He used to want ‘everything’ to excel, but filmmaker Boo Junfeng now knows what matters most for an NDP show

The goal is to make this National Day special to more Singaporeans, expanding the stage so that more people can feel like they have front-row seats.

“People usually go to Marina Bay to catch the fireworks and aerial displays, but they would feel like they are outside of the centre of the show,” he said. 

“But this time around, we are trying to make it such that even if you’re at Marina Bay, you could feel like you are a part of the centre stage. We are putting speakers all around the bay so that people can minimally hear the music and what’s going on at the Padang.”

For the first time, a bay-wide speaker system will broadcast synchronised audio across Marina Bay. There will also be emcees in the bay area to engage the crowd, bringing the festivities closer to the waterfront crowd.

There are even choreographed moments to sync between both locations.

“We want people to feel like they have front-row seats to a national show,” he added.

One such moment is a special cross-venue performance of last year’s NDP theme song, Not Alone. Veteran singer Rahimah Rahim will perform live at the Padang, while the song’s composer and vocalist Benjamin Kheng will sing from a mobile floating stage at Marina Bay for the duet.

“I think it might be the most ambitious NDP so far in terms of scale,” Mr Boo said sheepishly. 

And he might be right, if the descriptions and rehearsals for the upcoming Aug 9 show are anything to go by.

In addition to more than 39 artistes and 3,000 performers involved in the show, this year’s show will feature a specially designed 360-degree centre stage at the Padang – the largest mobile stage in NDP history – along with light projections on buildings, massive floats designed by artists with disabilities and the much-loved fireworks display.

Audiences can expect four land floats at the Padang and another four water floats at Marina Bay.

These elements are more than just creative flourishes. For Mr Boo, they serve to lift the storyline, theme and messages, to showcase Singaporeans whose life stories often go unheard.

AN INTEREST IN EVERYDAY SINGAPOREANS

Having been a filmmaker since 2004, Mr Boo made a name for himself when, in 2010, his debut feature film Sandcastles was screened at the Cannes Film Festival’s 49th International Critics’ Week and then at various international film festivals. It was a coming-of-age story about a boy having to take care of his grandmother who was slipping into dementia. 

His second feature film Apprentice, about a prison guard and an executioner, premiered in 2016 at Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard and was Singapore’s entry for Best Foreign Language Film in the 2017 Oscars.

With several award-winning short films under his name, it was no surprise that he was tapped to bring a storytelling lens to the NDP and he has worked to anchor the show in stories about the human experience. 

He has a deep interest in spotlighting everyday Singaporeans – people with hopes, ideas and a vision for the country, especially those who are not in the news or featured on social media.

_{Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.}