Monday, November 18, 2024
Singapore Comic Con 2024 (SGCC) Booth Highlight - Genforcer Is All Ready to Protecc You! ( L1-AA180-181)
Making its debut at Singapore Comic Convention (SGCC) 2025 is GENFORCER - a group of Red Dot Island-centric public safety superheroes embodied in the popular tokusatsu form. For those who are not familiar with tokusatsu, the Japanese word literally means special effects, and well-known tokusatsu entertainment include beloved franchises like Ultraman and Kamen Rider.
GENFORCER is the brainchild of local homegrown media production agency Playbox Studios, whose projects have included video segments for the National Day Parade show, and Singapore Film Society's (+65) Film Project. Red Dot Diva had the privilege to sit down with Playbox Studio's founder and CEO Basil Yeo to chat about GENFORCER, the spark that inspired its creation, and the new heroes' relevance in today's world.
Red Dot Diva: I was surprised to find out that Playbox Studios is launching a range of tokusatsu characters called GENFORCER at SGCC 2024. Please tell us the origin story of GENFORCER, and what inspired you to start on this project?
Basil: Genforcer is a trio of first responders - a police officer, paramedic and firefighter - who don advanced armour to combat high-tech crimes and disasters beyond conventional emergency response. As you can guess, they are inspired by tokusatsu and real-life first responders.
We have always loved tokusatsu, and working on an indie tokusatsu was some of the best moments in our lives where we felt creatively fulfilled. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we witnessed incredible commitment and dedication from our real-life first responders, and that was also the time when I completed Winspector, Solbrain and Exceedraft, three early 90's "Rescue Police" series from the now-defunct Metal Hero franchise. Thanks to Syafiq, I also watched Tokyo MER, a TBS drama that's on Disney+. And that's how we decided that our next project would be about first responders.
Red Dot Diva: Who is the designer of the GENFORCER suits? Any special points to note about the suit designs?
Basil: The concept artist who designed the Genforcer suits, or what we call the 'Unity Armour' is Danial Syafiq, or Dansya (pronounced as densha). (By the way, he is also not the same Syafiq mentioned earlier!). He came up with the initial draft for the current suits about over a year ago, after Syafiq and myself decided to ask him to give it a go, because we weren't too satisfied with what we had up till that point in time. And he did a fantastic job!
Red Dot Diva: They certainly look very, very eye-catching!
Basil: The suits are designed with local elements in mind - Husky's helmet design is based on the Singapore Police Force's Next Generation Fast Response Car, Collie's design combines elements from the Singapore Civil Defence Force's Fire Medical Vehicle and the current generation ambulance, while Beagle's colour scheme is based on the Singapore Civil Defence Force's new bunker gear. Collie also carries around an AI medical bot known as Handy.
The unique aspect of the suits is that they are built atop a base suit, which is expandable and modifiable, thus opening up opportunities for overseas iterations of Genforcer.
Red Dot Diva:When can we expect more to be revealed about GENFORCER on social media? (Impatient, lah!)
Basil: We're revealing the characters one by one in the lead up to SGCC. After that, we will also be posting one "G-Log" a week (we will try!). For at least six months now, we have been filming almost everything that we've been doing for project development and behind the scenes for the teasers and photoshoots, so there's a lot of archival footage that we're now pulling out to edit into vlogs.
One thing that we're going to try and do as much as we can (and within the realm of legal possibility) is build this IP in public, so anyone who is interested can see what goes on behind building an IP from scratch!
Red Dot Diva: What were the most challenging parts in bringing GENFORCER into reality?
Basil: It was most certainly trying to figure out the purpose of this project. Why does it even matter to anyone out there apart from our own selfish reasons of wanting to make something that we can call our own. The lack of purpose was so bad that I actually put off working on the project for a while to focus on building the company instead, Then one day, the main objective occurred to me, and I started to challenge the team to figure it out on their own. Well they did. Mostly, haha.
The reason why Genforcer matters is because of public and personal safety, and the need to constantly stay vigilant against potential threats that have become part and parcel of today's landscape. Positive, public safety education will play a big part in helping us be mentally and physically prepared should anything happen. It's quite similar to the Total Defence mantra, but this is something that comes from the ground up, and not top-down (from Government).
