havent blogged anything in a long time so whatevs, i always say that haha
anyway, we shot this eq diapers commercial last year following the story of cleopatra and two of her visitors, an arabian prince and a lowly hebrew woman. loved this shoot. the costumed dramas for eq diapers have become a series of some sort, starting with sonia two years ago, a mix of grecian, elizabethan and gothic influences. the next ad, solomon, i wasnt able to work on because i think i was doing a film then. the third ad in the series would be this one, shot in december last year but only aired in february of this year. posting pics from concept to final output.
SET DESIGN
drew inspiration from classical paintings of cleopatra and egypt.
also looked into the set design of elizabeth taylor’s cleopatra, (1963) directed by joseph l. mankiewicz, production design by john de cuir (source imdb.com) and martin curtiz’s the egyptian (1954).
some of these pegs came from the director, mike alcazaren, and im not familiar with what television series they came from.
original set design
revised set design. the raised platform with pool would be too expensive to construct so i created two separate pool units instead. always wanted to do a set with water again. it’s been a long time haha
construction plans in chamba perspective (to produce a drawn perspective without use of rulers and no actual measurements of vanishing points) with measurements for my builders (called setmen). in architecture school, we learned to work in the metric system. when i started working on film, i had to adjust when the setmen told me they worked in feet because materials in the philippines were cut in feet and inches. it actually makes sense. why measure out 2.4384 meters for a panel when you can just say 8 feet?
in february of 2011, the university of the east drama company staged a student production of nick pichay’s “uyayi ng ulan,” a coming of age story of this lazy boy who ventures and meets different characters, opening his eyes to realities in the world. this musical version was directed by erick castro and they had carlo tabije do the costumes and makeup. carlo has worked with the uedc years ago and this was a welcome break from doing tv commercials all the time. of course the budget for this production is rather low and i am impressed how carlo worked around this without compromising vision.
the challenge was to dress up actors as animals without covering their faces with masks. the animals need not be literal so carlo resorted to face paints as well as appropriating costumes to the intention. for example, the mother hen was dressed in a fully printed dress and shawl to push a more nanay look and the layered skirts copied the chicken’s heavily feathered bottom.
the sensual lady musang sported a fully painted body reminiscent to the tattooed women of benguet in the mountain province.
this was my first time to work with pokwang and she was very nice, even ordered lechon all the way from cebu (sabrosa) for the staff and crew. the costumes were care of ien beltran, a stylist friend who worked with us in brillante mendoza’s up coming movie, prey. in saying this, im glad i only had to do props and set here because we only had about 2 days to prepare. doing the costumes with everything else would have been crazy so im glad they got ien to handle all of costuming. jeorge agcaoili was directing and so i had the privilege to work with him and the fun people at provil again.
originally the director’s board featured a dark banquet hall and we decided to push the style a bit. i pulled inspiration from black swan’s production design. i liked the woods backdrop in the dance hall and the modern design in the ballet director’s house (not pictured here– i dont normally put everything out in the pegs presentation because sometimes it doesnt work, and when it does it becomes a pleasant surprise)
wanted black, white and glass in the design with elements of twigs and small flowers.
however, we were later on informed that client wanted french or victorian so we had to drop black swan and went for something traditional. although i loved my original design, i had to go with the higher echelons so i compromised and gave them this new set of pegs.
shot the new emperador light tv ad with erik matti as director and featuring celebrity endorser ryan agoncillo and singer johnoy danao. gawin mong light, goes this lovely ditty penned by johnoy. previously, my less than 6 degrees of separation from him is due to jerrold tarog’s high school fare, senior year, where johnoy’s music is featured. thrilled to have worked with him, albeit now up close.
the set design was relatively easy to accomplish as i had my showroom favorites i wanted to feature in this tvc. my pegs and design werent far off from what i eventually got for the shoot 🙂 here’s the location (below) in tagaytay. apparently, manny pacquiao shot scenes for his wapakman movie here previously.
presented these pegs (below) to agency. we were trying to make an eclectic mix of modern and pinoy furniture, like a butaka, but i later thought it didnt gel with the rest. what we retained though was the round synthetic abaca daybed, which i decided to put in another area of the room.
dec 23 2011
since the announcement of brillante mendoza’s new film (formerly titled PREY) CAPTIVE’s inclusion in the 2012 berlin international film festival main competition and having my photos properly credited on the local news (thanks, tv patrol), i reckon it safe to repost and make public this blog article on the film, posted february 15, 2011 😉 merry christmas and enjoy!
