A tool for learning and advancement, Dell allows a child to discover ways to excel in whatever he or she puts their mind to.

Director: Carmy Joaquin

Writers: Carmy Joaquin, Marga Minglana

Production Manager: Lilay Macaventa

Videographer: Cleverlyn Mayuga

Production Designer: Meggie Mañago

Editor: Gabby Dario

Executive Producer: Raz de la Torre

Type of Production: 60 second Campaign Advertisment

TRT: 2:0o minutes

Videography (BC 144)

2nd Semester, AY 2014 – 2015

University of the Philippines – Diliman

Department of Broadcast Communication, College of Mass Communication

[SYNOPSIS] Through fiddling with a Dell laptop computer, a little boy becomes empowered to go beyond just playing the piano with his mom and is able to create a musical composition which pleases her.

Producer/Copywriter: Kriselle Gueco

Director/Writer: Jenelu Masilungan

Director of Photography: Sandra Samaniego

Production Designer: Regina Peralta

Editor: Dana Naval

Type of Production: TV Commercial

TRT: 1m 26s

Videography (BC 144)

2nd Semester, AY 2014-2015

University of the Philippines Diliman

Department of Broadcast Communication, College of Mass Communication

A boy deals with an infatuation and tries to convince himself that it’s nothing more than a crush.

Producers: Carmela Joaquin and Lilay Macaventa

Director: Lilay Macaventa

Writers: Carmela Joaquin and Lilay Macaventa

Cinematographer, Editor: Carmela Joaquin

Executive Producer: Raz de la Torre

Type of Production: Visual Storytelling – Framing The Comic Strip

TRT: 2m 3s

Videography (BC 144)

2nd Semester, AY 2014-2015

University of the Philippines-Diliman

Department of Broadcast Communication, College of Mass Communication 

(Synopsis) Marlon, an excessively confident young man, experiences a strife and struggles to solve his predicament.

Producers: Clarice Marjorie Co/ Sandra Samaniego

Director, Writer: Clarice Marjorie Co

Cinematographer, Editor: Sandra Samaniego

Executive Producer: Raz de la Torre

Type of Production: Comic Strips (Short)

TRT: 2m 9s

Videography (BC 144)

2nd Semester, A.Y. 2014-2015

University of the Philippines – Diliman

Department of Broadcast Communication, College of Mass Communication

(SYNOPSIS) A woman is on her first day as a journalist. Her mother decided to give her a little surprise.

Inspired by Manix Abrera’s “News Hardcore #1”
Producers: Erika Alcantara & Cleverlyn Mayuga
Directors: Erika Alcantara & Cleverlyn Mayuga
Writer: Cleverlyn Mayuga
Cinematographer: Erika Alcantara & Cleverlyn Mayuga
Editor: Cleverlyn Mayuga & Erika Alcantara
Executive Producer: Raz de la Torre
Type of Production: Video Production – Comic Strip
TRT: 03:39

Videography (BC 144)
2nd Semester, AY 2014-2015
University of the Philippines-Diliman
Department of Broadcast Communication, College of Mass Communication

Wanda finds a witty way to work around her laziness. A short film based off Scott Adams’ Dilbert comic strip “Wally’s Presentation.”

Producers: Gabby Dario and Meggie Manago
Director, Writer: Gabby Dario
Cinematographer, Editor: Meggie Manago
Executive Producer: Raz de la Torre
Type of Production: Visual Storytelling – Framing
TRT: 2m 6s

Videography (BC 144)
2nd Semester, AY 2013-2014
University of the Philippines-Diliman
Department of Broadcast Communication, College of Mass Communication

Who is to blame for a bad mark on an exam? You? Or your tutor? Adapted from an excerpt of the comic “Worse” from Dumbing of Age by David Willis.

Producers: Kriselle Gueco and Aira San Pedro
Director, Writer: Aira San Pedro
Videographer: Kriselle Gueco
Executive Producer: Raz de la Torre
Type of Production: Visual Storytelling – Framing
TRT: 2:29
Videography (BC144)
2nd Semester, AY 2014-2015
University of the Philippines-Diliman Department of Broadcast Communication, College of Mass Communication

Misteryo

(Synopsis) A student reflects about the peculiar things that he saw last night.

Producers/Directors: Fritz Abarca, Frances Ronquillo

Writer: Fritz Abarca

Director of Photography: Frances Ronquillo

Executive Producer: Raz de la Torre

Type of Production: Comic Book (Video Production)

TRT: 2:00

Videography (BC 144)

2nd Semester, AY 2014-2015

University of the Philippines-Diliman

Department of Broadcast Communication, College of Mass Communication

(SYNOPSIS) Alison is still learning to come to terms with her father’s death, long after he’s died. This is an adaptation of an excerpt from the chapter “A Happy Death” in Alison Bechdel’s comic book “Fun Home”.

