Starhub's biggest ever foray into content production could go as big as the annual event featured in the movie/novel The Hunger Games!
Named
Sunsilk Academy Fantasia, the 10 week singing competition provides a
platform for participants to showcase their talents and opportunities to
be groomed to stardom! 14 finalists will undergo intensive training in a
specially built academy monitored by close circuit cameras up to 18
hours a day!
Ha! Doesn't this make it like The Hunger Games,
where the process of the 'tributes' battling all out in an arena is
being broadcast across the nation?
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(View The Hunger Games movie details / trailer / stills / review)
Within this period of time, the 'tributes' must adapt to living life in the limelight,
whilst undergoing intensive training which include singing, dancing and
acting lessons by well-known personalities.
Interesting isn't
it? Who knows Singapore might be the next 'Capitol' where we set our
eyes on Sunsilk Academy Fantasia through the three available platforms
(TV, Internet and mobile), cheering for our favourites and instead of
sending food supplies, medicine, soup as in The Hunger Games, we send SMSes via our mobile phones to aid them through the competition!
[From Left: Ms Eva Chang, Mr Tan Tong Hai, Mr Shawn Lee & Ms Karen Seah]
InCinemas
is pleased to attend the Sunsilk Academy Fantasia press conference on
26 April at St James Station through the invitation of Starhub. We were
fairly introduced to the event when Mr Tan Tong Hai, Chief Operating
Officer of StarHub, took the stage along with Ms Eva Chang, General
Manager of Ocean Butterflies Music, Mr Shawn Lee, Sunsilk’s Brand
Manager of Unilever Singapore Pte Ltd, and Ms Karen Seah, Executive
Producer of Refinery Media.
"StarHub has always been keen on
avenues to empower and engage youths, Sunsilk Academy Fantasia will be
the perfect platform for us to achieve both goals. It is a platform for
them to showcase their talents and a great opportunity to gain stardom.
At the same time, viewers can participate and influence the results by
voting for the contestant whom they feel is best suited for stardom,"
said Mr Tan.
Sunsilk’s
Brand Manager brought up an interesting point during the Press
conference. How is Sunsilk related to a singing competition? "What do
you do in the bathroom when you're washing your hair? You sing! So in a
way, Sunsilk brings the talents out of the bathroom!" Shawn explained.
"And
Ocean Butterflies Music brings them out to the international stage!"
Eva added. Indeed. The winner of Sunsilk Academy Fantasia will receive a
two-year singing contract and a recording album with the renowned local
record label. Also note that Ocean Butterflies Music is known for
grooming some of our local talents like Kit Chan and JJ Lin!
How's that for a 'Victory Tour'?
But
it will not come easy. Mr Billy Koh, one of Singapore’s most
influential figures in the Chinese music
industry and founder of Ocean Butterflies Music, who will also be the
resident judge for the singing competition warned, "The Korean idols you
see out there. Their success didn't come out of nothing. They went
through extremely tough training to get there. So if you're not prepared
to suffer, don't come and join us because you will be tortured!"
Auditions
will be held at Square 2 shopping mall at Novena on 19 & 20 May,
and are open to youths of all nationalities between the ages of 16 and
30. If you're ready to face the challenges in becoming a star, get
yourself prepared right away and be at the audition!
(Register yourself for Sunsilk Academy Fantasia Audition!)
[Sunsilk Academy Fantasia Sunsilk 明星学院]
Contestants will pit against one another on their singing abilities and
showmanship during weekly concerts held at Dragonfly Bar, St. James
Power Station where contestants with the lowest votes will be
eliminated. Results will be based on a 70-30 ratio, with 30% of
votes decided by a panel of judges and 70% through SMS voting by
the public.
(InCinemas Poll: What will you do if you're selected as a "Tribute" to go for the Hunger Games?)70%
is a lot! So be sure to please the audience! The idea is about making
an impression like how Katniss did. She was given a nickname 'The girl
on fire' after showing up in her first official appearance to the
Capitol in an unique flaming costume designed by Cinna. She later
impressed the game makers with her attitude and accuracy using a bow and
arrow!
(View The Hunger Games movie showtimes at ALL Cineplexes!)[The Hunger Games - Capitol TV Exclusive] Ha! So have it your way to
impress the judges once you're in the Sunsilk Academy Fantasia! Their
comments will have you in getting support from audience, just like how
the Game Makers' score could decide if the tribute would receive
sponsors during the Hunger Games.
It would certainly be
interesting if romance brews under the surveillance 18 hours per day
during the 10-week competition! That would be like Katniss and Peeta,
being the star-crossed lovers in the Hunger Games and the crowd sure
loves it!
At
one point during the press conference, the COO of Starhub, Mr Tan
Tong Hai brought up an idea jokingly that the footage of the Sunsilk
Academy Fantasia could eventually be made into a movie. So who
knows? We might actually have the next Hunger Games movie coming up!
Do
look out for more updates of the Sunsilk Academy Fantasia at InCinemas!
And with this huge competition coming up, we should probably enjoy it
in Singapore so...
Happy Sunsilk Academy Fantasia and may the odds be ever in your favour~"There's twenty-four of us Gale, and only one comes out." - Katniss Everdeen
