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SINGAPORE : Watch out celebs! Caldecott Hill’s own paparazzi are lurking around all ready to catch you unawares.
Armed with a spy cam, the paparazzi go round MediaCorp to shoot the off-moments and in the words of Timothy Goh, Vice President New Media Business and Customer Relationship Management, “the funny side of drama”.
But celebs need not run and take cover when you spot the paparazzi - they are not rumour-mongers and will not sell videos of you to the press. In fact, these guys are so polite that they will even seek your consent before posting clips of you on RAWclipx, which was recently launched on podcast.sg about three weeks ago. So those hoping to see some Britney crotch-flashing type shots or footage of a celeb caught in the unglam act of nose-picking, will be disappointed.
Unlike tabloids and reality TV programmes, everything you see on RAWclipx is real, unscripted and “99% raw”. Expect a smorgasbord of unedited video offerings which include exclusive interviews, behind-the-scenes look at what goes on during shoots, unreleased footage of events and performances as well as bloopers and blunders from your favourite TV shows.
RAWclipx offers up to 15 new clips each week, which you can view and download for free. The latest offerings include an interview with singer Rui En during an 8 Days shoot, clip on Singapore Idol winner Hady Mirza strutting his stuff at a photo shoot as well as performances by contestants of the LIME Dance Challenge.
Life is tough for these paparazzi who are producers, cameramen and video editors all rolled in to one, so celebs usually cut them some slack, revealed one paparazzo who asked to be unnamed.
Where do you usually stake out?
Canteen, photo studios, radio studios and car park. The canteen is a good place to catch the celebs. Most of the time, they do not take lunch at the usual lunch hour though. Wardrobe department and studios are also good areas.
Some people hang out at the MediaCorp taxi stand to catch a glimpse of their favourite celebs. You get lucky only if they do not drive their own car. If you know that they drive, the Radio gate or TV gate exits would be better places to hang out.
Do celebs run away from you if they spot you with the spy cam?
Actually, the celebs are mostly very friendly, always ready to say “hi” and are okay with being shot. At least those that I have met have been friendly to me. However, their managers have more concerns, so we might or might not get to video shoot the celebs. But I understand and respect their concerns.
Has anyone disallowed you to air their clips?
So far, I have not met any celebs who told me not to air their clips. Their managers give me the go ahead to shoot, once there is basic make-up done. There hasn’t been any “meanies” yet, and I hope that it will stay that way!
There were crew people who requested not to be filmed though. So I tried my best to avoid filming them as much as I could.
My only regret so far is that I wasn’t able to take a photo with my favourite actress. I wasn’t able to stay for the whole photo shoot and I requested for a photo via the manager. Unfortunately, they were running much behind schedule so I was asked to wait till the photo shoot is over for my chance to take a photo. It was such a pity, but I was privileged enough to be able to watch her responding to the interviews in rather close distance.
Do you think RAWclipx is encouraging a “tabloid culture”?
Singaporeans in general love to take pictures. And they will post up on their blogs, fan sites, social network sites. Some of them like to feature those exhibiting bad habits too. We’ve seen those pictures reported in forums and sites.
What we are doing is bring to you what you normally do not see or will never see. We give people more access to local celebrities, to show their day to day life, their likes and their activities. But all in all, we respect their privacy.
- CNA/il
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