Producers: Jenelu Masilungan, Dana Naval and Regina Peralta
Directors/Videographers: Jenelu Masilungan, Dana Naval
Screenplay by: Regina Peralta
Executive Producer: Raz de la Torre
Type of Production: Visual Storytelling-Framing (The Comic Strip)
TRT: 3m 20s

Videography (BC 144)
2nd Semester, AY 2014-2015
University of the Philippines-Diliman
Department of Broadcast Communication, College of Mass Communication

This is a derivative work. Characters, places, incidents and other entities are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual entities is entirely coincidental.

Welcome to the PA world!

I first got to experience assisting productions on fashion shows. This was for my first ever internship, a little over two years ago. We’d wake up super early (or go to work super late) to set up. At the time, I was involved in technical and stage production.

What that meant (at least for the company I was working for) was everything from measuring the whole venue and plotting every single detail from seat-to-seat distance to AV set up (LED screen checks, audio checks) to stage set up (design execution, carpentry, etc.) At one point, I literally was painting a board-up in the middle of Bonifacio Global City. It was a hectic job, but it was fun.

Working on a fashion show is, of course, entirely different than working on a shoot. On a fashion show, everything is done live. You have stage set up, sound check, rehearsals — a run through or two — and then you literally just run with it, mistakes and all. If the lights go out or if a model falls, you just go on. On a shoot, every single detail is being monitored. Bad sound? You cut and go for another take. Bad hair? You call hair and makeup. The talent stammers? You cut and go for another take, or you prompt them to go over it again. There’s a bit of room for mistakes — but not really.

It’s a bit tedious. And a lot of fun.

A Diary of Sorts

Day 1 of my mentorship under Sir Raz was on a shoot with Tupperware brands. It was an AVP for an upcoming event and it was composed mainly of interviews. It was a pretty simple shoot, sir explained. Unluckily, because I had class that afternoon, I was only able to stay until 1pm and was only there for 2 of the 4 interviews. In hindsight, I think I got a bit spoiled on my first day as a mentee. Bawi na lang ako, Sir!

The equipment hadn’t been set up yet when we got to the venue so we had a few minutes to kill before the actual shoot started. I was introduced to the Tupperware executives that were already there and sir explained what he needed me to do for this particular shoot. A few minutes later, Ms. Che arrived with her cousin Jhiel who I would be working with as a production assistant for the shoot. We were tasked to take note of the shots as well as dump the footage (AKA: transfer the files from the memory card to an external hard drive.)

I was a bit nervous to be honest. I only got to experience student productions so this was my first real world shoot. And, I don’t know, being in charge of (or at least — handling) the files even for just a few minutes is kind of a big-slash-scary deal.

I kept on thinking, “DO. NOT. DELETE. DO. NOT. DELETE.” I mean can you imagine? That would’ve been a total disaster. Thankfully, my nerves didn’t get the best of me and Jhiel and I were able to get things done without hiccups until I had to leave (at least I’d like to think so.) I was tempted to stay until the end (my co-PA Jhiel feigned tampo when I left) but, alas, I couldn’t.

Day 1: Asking the Right Questions

Before applying as a mentee, I had already taken 2 classes under Sir Raz — one of which is my Broadcast Documentary class. In it, he stressed the importance of actively (and skillfully) seeking truths. Asking the right questions and being able to make the person-slash-subject open up to an otherwise complete stranger was a vital part of the process. I really didn’t think this would apply to a corporate shoot, but it did.

The two interviews I was present for were of employees talking about their life with the company. There was a set of guide questions, of course. But one thing I’ve learned (and am still learning) about interviews is that you should never completely rely on guide questions because:

1.) Interviewees won’t always follow the same flow as you.

They jump from beginning to end to middle to beginning without notice. It’s the way people tell stories. They don’t go outlining the facts in their heads and talking about it in a chronological order — unless rehearsed, of course. And for the sake of raw truthfulness, we don’t want that.
2.) (Really) Listening is important.

Because interviewees tend to talk about things from point C to B to A to D, really listening is key. We don’t want to be skipping over crucial points in the discussion, after all.

Which leads me to my last point on the matter:
3.) The really interesting stories are the ones between the lines.

In one interview, an employee shed a tear while talking about getting promoted. She was talking about working for a number of years and then finally moving up the ladder and getting to join an international summit. Her words were far from emotional but she clearly was. Before moving on to the next question, she was asked to talk about why she got so emotional and explained her struggles when she was just starting out.

The things she shared then could’ve easily been missed if they just stuck to the questions on the page.

Day 2: What’s Next

‘Asking the right questions’ doesn’t just apply to interviews but to this whole experience as well. I’m pretty sure future productions would mean longer hours and a whole lot more technical jargon. For me to able to do my job well, I’ve got to learn to ask the right questions. Being part of a production means being surrounded by people in the industry. And I’ve got to remember that everyone from craft service to the producer, from the sound guy to the client can help me be better in this field. This is an awesome, awesome opportunity and I’m excited for the next shoot!

