Royston Tan creates music video series for pioneers

To help pioneers understand the intricacies of MediShield Life, the Pioneer Generation Taskforce together with its creative agency Tribal Worldwide Singapore invited local award-winning director Royston Tan to create a series of music videos based on iconic songs that Pioneers, and even younger audiences, can relate to.Recognising that a large proportion of the Pioneers are dialect-speaking and may not be able to understand materials in English or Mandarin, the songs were specially written in the three main dialects in Singapore – Hokkien, Cantonese and Teochew. Key messages were presented in the form of simple lyrics so that Pioneers may better assimilate the concept of universal coverage behind MediShield Life, and understand its benefits.In addition, the imminent seventh lunar month presented itself as a unique opportunity for the Pioneer Generation Taskforce to connect on a deeper level with the Pioneers, since many of them are avid getai-goers.As such, the music videos were crafted to take on a flamboyant and distinct style to suit the occasion. Popular getai celebrities and singers were hand-picked to deliver the songs, with long-time crowd favourites Liu Lingling and Wang Lei pioneering the effort.Starring as Monkey King and Spider Spirit in a contemporary take on Journey to the West, the dynamic duo sing the praises of the benefits under Pioneer Generation Package (PGP) and MediShield Life as they ward off foes and woes with their magic umbrella.The Hokkien music video, the first in the series, is set to be officially released on free-to-air and cable TV channels on 31 July. Currently, its soft launch on Gov.sg’s YouTube channel has already begun to garner the interest of the local media and netizens alike. Within just seven hours, the video has been viewed over 137,000 times on Facebook.Watch the video here:https://youtu.be/QvPQ0bPwkx8No stranger to the local getai scene, director Royston Tan enthused, “I’m very thankful to be given full creative liberty to develop the videos. This series is truly a work of imagination, and the Ministry of Communications and Information Singapore (MCI) and Tribal Worldwide were instrumental in bringing it into reality. It was a fantastic experience working together with them, and I’m glad to be part of this special project.”Commenting on the Hokkien music video, Karen Tan, senior director, public communications division of MCI said: “This is the first time we are using a classic folktale to explain government policy in a bold and brassy manner. The song rides on a catchy tune and incorporates story-telling elements to bring out the benefits of the PGP and MediShield Life to our Pioneers and their families. We intend to bring the song to the heartlands through getai shows as they are popular with audiences of all ages, especially the elderly. Hopefully, we can educate and entertain at the same time.”Jeff Cheong, president of Tribal Worldwide Asia / Singapore added: “This is the result of thorough focus group testing and studying the needs of our target audience. We maintain constant engagement with our target audience in the island-wide roadshows weekly, and we noted that the recall level has been very high for both Pioneers and caregivers. With two Pioneer members in my family, I am glad to see that they’ve enjoyed the film and are sharing with their friends over Whatsapp.”Since the launch of PGP in 2014, the Pioneer Generation Taskforce has undertaken the duty of communicating the benefits of the PGP to the public. To do this, a holistic approach was adopted to reach the target audience. Besides using traditional media for mass outreach, the Taskforce has rolled out a series of roadshows in the heartlands to engage the Pioneers directly, and released branded content in the form of online infomercials. These include educational and entertaining videos, spearheaded by Mark Lee and Sebastian Tan’s Pioneer Generation Package: The Musical, as well as heartwarming stories to celebrate festive occasions such as Lunar New Year and Hari Raya Puasa.Come end 2015, with the launch of MediShield Life, the focus of the Pioneer Generation Taskforce will shift to communicating the benefits that Pioneers can enjoy under the scheme, with extra privileges endowed by the PGP.