============================
here’s explaining my busy schedule for the last few months. carlo and i worked on brillante mendoza’s new opus PREY (international title CAPTURED), shot in january 2011. preparations took months and since november 2010 we’ve been going around the locations and meeting a lot with the director for this film. i had to stop doing tv commercials by december so i could focus on pre-production for the movie.
mon confiado evoking shawshank redemption in mauban quezon
i had to forgo a good amount of my christmas vacation and pretty much the new year’s celebration as well to work on the film. we started to shoot PREY by january 11, starting in calatagan batangas (which ive no photos of) then moved to mauban quezon.
early this week carlo and i headed to van gogh is bipolar to drop off some floral teas for jetro. it was around 9pm and since carlo and i havent had dinner, we decided to eat there. cuzin tricie was with us and would have joined us but had to attend to the mother so she left early. there were very few diners that night so it was a treat to find jetro relaxed and had time to sit and talk to us. it’s been a while since we were able to just sit and talk.
we tried his 3-course meal that night: virginia vegetable soup with pieces of shredded chicken and some beans, norwegian salmon belly with bowls of cabbage leaves filled with sting’s spicy marble potatoes (we opted for this instead of rice) and a slice of orange, mel gibson’s darkest sin and a refreshing cucumber tea with sprigs of tarragon and mint (see photo on left). a better lighted photo is posted below but we already dove into the drink, enjoying it like kids who picked on flowers and leaves from the backyard and mixed it up for a dare. sorry for the quality of the photos, had i known we were going back to van gogh and staying longer i would have brought my dslr (photos were taken with my phone cam).
we were already in high spirits finishing the soup when the main course arrived. it was overwhelming and i thought the only way i could deal with it was by eating with my fingers. and so i started picking on the cabbage leaves, the lettuce et. al. the downside to this was carlo and i werent speaking to each other because we were so engrossed with the food and the experience of eating it (we’re normally engaged in conversation while eating), though not entirely bad because we savored every aspect of the meal. and kudos to the well-cooked salmon belly, superb. there might be some truth in jetro’s diet since we were left heady and clearly stoked.
it’s no surprise we are fans of mel gibson’s darkest sin. jetro tells us he tweaked it since then but we still enjoyed it immensely– mel gibson’s darkest sin is a jägermeister shot with a chocolate bottom and finished off by a walnut. call it crazy, we call it love.
winding down, jetro mixed us a tea concoction and pulled out all the stops to setup the bed out in his garden with candles and lace table covers. we then chilled out under the stars and talked until midnight. we could live like this forever 🙂 jetro was kind enough to offer us a suggestion for our bluementritt cafe we couldnt resist. we’ll keep you guys posted. i marveled at the dill flowers blooming in jetro’s garden and asked for a few to bring home to mindanao for mom before we left the cafe.
van gogh remains a large part, jetro’s home and it really was just visiting an old friend and enjoying dinner with him. but more than anything, van gogh will always be that moment where life stands still long enough for you to reflect on it. this universe is always worth visiting, a necessary trip to discovering what you might just need to do and unravel things about yourself. over tea, childhood drinks and cabbage leaves.
alumni of st frederick from left: rj ledesma, arnold reyes, dimples romana, ina feleo, benjamin padero and carlo tabije. char lang
the film SENIOR YEAR that we shot last may is rated A by the cinema evaluation board! that means it gets a 100% tax rebate when it is shown in local theaters. im posting below the full review of the board lifted from director jerrold tarog’s tumblr. furthermore, SENIOR YEAR is one of the independent features to be screened during this december’s MMFF (metro manila film festival). that means two of the films i worked on as production designer is featured in that festival (shake rattle and roll XII and senior year). wohoo! have a merry christmas!
pogi, official mascot of the SENIOR YEAR shoot. photo by joseph pascual
Film Development Council of the Philippines
CINEMA EVALUATION BOARD
Summation of CEB members’ comments on “SENIOR YEAR” Grade: A Digitank Studios, Inc.
“SENIOR YEAR” is a refreshing and welcome departure from both the cotton candy romcoms churned out by mainstream cinema regularly as well as from the depressing poverty porn sometimes offered by the indies.
“Because of its imaginative, insightful and well-paced direction, intriguing characters and story structure, the film merits a clear `A.’” The film is “very, very good! It is simple and honest” like the graduation speech of the valedictorian, the film is not pretentious, nor over-reaching but just sincere in its quiet little space and in its intention and execution.
Of course, most of the credit goes to Director Jerrold Tarog who also wrote and edited the film; Tarog is also responsible for the overall sound design. His direction is called “superb as he has great mastery of his subject with effortless handling of his actors.”
The script is “well structured with praiseworthy attention to characters and with admirable avoidance of artistic pretensions.” A reviewer also commented that the “dialogue and characters are very natural.”
“The film captures the essence and vagaries of high school life and gives a taste of what may happen 12 – 14 years later.” Furthermore, the “screenplay captures the spirit and fun of the senior year” as well as the uncertainty and fears that are up ahead in college.
There are the usual nerds and wannabes, the usual bullies and their victims and the latter’s defenders. They are not portrayed as obligatory stereotypes though and this is what makes the seniors in the film interesting and endearing. Their back/home stories also vividly show the milieu the seniors are forced to sink or swim in. There are the heartbreaks from teen-age break-ups, college rejections and intram defeats and there are also successful physical and emotional make-overs. There are teachers who inspire and challenge and there are classmates who support and encourage but sometimes infuriate and meddle. The kids may not be as attractive or as airbrushed as the Glee cheerleaders; they are just the pimply, gangly and giddy teen-agers in the real world.
