design of MediaCorp's new complex is yet to be decided, but the company said it would be high-rise in nature, with television studios and theatres occupying the lower floors.

The move to one-north will be carried out in phases, and is expected to be completed by mid-2015.

Separately, MediaCorp and the Media Development Authority are working together to support independent production houses in creating made-in-Singapore content exclusively for online viewing.

The regulator will co-invest up to half of the production budget, and the finished products will be distributed on MediaCorp's xinmsn online video platform.

Selected projects will also be promoted through MediaCorp's media network."
For more:
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1097926/1/.html

ASEAN DIGITAL BROADCASTING MEETINGS

ASEAN DIGITAL BROADCASTING MEETING

One of the more interesting project which I helped to facilitate was a series of ASEAN DIGITAL BROADCASTING Meetings. The idea of this gathering of broadcasters on a regular basis was mooted by the then Permanent Secretary in the PMO’s Office , Brunei.. Pengiran Ismail.

The first meeting was held in Brunei on 15/16 March 2004. It was supported by MDA and the PMO of Brunei. Co-organised by RTB and MediaCorp, it was attended by 70 delegates from the technology broadcasting departments of ASEAN countries. Manufacturers and vendors also attended the meeting. I helped to co-chair the meeting with the Director of RTB.

According to the Press Release the meeting was to share latest knowledge and applications relating to digital television terrestrial broadcasters. The group set up guidelines for implementing common specifications for digital television set-top boxes and receivers, thereby with the hope achieving economies of scales (with a total households of more than 500million). The second meeting was held in Singapore on 14 June 2004. Pengiran Ismail and CEO of NDA Christopher Chia gave very encouraging opening remarks. Subsequently the group expanded to include content and policy persons involved in free-to-air broadcasting in the ASEAN region. The ASEAN Ministers responsible for Information etc endorsed the meetings. One of the notable achievements was the agreement among members at the AMRI meeting in BALI Indonesia to adopt DVB as a digital TV standard (except for the Philippines) .

The latest meeting the 9^th ADB was held in Singapore in November 2010. Members discussed the implementation of the new version of DVBT (T2), interative TV , the digital dividend, Dolby Surround Sound, Disaster Recovery etc as well as the switching of existing analogue TV services. The next meeting will be hosted in 2011 by the Philippines.

It was always a satisfying experience when I attended ADB meetings. First I know that I was among friends. Secondly the knowledge gained from the experience of the others was enriching. And thirdly the networking enabled and facilitated some of the projects that were done in the company.

I attended the recent meeting at the Concorde Hotel mainly to inform members and friends that I had retired from MediaCorp after more than 40 years there. And to introduce my consultancy company MediAComm Associates LLP – dealing with digital media and all things digital. They were all kind enough to wish me well.

ASEAN Members: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam

The Phoenix and the Dragon

The Phoenix and the Dragon

All Singaporeans should be saddened by the demise of Kwa Geok Choo wife of MM Lee Kuan Yew. The great love story of Mr and Mrs Lee had been told and retold many times, a couple with 61 years of loving care for each other , started a long time ago in Cambridge England with MM Lee’s vision of building the Singapore nation and the support of his loving wife to carry out this mission successfully. . It is a story of the Phoenix and the Dragon which can be best expressed in film memorable.

Many had paid their respects to Madam Kwa Geok Choo. Many important people, many common folks had paid tributes to this great grand lady the likes of which will not be felt in Singapore never again, I think……

“an exceptional worman who passed on excellent values to her children”
”kind and caring woman that helped my daughter to study in England”
”brilliant,compassionate and motherly”
”woman behind the success of MM Lee”
“gone thro and thick and thin with him and build Spore for the next generations to come” and many more tributes to a great lady from community centres, coffee shops, cyberspace and public and private events and the media.

I do not know Mrs Lee personally but I do know that she was a caring wife and kind person. I had the opportunity to meet her and MM Lee during outdoor broadcasts of the National Day Rally at the Singapore Conference Hall and Kallang Theatre. Usually then two days before the Rally she would accompanied MM to the theatre to rehearse the teleprompter and also to check on the suitablility of his shirt for the TV telecast. Many a times MM would turn to her for advice on he looked on TV and she would lovingly gave her comments like too bright, too gaudy and made him look older or younger etc. She would also turn to the engineers and producers politely for opinions. Eventually it was MM who made the final decision. Also she would politely remind security to ensure that the tea for MM should be in placed at the lectern on stage. And when we got into the late of the night rehearsing the script she gently reminded MM that the crew needed to make adjustments for the night and retire for the next day. She won the admiration of all the crew members involved in the recording and she was met with high respects from all whenever she appeared in the TV Studios and Outside Broadcasts.

Without doubt Madam Kwa Geok Choo with her husband had dedicated their lives for a better Singapore. She will be forever be in our memories.

