Yakult has been with us since our early childhood. From the visits of the Yakult lady to the factory tour that most of us attended, they have been with us from our early childhoods.

Hence, this film is dedicated to nostalgic times. We wanted to capture the timeless feeling through this short film TVC with Yakult!

Titled Little Hero - Protecting Every Memory with Your Loved Ones

The Synopsis

The story starts with Andy (the husband) and Jane (the wife) packing out his room, getting ready to move out as they are not doing so well financially As they were moving the furniture, they found an old handmade Yakult bottle toy. As Andy sees the toy, a flashback occurs where he remembers his past.

When Andy was 10 years old, he was envious of his neighbour for having a new toy. He didn’t want to be left out and decided to make a superhero toy out of a Yakult bottle. His envy turns into kindness when he found out that his neighbour had fallen ill. Wanting to make him feel better, he decided to make another superhero Yakult toy just for him. That became the start of their friendship.

Back to the present day -
Andy packed the superhero toy into a designated toy box and tape it up. The wife came in and gave him a Yakult bottle. He smiles to his wife as it was a symbolism of encouragement in life that encapsulates the meaning of "I will be there for you".

Art Department -Creating the set

Check out the space in which the film was shot at! Does the place remind you of the old 90s HDB that many of us grew up in?

Located in the East, this little hidden gem was perfect for the setting of the short film! However, it needed a little makeover before we can begin our work.

In order to make the place fit our storyboard setting, we had an art team head down to the place before the shoot. They did a great job in tidying up the place and transforming it back in time to the 90s. Did you notice the fake “door” that now covers the wardrobe?

Look at some of the props the art team brought in. Do you remember playing with those as you were growing up? Check out that box of superhero toys! That box is every child’s dream of having. We used these props to further create the childhood setting commonly found in the 90s. Speaking of toys, kudos to our Art Department for creating 2 Yakult make-shift toys out of Yakult plastic bottles for our set!

Lighting

Replicating the morning light. We wanted to create a scene of direct sunlight that was shining into the house. However, we were located on the second floor with North facing windows. We combated that by booming the Aputure 600D Pro from the first to the second floor.

Directing

At Tristeps Studios, we craft stories with our hearts.

The drive and emotion came from our Director - Aloysius Ong

BIOGRAPHY:

Aloysius’s films have made his wave into the international film festival scene in the U.K. and South-East Asia representing Singapore for its Official Selection and Best Directing categories respectively. His last film was titled Last Wave By.

Q: What was your biggest takeaway?

Yakult has always been a childhood drink of mine, so having to do a narrative film with the brand has been an interesting experience. To tell a story of that level is not easy, that’s why I am glad to have the support of Yakult Singapore and Tristeps Studios, to produce a narrative commercial using the means of storytelling that is unique to the Yakult brand.

I hope anyone that chance upon this short film would join in to reminisce on their past, their childhood and innocence, carefree days that we once had as a kid. The brand Yakult has been a household brand for many over the decades, this story is meant to inspire and a reminder to look back at how far anyone has come and of course, Yakult has been through all the thick and thins of their life.

Q: How did “Little Hero” come about?

Since it is part of my childhood, I begin by drawing inspiration from my past when I was younger, and it was very clear to me what story I would like to tell.

The theme of memories has always been a recurring motif from my past works, and I think it is really fitting to tie in the theme of memories to this Yakult story.

The idea of heroism, has also been touched upon in this film, redefine the stereotypical hero framework, this story’s hero is none other than a kid, our protagonist and/or the wife of our protagonist who has helped through emotional support.

A happy coincidence is that this story was crafted together with my neighbour /friend himself, so it definitely is very relatable to us while filming this story.

Q: What was your biggest challenge faced?

I think the biggest challenge is the location itself. As the story requires, an early 2000s type of apartment, it was not easy to find a suitable one due to Singapore’s ever-changing landscape. Fortunately, we managed to find an apartment that belongs to an “Ah Ma”, who was very accommodating in allowing us to proceed with our filming with her location.

However, due to the nature of the apartment design and its actual living space so the workable space for our talents and crew is very limited. So we have to work around the spatial constraints of the house in mind when planning my blocking and shots.

I’m very grateful to my crew and cast that they can be so adaptable to the situations on-set and able to still achieve what we have in mind from the start of the story.

Q: Working with a child talent, how different is it compared to an adult talent, was it manageable?

Kids are a whole lot different than actors of age generally which sometimes makes it extra fun to direct as they can bring a certain bubbly energy to the set.

It’s not my first time working with kid actors, so I different methodology to direct kids actors.

Kids’ attention spans are short naturally, so there is a set of challenges to get their performances with that limited time.

I would like to thank the kids for being so patient and hardworking to get as close to what I have envisioned.

Q: Any words of wisdom to those who are starting their filmmaking path?

"Be living in the moment, but be leaving your footprints behind.
So create something that you'll be a fan of and make it worth the while"

This film has been an endless bundle of joy to produce with the cast and crew. We work closely with Yakult to create a TVC that would evoke emotions and resonate with their audience. They wanted to convey the message of “always being there through the tough times”.

At Tristeps Studios, we weave stories for your brand through powerful visuals and we specialise in Food Videography and Photography.

Feel free to contact us if you’re looking to create some stunning visuals today, and head down to our Instagram for more of our works.