I have never been a fan of National Day song. They are so saccharine sweet and filled with open/hidden messages they made my skin crawl and the hairs on my body stand up.
This year ND song is no difference. It is not that catchy and as usual , the video made me wanna puke! Showing scenes of daily life does not quite made me missed home nor inspired loyalty or patriotism.
This year video is even funny. Have you seen Hady? His make up is so thick that all the wrinkles around his eyes and face disappeared. He looked very pretty and sweet, very suitable to be singing about Shine for "Sin-ga-pour" as he pronounced it.
And this year, the song was accused of being a copy cat of a japanese ad (or was it Korean).
The producer said that she was only localizing an inspiration idea. And lawyers agreed. Copying an idea is not copyright infringement.
So next time, someone accused me of being a copy cat, I can also say, I am only copying the idea and localising it.
And dun be too happy if your kid is doing something similar like that. This smacks not of artistic talent but more of autism.
-----------------------------------
My Paper
14 July 2008
Netizens slam NDP video as Japanese ad rip-off
They said that some scenes in the ad were very similar to a Japanese ad for The Children's Foundation, and national projects 'should be original and not recycle used concepts'.
THIS year's National Day Parade (NDP) videos for its theme songs have sparked off some controversy online.
A contributor to citizen media website Stomp, Daniel, felt that some scenes in the videos were copied from a Japanese television advertisement for The Children's Foundation. He said that although the NDP videos are not exact copies, some scenes, like that of a child painting, seemed very similar to those in the Japanese ad. Daniel said: "I think this is unoriginal and uncreative, especially for our NDP.
"I feel that any national projects should be original and not recycle concepts already done by other countries."
NDP video is three minutes long and depicts various everyday scenes in the lives of Singaporeans, such as children colouring, a boy courting a girl and a man running up the stairs in a block of HDB flats. These scenes are interspersed with those of Singapore Idol 2006 winner Hady Mirza singing the theme song Shine. For Singapore. Joi Chua performs the Chinese NDP theme song Qing Kong Wan Li.
Among others, Daniel pointed out that scenes like those of children colouring and paying attention in class are very similar to those which can be seen in the Japanese advertisement.
A video of the 11/2-minute Japanese advertisement was uploaded onto Google Video in April 2006. It is stated on the site that the advertisement was created by the Japan Ad Council.
Netizens who commented on the post on Stomp mainly felt that it was the fault of the advertising company which had been engaged to create the video.
Contributor goolen2001 said yesterday: "National Day advertisement also want to copy other advertisement? Shame on you. Goolen2001 added: "The advertising agency wants to earn money only. Lazy to use brain."
Fellow contributor krankiepants said: "It's sad to see such things happening."
However, pbcjohn79 defended the video's creators: "It is an honest mistake. Let's move on." But jacksparrow2 disagreed strongly: "I think it is serious as a lump sum has been paid to make that video."
Stomp has contacted the authorities for comments.
16 July 2008
Producer says she did a remake as she liked the ad's message:
I was localising an inspirational idea
S'pore netizens complain NDP video is too similar to Japanese ad
By Desmond Ng
THE new National Day Parade (NDP) music video has stirred more than patriotic sentiment. As the video is an adaptation of a Japanese advertisement, some netizens are up in arms.
A contributor to website Stomp, Daniel, said: 'I think this is unoriginal and uncreative, especially for our NDP. 'I feel that any national project should be original and not recycled concepts already done by other countries.'
Another contributor, Shaffezah, said: 'No originality. They should change it. Have they run out of ideas?'
But Ms Gloria Chee, the producer of the video, disagrees. She said she was simply localising an inspirational idea. She saw the 1 1/2-minute Japanese video online a few years ago, and it left a deep impression on her. Said Ms Chee, a freelance producer: 'I liked their message that parents shouldn't censor the ideas of kids. I wanted to localise that inspiring video and share it with parents here. It's a remake of that idea. 'I never thought of it as copying. It's like how Jack Neo's movie 'Home Run' is a remake of the Iranian movie 'Children of Heaven'.'