The next challenge was about finances. This project is currently financed entirely from revenue, sans loans and investment. Apart from financing Genforcer, we have overheads like rent and salaries to pay every month. So, this leads us to having to shift our priorities once in a while, which may affect the pace of development or production. But in this aspect, I think we've done really well in 2024.
Another challenge I can think of is managing our peak periods when it comes to our video production business. This year, during May to August, we produced a total of 40 videos across 3 projects. It was also the same period that we were developing our plans for SGCC and later on. Also at the same time, we hired two interns to help out with the shoots, which means we also had to spend time training them and ensuring that their progress was on track. In the end, the team pulled through. Which brings me to my last challenge - Building the right team.
Having the right team can make or break your project, and I am extremely fortunate to have this team. We have an amazing chemistry (they call it 'single brain cell') and there is a wonderful energy that permeates throughout our office everyday. I hope our audiences will be able to see that same passion and energy throughout everything that we do for Genforcer.
Red Dot Diva: That's very inspiring. I hope up and coming creators or business owners will find what you shared useful, and keep these tips in mind when they decide to embark on their own journey.
Red Dot Diva: Successful creator IPs are usually presented in various forms. So, are there plans for GENFORCER to be in a comic, or a Youtube shorts, etc?
Basil: Currently, our main priority is to build up our YouTube channel and social media with different types of content, including our "G-Logs". Most importantly, short form educational PSAs that address our mission of making the world a safer place. We also want to do a comic book in 2025, and we have already actually spoken to an artist, but we won't say who they are until things are signed.
This might also come as a surprise to many, but we will not be committing to doing a TV show at this time. Not a pilot, not even a trailer. The main objective is short form content on YouTube. However, if the right opportunity comes along...
Red Dot Diva: Hahaha. Like why not, right? But I do agree that in this day and age, web and social media content is the way to go for starters. You can see how many Korean webtoons and Japanese manga have gotten the live action treatment and been adapted as a TV series or animation show. It may take years to get there, but it still got there all the same!
Red Dot Diva: It is not easy to run a small business, especially in the creative industry. Do you have any practical tips to share with small business owners out there?
Basil: Set small, measurable targets that you can achieve along the way as you seek to fulfil your main objective. It is important to celebrate the small wins but don't over-celebrate. Also, to build it in public. Because people don't back businesses, they back people.
Red Dot Diva: What can we expect from the GENFORCERbooth at SGCC 2024?
Basil: We'll be having appearances from each of the Genforcer characters (and maybe one together), showcasing some conceptual work and prototype displays, as well as launching our merchandise line. Hopefully the reception is good enough that we could continue doing all of this!
Don't miss the opportunity to meet the kick-ass GENFORCER, and chat with the creators at SGCC 2024, Booth L1-AA180-181.
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Catch a peek of the 3GENFORCER callsigns - Husky, Collie and Beagle!
Say hello to HUSKY, who is all set to make the world a safer place!
Red Dot Diva thinks there is never too many female superheroes, so she is glad there is COLLIE to help save the day!
BEAGLE is ready to come to the rescue!
Find out more about GENFORCER on their social media:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/genforcer
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/genforcer/
Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@genforcertv
The GENFORCER official website is also set for a launch date in a week's time. Remember to check out the site's link here: https://genforcer.tv/
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RELATED SINGAPORE COMIC CON (SGCC) 2024 ARTICLES
Singapore Comic Con 2024 (SGCC) - Meet Comic Book Guests Like Mike Zeck, Michael Gaydos, Ram V and Giuseppe Camuncoli
(Update: Francesco Manna, Michael Gaydos, OSHRed will no longer be attending as guests for SGCC 2024)
Singapore Comic Con 2024 (SGCC) Booth Highlight - Meet The Monster Bunnies By Raven Collectibles (L1-AA201)
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Monday, November 11, 2024
Singapore Comic Con 2024 (SGCC) Booth Highlight - Meet The Monster Bunnies By Raven Collectibles (L1-AA201)
It has become an annual tradition that Red Dot Diva puts a few interesting guests and exhibitors of Singapore Comic Convention (SGCC) in the spotlight before the show. There are usually new convention attendees who may not be knee-deep in pop-culture, so she hopes that a quick guide would make them curious enough to check out some of the booths on the show floor. In addition, the articles are a good way to keep the local geek community strong and connected.
