From Storyboards to the Big Screen.

I've decided that since I can't really blog a lot, i'll just post pictures from work. I found these old storyboards that we used for Tiktik: The Aswang Chronicles. Yes, i watermarked it because I honestly think that it'll cost a lot in the future. Haha!

Direk Erik had these on paper on the shoot. I guess it aids his imagination, but I honestly believe the entire picture is in his head!

Unfortunately, I can't post screen shots of the film since it's still out in the cinemas. But if you've seen it, you'll see how close the boards are to the actual material in the big screen! For comparison, I did screen shots of the trailer and posted them here.

This is meant to be a shot of the creatures in the forest

and another one

That should be Joey Marquez using his Bawang/Asin Solution

And again, Joey Marquez fighting off Aswangs with his Asin mist

This is from the trailer!

This here should be Dingdong Dantes killing an aswang 

This isn't the same shot...
but this part of the trailer is from the same sequence in the movie,

Another one!

This here is a drawing of Tatang.
You should see the movie version! He looks awesome.

So if you haven't seen the film yet, i think you should! Hehe, shameless plugging. These old boards make me realize that preproduction really is the big chunk that makes a movie.

Til the next archived material!

Kriz

How's That Made?

I found old photos in my laptop from a location visit we did before.

Let me do this informative blog just cause I think it's interesting how it all comes together...
A little peek into the world of our daily grind! When we do oculars, we do framing options with the Director of Photography. My job as Technical Director is to try and frame the storyboard's drawing into the actual framing in the location based on how the director wants it to look.

This is how you know that a 45-seconder needs collaboration! Light and Production Design works wonders for the look of an ad. So for the commercial of Anelene called "Tuloy" here are our pictures from the ocular as the framing options and actual frames of the commercial!

*The screen grabs of the commercial are from youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tci97xXtvn0) and are not owned by me
*The other pictures were taken by Dix Buhay

FRAMING. and the guy on the right is our PM, Eric Lintao!

ACTUAL

FRAMING. that's me with Kuya Eric

ACTUAL

FRAMING. That's Ian Dolon, our Location Manager!

ACTUAL

FRAMING. Me again, with my phone as a glass :))

ACTUAL

FRAMING. I was pretending to lift a kid. . .  haha

ACTUAL

FRAMING. That's Bianca, our Production head!

ACTUAL

FRAMING. Production design made it look legit!

ACTUAL

And of course, i have to post pictures of other people :)

That's the Director of Photography, Dix Buhay and the Director, Erik Matti

This is the team!

dapat

dapat sa Pilipinas, may film critics na legit.
people who know what they're talking about
people who've devoted their time studying film discourse
people who actually know visual narrative rather than basing "good movies" on stories

you know.
legit people

A Series of Unfortunate Rants.

Breathe in and out. Action!

To rant or to rave. How exactly do I feel right now?

I've been depressed insecure for the past few weeks. Yes, me. The most egotistic and annoyingly proud confident person I know. And I happen to know quite a number of people at that. I found myself crying one night. And I knew exactly what I was feeling: I felt forgotten. Drama Queen.

Tragedy is a necessary requisite to anything connected with art. Since my mentor said that I have to write something personal for my next film, I guess going through this insecurity makes my future film legit. I'm writing this probably for a lot of things (aside from documenting my emotions for a possible writing material)

One is to tell the world (or the the 2-3 people who will be reading this blog) that I actually have bad days. I am not an emotionless bitch who walks around thinking that I'm a good filmmaker. I'm writing this to accept that I've been going through this insecurity thing for a long time now (which is, quite frankly out of character). I've always said and described myself as an aspiring filmmaker - because I'm not yet there but hopefully getting there. That even if I've had a few victories in the past, I haven't felt that in quite a while.

I guess a big chunk of this insecurity thing is cause of the recent Cinemalaya success. I always wished that their captive market was the same market we had for our SM films. I wished too, that I had a team that I trusted. I wished too, that I knew before what I know now. And right after writing that last line, I wished that I didn't write that cliche line. Fuck. History is proving itself true: it does happen again. Haha. Okay, sorry na de-focus.


Two is that I'm currently working for my idol. In films that I want to watch, I even want to make them. I get to meet people who I wouldn't meet if I were anywhere else. My network expands on a daily basis. I eat good food at work, I work with the people who are the best at what they do. And still I find myself kind of lost because I want to do a new film. "Impatient ang peg" I can already hear our PM saying. I'm writing this blog because I dont understand why I feel depressed. I guess I just am really impatient. We have problems too #conyoproblems


Three is that even if I've worked so hard in the past for the awards that I got in college, I have the need to be current, as in: I need people to know that I still am doing something significant in my life. A number of things contribute to my depression: I passed up a chance at the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines, I was too busy to finish the application. I guess I wouldn't have felt like this if I didn't see the list of the TOSP. I might have been more jealous of the fame than the actual award. He he.


Four is to realize that eventually, it's all just bullshit. A friend told me that whatever fame I got in the past, or whatever fame people are getting for their recent works, it's all just bullshit. I guess at the end of the day, my take away from all this depression I'm going through is that the only people whose opinions matter are the people who matter to you.

Five, six, seven. The list goes on.

When the list ends, there's one more thing I have to remind myself: mentor says "wag ka nang manghinayang diyan." Take it as one of those experiences that will really teach you how the industry is.

This is the beginning of my new script: A filmmaker who wants to make it into the industry, to be known, to make it to the 100-million mark like his idol. He will try anything to make it there fast. I want to explore that character, I want to be that character. And thank God I'm somewhere there. At least something's coming my way.

"No great thing is created suddenly"
here's to victories and defeats. and to bullshit.

