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Contemporary Creative and Cultural Industry of Singapore | Final Assignment

Loh Xiu Ming

2015

List of contents  1. Abstract  2. Introduction  3. Case Studies: Broadcasted Comedy in Singapore 4. The Changes in Approach to Comedy 5. The Future of Singapore comedy 6. Conclusion 7. Bibliography

1. Abstract

Humor is present in many parts of the world. Their relevance are based on not merely culture, but time and locale are also great considerations which may contribute to its successfulness in ticking the funny bones, or rather whether something can be considered humorous or not. They are present in a multitude of genres and styles and in an unexhaustive combination across space subtlety and irony in British humor to the unapologetic and straightforwardness of American humor, and they are present in an array of mediums as well TV sitcoms, stand up comedy, theatre productions, and movies.

The focus of this essay lies in discussing the different styles and approaches to broadcasted comedies in Singapore, mainly television shows and films, and its evolution since its first implementation. 2. Introduction

Comedy is commonly defined as a professional form of entertainment, which uses humour as the means to an end. However I believe that the ability to tickle the funny bones of the audience is the bare necessity for a film or a show to be considered comedic. Unlike other genres of films and TV shows, comedy is able to assume a higher function to resonate with a crowd and diffuse undesirable tension in social situations. Just like how we maneuver through awkward and undesirable social situations through the use of words in our daily lives, comedy is an intelligent use of language and conversation to please. Comedy is very much literary. The theory of laughter, according to Sypher (1956) is based on malice, release from restraint, a response from the incongruous, ambivalence and bewilderment, etc. There are different ways of using words to achieve the desired effect. A comic effect is always obtainable by transposing the natural expression of an idea into another key. (Sypher, 1956) Bergson further supported the statement, with an example of a transgression of the solemn to the familiar, which creates parody. Although that theory is not extensive enough to explain the comedic effect of under the broad list of comedic genres, it sketches a rough idea on how comedy can be achieved through the juxtaposition of situations, literally and in real life. The comedic genres commonplace in Singapore will be discussed in the later sections on the styles of comedy in Singapore.

There is never a singular involvement in comedy, and in all mediums, comedy involve the teller and its audience. The audience can be further classified into different ethnicities and clans (which is more well defined amongst the Chinese dialect groups) for the case of Singapore, the young and the old, the well educated and the less, etc. There are many instances by which language and context hinders the fluidity of comedy to serve its desired audience. There were concerns over whether Singapore television shows and films would be able to penetrate into foreign comedy industries, due to the use of Singlish, which is a hodgepodge of inaccurate English, Chinese and dialects and Malay slangs. Even if a joke might be relevant in the context of Southeast Asia where such a mixture of language and use of improper english is prevalent, it erects high walls of contextual irrelevancy to regions such as Americas and Europe. Comedies which makes use of proper Chinese and English language may even set a barrier between the English educated Chinese and the Chinese educated for the older generation, as well as the highly educated Generation X and Ys, who has achieved a proficient level of the English language. It is challenging to produce good comedies which are able to glue all aspects of the society, where comedy with the use of language is concerned.

As there is no fixed formula to produce what is deemed as a good comedy, comedy functions as an exploratory medium for producers and receivers to learn and explore about the complexity of ethnic identities and interactions, and its sophisticated Contemporary Creative and Cultural Industry of Singapore | Final Assignment and problematic terms. Many comedies in Singapore are written to portray characters which are stereotypical or metaphorical for the different groups of people in the society, the reason being that they provide an immediate gratifying means for the audiences to deal with perceived ethnic threats.

