Mediacorp showcases versatile hospital sets for TV dramas
Mediacorp uses a set in its studios that imitates a hospital: it includes wards, an operating room and a reception area, while the hospital beds and heart rate monitors are functional. As Channel NewsAsia reports, several internal and external projects can book the set simultaneously, as filming in real busy hospitals is difficult.
Wards are adapted to the script
Mediacorp senior production designer Chen Jia Gu said that the space is constantly changed so that it is not too recognizable across different dramas. In particular, a four-bed Class B ward can be converted into a Class A ward by adding elements such as a washbasin and a bathroom. The configuration depends on the plot and filming needs.
For realism, the team uses authentic medical equipment whenever possible. The beds, trolleys and monitors correspond to those seen in medical facilities. According to Chen, the heart rate monitor is the most expensive item on the set; it also creates the characteristic sound background of a hospital. The set includes bandages and oxygen masks.
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Sets without ceilings
The set was built in a studio pavilion on Mediacorp premises. Before creating the set, the team prepares detailed floor plans, construction drawings and 3D models. This helps producers, directors, cinematographers and lighting specialists plan the space for scenes and for the safe use of cables, cameras and other equipment.
Ceilings are not installed on the sets for safety reasons, so the film crew must select angles that prevent studio structures from appearing in the frame. Heavy iron frames are used to stabilize walls that are not secured by a ceiling.
For the drama Brighter Days, set in 1996 and 2026, the designers used wooden bed headboards to convey the atmosphere of the 1990s. The color of the rooms was quickly changed with vinyl stickers, and windows were added to the corridor, through which characters and cameras can look into the wards.
