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Feb 2, 2011
Hit BMT reality online series to be shown on TV
By Jermyn Chow
http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/image/20110201/ST_IMAGES_JCSON02.jpg
Young national servicemen assembling and stripping their SAR21 assault rifles during basic military training, in one of the scenes from Every Singaporean Son. The programme, which made its debut on video-sharing website YouTube, will be shown on StarHub's National Geographic Channel next month. -- PHOTO: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL
MILLIONS of television viewers in Singapore and Asia will soon be able to witness the grit and pain of 14 young Singaporean men as they go through basic military training (BMT).
Following a successful run on video-sharing portal YouTube, the reality series Every Singaporean Son will soon hit television screens.
The TV production, comprising six episodes each about 30 minutes long, will air on StarHub Cable TV's National Geographic Channel on Tuesdays from March 8.
The YouTube hit was commissioned by the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) and produced by home-grown production company Project Peanut.
Eighteen clips were uploaded progressively onto YouTube from July last year on Mindef's 'CyberpioneerTV' channel, in a move to boost its cyber presence.
The clips, which have since garnered almost one million views online, follow the progress of the recruits as they go through the nine-week-long military stint, from their enlistment through to the completion of their BMT on Pulau Tekong.
The series captured BMT milestones like recruits getting their buzz-cuts, undergoing the three-day field camp, clearing military obstacles and firing their SAR21 assault rifles for the first time.
The last clip, showing the recruits completing their 24km graduation route march, was uploaded last November.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, Mindef spokesman Desmond Tan said that working with National Geographic Channel (NGC) allowed Mindef to reach out to a wider audience.
'We are glad that NGC finds the boys-to-men journey of the recruits in Every Singaporean Son, their determination, bonding and friendship, as things that resonate with other young people around the world who are NGC's viewers,' he said.
National Geographic Channel's director of regional production, Ms Mok Choy Lin, said the series would 'strike a chord with everyone'.
'National service is a rite of passage that not only the men go through, but also their parents, siblings and girlfriends...everyone can certainly relate to it,' said Ms Mok, 41.
The channel approached Mindef in September about converting the clips into the six episodes. They did not have to pay any rights fees.
There was some editing done to explain military jargon, acronyms and Hokkien phrases, said Ms Mok. One interview had to be reshot.
'We wanted to polish up the video, flesh out the characters and their raw emotions through more compelling story-telling,' she said.
The National Geographic Channel team also went through hours of raw footage to extract about 15 extra minutes of interviews and behind-the-scenes coverage.
Ms Mok said: 'You will hear a lot more from the boys speaking about their fears and struggles during the training...there will be more heartache about how difficult their experiences were.'
Final-year Ngee Ann Polytechnic mass communication student Bryan Toh was glad to learn about the move to convert the video clips into a TV programme.
The 19-year-old, who will enlist later this year, said he had seen some of the YouTube clips.
'I didn't quite understand some of the military jargon and terms...but if the TV series can explain some of them, I would have a better idea of what military life is about,' he said.
Hit BMT reality online series to be shown on TV
By Jermyn Chow
http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/image/20110201/ST_IMAGES_JCSON02.jpg
Young national servicemen assembling and stripping their SAR21 assault rifles during basic military training, in one of the scenes from Every Singaporean Son. The programme, which made its debut on video-sharing website YouTube, will be shown on StarHub's National Geographic Channel next month. -- PHOTO: NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL
MILLIONS of television viewers in Singapore and Asia will soon be able to witness the grit and pain of 14 young Singaporean men as they go through basic military training (BMT).
Following a successful run on video-sharing portal YouTube, the reality series Every Singaporean Son will soon hit television screens.
The TV production, comprising six episodes each about 30 minutes long, will air on StarHub Cable TV's National Geographic Channel on Tuesdays from March 8.
The YouTube hit was commissioned by the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) and produced by home-grown production company Project Peanut.
Eighteen clips were uploaded progressively onto YouTube from July last year on Mindef's 'CyberpioneerTV' channel, in a move to boost its cyber presence.
The clips, which have since garnered almost one million views online, follow the progress of the recruits as they go through the nine-week-long military stint, from their enlistment through to the completion of their BMT on Pulau Tekong.
The series captured BMT milestones like recruits getting their buzz-cuts, undergoing the three-day field camp, clearing military obstacles and firing their SAR21 assault rifles for the first time.
The last clip, showing the recruits completing their 24km graduation route march, was uploaded last November.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, Mindef spokesman Desmond Tan said that working with National Geographic Channel (NGC) allowed Mindef to reach out to a wider audience.
'We are glad that NGC finds the boys-to-men journey of the recruits in Every Singaporean Son, their determination, bonding and friendship, as things that resonate with other young people around the world who are NGC's viewers,' he said.
National Geographic Channel's director of regional production, Ms Mok Choy Lin, said the series would 'strike a chord with everyone'.
'National service is a rite of passage that not only the men go through, but also their parents, siblings and girlfriends...everyone can certainly relate to it,' said Ms Mok, 41.
The channel approached Mindef in September about converting the clips into the six episodes. They did not have to pay any rights fees.
There was some editing done to explain military jargon, acronyms and Hokkien phrases, said Ms Mok. One interview had to be reshot.
'We wanted to polish up the video, flesh out the characters and their raw emotions through more compelling story-telling,' she said.
The National Geographic Channel team also went through hours of raw footage to extract about 15 extra minutes of interviews and behind-the-scenes coverage.
Ms Mok said: 'You will hear a lot more from the boys speaking about their fears and struggles during the training...there will be more heartache about how difficult their experiences were.'
Final-year Ngee Ann Polytechnic mass communication student Bryan Toh was glad to learn about the move to convert the video clips into a TV programme.
The 19-year-old, who will enlist later this year, said he had seen some of the YouTube clips.
'I didn't quite understand some of the military jargon and terms...but if the TV series can explain some of them, I would have a better idea of what military life is about,' he said.
