Viddsee Originals, an original content initiative by Viddsee in collaboration with the Info-communications Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA), has garnered over 4 million views across Viddsee’s platforms and channels since its debut on February 2018.
The initiative is led by Viddsee Studios, the company’s digital content creation arm launched in November 2017 and is headed by Singapore filmmaker Kenny Tan. The content slate for 2018 comprises five series, starting with ‘Scene City’, an anthology of short films that premiered on February 13, three episodic series titles, and documentary series, Viddsee Voices.
Said Ho Jia Jian, the co-founder of Viddsee: “We started Originals as a way to collaborate with the incredibly talented local filmmakers from our community of content creators. The quality of work and response from the public has been amazing – to see such a sizable and engaged viewership is a big endorsement of our mission to empower storytellers.” In addition to their current distribution platforms, Grab users in Singapore can also watch Viddsee Originals via Grab app’s content feed feature, GrabDaily. Each week, five new videos from a Viddsee Originals series or documentary will be included within GrabDaily.
Said Dorothy Lai, Director, Public Service Media & Assessment, IMDA: “Our partnership with Viddsee has enabled talented Singapore filmmakers to harness the power of digital platforms and technology to tell stories in their own unique style and voice. We are excited to see the growth of Viddsee Originals and its collaboration with Grab, which will allow our stories to inspire and entertain more users anywhere, anytime.”
Viddsee’s latest originals: ‘Drive’ and ‘A Spectacular Sight’ The latest series under the Viddsee Originals label is ‘Drive’, a five-episode series conceived and directed by the award-winning Don Aravind. Launched on July 26, the series revolves around Uncle, a taxi driver for over 30 years who has to drive the remaining last three days of his career for hours following the death of his relief driver, setting in motion a journey that blurs reality and delusion.
Said Don Aravind on the making of ‘Drive’: “It takes a collage from personal memories to people who mean a lot to me; the story and characters of Drive are somehow connected someway to me, only known to me. But, they are universally relatable too. Talk and spend time with any taxi driver and you will know.”
Another film that recently premiered was ‘A Spectacular Sight’, the fifth and concluding part of the ‘Scene City’ series that captures the heart and soul of a city through vignettes of modern life. Made to coincide with Singapore’s National Day, the family drama directed by Rifyal Giffari centres on how a dysfunctional family comes together as they prepare to watch the National Day Parade.
The other Viddsee Originals series are ‘Sleeping Beauty & The Man In The Red Suit’, (premiered on June 6), and ‘Queen of Hearts’, which is due to launch in September. Viddsee Voices comprises three social documentaries: ‘While You Sleep’ (March 8), a series that focuses on Singaporeans who work the graveyard shift, ‘Memories on a Plate’ (April 12), an intimate examination of Singaporean food and heritage, and ‘Confessions’ (June 21), which captures the private thoughts of those who have struggled through personal tragedy.
Viddsee Originals is produced in collaboration with the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) as part of a public service content initiative to develop original content with local content creators that caters to Singapore viewers on digital platforms.