3D Photo

click picture for You Tube pictures
View this with colour spectacles Red on left and Cyan on Right
Same type of colour spectacle given free by TODAY

S Chandra Mohan

Another Caldecott Hill Old-timer dies – S Chandra Mohan

It is with sadness that I hear the news that Chandra has passed away. Auntie Lucy Leong
called me this evening to inform me.
Please read this news from Channel News Asia

“Broadcasting veteran S Chandra Mohan dies
By Milton Sau | Posted: 28 August 2010 1558 hrs
SINGAPORE : Former director of news and current affairs at the then-Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, S Chandra Mohan, died on Saturday afternoon after a long illness.
He was 72.
For those who were privileged to know him well, Mr Chandra Mohan was a man of smiles.
Former colleagues remember him as a mentor and dear friend.
Tan Lek Hwa, vice-president, English Current Affairs, MediaCorp, said: "He showed me everything from how to tell a story, how to peel the layers of stories and in fact, the most instrumental - it is how to manage national programmes. I feel very sad that he has passed on today because I think we have really lost an industry giant."
The industry giant started his broadcasting career in Radio Television Singapore in the early 1960s.
As a producer, he was on the ground to capture that historic moment of Singapore's separation from Malaysia on 9 August 1965.
He held key positions within the then-Singapore Broadcasting Corporation, playing a pivotal role in the station's programmes and driving award-winning shows such as Diary Of A Nation.
He was also instrumental in the launch of Radio Singapore International (RSI) in 1994.
He retired in 2007 but remains dear to those he had worked with,,,,,”. For more at
http://www.channelnewsasia.com

ST dated 30 Aug also reported that

"DUBBED by some as 'the father of Singapore's broadcast journalism', veteran broadcaster S. Chandramohan passed away on Saturday after a long illness.

The former news and current affairs director, who started his career with Radio Television Singapore (RTS), was 71.

His career spanned five decades - beginning with a stint at the now defunct RTS in the early 1960s. After RTS became the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation (SBC) in 1980, he was appointed director of current affairs and played an important role in the station's programmes, with the Diary Of A Nation series being a particular success. He was also instrumental in the launch of Radio Singapore International in 1994.

During his tenure, Mr Chandramohan was on the scene to report on, and later oversee, many milestone events - ranging from Singapore's separation from Malaysia on Aug 9, 1965, to various live telecasts of election results and also the Prime Minister's National Day Rally speeches.

Ms Jacintha Stephens, a former current affairs producer at SBC who has been in the broadcast industry for 23 years, remembers him fondly as the 'father of broadcast journalism', who was instrumental in shaping the field in Singapore.

'He mentored and nurtured several generations of broadcast journalists and documentary producers - who are now all over the world. He brought to the profession an intellectual vigour and great passion,' said the media consultant........." Read more at http://straittimes.com

In a letter to his wife Mdm Chandramohan Nirmala Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said "...he was
a professional with a fine political sense, a good understanding of the issues of the day as well as keen insight into the medium, of what would work on TV..it was a pleasure working with him..." For more read TODAY or ST dated Aug 31 2010

When I was a young engineer, Chandra Mohan already made his name as a producer of current affairs programmes that won a number of awards. His programmes informed and educated the population. He rose to the top position of Director of News and Current Affairs in the late 70s and early 80s. It was then that I had encounters with him at the Television Studio Three where the Prime Minister’s National Day messages were recorded. My job then was simply to operate the auto-cue. Over the years he took charge of productions such the National Day Rallies (done at the Singapore Conference Hall and the Kallang theatre) and the General Election coverages. He was instrumental in the early 80s to introduce programmes such as Friday Background, Feedback, Tinjuan, Focus etc which were impactful to Singaporeans. He co-ordinated the implementation of Today in Parliament and the engineers supported this project in okaying the microphones and lighting systems which were critical to this coverage, among other things.

I knew him to be a very serious person in his work. In the years I know him one outstanding habit of his was to be perfect in his production work. He would want pictures to be properly composed and make-up to be properly done. In one of the production meeting much to the relief of the engineers he said “ I can tolerate technical breakdown but not a bad picture composition even though it is just a talking head” He must have countless productions where VVIPs were involved, sometimes there were scoldings from important people and more often he took the blame on behalf of the crew. The production crew respected him a lot.
In 82/83 because of the expansion of SBC the News and Current Affairs were split with him running the Current Affairs Unit. Improvements were made in presentations and the acquisition of new technology equipment such as Electronic News Gathering cameras transformed the face of News and Current affairs reporting.
In the late 90s when he became Director of Radio Singapore International which he set-up I began lunching with him together with Michael Loke Director of Human resources. The other half of Chandra was friendly and warm but still a reserved and serious person exhibiting a high level of professionalism in his work. During the extension years after his retirement, he was still immaculate in writing a VVIP story with enthusiasm.
Taking account of all his work on Caldecott Hill over the years I think he should be remembered as one of those dedicated and loyal backroom boys that helped build the nation.

Farewell Chandra and rest in peace.