Capturing Active Ageing in Singapore Through My Lens
I grew up in the heartlands of Toa Payoh district. I recall fondly my grandmother bringing my sister and me to the Adventist Active Centre (AAC) @ Golden Clover, occasionally to meet her friends. The person in charge, Ms Gillian, always made sure my sister and I had something interesting to do as the grannies chatter away. Since it was so fun, I always wished my grandma would bring us to AAC more often. During those early years, I even joined their AAC as a workshop facilitator to teach them how to use Whatsapp on their mobile phones!
When I was 16 years old, my grandfather passed away, and my grandmother went through a tough period adjusting to life without her partner. For weeks, she would just stay at home, barely speaking to anyone. I vaguely recall how see strange it was to see her changed behaviour. Fortunately, her friends and staff at AAC managed to reach out to her and convinced her to join the many activities offered by AAC. With their encouragement, she started to participate in their events and began to resume her active lifestyle.
Fast forward 4 years, and I am happy to share that my grandma and many other elderly people like her are healthy and doing well. Mainly due to the support of AAC. I always wanted to offer help at AAC again but was busy with school, internship or some other projects. After my poly graduation, I found myself with a bit of free time while waiting to enlist for NS. So, I thought about how I could apply my knowledge and skills gained from 3 years at MAD and UAESBC internship to do something for AAC@Golden Clover. Eventually, I decided that AAC would most likely benefit from having a professionally done up corporate video that showcases the many activities they offer. With my multimedia skills, I can create a high quality video for AAC. It would be free of charge, consider it my way of giving back to AAC for taking care of the seniors at Toa Payoh... I liked this idea as this same video can also serve as a publicity video to recruit more seniors to join AAC’s activities and network.
Golden Clover (GC)
So, I began my research by analysing multiple videos produced by various active aging centres in Singapore. To my surprise, many videos only focused on a specific event or activity. They did not explain how the seniors benefitted from it or if they even enjoyed it. That was until I chanced upon this amazing MOH video. It showcased how a senior, Mr Lim, stepped out of his comfort zone and became an active member at his centre. Unlike other videos, it focused on how the centre impacted the seniors’ growth. I could clearly see how the centre’s efforts were improving the seniors’ lives. That gave me the idea to create something similar for AAC@Golden Clover.
During my next visits to my grandmother’s home, I followed her to the AAC. I silently observed by being a “Fly on the Wall” and took notes of AAC’s many activities, learnt more about what were their most popular activities and why.
My key findings include:
Every morning, there would be different exercises for the seniors. The most popular is Zumba on Thursday, led by a charismatic instructor Mr. Ray
The most popular activities were Rummikub, Zumba and Calligraphy class
Seniors look forward to excursions to parks, movies and especially workshops
I then consolidated my findings into a proposal and sketched out a simple storyboard. I contacted auntie Gillian and shared my idea. She agreed immediately and said that she has full trust in my abilities. I was motivated by her confidence in me and told her that she would not be disappointed.
As an ex-SP student, I had so many resources at my finger tips. Now that I have graduated, I can no longer tap onto SP’s resources but the network I built up over the years at SP gave me new resources. So, I leveraged onto my network of friends and vendors to loan / borrow the necessary equipment, albeit at a discounted rate. However, getting the equipment was the easy part, the real challenge was how I was going to manage this project as a one-man team. To ensure I get all the footage I needed, I spent a week meticulously planning my shots, thinking through certain camera angles and how I was going to make it work having to rely only on myself.
Armed with a camcorder, one Rode II microphone and a tripod for each shoot, I went about each recording session like a man possessed. My first filming was accompanying the seniors on an excursion to Sungei Buloh.
After that, I went back to AAC on 2 separate occasions to film the interviews and the centre’s facilities respectively. To make everyone feel comfortable in front of the camera, my first task was to go around and make friends with everyone. I introduced myself as Chui Eng’s (My grandma) grandson to those who did not know me. To my pleasant surprise, almost everyone knew my grandma! I did not expect her to be such a social butterfly :)
As I joined in their activities, I also explained to them what I was going to do (filming) and why. I wanted them to feel reassured and be more comfortable in front of the camera. This helped build rapport with the seniors and paid huge dividends as all my footage had at least one senior smiling or laughing. I caught myself grinning ear to ear as I captured their candid moments. I am grateful to the seniors and staff of AAC@GC for opening up to me and being supportive throughout the filming process.
Caption: Setting up a 2-point camera shoot in my grandmother’s living room
To keep track of all my footage, I used a simple spreadsheet (Google Sheet) which then made it easier to shortlist the best clips later on. I then sorted the shortlisted clips into their respective scenes and compiled them together via Capcut. I also adjusted the colour grading (thanks to Mr Luke for teaching this) to make the colours pop, so as to give the video a more vibrant look.
After 4 hours of editing, my first cut was ready I shared it with auntie Gillian. She was prompt in reviewing and replied to me within a day. I took note of her feedback and used another 2 hours to make the necessary fixes. In total, video-editing took about 6 hours (including captioning).
Auntie Gillian’s team then showed the final videos to her colleagues and supervisor. It was well received. So much so that that her boss, Mr. Wan, the head of AAC, suggested doing 2 more videos featuring their other active aging centres, Golden Peony and Kallang Trivista.
I was happy with the positive reception and decided to take up the new project after they agreed to pay a nominal fee for my time and effort required to work on those 2 new videos.
