“Any films that inspired me to become a cinematographer? Maybe the old Hong Kong films because I grew up watching them; I guess they’re the reason why I’m interested in the film industry.

I pursued a Diploma in Mass Media Management at Nanyang Poly because the course suits my needs. It covers all aspects, including the business side, and the lecturers are industry experts, so it works well for me to study here and work with them.

For the National Day Parade (NDP), the brief that was given to us by the Director of Photography was to produce a behind-the-scenes video that captures the blood, sweat and tears of all the participants.

We had the idea of focusing more on the bond and connection formed between the participants, so we actually went around that route and the clients really liked it. The video will be played after the NDP finale.

One of the challenges of working on the video these past five months is adapting to any situation because there are always last-minute changes when you’re filming. I guess I’ve learnt to handle these changes in order to lead my team and give clear instructions on how to get things done.

It was also an awesome experience being one of the few who get permission to be on the actual stage to film the rehearsals. The first time was pretty scary because I’m just a student and I’m put next to all these people from Mediacorp. I learnt a lot during breaks when I got to chat with them.

But just doing this video for NDP feels like a big achievement. When I’m on stage and filming the Parade RSM march with the military band and contingent, I suddenly feel very patriotic. I get to see how the whole of Singapore come together and actually capture these moments, so for me, that’s the biggest takeaway.” – ChunYan, 20