Raffles: Remaking An Icon (2 x 60mins)
Channel News Asia
Role: Lead Director / Shooting PD “Sony FX system”/ Post Director
This one’s close to my heart. I spent 2 years with a camera on my shoulder following characters in this storied and iconic hotel.
A two-part, 60-minute observational documentary that delves into the upstairs and downstairs inner workings of one of the world’s most famous hotels. Raffles Hotel in Singapore is a national icon, a timepiece that preserves an era of grand parties in tuxedos and opulent luxury. By 2018, it found itself a little outdated and in need of restoration. This observational documentary follows the staff and guests as they grapple with upholding the hotel’s extraordinary standards while in the midst of a multimillion-dollar restoration.
An Icon Reborn
Part 2
Filmed over 2 years, this documentary goes past the hoardings to show the sheer magnitude, unanticipated obstacles, and careful deliberation needed in restoring the Raffles Hotel. We catch up with well-loved characters from the previous episode.
Remaking An Icon
Part 1
Raffles Hotel in Singapore is the flagship hotel of the Raffles Brand. It’s an iconic building that takes up one square block of one of the most densely populated cities. It’s a building that can tell the history of the city-state within its walls. This year we were given access to film its historic total restoration. The story is about those who upkeep its reputation as being a 5-star hotel while at the same time turning it into a construction site.