Wave Films, 68 Circular Road, #02/01, Singapore (2025)

18/09/2025

1.3B users changed the script.

When China's micro-drama industry hit $6.9 billion and actually beat their own theatrical box office, I honestly had to dig into these numbers twice.

The rest of the world combined? $1.4 billion total.

That's a 5x difference that makes no sense... until you look at how they built this thing.

After working productions across Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines for over a decade, I think I figured out what happened here. China didn't just make better short-form content.

They turned it into the actual product instead of treating it like a marketing tool for something else.

Here's the thing that kills me about trying this anywhere else:

→ Want to pay $0.50 for an episode in most countries?
→ Enter credit card details, wait for OTP codes, fill out forms
→ By the time you're done, you've forgotten why you wanted to watch

In China? Open WeChat. Done.

WeChat processes $49 trillion in mobile payments with over 1.3 billion users. It's the same app they use for everything - messaging their friends, calling taxis, ordering food... and now watching these micro-dramas during lunch breaks.

The storytelling challenge is actually brutal though.

Every single minute needs a cliffhanger strong enough to make someone pull out their phone and pay for the next episode. But here's what surprised me most about working in this space.

Good storytelling fundamentals still matter more than anything else. Strong concept wins, weak story dies - same principle as the feature films we've been producing, just compressed into 1-2 minute episodes instead of 90 minutes.

Southeast Asia isn't close to having this payment infrastructure yet. The Philippines especially has a long way to go. But experimenting with the format now? That makes sense to me.

Because when the payment systems finally catch up, content creators better be ready with stories that can grab viewers in the first 30 seconds and keep them paying through episode 50.

What do you think about this model? Could micro-transactions work for content in your market, or is the payment friction still too high? Let me know in the comments if you're already testing anything like this 👇

17/09/2025

We stopped chasing saturated hubs.

Property owners in Malaysia have in the past literally asked us if they need to pay to have their locations featured in our films.

Compare that to Los Angeles, where friends in the industry complain about burned-out property owners who've been damaged by too many productions over the years. The contrast tells you everything about why we built Wave Films across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines instead of going to one of the major international hubs.

Costs mattered, sure.

But enthusiasm mattered way more.

When we expanded into Malaysia, we didn't just bring production dollars. We created real partnerships with local vendors, hired regional talent, and honestly... sparked genuine interest from other international productions that started following us there.

Taylor Sheridan just made the exact same bet with his $450 million Texas studio investment.

Here's what we've learned to look for beyond just tax incentives:

→ Community enthusiasm - Do locals actually see your film projects as opportunities, or are they disruptions they tolerate?

→ Government consistency - Are incentives predictable for the long haul, or do they change every election cycle?

→ Infrastructure trajectory - Is the region actively building new capabilities or just maintaining what already exists?

→ Local vendor ecosystem - Can you actually find everything you need locally, or are you importing it all anyway?

Texas checked every single box. They increased film incentive funding from $200 million to $300 million through 2035, built 450,000 square feet of brand new soundstages, and most importantly...

Found communities that genuinely want productions there.

We've watched this cycle work across Asia for over a decade now with our own eyes. One major studio attracts supporting businesses. Those supporting businesses attract more productions. More productions justify bigger infrastructure investments.

Momentum builds.

This cycle just doesn't happen in oversaturated markets where property owners are tired of dealing with film crews and local businesses see you as another disruption rather than an opportunity to grow together.

The geography of film production is changing, and partnership enthusiasm often beats pure economics every time.

Are you seeing this shift in your industry too? Like this if regional hubs are winning where you work, or drop "traditional forever" in the comments if you think the old centers can never be beaten 👇

16/09/2025

Korea used to ship around 100 films above $2.25m per year. In 2024 it was about 20.

The 100 vs 20 signal.

This shift tells you everything about where the global film industry is headed, and why Korea just threw $108 million in emergency funding at the problem.

But money won't fix what's actually broken.

There's this budget range where films just... die.

$500K to $5 million. It's like quicksand for producers.

We read hundreds of scripts every year at Wave Films. When you've seen that volume, you start understanding something most producers miss - you can only judge if a story has real potential after you've watched thousands of concepts compete against each other in the same stack.

The middle budget range creates this impossible trap. Too expensive to be scrappy and guerrilla-style, but not expensive enough to attract real star power.

Buyers have gotten picky. They want the extremes now.

