Opening Address by SMS Tan Kiat How at the Nanyang Polytechnic BeyondReality Studio Launch

Mr Tan Tong Hai, Chairman of NYP Board of Governors,

Mr Russell Chan, Principal and CEO of NYP,

Distinguished guests and faculty members,

Good afternoon.

1. Very happy to be here today to commemorate the opening of the BeyondReality Studio. This is an exciting new space for our media sector to push the boundaries with emerging technologies and create cutting-edge content.

2. The media sector has a special place in our hearts. Our local media ecosystem creates a space for uniquely Singaporean stories to be told, reflecting the vibrancy of our Singaporean identity, history and culture.

3. In recent years, our local stories and storytellers have gained recognition on the international stage.

4. Made-with-Singapore films such as “Viet and Nam”, “Don’t Cry Butterfly” and “Wonderland” received accolades at Cannes, Venice, Palm Springs, and Ho Chi Minh last year.

5. Chiang Wei-liang, director of “Mongrel”, won the Golden Horse Award for Best New Director at the 61st Golden Horse Awards.

6. “Stranger Eyes”, directed by Yeo Siew Hua, was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival, and won Best Original Film Score at the 61st Golden Horse Awards.

7. These achievements highlight the talented media professionals we have nurtured, and how their creations help to spread our uniquely Singaporean stories throughout the world.

8. The Government is committed to supporting our local media sector. Just last December, at the Singapore Media Festival, we celebrated the 35th anniversary of the Singapore International Film Festival and the 25th anniversary of the Asia TV Forum and Market. These events provide opportunities for global creators and media players to come together to forge partnerships and connections.

9. Yet even as we celebrate how far we have come, the media landscape is constantly evolving and being shaped by various trends around the world.

10. Social media platforms have influenced the way that we create and consume content. With apps like Instagram and TikTok, everyone, including you and I, can easily create shortform videos that can be widely shared.

11. For media professionals, technologies such as AI and Virtual Production bring about new opportunities for filmmaking and content production.

12. As with past waves, technology, when used well, has the potential to spark creativity and elevate the skills of our media professionals.

13. Take Nicholas Pang, for example, who applied Virtual Production technology to his short form projects and commercials.

14. Nicholas was previously an assistant editor who worked on reality TV shows, before he joined Aux Media as a Virtual Production Supervisor. He shared that “Virtual Production has made a world of difference”, as his team did not have to worry about logistical challenges, such as unpredictable weather or securing permits to film on location, which made the filming process extremely efficient.

15. But beyond convenience, the technology allowed them to experiment with different environments and make endless tweaks, freeing them up to focus on getting the perfect shot to tell their stories. In his words, “it’s not just about saving time; it’s about what becomes possible when you remove constraints”.

16. Let me share another story of Lim Suat Yen, a director and founder of a local media production company called Oak3 Films. Suat Yen has been recognized locally and internationally for her works, such as “Titoudao” and educational children programmes including “Hi-5 Series 14” and “Spelling Armadillo”.

17. In 2023, she developed and directed her first Virtual Production project, “The Chosen One”. She is now working on her latest project titled “For Happily Ever After is so Once Upon a Time”, a short form proof-of-concept video adapted from a children’s storybook of the same title.

18. Suat Yen and her team were able to turn their ideas into reality through the use of virtual production technology to create fantasy environments and virtual characters, such as fairy godmothers and dragons.

19. These stories highlight how virtual production technology has empowered our media professionals, and has potential to uplift many others within the ecosystem.

20. The increase in demand for virtual production has also created new opportunities. Since 2023, around 600 new job opportunities were created through the increase in the number of virtual production content projects.

21. New tech job roles, such as Virtual Production Supervisors, Real Time 3D Operators and Real Time 3D artists, were also created. These roles were not present before, they are all new opportunities and new technologies in the ecosystem.

22. In recognition of this, the Government has taken steps to encourage the use of such emerging technologies and to equip our media professionals with skills to thrive in the evolving media landscape.

