“Makeup”: An Introduction to Excellence

Exactly 13 years ago on this day, my first episode for Maalaala Mo Kaya (MMK (The Official)) was aired. When I took on that job, I never expected that I would end up directing for this historic show for 10 years.

I had just finished all my course requirements for my MA in Filmmaking at the London Film School six months prior when Tita Malou Santos and Inang Olive Lamasan approached me to direct an episode for MMK. At the time, I was working on a two-part television documentary for the ABS-CBN News Channel and International Finance Corporation and was seriously considering pursuing documentaries full-time. The opportunity felt like an audition for ABS-CBN. Before studying film, I had been a screenwriter for Star Cinema for five years. Although I earned a broadcast communication degree in college, it was my first time to professionally direct for television. They gave me a story about twin brothers who drifted apart after one of them realised he was gay.

What made this extra nerve-wracking was that the brothers were to be played by Carl John Barrameda in a double role. It didn’t matter to them that it was my first time. The show had a tradition of excellence and expected nothing less from every member of the staff and crew, especially its director.

MMK was not for the faint-hearted. It had both a stellar and daunting reputation. It was not unusual for actors, staff, and crew to refuse an offer to work on one of its episodes. Back then, an MMK ‘raket’ meant shooting 30 to 40 sequences set in 10 different locations (usually more) in two days with only a rest day in between that was usually less than 24 hours. This was before the Eddie Garcia Law, which meant production work typically lasted for 20 hours or more.

Because of its single-drama anthology format, MMK required fresh episodes every week with new actors, new locations, and new requirements. I never got the chance to meet with my actors ahead of our shooting days. They received copies of the scripts and were expected to learn their characters and lines mostly on set. This is also why MMK had become a benchmark for actors. It required a certain discipline and level of skill in their craft to meet the demands of the show.

From the moment everyone stepped onto the set, it was a mad dash to the finish. It wasn’t a furious sprint, but certainly not a marathon. It was a 400-meter run that required both speed and endurance. It was an intense but calculated race that everyone hoped to finish before the next sunrise. Carl John, Maliksi Morales, and Aleck Bovic anchored that episode. Two of these actors, along with many of the supporting cast, were younger than me, but in many ways, they were more experienced in production work than I was. But all of my actors’ skills would amount to nothing unless I effectively harnessed them within that frenetic schedule.

I had never done any split-screen, body doubles, or CGI work before then, but relying mostly on logic and common sense, I drew up a plan to implement on the scheduled shoot. I also immediately realised the heavier burden of maintaining the emotional continuity and dramatic arc that fell on the director in a show like MMK. Its telemovie format did not provide the fail-safes or safety nets afforded by a longer production schedule. There were no reshoots or previews that allowed everyone on the set to see its actual narrative flow. Whereas producers and creatives have time to see an edit and maybe require a reshoot in a film or a teleserye, this is not an option for a show like MMK.

I quickly realised that MMK did not make concessions for anyone.

However, this did not mean that the people from the show did not support me. I learned that along with the stories from our letter senders, the true reason for the show’s success was its people. They were called by different titles – EP, PA, AP, LM, AD, PD, LD, Researchers, Writers… – and had different job descriptions, but they all had to be storytellers at their core. Nothing was more important than the story, and we were all brought together to serve that story in the best way possible under the most difficult of circumstances. That is what I loved about the show. It had always been about the story above all.

I’ve always found it ironic that the best-told stories often make you forget about the work that goes into the storytelling, but that is what MMK has been about. Sincerity over vanity. It’s been almost two years since the show went off the air, but that sincerity allows its stories to continue touching more hearts online.

Here is the full episode of “Makeup,” the story of the Magay Twins available on YouTube.