Bloggers meet director of latest Family commercial, Yasmin Ahmad

Jun 27

Bloggers meet director of latest Family commercial, Yasmin Ahmad

Recently, we organised an Open Room event at The Screening Room for bloggers to meet Yasmin Ahmad, the director of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports latest commercial, simply entitled “Family.”

It’s a simple commercial with one simple message. love that is found in the family.

Yasmin is indeed a true storyteller, who uses unconventional, or rather, imperfect characters to tell universal tales of humanity. MCYS could have chosen to tell the story in the usual way of featuring your regular nuclear family. Two parents, two children and a dog, but they chose Yasmin tell the story in a much realer way.

Watch the commercial and you’ll see what I mean:

The event had the bloggers arriving, before they were treated to Yasmin’s showreel of past work, some of which were fan favorites like Tan Hong Ming in Love:

After they had watched Yasmin’s body of work and the new commercial, it was time to meet the director herself.

I’ll let the bloggers tell you how they felt about the new commercial and their impressions from meeting Yasmin themselves, but here are some excerpts:

“The film doesn’t have such a family. It just consists of a father and a daughter. The family seems incomplete and thus imperfect and the girl a little spoiled yet I think it captures the way we experience our family relations for most, if not all, of us.”
- Ian, on the red dot

“There was a particular blogger who mentioned that because the majority of the population has a complete family unit, they may not be able to relate to the video - to which Yasmin humorously replied, “I watched ‘Finding Nemo’ … I laughed and I cried … But I’m not a fish!””
- Rinaz

“While I was chatting with some of the another attendees, she came in and we got introduced. I was told later that I squealed when she was introduced to us. I got to shake her hand! OMG I even got to take peekchers with her!! I think I might have even hyperventilated.”
- Min Tea

“The standard style of TV commercials promotes government campaigns in a traditional and mostly predictable way, the new Family TVC hopes to leave a deep impression on viewers with its engaging and emotive storyline. Instead of painting a rosy picture of a perfect family, this TVC seeks to touch the viewers deep inside.”
- Eastcoastlife

For me personally, it was a tremendous opportunity to meet and listen to the insights of a storyteller who is so human, down to earth and observant, it was no wonder her work always touches the hearts those it comes in contact with.

if the brand for this is the concept of love within the family, then I think we’ve succeeded in connecting it with her public.

Highlights

See you next Open Room! -)

More pictures at The Open Room Flickr Page

This entry was posted on Friday, June 27th, 2008 at 3:50 pm and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

6 Comments
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6 Responses to “Bloggers meet director of latest Family commercial, Yasmin Ahmad”

Ian Timothy Says:
June 27th, 2008 at 4:11 pm
Nice photos!

It was a great event. Thanks for allowing me to be part of it.

Food was good too. Burp.
DK Says:
June 27th, 2008 at 4:56 pm
I think it’s a great commercial. In the past, we been seeing all the “perfect and unrealistic” images of a family in the films and commercials. This leads to everyone having a false sense of how a family should look like. Ya, I mean the 2 parents, 2 children (1 boy, 1 girl) and a dog.

But all the past commercials and films forgotten that the most important part of a family isn’t about the completeness of the family members. It doesn’t matter if a parent is missing. It doesn’t matter if they only have 1 children or even none. It doesn’t matter if they don’t have a pet or don’t stay in landed property. What matters most is that they are happy as a family.

This, I guess, is the message that Yasmin is trying to tell in the commercial.
eastcoastlife Says:
June 28th, 2008 at 3:16 am
What an honour to meet Yasmin Ahmad! Thanks for the opportunity to dig her brains.

I was that particular blogger that Rinaz mentioned. How odd not to give me a link. I was asked for my views, I gave….. based on the recent hoohas on ads that tried to breakaway from traditional style.

There is no right or wrong …. every one is entitled to their opinion and perceptions. From different angles, we see different views. I’m sure Yasmin wants to hear alternatve reviews as well so she could learn something from them. What is there to for her to improve if every one praise and commend
her?
jean Says:
July 13th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Hi, came by through a link and the 2 clips made me cry and laugh. The second one is especially cute, especially the little boy
brian Says:
July 14th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
@ian timothy: Haha, thanks for being an awesome guest too!

@DK: well said! i think that’s what Yasmin was trying to convey.. there’s no such thing as perfection, but there is joy, peace and love -)

@eastcoastlife: I have always respected you for saying what is true to you. you’re right, there is no right or wrong answer. our experiences shape the way we look at things. i of course value my own family as well, and do wish that we could all grow up in safe families.. but life isn’t always fair also yeah? -) hence why i think Yasmin’s underlying message real hit the sweet spot -)

@jean: thanks for dropping by! it’s good that we can still be moved by moving images.. i think Yasmin’s message is a strong one -)
mike louey Says:
April 2nd, 2009 at 2:05 pm
who is the girl in the commercial as the student