Bait 3D and the Singapore – Australia co-production agreement: from content to creativity through stereoscopic technology

Abstract

The Media Development Authority’s ‘I Made it in Singapore’ campaign, launched in Cannes in 2006, encapsulates Singapore’s push to attract international collaborators in film and other media industries. With its clever dual meaning, ‘I Made it in Singapore’ reflects the continued emphasis on local content and Singapore-made productions, as well as expressing the gleeful exclamation of international producers who can claim to have had success in this growing Asian market. This article examines Singapore’s push towards international co-production agreements in film, focusing on the agreement with Australia as a case study. While Singapore is not unique in seeking out these bilateral ties for mutual benefit, there are implications specific to Singapore in terms of policy development for a small film industry. Since co-productions are regarded as ‘local content’ for the purposes of audiovisual regulation in Singapore as well as the partnering country, what are the benefits or hindrances for the Singaporean film industry of ‘expanding’ local content? Through an examination of the first Singapore–Australia co-produced film, Bait 3D, I argue that the relevant debate should be focused not on ‘content’ defined narrowly in representational terms, but on the politicization of creativity through Singapore’s development of 3D technology.