House of happiness
DRONE shots, filming with a flycam, kid actors and a prickly plant somewhere. Nothing is offlimits for Tenaga Nasional Berhad’s latest Hari Raya advertisement.
The colourful five-minute clip features some ambitious shots to reflect the familiar chaos that comes with celebrating a festive holiday.
Directed by Quek Shio Chuan, Rumah Epik Fantastik stars Iskandar Syahidan, 14, as a young boy coping with a cramped living situation as members from his extended family spend Hari Raya at his kampung house.
While he is initially unhappy about the way some of the young guests mess with his toys, the boy finally sees how Hari Raya is better when the whole family is under one roof.
TNB chief corporate officer Datuk Wira Roslan Rahman shared that Rumah Epik Fantastik reflects a situation that many Malaysians can relate to. Hari Raya is a time for family gatherings and with that, certain sacrifices need to be made.
“I believe, we are all familiar with that feeling of rushing home to avoid being stuck in traffic. Then, when you’re home, there is no time to relax because you have to start cleaning up. We do all this so that we can create a comfortable living situation for everyone else,” Roslan said.
Ultimately, Roslan believes that the ad carries an important message about tolerance. Rumah Epik Fantastik shows how happiness can be achieved with everyone working together and looking out for each other.
“The sense of tolerance among Malaysians is what makes us special,” he added.
Quek, who also directed last year’s hilarious TNB ad Dugaan Raya, shared that Rumah Epik Fantastik took three days to shoot at a location in Banting, Selangor. Apart from Iskandar, there were about 30 other actors involved in the production.
One particular aerial shot involving cars moving simultaneously was a major challenge to execute.
“Once everyone was in the car, it’s quite hard to coordinate. Everyone has to start moving at the same time and get to their assigned positions. Plus, we used a drone (for the shot) and it can only stay in the air for a limited time,” the director explained.
The key to nailing the scene came down to rehearsals and teamwork.
“We had to rehearse the movements in stages. Cars in the front row would practise first, followed by the second row and the next,” Quek said.
The director added that he was fortunate to have a passionate cast and crew.
“Everyone was up for anything. I remember seeing the cast practise their dance movements together. So that was really inspiring.”