Swivel panels set to bring wow factor to NDP stage
Deputy chairman of infrastructure and decoration committee says this year's set is one of the most complicated in NDP history
Those attending National Day Parade (NDP) 2018 will get to enjoy not just the show on the Floating Platform, but also the Marina Bay skyline, which they will be able to see in its full glory thanks to a special big screen at the back of the stage.
For the first time, the NDP stage design will feature a set of 10 swivel panels - each 15m tall and 5m wide - which can be configured to serve as a single 50m-wide screen for multimedia projections.
The swivel panels will "open up" to provide a clear view of the Bay behind the Floating Platform, where the Aug 9 parade will be held.
Each panel can be controlled independently and is blank on one side to allow for the projection of videos and images. The other side features a mural of the Singapore skyline.
Deputy chairman of the NDP's infrastructure and decoration committee, Major Chris How, 38, said the NDP set this year, which includes a three-tiered stage and hydraulic stage lifts, is one of the most complicated to be built in NDP history.
He said construction began in April and took about 22,500 man hours over two months to complete. The stage can take up to 3,000 performers at any one time, added Maj How, whose team was in charge of building the stage.
One of the considerations in the design of the stage set was for it to be integrated with Marina Bay, said NDP's stage and large props designer, Mr Quck Zhong Yi, 38, who is from design company asolidplan.
"We were inspired by the Bay and wanted to bring the stage as close to it as possible," he said, adding the shades of blue and grey in the stage design were "pulled" from the colours of the surrounding buildings and water.
The film and multimedia elements of the show also aim to evoke a sense of nostalgia for parade-goers, said Lieutenant-Colonel Chew Heng Hwa, 33, who is chairman of NDP's multimedia and communications committee.
LTC Chew and his team are behind the multimedia content for the parade.
He said the new swivel panels give them the opportunity to showcase their content on a large and dynamic screen.
"It is just like the good old days when you go to an outdoor cinema or a drive-through cinema and you watch the film 'live' in the outdoors.
"We are trying to re-create this nostalgic feeling," he said.
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