This year, Red Dot Diva first interview "victim" is Sharavanan Sora of Raven Collectibles, a homegrown local toy design studio that focuses on high quality 3D sculpted toys and figurines. Sharavanan (or Shara for short) works in the the civil service. When he gets off work, he would indulge in one of his main hobbies, which is sculpting. The love for the craft has led him to a journey in toy design and the start of Raven Collectibles. Other than sculpting, Shara has a list of interests including drawing, playing video games, watching movies, enjoying numerous animated series, listening to music, animation, and spending time with his family.
Shara also confesses that he is addicted to comic books and boasts of a dedicated library for his collection, which number in the thousands. He shared that his comic book obsession probably started with watching Super-Friends in the 80's, but he only started buying comics from the 90's onwards when his cousins introduced him to a local comic book shop in Ginza Plaza.
Let's find out more about Shara, Raven Collectibles and their latest toy line called Monster Bunnies:
Red Dot Diva: What inspired the beginnings of Raven Collectibles? Tell me your origin story!
Shara: I have always been obsessed with toys. Because growing up, my parents will always promise to buy me a toy only on my birthday, but somehow mysteriously stay quiet when the birthday actually comes. So once I had adult money, I buy all the toys I want. And I really really loved these cute toy designs by "The Loyal Subjects". All my favourite pop culture characters in chibi form. Absolutely beautiful stuff. But, I found out they were blind box toys. Which I absolutely loathe. I hate that gimmick of making people buy many repeated toys before finally getting the ones they actually want. It's greedy and preys on people with unhealthy obsessions... like me. So I thought, "I'm just gonna make my own toys!". And I guess that was my villain origin story.
But, it is my beautiful wife who owns the business. She puts up with my childish obsessions. So, she is a huge part of any success we have.
The Raven Collectibles family! |
Red Dot Diva: How did you get into 3D sculpting?
Shara: So after realising my villainous goals, I looked into 3D sculpting and 3D printing. I started by looking at YouTube tutorials on the basics. Truly, YouTube has a wealth of knowledge for absolutely anything you wish to learn. It is not just for movie trailers and nonsensical memes.
I've always loved sculpting but could never truly get into it because of clay drying too fast. If you needed a couple of days' break, you'd come back to a dried up project. But now the technology was here. I could come back to a 3D sculpt project years later and the clay was still malleable. And whatever I sculpted, I could easily print out because we have 3D printers now. And so began my learning journey in toy making.
Having the ability to take something from inside your mind and bringing it to physical reality is a very powerful, positive feeling. Absolutely addictive. In a good way. I'd recommend anybody to try it.
Red Dot Diva: Where do you get your inspirations from? Do you have a secret sketchbook of ideas to use for future projects?
Shara: My inspirations are mainly from the comic books. I started out my journey into 3D sculpting with Superheroes. In fact, all my sculpts before the "Monster Bunnies" were all Superheroes and Villains. Honestly, ever since I started sculpting, I haven't really touched any sketchbooks. Been neglecting my drawing skills. Ideas just float around my head until I have time to spare to start on each new project. I do have a list of things to sculpt on notes in my phone.
Red Dot Diva: Please share more about Monster Bunnies. How did they come about?
Shara: These first 4 Monster Bunnies, I just randomly sketched in class back in the day in NAFA. I studied there for a year. I can't remember if a friend requested a monster bunny or the idea just popped in my head. But I do remember the unique pose I visualised and just had to pour it on paper. Once that was out, I wanted to see other bunny monsters in the same pose. I had never done multiple different characters in the same pose before and it seemed like a fun thing to do. I loved what I saw and really wished I had a toy of one of these. Interestingly that was in 2004. Twenty years later, that wish has come true!
Red Dot Diva: They look frightfully adorable. Will there be a Monster Bunnies version but with Asian ghoulies?
Shara: That is SUCH and INTERESTING question! So weird that you asked with those specifics. You will have to come to SGCC 2024 for the exclusive "Monster Bunnies Wave 2" reveal to find out. I type this with a cheeky smile.
Red Dot Diva: Ooooooh. I can't wait!
Red Dot Diva: I understand that it's not easy to run a small business. Do you have any practical tips to share with aspiring creators out there?
Shara: Make full use of the internet to run your business. It is not cheap to run any business, so avoid fixed costs as much as you can. I'm mainly referring to renting a space. Because that will burn a hole in your capital too quickly. You do have to spend money to make money. But do it wisely. Always look at alternatives, and resist jumping in to any commitment. If there are any big decisions to be made, give yourself time to calm down from excitement before making it. If spending can be avoided, always avoid.