In the multicultural context of Singapore, a good medium for release is one that does not jeopardise cultural and social vibrancy, but provides understanding of cultural complexity and depth. In other words, comedy producers assume the responsibility to provide a coping mechanism for the audience without jeopardising social harmony. Producing for the sake of consumerism and financial reaping, although indicative of the level of commercial success, may not guarantee full cultural acceptance. There is a multitude of change in the Singaporean psyche which resulted in the shift towards a certain genre of comedy which the public is able to appreciate. Such genres are highlighted in the case studies below. 3. Case studies: Broadcasted Comedy in Singapore

Early radio programs and the use of dialects

The earliest approach to broadcasted comedy was through the radio. The Rediffusion, opened by Sir Franklin Gimson in 1949, had English, Mandarin, Malay and Tamil broadcasting channels. Comedic programs such as DialaJoke by Roger Kool (in English) as well as comedic storytelling programs in Teochew, Hakka, Hokkien dialects by Lee Dai Soh, Ng Chia Kheng and Ong Toh were hosted on the platform. However, dialect programs had to meet the end of its days in 1982, when the implementation of the Speak Mandarin Campaign banned dialect programs in order to encourage the use of a unified Chinese language. This saw an end to dialectic comedies catered to individual clans of the Chinese in Singapore.

Sitcom: Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd and the use of Singlish

Comedy in the form of sitcoms are broadcasted on Mediacorp TV, the only TV broadcaster in Singapore owned by Temasek Holdings. Programs such as Under One Roof (1995) and Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd (19972009) were the first and the longest running English sitcoms shown on Channel 5 television. Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd received acclamation when it won the Best Comedy Program at the Asian Television Award for 6 years in a row from 1998 to 2003, and the program debuted in Malaysia followed by Singapore.

Although widely popular amongst Singaporeans, the show met with strong friction between those who advocated the Speak Proper English campaign, due to its extensive use of Singlish and some dialects in its scripts. Singlish was ostracised officially, as quoting Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong in 1999 during his rally speech, banning Singlish on broadcast is crucial if the aim of Singapore is to be a “first world economy and a world class home”. Commonly regarded thereafter as low prestige, Singlish is not used as the official language and it is heavily debated on. Although it is possible for a character to be comedic without involving the use of Singlish, like Ronnie Tan in 1994 English sitcom Under One Roof, the portrayal of an average Singaporean may be less than accurate. Singlish is an outcome of collaboration between the different ethnic groups in Singapore. The use of basic English phrases and a mixture of dialects and slangs commonly used by the different ethnic groups require a deep understanding of the context by which it is spoken to properly understand the jokes which are told. The use of perfect English in the portrayal of the typical Singaporean on television seems to lack rigour, just like making a unique local dish with western ingredients. Singlish is Singaporean’s unique take on the effect of globalisation. They tend to appreciate localised comedies which reflect upon their own lives. Culturally specific comedies with an authentic representation of its targeted culture is important to ensure a relatability to its viewers. In the case of Under One Roof, the actor, Nicholas Lee, was heavily criticised for not using Singlish while acting as Ronnie Tan. However, Lee wrote to the Straits Time to justify his reason for not using Singlish, quoting that producing a movie for only the local population is unsustainable for the financial rewards were insignificant. 

For the survival of the entertainment industry, there was a need to push the sitcoms towards the English speaking markets, and the only way for them to understand it is through scripting dialogues in spoken in standard English. There is a legitable reason to put aside the use of the local version of the English language to limit the exposure to the young, who has yet to form a vocabulary of slangs and dialects. Responding to PM Goh’s request, the main character, Phua Chu Kang, “enrolled” in night classes and was committed to use only standard English in the future episodes. Reiterating the point as stated in the introduction, comedy functions as a means of immediate gratification for the audienced to deal with perceived ethnic threats. Other than ethnicity, social class separates the different levels of society, which could equally be mediated by comedy, as with satires and Jack Neo’s critique of elitism in his film I Not Stupid. (This will be elaborated on further in the section below.) 