The 35-year-old said she was commissioned by the NDP organisers to produce this year's videos. She produced the three-minute video in under three days in May. Ms Chee said her friends, relatives and the NDP committee also knew that she had adapted the idea from the Japanese ad.
Said Ms Chee: 'I didn't do it with the idea that no one will know. From the production house to my friends and my parents, I never tried to hide the fact that my video is a remake of the Japanese video.
'And this is not a profit-oriented video, it's a public service I'm doing for the country.' She said she only gets a modest honorarium for producing the video. While she feels that some of the online criticism is harsh, she hopes that Singaporeans will understand her intention behind the video.
She explained: 'My intention was simply to spread the message that one shouldn't censor children's ideas. And I felt that the Japanese video best conveys that message.'
Some netizens like babyhorse defended the producer and said: 'Perhaps the creator of our NDP video was inspired by the Japanese version. Nothing to be ashamed of. If we can import sports talent and call them our own, I do not see why there is a fuss over this video.'
Lawyer Tan Hee Joek said that there's no copyright infringement here. He said: 'Using the idea is not a copyright infringement. If she had lifted the video and used it wholesale, then it's a copyright infringement. Ideas per se can't be copyrighted.'
-----------------------------------
The New Paper
16 July 2008
GETTING THE WHOLE PICTURE
THE NDP video shows snippets of a little girl colouring, a boy courting a girl and a man delivering newspapers - all interspersed with scenes of Singapore Idol winner Hady Mirza singing the theme song 'Shine For Singapore'.
The girl colours furiously on sheets of paper but her teachers and parents can't understand why. In the end, her teachers understand her message. All the coloured sheets, when put together like a jigsaw puzzle, form a star.
It's the same concept in the Japanese video - except it was a boy doing the colouring and the result was a whale, not a star. The Japanese advertisement was uploaded online in 2006. The TV ad was for The Children's Foundation, produced by the Japanese Ad Council.
This year ND song is no difference. It is not that catchy and as usual , the video made me wanna puke! Showing scenes of daily life does not quite made me missed home nor inspired loyalty or patriotism.
This year video is even funny. Have you seen Hady? His make up is so thick that all the wrinkles around his eyes and face disappeared. He looked very pretty and sweet, very suitable to be singing about Shine for "Sin-ga-pour" as he pronounced it.
And this year, the song was accused of being a copy cat of a japanese ad (or was it Korean).
The producer said that she was only localizing an inspiration idea. And lawyers agreed. Copying an idea is not copyright infringement.
So next time, someone accused me of being a copy cat, I can also say, I am only copying the idea and localising it.
And dun be too happy if your kid is doing something similar like that. This smacks not of artistic talent but more of autism.
-----------------------------------
My Paper
14 July 2008
Netizens slam NDP video as Japanese ad rip-off
They said that some scenes in the ad were very similar to a Japanese ad for The Children's Foundation, and national projects 'should be original and not recycle used concepts'.
THIS year's National Day Parade (NDP) videos for its theme songs have sparked off some controversy online.
A contributor to citizen media website Stomp, Daniel, felt that some scenes in the videos were copied from a Japanese television advertisement for The Children's Foundation. He said that although the NDP videos are not exact copies, some scenes, like that of a child painting, seemed very similar to those in the Japanese ad. Daniel said: "I think this is unoriginal and uncreative, especially for our NDP.
"I feel that any national projects should be original and not recycle concepts already done by other countries."
NDP video is three minutes long and depicts various everyday scenes in the lives of Singaporeans, such as children colouring, a boy courting a girl and a man running up the stairs in a block of HDB flats. These scenes are interspersed with those of Singapore Idol 2006 winner Hady Mirza singing the theme song Shine. For Singapore. Joi Chua performs the Chinese NDP theme song Qing Kong Wan Li.