North of Little Italy

"Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli" 

Godfather (1972) Directed by Francis Ford Coppola

I visited NOLITA (NOrth of Little ITAly) with a few friends at Bonifacio High Street last week. It's a small place with pricey pizza (160-250 a slice) and burgers. Background on me and my food: I'm fond of pizza. I specifically like the Costco kind: that big and greasy pizza slice good for two Asians. My boyfriend and I visited again to get two slices of pizza and a Cannoli.

It's a quaint place. A few tables and chairs and it's pretty casual. I like the New York feel to it. And he's not in the picture (prolly went out for a break), but the server up front is a looker. He looks Italian and his accent is adorable. Nolita has pizza, burgers, Chili, mac and cheese, wings, pretty yummy desserts (I tried the Chocolate Chip Cookie for a hundred bucks and it was moist, chocolatey and amazing).

So my boyfriend and I ordered the Buffalo Chicken (which isn't on the menu) and the Spinach and Artichoke. 

The Buffalo Chicken is a treat. This is the second time we're eating at Nolita and the second time we're getting it. We were in the mood to be really fat so we got this greasy treat. We got another slice of pizza since we were fatter than usual. The Spinach and Artichoke tastes really clean and light, I'd hate to say this but I preferred the latter more than our greasy treat. Maybe I was just in the mood to be pretty indie with my pizza choice tonight but both slices were really good. The serving at Nolita is big. Like I said, one slice could feed two Asians.

I dont have a picture of our overpriced Lemonade. It was 160 pesos a serving but it was pretty good. It was the kind I like, it didn't taste instant. But it was still 160. I mean, cmon. Haha

CUT TO: Eavesdropping. Douchebag-ging: Check! 3 guys on the other table were comparing their pizzas. Guy in white said that the pizza tasted PLEASANT. dafuq? a few minutes later, that comment was topped by another sentence that flew from guy in white's mouth. After that I chose to mute my right ear. 

The night at Nolita had a swell ending. For 85 pesos, we got a Cannoli. I really wanted one because of its Godfather reference but it was really good. The cream is smooth and it tastes just right - not too sweet and not too heavy. The crispy shell of the cannoli was also perfect. I would also leave the gun and take this Cannoli.

Nolita's one of those places I'd go back to and try all the pizza flavors then pick my favorite and I'd most probably keep going back.

Coolio Foolio.

24 years of watching movies.

Over a hundred likes on Facebook when i posted this poorly lit picture.

But I guess it was "liked" because it's an entirely different world.

I've computed my DVD collection of almost 900 and I guess I've spent more than a hundred thousand for this collection. This is the first time I'm doing this computing thing now that I have to spend for myself, I've lessened my DVD purchase.  Finally! I figured out why I have been so broke.


I love movies. I guess when I was little, the most important thing about collecting movies - we had the VHS back then - was that it always reminded me that my parents are home from a vacation and that we were complete again. Whenever my parents would go out of the country, they'd come home with movies. Back then, the films showed about 6 months prior in the states before it reached the Philippines. I remember watching movies on VHS before they came out here (Star Wars Episodes 4, 5 and 6). I remember my first few VHS tapes: Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Star Wars Trilogy. Then I had the Batman Trilogy, Lion King and all other Disney movies that shaped my Hollywood Dream.



This might explain why I love movies so much - it always meant coming home. It always meant family. Ever since high school, I've wanted to make movies because I'm such a big fan of films. And looking back, I remember that my dad let me hold my first video camera at an early age. I remember editing my first video when i was in the 6th grade. I was so amused with moving pictures and with capturing live action. So I guess I'm here now, trying to break into the industry.


I have another world in my room. As I've said - over 900 DVDs/VCDs. I haven't counted the VHS tapes that I didn't throw out. I haven't taken pictures of my film book collection. But this is where I live - in movies. So my obsession with it is naturally an offset of who I am, who I've always been. 


I'm lucky to be someone who knows what I want to do for the rest of my life. And most days, I'm blessed to be paid to do something I absolutely love doing. And everyday, I am sure about what I want to do.


Hope you're as blessed to do something you love. Something you're extremely obsessed with. Something that makes you happy just talking about it.


Awesomesauce :)

adventures of the little one

3..2...1...ACTION!

Hi all. This is me, just Krizzie. Today, on the first of April, I have created a blog that truly says: me. I've been working for my idol for two months now, and I'm having a blast. Here's to having first hand info on the ills of Cinemalaya and being right beside the genius that is my mentor.

Then again, I would also try my hand on reacting on films - old and new. We'll see.

Last January, I released my first full length film, Tahanan, with the support of SM Cinema and the Film Development Council of the Philippines. I received a lot of critique - but I found one harsh but true. That one from lagarista.com. Mikh Vergara did the review, and although it was true, i tried not to read it again - but then it hit a nerve. At that time I wanted to reply, "hey I'm still in college, I did the film while I was doing my 4.0 Marketing Thesis, and I still managed to finish the film." *insert ego boost here* But no, I kept quiet and let the happiness of finishing a first film keep me alive. Of course, I remembered his name.

A week after my screening, I graduated from College. A day after my college graduation, I started training under my awesome mentor, Erik Matti. About two weeks after my first day of apprenticeship, i read a movie script and my assignment was to comment on the script and search for loopholes. The script was from Mikh Vergara. I read it. And i liked it. A month and 2 weeks after that, I saw Mikh at a screening of a film we're still working on. I said hi to him, I said my first name, and he said hi back. Of course, he wouldn't know who I am. So I played the film for him, on the big screen of Post Manila. The film which I subtitled, and explained to him that some of the subtitling was not right because there was a different edit. There he said it was okay; then I said that I read his script and I liked it, and we ended with "thanks, Krizzie"

In this industry, everything comes full circle real quick.

End scene. CUT!

** thanks to Pat Evangelista for the picture from Rappler.com :)