Looking at the greater perspective, the intolerance of the government against the use of Singlish in local television shows may suggest a failure of comedy in achieving its purpose of dealing with elitism. Stereotypical characters like Phua Chu Kang spoke in Singlish to assume an identity. He represented the lower educated workforce who has managed to make a good living through entrepreneurship. Worlds apart from the white collared workforce and Singapore’s ruling class yet able to command a standard of living comparable to that of the latter, Phua Chu Kang represented the pioneer

generation of Singapore entrepreneurs. The character was the voice of those who resonated deeply with the life portrayed. By commanding the banning of Singlish on national television and even by “sending” PCK for English night classes, it reflects a certain level of intolerance towards Singlish speaking Singaporeans. Although Singlish is commonly used in layman conversations and welcomed by some Singaporeans, its assimilation into the Singapore television industry had been largely contained as a result of government pressure. The direction of most television shows on national television thereafter has been produced with the use of standard English in mind, bringing an end to comedy shows with the linguistic touch of home. On Comedy Night Comedy Night is the longest running Chinese language comedy, hosted by Jack Neo between 1990 and 2000. The lowbrow comedy draws humour from the common topics that were common talk in the middle to lower classes of society, such as fortune telling, 4D betting, illegal moneylending. Like Phua Chu Kang, Singapore pop characters like Liang Popo, and eccentric and mischievous elderly grandmother and Liang Xi Mei, a stereotypical portrayal of a Singaporean housewife made regular appearances at the show. Mandarin was used as the main conversational language in the show, although there were some improper use, English phrases were used as a bridge for the understanding of the majority of non English speaking Chinese audiences (for example, in Episode 6 of a lawsuit involving Liang Popo and the wife of an illegal money lender). Presumably, the show was targeted at the masses, hence jokes which require less effort in understanding were used. However, the better educated rung of the society might find the comedy styles tasteless. In other words, the comedy brought to light a clearer segmentation of audiences than Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd, between the majority and those who acquired the taste of intellectual jokes. Comedy Night was like no other. It seemed almost impossible to have anyone else but the Jteam to perform and carry out the style of Comedy Night. 

Although the comedy night ended in 2000, the similar style of comedy was brought over to Jack Neo’s films, which featured content that were societal concerns, achieving the higher function of comedy and bringing a voice to what was previously taken for granted.

Satirical Comedy: The Noose

In 2007, the first episode of another mention worthy comedy The Noose was aired on Mediacorp Channel 5. There was a huge change in the style of presenting comedy from sitcoms like Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd and the skits by Comedy Night The Noose is a parody of the news broadcast on Channel 5, and it featured current news reports and issues faced by Singaporeans. There was an increasingly daring take on the character’s portrayal, which was largely different from the way of the past where there was unwillingness to risk offending some of the social groups. The characters are stereotypical images of groups of people received with little enthusiasm by common perception: Lulu, a Mainland Chinese KTV hostess who made an appearance in several episodes, is a stereotype of the large Chinese population residing in Singapore bearing social behaviors deemed unacceptable and uncouth in Singapore, such as scratching her unshaven armpits and openly commenting on Singaporeans not reproducing as much as the pandas in China. Played by Michelle Chong as well, Leticia Bongnino (a Filipino maid) is the stereotype of an Filipino domestic helper abiding to her employer’s needs, including helping her employer’s son, a National Serviceman carry his army field pack. On screen, she has a relationship with a Bangladeshi worker Terry, stereotyping and reflecting the common concerns regarding such a pair up breaching social boundaries and affecting productivity and the hooha Singaporean employers made over it. She parodies the sentiments of the domestic helpers in Singapore and her onscreen relationship with Terry allows viewers to realise that they too, are human and in need of a love life. The stereotypes characterises the different social and ethnic groups in Singapore and the acknowledgment of these groups through the comical approach allows xenophobic viewers to cope with the perceived differences between themselves and the groups and come to terms with what it means to be a Singaporean. Contemporary Creative and Cultural Industry of Singapore | Final Assignment Other than impersonation of real life characters, the show cleverly inculcates certain relevant characters to current issues to capture and explore the ways to portray Singaporean and foreign sentiments. For example, following up on the incident when British wealth fund manager Anton Casey posted derogatory remarks about Singapore transport commuters being “poor people” on his Facebook page, Andre Chichak interviewed Barbarella “Chris Martin”, a bimbotic President of the SPG (“Sarong Party Girl”, pronounced “Aspergers’”), about her view towards the issue. Barbarella was portrayed as a stereotypical shallow woman with an obsession over western men and culture. Her sarcastic speech about the snobbish attitude of westerners brings double irony when she commented “I feel that he should be given a second chance” because if “they all go back, there will be no Holland Village and Orchard Towers.”, suggesting that Westerners do make up part of the society and hence it is needless of the snobbish attitude. From this, we can infer that comedy of Singapore in the current day seems to have taken a more daring and direct approach in voicing out the views of the public. 