Among others, Daniel pointed out that scenes like those of children colouring and paying attention in class are very similar to those which can be seen in the Japanese advertisement.
A video of the 11/2-minute Japanese advertisement was uploaded onto Google Video in April 2006. It is stated on the site that the advertisement was created by the Japan Ad Council.
Netizens who commented on the post on Stomp mainly felt that it was the fault of the advertising company which had been engaged to create the video.
Contributor goolen2001 said yesterday: "National Day advertisement also want to copy other advertisement? Shame on you. Goolen2001 added: "The advertising agency wants to earn money only. Lazy to use brain."
Fellow contributor krankiepants said: "It's sad to see such things happening."
However, pbcjohn79 defended the video's creators: "It is an honest mistake. Let's move on." But jacksparrow2 disagreed strongly: "I think it is serious as a lump sum has been paid to make that video."
Stomp has contacted the authorities for comments.
-----------------------------------
The New Paper16 July 2008
Producer says she did a remake as she liked the ad's message:
I was localising an inspirational idea
S'pore netizens complain NDP video is too similar to Japanese ad
By Desmond Ng
THE new National Day Parade (NDP) music video has stirred more than patriotic sentiment. As the video is an adaptation of a Japanese advertisement, some netizens are up in arms.
A contributor to website Stomp, Daniel, said: 'I think this is unoriginal and uncreative, especially for our NDP. 'I feel that any national project should be original and not recycled concepts already done by other countries.'
Another contributor, Shaffezah, said: 'No originality. They should change it. Have they run out of ideas?'
But Ms Gloria Chee, the producer of the video, disagrees. She said she was simply localising an inspirational idea. She saw the 1 1/2-minute Japanese video online a few years ago, and it left a deep impression on her. Said Ms Chee, a freelance producer: 'I liked their message that parents shouldn't censor the ideas of kids. I wanted to localise that inspiring video and share it with parents here. It's a remake of that idea. 'I never thought of it as copying. It's like how Jack Neo's movie 'Home Run' is a remake of the Iranian movie 'Children of Heaven'.'
The 35-year-old said she was commissioned by the NDP organisers to produce this year's videos. She produced the three-minute video in under three days in May. Ms Chee said her friends, relatives and the NDP committee also knew that she had adapted the idea from the Japanese ad.
Said Ms Chee: 'I didn't do it with the idea that no one will know. From the production house to my friends and my parents, I never tried to hide the fact that my video is a remake of the Japanese video.
'And this is not a profit-oriented video, it's a public service I'm doing for the country.' She said she only gets a modest honorarium for producing the video. While she feels that some of the online criticism is harsh, she hopes that Singaporeans will understand her intention behind the video.
She explained: 'My intention was simply to spread the message that one shouldn't censor children's ideas. And I felt that the Japanese video best conveys that message.'
Some netizens like babyhorse defended the producer and said: 'Perhaps the creator of our NDP video was inspired by the Japanese version. Nothing to be ashamed of. If we can import sports talent and call them our own, I do not see why there is a fuss over this video.'
Lawyer Tan Hee Joek said that there's no copyright infringement here. He said: 'Using the idea is not a copyright infringement. If she had lifted the video and used it wholesale, then it's a copyright infringement. Ideas per se can't be copyrighted.'
-----------------------------------
The New Paper
16 July 2008
GETTING THE WHOLE PICTURE
THE NDP video shows snippets of a little girl colouring, a boy courting a girl and a man delivering newspapers - all interspersed with scenes of Singapore Idol winner Hady Mirza singing the theme song 'Shine For Singapore'.
The girl colours furiously on sheets of paper but her teachers and parents can't understand why. In the end, her teachers understand her message. All the coloured sheets, when put together like a jigsaw puzzle, form a star.
It's the same concept in the Japanese video - except it was a boy doing the colouring and the result was a whale, not a star. The Japanese advertisement was uploaded online in 2006. The TV ad was for The Children's Foundation, produced by the Japanese Ad Council.
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