SPH Media launches first horror-comedy microdrama, with hybrid VFX and tech enhancements

How the CONNECTED Series was brought to life

Curious how the microdrama was made? Each “hantu” started on a drawing board, with Content Lab’s artists developing original sketches based on the story and cultural knowledge. 

These drawings were then developed into creature designs using photographs of volunteer models from SPH Media or Singtel, before Content Lab partnered with Editlounge and Gengis AI, both Singapore companies, to develop a hybrid VFX workflow to bring these creatures to life.

AI-enabled techniques were combined with original artwork, live-action footage and more to build the final sequences seen in the episodes. Specific locations and objects were filmed then transformed with AI-assisted augmentation, with hybrid compositing allowing the teams to combine generated elements with live footage. 

Content Lab worked with Gengis AI’s in-house YAM workflow for shot planning and prompt generation, while using software like Google Nano Banana for stills generation. 

Joel Lim, Gengis AI Creative Director, explained: “AI didn’t choose the shots – we did. Every camera position was set in 3D first, every frame was approved by a human, and only then did we animate it. That’s what makes it feel like a drama and not a demo.”  

There were also “Hantu Easter Eggs” and on-screen scares, which contained both digital and practical effects. When asked how these effects were done, Phin Wong – Executive Producer of CONNECTED, and Head, Content & Solutioning Division, SPH Media – only teased: “The goal was to keep audiences guessing, intentionally blurring that line between scripted drama and reality entertainment, what’s ‘real’ and what was conjured up with VFX. Which is which? We’ll never tell.”