So I began my research on the other 2 AACs by doing a site visit to each centre. I realised that each centre has its own distinct identity! For example, Golden Peony has a large central kitchen, whereas Kallang Trivista has a large multi-purpose hall that can host different workshops.
Having completed AAC@GC successfully, I wanted the other 2 videos to have a certain consistency but also each to have its own unique angle that highlights their center’s uniqueness. Eventually, I came up with the following themes for each AAC:
Golden Clover: Active Living
Kallang Trivista: Lifelong Learning
Golden Peony: Community Spirit
I wanted to make this video project a complete trilogy, where each video is self-contained but still part of a bigger whole.
In hindsight, this was a much more gruelling project than I expected. This is because I had to simultaneously capture footage from 2 different centres. Sometimes, they had events that took place on the same day! The 2 AACs being located far apart (one in the north and the other in the west) was an additional challenge. So, I made sure to plan my trips well to maximise each visit. Luckily, the managers from Golden Peony and Kallang Trivista, Ms Peizhen and Mr Christopher, were very supportive, so each trip was fruitful.
Kallang Trivista (KT)
AAC@KT had the largest space but the least facilities. Their strength was their strong focus on learning. So, I decided to focus on “Lifelong Learning” as their centre’s theme. Mr. Christopher recommended Ms. Jane to be featured as their video’s centrepiece as she is vocal and has a positive attitude. I tagged along with her daily routine and was amazed how she was able to attend a sewing class, ukulele class, calligraphy class, morning exercises and even workshops every week! She is the definition of the chinese saying, “活到老学到老” (continue learning up to your old age). I also interviewed her good friend, Ms Julia, when I went to film the Ukulele class.
For this video, I attempted something creative with my shots. I knew that their centre offered drone flying classes but unfortunately was unable to get footage from their drones as the trainers (from Ngee Ann poly) were using simple drones that did not have cameras. So, to simulate a POV of Ms Jane flying the drone, I attached a GoPro to a long stick, and moved it up and down like a crane. I then edited the angle and the amount of warp applied via the GoPro Player software. I mimic the famous “Sheng Shiong” drone shot that is regularly shown in TV advertisements. The result turned out much better than I expected.
Golden Peony (GP)
When I first stepped foot into AAC@GP, the word “Homely” immediately came to mind. The AAC staff were very welcoming, greeting everyone by their nicknames. There were several seniors who helped their peers by stepping in as volunteers. Some cooked scrumptious food, others led workshops and classes. So, this is what they meant by Kampung Spirit. No matter race or religion, everyone was seen and accepted here. Ms Pei Zhen introduced me to a lovely bunch of ladies, Ms Vanai, Ms Zaiton, Ms Helen, Ms Rebecca and Ms Lim Chai, who cooked for the centre’s events, especially AAC’s monthly birthday celebration. Seeing how much the community here is into learning new things, it was clear that this AAC’s theme should focus on “Lifelong Learning”.
It was going to be difficult to capture everything that was happening in the central kitchen as all the dishes were being prepared simultaneously. I planned ahead all the different scenarios that could play out during actual filming. E.g. I will mount my Camcorder on a tripod to capture the timelapse, while using the GoPro to capture the tight spots. On the actual day, most of my plans worked out well. There were some angles where I had to contort my body to get the exact angle I wanted. It felt like I was playing twister during the shoot! My favourite shot was the POV from inside the pot. I placed the GoPro inside and got Ms Lim Chai to put the dumplings inside the pot.
I also used the same “drone” technique from AAC @ KT to capture different POVs, such as a Birds-Eye View of Ms Helen boiling the soup.
Another challenge I faced was interviewing the seniors. They were initially very shy in front of the camera, mumbling between lines. However, once they followed the script on the teleprompter (projected from my phone), they became much more composed and delivered their lines confidently.
Set up recording equipment to record my grandma
After multiple trips to these 2 AACs, I got all the footage I wanted and got started on video-editing. Following a similar process with AAC@GC, I shared the first-cut videos with stakeholders, got their feedback and worked on the fixes. When the final products were completed, the AAC team loved it and is now a regular showcase video played on loop at their respective centres.I would eventually learn that they used these videos to launch their 4th AAC at Jurong West.
Summary
Ultimately, I am very grateful to be part of this project. During which, I got to make new friends at AAC, bring some joy and laughter to their lives and also spent more time with my grandmother. Win-win all the way.
But this project did get me to also appreciate that time is fleeting. Our elderly family members will not be around forever. So, if you happen to have some free time today, why not visit your grandparents for a cup of tea and have a quick chat? Or if they are IT savvy enough, drop them a message with a recent picture. What they crave is simply attention from loved ones. You’ll be surprised how much they value our time and company. So, don't wait for a special occasion to show up. Drop by, listen to their stories, bond over a simple meal, and share a quiet moment. Just being there is the greatest gift you can offer.
Here are the 3 videos I produced for AAC. Feel free to share these videos with seniors you know who might be lonely. Together, let’s keep Singapore's Kampong spirit alive!
Howie Chia
20 Aug 2026
TLDR
Set out to give back to the ageing community before enlistment, ended up directing a full 3-part video trilogy for the Adventist Active Centre. Along the way, bonded with seniors and captured their everyday moments. Lesson learnt: what our elders crave most is simply our time and companionship.
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