WHAT IS HOME TO YOU?

Through a star-studded remake of Singapore's classic song Home, this year's Total Defence campaign calls for Singaporeans to take stock of what the country means to them.

What is home to you? While responses may vary from the factual "it's a roof over my head" to the emotional "it's where my heart is", it's undeniable: Home means something important to everyone, a place many hold close and dear.

And that is the aim of this year's Total Defence campaign themed Home - Keeping it together: getting Singaporeans to feel pride in the country on a daily basis, and reminding them that it is worth their while to defend their homeland on every front, simply because it is home.

"Over the years, we have been trying to come up with more engaging ways to reach out to the public, and this year we hope that the campaign can help everyone understand what Total Defence means at a personal level, what each of us can do for Total Defence and take ownership of the things we want to do to contribute to home, our families and Singapore," said Colonel Lim Kok Siong, Director Nexus, before explaining that this year's campaign is part of a trilogy of themes which encourage Singaporeans to take ownership of the nation's defence.

This year's theme is a continuation of 2009's theme What will you defend and 2010's I will. The natural response will be for Singaporeans to respond by saying "I will defend our home."

Nexus, the central coordinating agency for national education, organises the annual campaign for Total Defence, which is based on the five pillars of Military, Civil, Economic, Social and Psychological Defence and has been around since 1984.

Total Defence Day is traditionally commemorated each year on 15 Feb, the day which Singapore fell to Japan.

Remaking a classic

First written by Mr Dick Lee and sung by Ms Kit Chan in 1998, the familiar song Home received a makeover for this year's Total Defence campaign.

Thirty-nine local artistes spanning five decades, from 60s and 70s icons Vernon Cornelius and Ramli Sarip to present-day songbirds Stefanie Sun and Lin Junjie, voiced the mammoth production.

And it was no coincidence that these singers were approached, as the production team had set out from the beginning to make the song identifiable to Singaporeans across generations.

"With so many things in Singapore changing, having something familiar, but with a twist, is the best way to reach out to people," said Ms Chan, who is the executive producer of the Home music video.

Mr Goh spent many months conceptualising the sound for the mammoth remake of Home.

"That's what we want to do with the remake; to make people think about what home means to them," she said.

Keeping it homely

For music arranger and composer Goh Kheng Long, the challenging part was expressing the intimacy of the music with the addition of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO). "When you have the whole SSO playing, you automatically think of a classical sound with many layers," he said.

But it was a challenge he relished. "For the SSO to come on board was a huge blessing and words cannot describe the excitement I felt when I found out that they had agreed," said Mr Goh.

After months of conceptualising the sound, he eventually used the SSO to kick off the rearranged song. "Orchestral music naturally stirs emotions and we felt there was no better place for the SSO than to set the opening tone," he explained.

Six-piece acapella group Vocaluptuous was also a part of the production. "It was really interesting piecing together all these different sounds and it turned out better than we expected," said Mr Goh.

"In a way, the music represents Singapore. It's a coming together of many different things and people from different backgrounds as one, just like Singapore," he added.

Let's come together

For vocal producer and arranger Dr Sydney Tan, it was a project of love as he was responsible for the recording of the song's first iteration back in 1998.

To be involved in this landmark version of the song that has seen folk, acapella and even rap remakes, is something he is very proud of.

He described the three weeks of intense recording sessions as a challenge that was well worth it. Because of the busy schedules of the artistes, the song was recorded individually and mixed together in post-production.

"At the end of the day, we had to put it together and make it sound continuous," said Dr Tan.

"In some cases, we didn't know which artiste would take which line until they had recorded their parts," added Dr Tan about the challenges in producing the vocals for Home.

Dr Tan hard at work during a studio recording session.

Fusing the different genres and vocal qualities of the 39 artistes into a coherent product was something he had to balance as the artistes had to be instantly recognisable vocally, yet sound as one.

"The song is like rojak, very Singaporean. On the whole, the 'dish' works," said Dr Tan of the final product.

Mr Teo speaking with some of the artistes during his visit to the filming of the last scene for the Home music video on 14 Dec 2010.

Production work began as early as November last year, starting with the individual artistes recording their parts of the song. The effort culminated on 14 Dec 2010 when filming work for the final scene of the music video at the SAFTI Military Institute's Warriors Hall was done.

The stars received a special guest that day as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean visited the set.

"It is wonderful that so many artistes have come together to celebrate Singapore. They come from various backgrounds and cover various eras of Singapore and I think all Singaporeans will be able to identify with the song," said Mr Teo during his visit.

"I hope they will also take ownership of the song Home. It's one of my favourite songs, and it will help them to... express themselves in their own way about what they can do to help make Singapore home for them and for all of us," he added.

Celebrating Singapore

As the anchor of the 2011 Total Defence campaign, the Home music video will serve up more of what Singaporeans have come to love about the song.

To capture the emotive aspects of what home means to each and everyone, Home music video director Orion Chou interspersed images of Singapore's successes with the artistes' own expressions of joy at being home.

