PUB | The Frog Prince
In Singapore, drinkable water is accessible and cheap – it streams from every tap.
It's no wonder that water has been taken for granted and the age-old reminder by the government to be mindful of how we use it has been falling on deaf ears.
Truth is, the nation's supply is limited and Singapore's national water agency, PUB, needed Singaporeans to feel its preciousness again. Here's how we did it.
Team (Tribal)
Benson Toh (CD)
Boston Ho (Copy)
Tytan Chang (Copy)
Ong Beng Wee (Art)
Client
Public Utilities Board
Year
2020
Awards
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One Show Asia 2020 Showcase
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Ad Stars 2020 Awards (Bronze for Video Stars – Branded Entertainment Video)
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Canberra Film Festival (International: Best Cinematography Award)
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Gong Awards 2021 (Gold for Film (Online))
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Gong Awards 2021 (Bronze for Film & Branded Content Direction)
My Role
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Conceptualised the first draft of the script, which was shortlisted in an agency-wide open brief.
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Went on to co-write the film to its final script.
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Involved in entire production of film.
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Managed overseas shoot location on-site.
A film about family and the gift of values.
Storytelling around familiar Asian tropes.
A humble family. A young son who desires more. A stern father who has trouble expressing his affection – till his ultimate sacrifice.
For the film's setting, we picked a Chinese festival that brands typically shy away from, Qing Ming (Tomb Sweeping Day), where families gather to pay respects to their ancestors.
A construct like this speaks to many from Asian families. Throughout the film, we see how the father tries his best to impart values to his child.


A reminder to appreciate traditions passed down to us.
Inspired by the saying, “every tree has its roots, every river has its source”, the film explores the passing down of life lessons from father to son, and highlights Qing Ming’s spirit of honouring ancestors and the values they impart to us. We then linked it back to PUB’s water conservation message – the values our parents impart to us are as precious as water.