The Noose abides fully to the requirements dialogues were spoken in perfect English which is a success considering the fact that many comedies before that relied on the use of Singlish to resonate with their audiences. The dialogues seems to have become more intellectual, which suggests that there might have been a change in the target audience from the masses to a group that is somewhat higher, or that the mass majority has improved in their grasp of the English language and are highly in touch with hot topics to understand the antics put up by The Noose.

The Noose earned a nomination at the International Emmy Awards in 2011 in the comedy category, and the cast has won awards and received commendations at the Asian Television awards.

On Films: I Not Stupid and Money No Enough

Jack Neo made his breakthrough when he crossed over his style of presentation of melodramatic comedy with the featuring of current issues into his early homegrown productions, Money No Enough and I Not Stupid. Money No Enough earned a whopping S$5.8 million and held box office records for 14 years. Producers made an effort to contain exaggerations wholly to the storyline which was a toned down departure compared to Comedy Night which was exaggerated in every aspect in a seeming attempt to achieve the effect of humour. Scripted dialogue was 80% in Chinese dialects and predominantly Hokkien, and that was way beyond a trigger to receive criticisms of the government, bearing the fact that the film was produced in 1998, which was way after the successful implementation of the Speak Mandarin Campaign. I Not Stupid (2002), a satire of the education system of Singapore and social attitudes, was better received by the authorities. It is essentially about the desire of Singaporeans to perform and excel in work and school. The film bears close relevance to the situation that Singaporean students face, a result of Neo’s two year research of the topic, and it was a form of release for audiences, especially students and their families, who felt the tension in life but did not have an avenue to articulate their concerns and be understood. The film was not merely a mirror of their lives but also their voice. It sparked debate on the need for streaming, which then later led to the scrapping of the streaming system by 2008.

The films, especially I Not Stupid, showcased the Singapore story, which was a good departure from the line of Jack Neo’s productions which only touched on situations of superficial value such as betting and money lending. Although the storyline is mediocre and involved kidnapping, gangster activities and many more, the events in the story has been orientated as responses to the main issues covered by the film. In the case of I Not Stupid, it was towards the outcome of Singapore education. The kidnapping scene of Terry and Chengcai were allegorical of the outcome of Singaporeans in social situations; Terry the everyman being the ideal and portraying the superego, believing that the situation will be ideal if only he does not defy authority (in this case, the captors). Chengcai, on the other hand, represented the instinctive and a defiance to authority.

The storyline of comedy is extremely important as it is a controlling factor whichdetermines the relevancy of the humor. Arthur Asa Berger, in his book Blind Men and Elephants, mentioned the Rashomon phenomenon, which is a themed technique to storytelling used in many jokes and humorous stories. The Rashomon phenomenon showcases how members of different nationalities or occupations deal with something, and often it adds a comic and cosmic dimension to the storyline. This is what was apparent in Jack Neo’s departure from his previous productions the storyline is rich in dimension and depth telling the Singapore story. The story not only resonated with even the minority groups of audience, it showcases a multicultural perspective on the situation.

4. The Changes in Approach to Comedy

Over the years, the style of comedy in Singapore changed greatly, reason being that changes in societal expectations has had a positive change in the Singaporean psyche. The changing language expectations to deal with globalisation changed the mode of conveying humor to its audience. From dialect comedies catered to minority groups where Singapore started off, to Singlish, the layman use of English in comedies, to strictly proper English and mother tongue languages, the mode of conveying language has evolved to meet the expectations of the comedy industry to compete on the international level. 