As he read the lyrics, the imagery of the Singapore River immediately caught his eye. "The Singapore River is of special significance to the country, as it is the place where it all started," he explained.

Befitting its status, the Singapore River will appear as never before seen in the music video.

Part of the Home music video crew behind the camera during filming work for the last scene.

All will be revealed when the music video is launched on 15 Feb, and Singaporeans will be able to catch it on free-to-air television channels, radio and selected fast-food restaurants. The music video will also be available for download at www.thisishome.sg. For each successful download from 15 Feb to 31 Mar, the Community Chest will receive a $1 donation jointly sponsored by various organisations.

A commemorative book titled Because It's Home, which features the artistes and details the making of the music video, will be unveiled on 15 Feb as well, to provide an insight into the hard work that went into the video.

A campaign for all

In the same vein as Total Defence campaigns past, there is something for everyone in this year's edition. From 2 Jan to 31 Mar, members of the public are encouraged to share what home means to them by taking part in the Make Your Own Home Video contest.

Submitted videos stand to win attractive prizes in the categories of Most Popular and Most Creative video, and in weekly lucky draws. Prizes include Apple computers, iPads, Sony laptops, gift vouchers and more.

Private corporations such as Sakae Holdings also got in on the act. For one month starting from 15 Feb, Sakae will donate one bento meal for every 10 origami frogs that customers drop off at their outlets. In order to qualify, the paper frogs must be made from the official materials supplied.

For a personal touch, there is space on the origami paper for the public to pen a personal message. Each donated bento will then be delivered to Community Chest beneficiaries with the origami frogs.

POSB will also be joining the campaign with the POSB Build & Protect our Home competition. Primary school students will be encouraged to use the DIY coin boxes to create an image of what they would save up for to make Singapore a better home.

Other private partners such as MediaCorp are providing support through television and radio airtime.

From the public sector, the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts supported the SSO's performance in the Home music video. Other organisations such as the People's Association (PA) are also involved. PA will use their grassroots networks to promote the campaign and encourage town councils to organise activities related to this year's campaign theme.

To take part in the video contest, visit www.thisishome.sg for further details.

Students get involved

The digital animation competition N.E.mation! may be into its fifth year, but interest has not waned. A total of 2,038 students forming 604 teams sent in their story ideas for the competition, a 37 percent increase from that of N.E.mation! 4.

The many different facets of life in Singapore are precisely what make it home.

These stickers (above) will be distributed to some schools for children to affix photos or artwork that remind them of home. The public can also download the DIY Home postcard, which is designed to be used as a photo frame, from the TD 2011 official campaign website.

This year, students were asked to produce storylines based on the theme Home - We make or break. After a series of elimination rounds, the top 10 teams were selected and coached by local animation company Animagine to produce their clips.

The quality of ideas has been improving year-on-year, said Mr Joshua Ngiam, Director of Animagine. He has been involved in the competition, coaching teams since N.E.mation! started in 2007. Under his tutelage, the students spent three rigorous weeks from 22 Nov to 10 Dec 2010 learning about animation techniques and producing their clips.

"All the students were very enthusiastic and put in a lot of effort to see their ideas through," said Mr Ngiam, before adding that commitment and a desire to succeed were some of the attributes judges looked for when selecting the final 10 teams.

The students' works were unveiled for public viewing on 22 Jan, followed by a public voting phase which will end on 6 Feb. The clips will also be judged by industry professionals such Mr Raman Hui, Animation Supervisor, DreamWorks SKG.

Those who have yet to catch the students' works should go to www.nemation.sg, or visit the N.E.mation! Facebook page. Results will be announced on 15 Feb, to coincide with Total Defence Day.

This year's N.E.mation! saw the inaugural participation of teams from tertiary institutions following the creation of a category dedicated to polytechnic and university students.

Unlike their junior counterparts, these students produced their animations independently and their works included 3D elements. There were a total of six entries from four tertiary institutions.

The winning team will win a visit to the DreamWorks Animation studios in the United States.

Returning to our roots

As Singapore becomes more globalised and we find ourselves in an increasingly cosmopolitan city, one thing has not changed: Singapore is, and always will be, our home. And it is up to each and every Singaporean man, woman and child to defend the country in their own way.

So, go on, do yourself a favour and go home this Total Defence Day. There will be a Total Defence Day commemorative event at the Drama Centre@NLB on 15 Feb where the Home music video will be officially launched and the winners of N.E.mation! 5 will be given their prize.

"Home to me is comfort, familiarity, local food, places where I can hang out. It's a lot of different things to me, and they are all special."
- Olivia Ong

"Home is a place where I come back to; it's a shelter from storms and negativities that I might face outside. It's where I am myself."
- Taufik Batisah

"Recording the song reminded me that home is special. It's where I feel safe, a place where I don't have any worries. We re all Singaporeans, and that's family."
- Lin Junjie

"The country means everything to me. It includes my loved ones, my careers, my interests. This is the place I love, this is home."
- Mohamed Shabir

"Home is warm, it's secure. And Singapore is that and more to me, where I am free to achieve my dreams."
- Joi Chua