Drama gets hit the hardest in this range because it relies on cultural specificity - domestic appeal only. But action, thriller, sci-fi? Those genres still have legs in the $1-5M space because international sales potential changes the entire equation.

Korea's funding increase is treating a symptom, not the disease.

The real issue is that buyer demand just vanished in that price range. Everyone jumped on the Korean wave after Parasite and Squid Game, quality peaked around 2019-2021, and now we're seeing the decline.

Here's what really concerns me though.

The shrinking middle tier is killing how filmmakers develop their craft. Directors used to cut their teeth on $2-3M productions before stepping up to bigger budgets. Now they're forced to jump from micro-budget straight to major productions, or pivot to completely different genres just to find viable budget ranges.

For producers and investors reading this: avoid that middle range at all costs right now. Go micro-budget or go big. There's no profitable middle ground until buyer behavior shifts.

Story quality trumps origin every single time. Korean, Mexican, German, American... nationality means absolutely nothing if your concept can't cut through the noise in today's market.

Like this if you're seeing the same budget gap happening in your region. Drop a comment about what you're witnessing in your local market - genuinely curious if this pattern is universal or if some regions have found workarounds.

11/09/2025

Ad-supported streaming tiers are the future.

Not a trend, not some temporary shift.

The future.

Nine quarters of data prove it: Netflix reports 39 percent of new signups on ads. Peacock 74 percent, Hulu 63 percent, Disney+ 58 percent, Paramount+ 55 percent.

The market has voted.

Amazon just made it official.

Their legal victory dismissed the Prime Video lawsuit "with prejudice" - creating legal precedent that changes how streaming works globally.

Overnight.

160 million US subscribers moved to ad-supported models. The judge ruled charging $2.99 monthly for ad-free viewing wasn't a price increase but a "benefit modification."

That legal distinction changes everything.

Look, content costs keep climbing while subscriber growth slows across every platform. Subscription fees alone can't sustain premium content at competitive scales anymore... the math just doesn't work.

90% of ad-supported streaming viewers discover new products through platform advertising, with 68% taking action afterward.

Prime Video rolled this model across France, Italy, Spain, UK, Germany, and Austria immediately after the US precedent.

For production companies like us, this actually creates real opportunities. More ad revenue means platforms can invest in premium content while keeping subscription prices reasonable.

The subscription model didn't evolve.

It broke.

Ad-support bridges the gap between what content actually costs to make and what people are willing to pay monthly. What started as Amazon protecting their business model became the blueprint for streaming worldwide.

Like if you're adjusting your content strategy around ad-supported models, and comment with your biggest challenge in this shift 👇

08/09/2025

MIPCOM conversations happen in the spaces between official meetings.

Having our Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore representatives together means we can offer real solutions when producers mention their location challenges over coffee. These spontaneous discussions often matter more than scheduled presentations.

Last year taught us something.

The best opportunities came from casual encounters in hallways and coffee lines. Someone mentions they're scouting locations for a reality show... another producer talks about studio space concerns.

Suddenly you're not in a formal pitch situation.

You're just three people talking through a real problem. And we can immediately explain how we'd handle their production logistics across Singapore, Malaysia, or the Philippines. With Iskandar Malaysia Studios as our strategic partner, we're covering studio infrastructure too.

The scheduled presentations have their place. But the real business happens when someone says "We've been looking at filming options in Asia but the logistics seem overwhelming."

And we can break it down right there. Practical solutions, not marketing speak.

That's what excites us about having our full Southeast Asia team together this year. We're not just representing Southeast Asia as a concept - we're three people who actually run productions in these markets, sitting across from you with specific answers.

October can't come fast enough.

Are you attending? Send us a DM we would love to catch you for a coffee!

20/08/2025

🎬 CALLING ALL CHARISMATIC MALAY GUYS! 🎬

PAID SHOOT IN SINGAPORE!

Are you a confident, camera-ready Malay man in your 20s? This is YOUR chance to be part of something big!

Wave Films is on the hunt for outstanding male talents to be FEATURED in our exciting new project. If you've got that natural charm and screen presence, we want to see what you've got!

⭐ What we're seeking:
• Malay men in their 20s
• Friendly, approachable personality
• Photogenic and comfortable on camera
• Ready to make your mark in the industry!

