Police video with a touch of humour

SINGAPORE- When a couple who made low-budget YouTube spoof videos received an e-mail from the Police, they thought it was a joke.

Director Ryan Tan and his producer wife Sylvia Chan, both 25, received an e-mail in September, in which the authorities asked to meet them to discuss a brief for an anti-crime video.

The couple are part of Night Owl Cinematics, which has produced humorous videos. Their most popular clip so far, about the reasons Singaporeans complain, has hit more than 1.2 million views on YouTube since March this year.

In the end, only Ms Chan was at that first meeting at the police headquarters in Irrawaddy Road. Mr Tan was turned away at the gate, he says, as he was wearing slippers.

Ms Chan - dressed in a pencil skirt, white shirt and black blazer that day - met the police's community involvement division and its strategic partner, the National Crime Prevention Council.

The formal atmosphere belied the agenda - the police wanted Night Owl Cinematics to create a funny video to remind people about crime prevention this festive season.

They agreed and production started in October.

That video, Top 10 Criminals In Singapore, has garnered more than 121,000 views since it was uploaded on YouTube on Nov 29.

Different types of thefts and scams are re-enacted in the video to warn viewers against them.

In one scene, a street swindler is shown flogging a $8,888.88 miracle cure to a gullible customer. In another, a man walks away from his unlocked car, then turns around, only to find his car gone.

To date, Night Owl Cinematics has uploaded over 30 videos on YouTube and has more than 80,000 subscribers on their channel.

Mr Tan and Ms Chan have been shooting and editing videos from their Pasir Panjang home since February. He directs and she writes the scripts, devoting half their spare time to the spoof project. They also do corporate and wedding shoots.

The couple is backed by a supporting cast of actors - make-up artist Clara Song, 30, sales executive Franster Wong, 27, freelancer Adam Tun-aung, 32, assistant Tan Jun Li, 22, and actress Nina Tan, 22, who is Mr Tan's cousin.

It took three more meetings with the police to work through issues such as the use of dialect and Singlish in the video, says Ms Chan. The brief was for the video to be performed in English, which could reach a wider audience, she says.

"But why restrict language, when people actually do speak like how we do in our videos?", asks Ms Chan. The group's previous clips often feature a mix of dialect and Singlish.

After three weeks of planning, filming and editing, the final product - delivered in a similar formula of dialect, Singlish and street humour - was ready.

The pair nervously presented the final product to their clients, including Police Commissioner Ng Joo Hee, who "luckily, laughed at all the right parts", says Ms Chan.

[[nid:66908]]

Their comedy video is a first for the Singapore Police Force and National Crime Prevention Council, to harness the "viral capability of digital media", says a police spokesman.

"This is done in the hope of reaching out to the Net-savvy public and drive the crime prevention message across," he says.

Tracking public response to the video on YouTube has been "exciting and encouraging", says Mr Tan Kian Hoon, 59, chairman of the crime prevention council.

He adds: "We hope more and more Singaporeans will see the video and share it with their friends and family, so that everyone can watch it and remember to be more vigilant against such preventable crimes this festive season."

They decline to reveal the cost of commissioning the video.

Presenting a spoof version of the popular Crimewatch series in future might make the anti-crime message more effective, says director Tan. "I am happy that the police came in with a sense of humour because for us as film-makers, it is about entertaining viewers first."

He adds: "The message, whatever it is, comes later."

Undergraduate Tan Li Ling, 24, watched the video last week after friends reposted it on Facebook. "It doesn't jam the message down people's throats, but allows the viewer to laugh," she says.

"Then later, it quietly flashes the police and crime prevention council logo - very classy."

Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.

[[nid:66908]]