23. In December 2022, IMDA launched the Virtual Production Innovation Fund, which allowed local media companies and projects to experiment with and experience the benefits of Virtual Production. This fund has supported around 30 virtual production projects to date. To meet the growing demand for Virtual Production technology and talent across the industry, we provided a $25 million top-up to the fund in December 2023.

24. I also launched the refreshed Skills Framework for Media at the Asia TV Forum and Market last December. This Framework provides a comprehensive roadmap for media professionals, including new job roles for virtual production, charting the future of media careers and pointing those who are interested in these roles towards avenues for skills development.

25. These steps reflect our belief that Virtual Production technology can positively impact and uplift our local media sector.

26. That is why I am excited to announce that Nanyang Polytechnic is opening the BeyondReality Virtual Production Studio, here on campus.

27. This will be the first studio of its kind in Singapore that features a setup of motion capture, green screen and LED volume technology, all under one roof. As an experimental space, both industry partners and professionals can use the space to explore and pilot innovative videos using virtual production workflows and motion capture technology.

28. Scrawl Animation, for instance, has been able to pilot and adopt motion capture technology and real-time production workflows, using tools offered in the BeyondReality studio, such as Unreal Engine, an industry-leading 3D creation software.

29. We invite enterprises to collaborate with NYP’s BeyondReality Studio to pilot new and exciting projects together.

30. The launch of the BeyondReality Studio also reflects NYP’s commitment to develop the next generation of media professionals for the future. NYP students will be provided with the space and opportunities to pick up skills in CGI, augmented and virtual reality, motion capture and GenAI. These skills are in line with those that are outlined under the refreshed Skills Framework for Media.

31. At least 250 students from NYP’s School of Design & Media and the School of Business Management will be trained annually by working on projects using the virtual production workflow.

32. One example is Choy Yu Feng, a Year 3 student studying Animation, Games and Visual Effects. Through his NYP journey, Yu Feng has honed his skills and expertise in Texturing, Lighting and Rendering, 3D Modelling and Procedural Workflow to create high quality assets for virtual production. His experience at BeyondReality Studio has further his proficiency in virtual set creation and using the Unreal Engine tools. In fact, Yu Feng played a pivotal role in designing the virtual set, “Phoenix Ancient City”, the backdrop we are using today. I am excited to see how Yu Feng will continue to push the boundaries of innovation in virtual production as he graduates.

33. Another example is Vishal Suresh, a Year 2 student, with a background in creating virtual sets and practical experience in filming and compositing chroma key footage. These competencies provide a strong foundation for Virtual Production, which integrates multiple disciplines such as operating LED volumes, working with real-time engines, creating virtual sets, and filming. As he enters his 3rd year, the hands-on projects at BeyondReality Studio will be valuable opportunities for Vishal to strengthen his skills.

34. In addition to training students, the studio will also provide training programmes for adult learners and professionals to upgrade their skills. The BeyondReality Studio delivered a training programme for Scrawl Animation which covered the basic operations of using the Unreal Engine tool. The training gave participants the chance to go through the tool’s user interface and the process of setting up a project – from asset preparation, to assembling a scene and setting up cameras, to producing a video sequence.

35. As the saying goes “Good tools make a skilled craftsman better, but they cannot make a poorly skilled craftsman good.” As we continue to encourage the adoption of such technologies within the media sector, it is all the more crucial that our local media professionals are equipped with the skills needed to maximise the technologies’ potential.

36. Ladies and gentlemen, the Singapore media landscape has grown and evolved over the years.

37. Today, we have taken a key step to invest in the future of our media sector, by creating a space for our current and future generations of media professionals to be equipped with the right tools, skills, platforms and real-life experiences to tell our Singapore stories in fresh and exciting new ways. And doing so, creating many new exciting opportunities and careers for all our professionals.

38. So I would like to take the opportunity to congratulate NYP again on the launch of the BeyondReality Studio. I look forward to watching the stories that will be released from the studio in time to come. Thank you.