📅 Important Dates (don't miss out!):
• Audition: August 21, 2025
• Fitting: August 23, 2025
• Filming: August 29, 2025

🚀 Ready to showcase your talent? Submit:
• Professional headshots (or high-quality selfies)
• Full body and half body shots
• Dynamic intro video showing your personality
• Send everything to: [email protected]

This could be the opportunity you've been waiting for! Know someone perfect for this role? Share this post and help them discover their potential!

14/08/2025

The budget barrier between indie films and studio quality just started disappearing.

Netflix just completed their first AI-generated VFX sequence for "The Eternaut" and the results are pretty wild. Ten times faster completion than traditional methods, so scenes you've been cutting from scripts due to cost constraints are suddenly possible.

I've lived through this budget reality countless times. You start with a vision, get the VFX quote, and watch your creative ambitions shrink to fit financial constraints. Maybe you shoot it practical instead, maybe you drop the sequence entirely, or maybe you rewrite around a completely different approach because that's what the numbers demand.

There are endless workarounds when budget becomes the creative director... and honestly? It gets exhausting.

But here's where most people get this wrong.

AI VFX isn't magic though. You still need to know what you're doing → getting prompts right, compositing, color correction. All the usual stuff. It's just another tool, and like any tool, you need to actually understand it to make it work.

What I'm seeing across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines is interesting. Asian markets are adapting much faster, partly because there's more willingness to experiment with these technologies without getting tangled up in all the regulatory stuff that bogs down other markets.

Which creates a real opportunity for us.

Asian independent filmmakers can now visualize scenes that were previously locked behind financial barriers. The quality gap between indie productions and major studio work is starting to narrow, but only for those who approach this smart.

When we're shooting our current feature in India, every creative decision comes back to the same question: does this serve the story? AI VFX should meet that same standard. Don't just ask what we can blow up now that effects are cheaper → ask what story beats you couldn't afford before.

That's where this technology becomes actually useful.

The filmmakers who figure out these workflows first will have a real competitive advantage as the industry shifts. The key though? Proving we can make it work with everything else in production. Show that AI makes the creative work better, not just cheaper.

The technology is ready. The market is ready.

Question is... will you be among the first to master the workflow?

Are you experimenting with AI in your productions yet? What's holding you back?

13/08/2025

Many producers worry about losing trained crew to competitors.

We worry about not having enough skilled people to handle the projects coming our way.

The math is straightforward - there aren't enough experienced crews in Southeast Asia who can work well with international productions. After building Wave Films across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines for over a decade, we've learned something that shifted how we approach talent development.

Every time we train someone up, we're not creating competition.

We're solving our own future staffing challenges.

Think about it. When crew members gain confidence working with international teams, they become more valuable to everyone, including us. They stay with Wave Films not because they have to, but because we consistently bring them the kind of projects they want to work on.

The film industry has become brutal. Fewer projects, more producers fighting for the same opportunities, and clients expecting higher standards than ever before.

What we do differently:

Every project requires local crew involvement. We bring on interns and trainees who shadow experienced team members during shoots. When foreign productions notice the extra person on set, we explain they're trainees who aren't chargeable to their budget.

Free labor for them. Knowledge transfer for us.

The result? Our crew members now work confidently on productions across multiple countries, understanding both local preferences and international standards. They've absorbed working methods, communication styles, and problem-solving approaches that transform how they handle every subsequent project.

Now as we're expanding and producing our own films for global release, this becomes our edge in a tighter market.

Producers in Southeast Asia who can show both local know-how and international standards? They'll separate from the pack. Everyone else gets stuck competing on price alone.

Race to the bottom.

Like and comment if this talent shortage is affecting your projects too – we need to figure this out together.

08/08/2025

Cinema became premium entertainment without anyone noticing.

The shift happened gradually. Ticket prices crept up, concession costs doubled, and suddenly movie night competed with luxury dining.

When Cathay Cineplexes closed in Singapore, I felt genuine sadness first.

Then my producer brain kicked in.

I've been sitting in half-empty theaters here while watching massive cinema expansion in Indonesia and Thailand. The story everyone tells about streaming killing cinema misses what's actually happening.

A family of four in Singapore now pays $100+ for a movie night. Tickets, popcorn, drinks, transport home after the late show.

That's not casual entertainment anymore.

It's a luxury purchase competing with weekend getaways and nice dinners. When inflation hits, luxury experiences get cut first.

