‘Old Places’ 老地方 (2010)

TITLE: OLD PLACES 老地方

Country of Production: Singapore
Date of Completion: August 2010
Duration: 77 minutes
Language: English (Singaporean Colloquial) / Mandarin Dialect / Tamil / Malay
Subtitles: English
Shooting Format: HD (Canon 5D Mark II)

Executive Producer
Royston Tan

Directors
Eva Tang
Victric Thng
Royston Tan

Director of Photography
Lim Teck Siang

Producer
Sufyan Sam’An

Editor
Mike Chew

Callers
Darren Lim
Ramesh Nad
Peh Kai Wah
David Chua
Tan Seow Ling
David Lim
Elton Goh
Carol Lee
Pamelyn Chee
Lionel Chok
Nelson Tong
Shermeen Ng
Lawrence Lim
Angela Chee
Glynis Tan
Han Yew Kwang
Ng Kah Keow
Tan Hai Lan
David Oh
HL Thng
TT Tan
Bernard Chua
Jonathan Ng
Takashi Mori
Wong Han Juan
Alan Seah
Liao Jiekai
Trina Tan
Meng Han
Elson Yap
Fion Boon
Selvi Nadarajan
Lau Houw Ping
Tan Chai Chai
Freddie Yeo
Audrey Guan
Tan Gim Sah
Wong Bo Sang
Wang Pheck Geok
Mohd Amin Bin Ab Latip
Mr Jamil
Matthew Chan
Tan Teck Yoke
Maureen Wong Boey Lin
Leong Kwok Khuen
Baey Yam Keng

Footage from “Red Dragonflies”
written and directed by LIAO JIEKAI

Production Crew

Production Manager
Andy Zeng

Camera Assistant
Jeremy Chua
Lim Tian Chye
Anthony Levi Kho

Gaffer
Benjamin Ong
Eljin Tan

Key Grip
Henry Ng
Simon Tan

Grip
Eric Tan
Elton Lim

Junior Grip
Joel Heng

Location Sound
Ng Kian Hua
Jervin Lim

Phone Recordings
James Choong

Still Photographer
Carol Lee

Production Assistant
Wyna Yow
Casper Koh
Theresa Lee

Passenger Van Driver
Adam (Transpro)

Camera By
Canon Singapore
Shot on Canon 5D Mark II

Title Block Design By
Elton Goh

Offline Post Production
Blk A Pictures

Online Post Production
Infinite Frameworks

Post Producer
Jeffry Mamat

Colorist
Viji

Audio Post Production

Music Supervisor
Dave Tan

Mixed & Mastered By
Justin Seah

Featured Tracks

Track: Happy
Album: Nothing Also Happy
Written By: Joseph Wong, Budak Pantai
Performed By: Budak Pentai

Track: For A Book Track 1
Album: Soundtrack For A Book
Written By: Sean Pann, Dean Aziz, Farizwan Fajari
Performed By: Concave Scream

Track: Nobody
Album: Horizons
Written By: Sean Pann, Dean Aziz, Andy Yang
Performed By: Concave Scream

Track: Same Side Of The Moon
Album: Fly Away
Written By: Corrinne May
Performed By: Corrinne May

Track: Stagnant
Album: Bent
Written By: Don Richmond
Performed By: Don Richmond

Track: Faces / Aura
Album: We Satellites
Written By: Electrico
Performed By: Electrico

Track: So Much More Inside / I See The Light
Album: Much More Inside
Written By: Electrico
Performed By: Electrico

Track: Little Girl Kid E2 Remix
Written By: Electrico
Remixed By: Richard Cooper
Performed By: Electrico

Tracks: Spinning In Infinity / Indifferent / Glorious One
Album: Neverfigure
Written By: Joel Louie and Gentlyfall
Performed By: Gentlyfall

Tracks: Us / Beetle Girl / Contemplate
Album: In Stores Now
Written By: Jack and Rai
Performed By: Jack and Rai

Tracks: The Sink / Downwards is Hellwards
Album: A Far Cry From Here
Written By: Leslie Low, The Observatory
Performed By: The Observatory

Tracks: Time Of Rebirth / This Sad Song
Album: Time Of Rebirth
Written By: Leslie Low, The Observatory
Performed By: The Observatory

Track: What About Us
Album: And That’s Why
Written By: The Sugarflies
Performed By: The Sugarflies