The editing is “sharp and competent as well as brisk and disciplined” though a couple of reviewers suggested a pruning of some scenes. Except for some scenes (the blurry footage from the actual intrams), the cinematography is considered “sharp and admirably controlled.”
The production design is “compatible with the theme and period covered.” The great attention to detail” is noted and praised.
“The music, like the other elements of the film, is both understated and worth listening to.” One CEB member says that the “musical score is provocative and aids in the plot development very well.”
Finally, it is the non-acting of the young non-actors that is the crowning glory of the film. The film boasts of “impressive, excellent and memorable repertory performances.” The performers are “natural, fresh, truthful and honest.” “Together with the professional actors who portray the teachers, the students provide a palpable sense of reality.”
To sum up, the following are some concluding comments from the Board:
“Congratulations for a very well-crafted film.”
“Snatches of high school life become a colorful tapestry of young lives at the brink of adulthood and the Director succeeds in conveying this essence to the screen.”
“Kudos should go Tarog and his young producer. Their film is a quiet but impressive feat.”
“May puso ang pelikula.”
“Love it!”
director jerrold tarog showing his true colors. me (145lbs heavy) in the background. photo by joseph pascual
SENIOR YEAR is written and directed by jerrold tarog. he also edited and scored the whole thing. cinematographer mackie galvez, prod design benjamin padero, assistant director bianca balbuena, sound nicholas varela with songs by johnoy, danao, executive producer beverly tanedo, produced by franco alido.
for screening schedules, please check here. click “like,” too! yey
from hereon, silofen cafe will be known as blumentritt cafe. so it is written, so it shall be done.
ive always wanted to open a cafe. ive always wanted some open space cafe that invites free souls and spirited travelers from all walks of life. artists who want to hang their lives on canvasses up on my walls. musicians who wish to fill the room with their souls. filmmakers who paint their images on my screens.
when my sister tina and cousin maylin decide to venture into the food business and opened may’s dos in 2000 (an extension to my mom and maylin’s mom’s original eatery, may’s best foods, which has been open since the 80s), i was thrilled with the potential of the place. we painted the walls red and during summers i brought the tv from home and played movies in the afternoons to cultivate a culture.
my cousin tonio and ace also enjoyed their run of the parent’s resto mandex bar (named after my tito jun otherwise called mandex). in the morning it caters to the lunch crowd, evenings are for the night owls.
i always thought if i were based in cdo, i would have used the may’s location in the evenings for the cafe. but im not based in cdo so this never went anywhere.
my friend from fine arts jetro opened his doors to strangers early this year with his cafe-resto van gogh is bipolar, which we all know became a huge hit. carlo and i were one of the first few diners and we were equally excited with jetro’s venture. we even inquired on renting out the 2nd floor space in his building for our cafe/office/bodega/living quarters. i knew we weren’t ready for it yet so i said, let’s not rush it, let’s pray about it and maybe next year we can plot out a more feasible plan for the cafe+design studio we wanted.
during my second trip to van gogh is bipolar, i realize now, jetro’s mix of organic tea always pushes me to self-evaluate my dreams and goals. and we always go back to the cafe idea.
carlo and i created this mock cafe, silofen, to satisfy our desire for the cafe. we put up our menu online in the hopes that the universe will soon listen. and i think it did.
right now carlo and i got to discuss the cafe again. we eventually decided to name it blumentritt (after the original street name where may’s best foods and mandex bar are located in cagayan de oro) but this will be in manila. cafe+design studio+gallery+tea house+screening room+etc. wohoo! crazy combination but we believe it will attract our market.
im writing this down because we need to put it out in the universe. i truly believe God listens to prayers written in blogs. and if this isnt a prayer and a wish, i dont know what is. see you at the opening of blumentritt cafe!
We shot a film in may this year with the same motley crew of MANGATYANAN. i had the most fun working with jerrold tarog and his staff that i had to do his next feature.
SENIOR YEAR coming to you soon! 🙂 btw, the poster was designed by arnold arre (mythology class, martial law babies). more on this film later. yey!
got a text last night to let me know the full version of the san marino tvc will be airing at 9pm. the dingdong-marian ad was shot on location in zambales, particularly on camara island. wish theyd air a 45-seconder as the current version seems too short in fleshing out the telenovela-ish story.
for this ad, i worked on the set design mainly, dingdong and marian had their own respective stylists. the beach bar/deli shop was a joy to look at, and it got roughly 4 seconds of screen time (lalo na yung first 2 frames of house interiors with about a second each hehe). here’s posting more photos during the shoot. kudos to the artdep lolafer, carlo, syrel, ivan and to buboy setman and his boys for a job well done. yey! more photos after the jump.
benjamin padero 