But in India, where we're currently shooting our first Tamil-language feature film? Cinema is still a proper family weekend activity. Accessible pricing, cultural tradition, growing market.

The difference is simple: these markets get that cinema needs to be accessible, not premium.

This completely changes how we approach production now. We're not just creating for big screens anymore → we're making films that work across both theatrical and streaming from day one.

Thrillers and sci-fi travel well across both worlds. Horrors may justify big screen experiences while holding attention on smaller screens.

Drama and comedy? Audiences mostly watch these at home now. The intimate nature doesn't lose much on streaming anyway.

So we've adjusted our production slate. Not because we want to abandon certain genres (trust me, I'd love to make more intimate dramas), but because economics force our hand.

Pure survival.

Cinema isn't dying though. It's transforming from default entertainment into something more specialized.

The theaters that survive? They'll embrace this shift instead of fighting it.

Like this if you're adapting your content strategy for the new reality. Comment if you're seeing similar shifts in your market 👇

07/08/2025

While agencies cut coffee meeting budgets and chase quick ROI, we're out here checking in on people for months. Sometimes years. Just being present.

A producer recently told me they can't even get agencies to meet for coffee anymore. Too time-consuming.

That tells you everything about priorities.

Meanwhile, we've spent the last decade building relationships across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Not because we had immediate projects lined up… because we genuinely cared about the people we work with.

Here's what actually happens when you do this:

When these people need production support, they don't shop around for the cheapest deal. They come to us. Because trust was already built months before the contract was signed.

We're expanding into new markets while giants like WPP hemorrhage clients and cut workforce by 3.5%. Their shares crashed 14% in a single day.

The difference isn't our budget or our overhead.

It's philosophy.

We remember that this business runs on relationships, not spreadsheets. We say yes to small projects that bigger agencies reject because they can't justify the margins. We hire project-by-project instead of carrying massive overhead that demands constant feeding.

Most importantly?

We still believe in coffee meetings.

Like and comment if you think your industry needs more coffee meetings and fewer budget optimization meetings. I'm curious where else this actually works.

↳ Drop a comment if your industry could use more coffee meetings and fewer spreadsheet sessions.

06/08/2025

We've been testing AI tools across our production workflow at Wave Films.

The efficiency gains have been pretty significant.

Here's what we've learned so far...

Take rotoscoping. Our standard process was frame-by-frame tracing and mask creation... typically 3-4 days of focused work per sequence.

With AI tools, we're getting comparable results in about 20 minutes.

Similar story with other tasks.

Storyboarding workflows improved too. We can generate visual references quickly for initial concepts, which frees up our illustrators to focus on final designs and other visual work.

The time savings add up → faster turnarounds mean we can handle more projects with the same team size.

Nobody lost work.

People just shifted to higher-value tasks.

Our rotoscope specialist moved to complex VFX work. The illustrator spends more time on visual design. Editors focus on creative problem-solving rather than repetitive tasks.

The result: better project margins and more capacity to take on interesting work across our markets in Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

The industry projections suggest this trend will continue... AI in film expected to reach $14.1 billion by 2033.

Like this if you're seeing similar efficiency gains in your workflow.

What tools have worked best for your team? Share your experience in the comments.

04/08/2025

Australia just banned social media for under-16s.

YouTube included.

Most companies are freaking out. Compliance headaches, restricted reach, the usual concerns.

But here's what I'm seeing from our work across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines → when countries start blocking traditional social platforms for under-16s, those advertising budgets don't just disappear.

They have to go somewhere.

Norway and the UK are planning similar moves. Brands are scrambling.

There's an opportunity here.

Streaming platforms with ad-supported tiers become the compliant alternative. TV commercial production suddenly becomes more valuable. Companies positioned across multiple markets? They get options when regulations vary by country.

We've been building this multi-region thing since 2012. Features to service production to commercials... whatever each market demanded. Every time regulations shifted, that adaptability helped.

Research shows 66% of marketing teams plan to shift Connected TV budgets from social media spending.

The budget migration isn't theoretical.

It's already starting.

Traditional companies are waiting to see what happens. We're positioning where the money will go.

This regulatory pressure doesn't hurt our business → it creates exactly the market conditions that make our international approach valuable.

Progressive production companies see regulations as business opportunities.

Every major shift reveals something: which companies think ahead and which ones just react after it's too late.

What's your take?

Are you positioning for the budget migration or just hoping restrictions don't hit your business?

Wave Films

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