To end my last few internship hours with Direk Raz, I was tasked to help him for an AVP shoot with Tupperware Brands Philippines. The shoot was at Pasong Tamo in Makati, just inside their office.

Prior to this taping, I received the scripts of the Tupperware officials which I was instructed to make idiotboards out of. Creating the idiotboards using a marker and Manila paper brought me back to my high school days, where we would write our class reports on paper and design them accordingly.

My calltime was 6:00 AM aat 7-11 Tandang Sora since we had to be at Makati by 7:30. We first met up with the client at the nearby Starbucks branch. We were directed towards the office building and set up our shoot inside Tupperware Brands Philippines’ conference room. For the shoot, I had the chance to work with Mr. Richard of Bigtop Productions as our Director of Photography and Ms. Che of Plus Point Productions.

Prior to this shoot, I also bought extra Manila papers and a permanent marker if ever there were revisions–and there were a lot.

This was my most hands-on experience so far since I had to be quick in writing the necessary revisions on the idiotboards, coordinate with the makeup artists for the talents, hold the idiotboards during shoots, and dump the video and audio files to my laptop for backup. I also had to fight the tendency to sleep since help was urgently needed during the shoot.

Rolling! 

It was a relatively quick shoot because of the close communication lines with the skeletal production team. The idiotboards definitely helped since the Tupperware officials weren’t able to memorize their whole scripts. I almost ran out of Manila papers and markers but luckily, Kuya Ernie was of great assistance in buying extra ones.

This AVP experience was definitely different from our MMK tapings. We had to strictly follow the scripts and follow the client’s desires. Also, the setup was just inside the office and we did the shoots on a chroma key, meaning that the background was setup as green and will be removed and edited through CGI.

This also made me realize that AVPs and Commercials are difficult to shoot. Client’s orders must be followed and shoots must be done quickly and perfectly. I also got to experience firsthand the client-clientele dynamics, and that there must be good working relations between both parties.

Overall, my internship experience in MMK and this AVP shoot was wonderful and incredibly humbling. The lessons and skills I learned were beyond compare and I have already applied them on my production practices immediately after shoots. The experience also made me realize that this track was really my calling–that production was really my passion. And I have to have more experience and get to work with more people to hone my skills in this industry.

I have to say that the subject matter for my third MMK taping experience has got to be the heaviest. It dealt with domestic abuse. The first time I read the script, I said to myself that this is going to be heavy for the artists that will be playing the role of Cynthia, the protagonist of the story.

The story was about a young woman named Cynthia who was early committed in a tight relationship with his Chinese husband. Throughout their marriage, she experienced being locked inside her house and oppression from her husband in keeping her out of touch from other people, like her family and other men who had their eyes on her. She had several children from her husband who didn’t even had plans on marrying her, but Cynthia later found out that her husband already had a first wife. Eventually, her husband married her and they migrated to the United States. Here she further felt emotional but not physical abuse from her husband, thus she later planned along with her friends to escape from the chains of their bad relationship.

I have to say that this taping was our longest as well. Thirty hours of straight taping was no easy joke. Furthermore, I also had the chance to work with Sue Ramirez, Janus del Prado, Kristel Fulgar, Isabel Lopez, and the beautiful Sunshine Cruz. Janus del Prado was the most remarkable for me since he was the chummiest during the taping, and I was a big fan of him on his One More Chance performance.

On the first day of taping, we shot at several locations within Quezon City, and rain was our greatest enemy. We were able to accomplish only four sequences for almost 12 hours because the rain stalled our outdoor scene, which completely ruined Direk’s initial visuals and our audio recording. We immediately recovered from the situation by taping the outdoor scene in an open area inside the house.

By 4PM, we moved to our next location at an apartment a few kilometers from where we were. Setup was no easy since we had very limited space (and did several strike downs), and we had to consider the lighting in each setup. What made this sequence much more difficult is that we had to wait from Isabel Lopez for several hours who came from the Awards Night of Cinema One Originals. During this taping, I had to ensure that the talents had already worn the right wardrobe and memorized their lines.

Location #2

For the last location, we moved to a very far location–at a Nun’s House in Antipolo City. The location was transformed into a rehabilitation home for families who were victims of domestic abuse. This involved getting several American individuals to play as extras. The shoot lasted for several hours, from 10PM to 10 AM. It was such a struggle keeping a wake and continue working on the set, but because of the larger manpower, I felt that I wasn’t utilized enough.

However, when morning came and I regained all of my energy, I made up for my lapses and helped the PAs with their tasks. I was in close communication with the Executive Producer since she trusted me to perform better in the shoot.

The experience for this taping was relatively lighter since there were more than enough PAs on the set, and most of them were trainees. I didn’t feel that I was utilized at my maximum, since I also had to edit my class productions and continue writing my thesis proposal.

I suppose that this was my last MMK taping experience, and this day made me realize that I needed to step up my game more and maximize my full potentials in order to become part of this industry we call entertainment.