Singapore’s Mediacorp this afternoon unveiled its first foray into virtual production for scripted content, catapulting the domestic production environment into a space currently led in Asia by Korea and Japan.

Mediacorp, which for decades has been Singapore’s biggest producer and commissioner of local content, described the shift as “a quantum leap forward” and promised an era of more immersive and imaginative dramas across a more diverse range of genres.

The move into virtual production also fits with Mediacorp’s commitment to sustainability by reducing reliance on physical sets, chief content officer, Virginia Lim, said.

Mediacorp’s first two testing grounds for the new technology are Chinese dramas “Stranger in the Dark”, which premiered on 27 Nov, and “Once Upon a New Year’s Eve” (“那一年的除夕夜”), slated for early 2024.

Starring Desmong Ng (“Your World in Mine”), “Once Upon a New Year’s Eve” is the story of a man who travels back in time to make amends with family members.

Flagship scenes created by local media tech company, Oceanus Media Global (OMG), include Singapore’s old National Library and National Theatre, neither of which exists anymore.

The 10-episode “Stranger in the Dark” is about a socially awkward young woman with a wild imagination on a journey to solve the mystery of her ex-tenant’s disappearance.

“The fusion of creativity and technology in virtual production opens new dimensions for storytelling, allowing us to explore a wide array of genres and scenes deemed too challenging for traditional TV production,” Lim said.