So many great ideas never get to flourish because we run out of fundings fast.
Red Dot Diva: You were also exhibiting at SGCC last year. What are the things you learnt about the attendees' buying preferences?
Shara: They are there to BUY!!! They want only to buy things. They do not want to take down your number to do business later. Haha. Last year my booth was set up just to advertise my services as a custom 3d sculptor. I had my work on display. And everybody who came up to my booth wanted to buy everything on the spot. Unfortunately, that would leave me with an empty booth for 2 days. So, lesson learnt. This year I'm selling 200 Monster bunnies. Get them while stocks last.
Red Dot Diva: What can we expect from your booth at SGCC 2024?
Shara: We have our first soft launch of our Monster Bunnies as SGCC exclusives. After that, we will be taking pre-orders at our Amazon.com shop (still setting up). We also have the very first official reveal of Wave 2 of the "Monster Bunnies". Look out for 4 NEW interesting monsters! They are deadly and ferocious! And oh so CUTE!!! If Wave 1 does well, maybe we can expect a Wave 2 release just in time for Halloween next year! Fingers crossed.
Red Dot Diva: That sounds awesome! I'll definitely come by to say hi, and budget permits, to BUY!
Raven Collectible's MONSTER BUNNIES can be found at SGCC 2024, Booth L1-AA201.
Follow Raven Collectibles on Instagram, Youtube, or Tiktok.
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RELATED SINGAPORE COMIC CON (SGCC) 2024 ARTICLES
Singapore Comic Con 2024 (SGCC) - Meet Comic Book Guests Like Mike Zeck, Michael Gaydos, Ram V and Giuseppe Camuncoli
(Update: Francesco Manna, Michael Gaydos, OSHRed will no longer be attending as guests for SGCC 2024)
Singapore Comic Con 2024 (SGCC) Booth Highlight - Genforcer Is All Ready to Protecc You! ( L1-AA180-181)
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If you enjoy Red Dot Diva's content, feel free to help her efforts going by showing your support through ko-fi. Thank you!
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
FOMO ArtWeekend v3 2024 - Get Ready To Fill Up Your Festive Gift Bags At Taste Orchard (23 - 24 Nov 2024)!
The Organisation of Illustrators Council (OIC Singapore) is hosting another art market called FOMO ArtWeekend at Taste Orchard on 23 and 24 November 2024. This is the third FOMO ArtWeekend show since the organisation launched the event at *SCAPE in December 2022.
You may wonder - so what is the difference between the two events presented by OIC, namely Illustration Arts Festival (IAF) and FOMO ArtWeekend? According to Red Dot Diva's source, FOMO shines the spotlight on emerging and younger illustrators based in Red Dot Island, while IAF is geared towards the industry level with regional and international illustrators being showcased plus talks and workshops listed as part of the event. So, if you want to get a feel of how local young artists and creators are vibing these days, FOMO is the place to be!
Eager shoppers and art lovers can expect to check out over 80 booth at this upcoming festive edition of FOMO ArtWeekend. This translates to more than 100 illustrators participating at the event, offering unique merchandise and gift ideas so you can get ready for the joyful year end festivities.
Some of the artists boothing at FOMO ArtWeekend include illustrator and ceramic artist byJolyn, whose cute characters get into silly but very accurate situations; tattoo artist @tiredbutwoke who puts Pokemon creatures on ink; live sketch artist @Shuiwong; veggie-focused art and merchandise by @heyvegemates, just to name a few. There is going to be a wide range of merchandise that you can buy at the art market - stickers, postcards, art prints, plush toys, keychains, tote bags, you name it they probably have it. It will make any shopper who loves cute things go wild.
Do check out OIC's social media on Facebook and Instagram to see who are the other artists appearing at FOMO ArtWeekend. Then, dig out those pennies you have saved for the holiday season, and get ready to grab goodies for yourself or for your loved ones!
FOMO ARTWEEKEND V3 - THE FESTIVE EDITION
Date: 23 and 24 November 2024 (Saturday)
Times: 11 AM to 7 PM
Venue: TASTE Orchard, 160 Orchard Road (the former OG Orchard Point, for those who remember the retail store)
Admission: Free of charge
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