Additional tracks written by
Dave Tan

Classical tracks performed by
Tang Quartet

Special Thanks
Bert Tan
Bert Lighting House
Canon Singapore
Cinegear
Daniel Mun
Debe Ho
Desmond Goh
Edwin Tan
Ethan Mun
Funkie Monkies Productions
Juan Qi An
James Choong
Jason Chan
Lennie Tan
Liew You Choo
Mabelyn Ow
Marcia Tan
Nathan Mun
Nelson Tong
Rachel Ng
Sheila Ther
Stella Clare Wee
Tay Hui Cheng
Thunk Pte Ltd

Programme Promotions
Nadia Dawood

On-Air Promotions
Rachel Chen

Programme Commissioner
Joshua Lim

Programming Officer
Jeffery Ali

Film Stills:

Toa Payoh Wet Market

Whampoa Drive

Overhead Bridge @ Lorong Chuan

Dover Playground

Katong Swimming Complex

Old Queenstown Cinema

Margaret Drive Void Deck

Rainbow Flat @ Hougang

Gin Thye @ Sembawang

Shanghai Drycleaning Shop @ Katong

Tan Hiap Hong Charcoal Shop

Sungei Road Market

Old Bus Stop @ Lim Chu Kang

Mandai Post Office @ Mandai Road

Tanjong Pagar Railway Station (KTM)

Seletar Camp Vicinity

Upper Pierce Reservoir

Barber @ Aliwal Street

Loong Fatt Eating House @ Balestier

Yangtze Cinema

Cantonese Opera Troupe

Mosque @ Jalan Mempurong

Canal @ Cedar Girls School Vicinity

Kampung @ Buangkok

House @ Dragon Kilns

Kelong off Punggol Beach

Production Notes:

It was a great opportunity working with three seasoned directors – Eva Tang, Victric Thng & Royston Tan. No doubt each of them had a distinctive directing style, the final work held together as a whole. Principal shooting was hectic, about 10 shoot days with 47 locations. Some days we had to shuffle up to four locations, some days six. Each location had about 13 to 20 shots. Initial technical recces were done on almost 90% of the shooting locations and it was great working with Ben (Gaffer) again. We had to make sure there were no surprises on shoot days. Rough angles were explored but most of the time, the recce was simply to check overall logistical/lighting conditions so that we could determine the preferred shooting period. Shooting for ‘Old Places’ was very much ‘docu-styled’, we were constantly looking for ‘moments’ and random events that happened in each location during the shoot days. Many of the actions in the documentary were captured ‘on-the-fly’. Hence, it was impractical to set-up lights, except for locations that were too dark. The 5D Mark II was ideal for such shooting conditions (Thanks to Edwin from Canon). Tracking movements and crane shots were designed to pull away from the still ‘postcard’ look that would work against the flow of the film. Shooting in natural conditions also allowed us to capture an accurate flavor of the location or at times to simply allow the location to reveal itself.

Old Places generally is a very strong reflection of rapid urbanization in Singapore. Urbanization is an irreversible process and inevitable in many cases. Ultimately, what happens to these places as they pave way for new buildings/roads is that, the memories are lost with them too, forever. The younger population of the next generation would never know where the 7th Storey Hotel once stood or how it looked like as it was demolished in 2008 to make way for an underground MRT Station. Such places not only hold memories for many, they also represent our culture, our heritage and our lives. As a young country with a short history, destroying such places does not help much to preserve the identity of Singaporeans. It holds a very different meaning compared to visiting the museum. Imagine parts of the New York’s Grand Central Station sitting in a museum with reconstructed sections, untouchable but only to be seen and curated from a distance. Perhaps, modern architectural designs could be conceptualized to harmonize with old places that hold a significant heritage. Urban living after all, strives importantly on harmony. Nothing brings more joy to relish a feeling of nostalgia in places we once frequent, in places we spent our childhood, in places we found love, in places that reminds us of who we are. These are the many aspiring stories to be told and heard. Old Places attempts to capture the last of these disappearing experiences shared by Singaporeans.

Old Places was certainly a very fulfilling project that holds a place in our hearts. I would like to thank everyone on board the project for making this possible. Lastly, I would like to thank the directors for giving me the opportunity to shoot this documentary. Thank you!!! I hope that a future project of such nature would be shot on film, as it is a superior medium for preservation and archival purposes.

Civic Life Blog Writer Ng Yi-Sheng interviews Royston Tan, executive producer and co-director of the film, about his work and personal memories. Read about it here.

SINdie’s Jeremy Sng also has an article on the project here.

Production Stills (Many Thanks to Wyna for the pictures!):