Comedy broadcasted on national TV seems to have reoriented itself to suit the educated majority of the public. There is a general focus on situational comedies. The use of epigrammatic humor, satire, parody and irony requires the average audiences to have a better command of the English language in order to appreciate the comedy. It may have seemed that producers have “highballed” its average audience in the case of The Noose. In another sense, this may result in the consequences of marginalising the less educated and the old.

However this is not consistent with the homegrown film productions. Despite multiple campaigns by the government, producers like Jack Neo challenged the authorities with the use of the Hokkien dialect in 80% of the conversations in Money No Enough. Producers are more daring to work against the pressure of the government for a legitable need to portray characters synchronical to the real life context. Comedy has  evolved to target current issues at large and soughts to resonate with not just the masses but also a wide spectrum of minority, surpassing barriers of nationality and even social characters. In fact, Jack Neo’s films dwell deep to examine the details of existing social problems, especially political social issues, and critiques on existing systems of working in the political arena. As there are producers who are willing to challenge authority, the interests of the minority can be safeguarded against the economy which favours the young and the highly educated masses. 4. The Future of Singapore Comedy

Stated in the ACCA Report Executive Summary of 1989, culture and the arts should mould the way of life, the customs and the psyche of the people, and give the nation its character. This is debatable in comedy as viewers essentially want to see a mirror of their own reflection, something which they can understand and feel for, and not something that they are meant to be. By reflecting upon current issues, comedy serves as a medium and a platform which presents issues to its audience in a manner which is easily understood. Essentially, this creates a dialogue between the intended in real life, just as how Jack Neo’s comedic take on touchy issues such as the education system in Singapore led us to question the validity of our methods to attain a high standard of living or the desired way of life. I believe that the culture and the arts should not mould the way of life and its customs, but question our current set of values and methodologies in order to come up with a resolution which is agreeable by most playersof the nation. Comedy, which bears the function as a gratifying means for the audience to deal with perceived threats, plays a huge part in presenting such sensitive issues to the public.

However, comedy has to give the nation its character. The success of a comedy in the portrayal of the Singapore character does not necessarily mean the success of the comedy in giving the nation its character by showcasing to the world what we are like, like how some Singaporeans view Singlish spoken by Phua Chu Kang as a Singaporean take on globalisation. The success of a comedy in giving a nation its character has to come from deeper means, such as the ability to kickstart a discussion with the consistent effort to include those who are more likely to be marginalised. The expansion of Singapore comedy industry to penetrate the foreign market while abiding by the rules of the Singapore media seems to be of the greatest concerns of the producers. Even with high competition from abroad, such as Comedy Central Asia on cable TV, Singapore’s local comedic films and television shows stands strong with its local flavour. However I believe that the strong reception of films abroad surpasses the surface of the portrayal of local culture, but incite interest in the psyche behind the show the underlying societal conditions of which when showcased in a comprehensive narration, forms a strong and unique storyline. The detailed exploration of such concepts require much in depth research and extensive funding which can only be offset by returns from the box office, hence, a chicken and egg situation between the ability of creating quality comedy and the ability to penetrate into the foreign market. It is safe to say that Singaporeans are indeed capable of producing good comedy, despite the common perception that Singaporeans are too serious to be funny. What was lacking was a deep understanding of their own culture. 5. Conclusion

Singapore’s comedy industry has improved greatly from the superficial lowbrow comedy to comedy which dwell into issues of society’s concerns. The steps taken to ensure that Singaporeans are understood by the rest of the world has undeniably catapulted Singapore films into the foreign comedy industry, although that has initially met with reluctance to accept a language which is not essentially Singaporean. Sacrifices aside, the comedy industry has seen a vast improvement in content creation and depth of portrayal. I believe it is safe to say that the Singapore comedy industry is headed at the right direction. 6. Bibliography

Conceptual Design

FFR3PS is inspired from Sigmund Freud's theory of the triad - the id, ego and superego. Users are guided to experience the dynamics of the tripartite, through the type, use and placement of the mirror and the components of the fitting room - japanese rice paper screens and two way mirrors.