SINGAPORE: It took just one week for Aleya Gaba to fall in love with film as a student at Tanglin Trust School.
“I took up film as my arts subject when I was taking my International Baccalaureate, simply because I didn’t want to do any other subject,” said the 18-year-old, who graduated from the school earlier this year. “But a week into studying film, I knew that this was it.”
Now, she plans to study film production in a US university and possibly take up a career in the film and media industry.
And more Tanglin Trust students could potentially go that route, with the opening of a new school building with enhanced media technology facilities.
The seven-storey Nixon Building was officially opened on Thursday (Nov 17). Two floors are taken up by the facilities, which the school says will enable students to develop an understanding of the different areas of film production. There are two studios that double as classrooms and production areas, a colour grading and visual effects room, an animation studio and a screening room.
The screening room at the school’s new Nixon Building (Photo: Winnie Goh)
FILM AND MEDIA A POPULAR CHOICE AT TANGLIN TRUST
Film and media technology is a popular option for students at the school, which currently has more than 200 students studying film at GCSE, A Levels and International Baccalaureate. The school hopes that the building will give film students the opportunity to gain experience in a wider range of production roles than has previously been the case.
“When we first started 9 years ago with 7 students, we initially only had one classroom, which was a conventional teaching classroom,” said the school’s Assistant Head of Faculty for Film and Media, Stephen Coughlan. “The biggest problem we had to face was the lack of space to set up, demonstrate and teach cinematography and lighting skills.”
“With the new building, we now have classrooms that are combined teaching areas for teaching film theory, but also production areas to allow the students to learn how to use the equipment, experiment on their own, and get the production skills they need.”
The school’s colour grading and visual effects room (Photo: Winnie Goh)
The school’s students have already begun enjoying the new facilities.
“I like the fact that we can do so much with editing and post-production of films,” said 15-year-old Tara Menon. “Colour grading looks so interesting and I’d never really thought of that before, and I don’t think I would’ve been able to do that in the new building.”
Aleya added that it will also encourage more students to take up film, and encourage those already studying the topic to pursue their interests further. “We now have access to professional equipment, and that means we can do makeshift things less,” she explained. “I feel that a lot of students get discouraged because they have this idea, and it’s really complex and elaborate, and it’s really hard to do, so they don’t do it.”
“But I think this will encourage them to be brave, do something different and maybe try something difficult, because now we have the tools for that.”
Tanglin Trust students Maddy Pull and Tara Menon working on a film (Photo: Winnie Goh)
SPACE CONSTRAINTS
Apart from the media technology facilities, the building also features sports and arts facilities like a fully fitted gymnasium and a second performance theatre that can seat up to 500 people. There are also new spaces for parents, like a dedicated parent café, soft play area for infant children, a retail shop and offices for the school’s Parent Teacher Association.
The school’s CEO Peter Derby-Crook said it was built as part of the school’s Draft Master Plan, which involves the development of three other buildings.
The new Nixon Building at Tanglin Trust School (Photo: Winnie Goh)
He explained that the school’s lease on its Portsdown Road campus was initially due in 2023, but was renewed three years ago to 2038. “That gave us the confidence to invest in the capital because we knew we wanted to be here,” he said, adding that the building cost “in the region of S$35 million”.
Space, he added, was also a huge constraint for them. “We were really desperate for space…not to increase the number of children but just to create the learning space we need for our 2,800 children and 600 staff.”
“The opening of the Nixon Building marks an exciting new chapter in our history,” he added. “Not only does it bring incredible new facilities for our students, parents and staff, but it connects us even more to the dynamic community of One-North, where we take inspiration from neighbours such as Mediacorp, Lucasfilm and The Walt Disney Company.”
FOREIGN SYSTEM SCHOOLS “IMPORTANT PART OF SINGAPORE’S ECOSYSTEM”: ISWARAN
Speaking at the building’s official opening, Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry) S Iswaran said foreign system schools like Tanglin Trust form an important part of Singapore’s ecosystem.
“You are really at the nexus in many ways between Singapore and the world,” he said. “You bring the world to Singapore, and you bring Singapore to the world.”
These schools also help to meet the diverse educational needs of the children of international executives in Singapore and augment Singapore’s attractiveness as an operating base and investment destination for global companies, he added.
But Mr Iswaran said the role of these schools goes beyond “obvious economic and educational contributions”.
“It takes on added significance against the backdrop of some of the recent rhetoric we have heard against globalisation and closer links between countries and economies,” he said.
The nature of the challenges faced by the global community – be it issues of climate change, healthcare, security or the economy – are shared problems, added the minister. “The only way we can deal with them is to collaborate and come up with a coordinated response, and the solutions do not lie in taking separate pathways.
“It is underpinned by the profound recognition that our futures, fortunes and destinies are deeply intertwined, and we must collectively forge it together,” he said.
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