Idea Envy

PSFK CONFERENCE NYC 2011: Justin Gignac from Piers Fawkes on Vimeo.

Justin Gignac puts all too familiar feelings into words: idea envy and waiting for perfection. This video hits the right spots in so many ways!

Happy Monday! May you be inspired today as well. :-)

Thanks Pong for referring the video!! And more on the PSFK Conference here, and more fun things from Brain Picking here.

Always Up to No Good

Something from over the weekend.

I'm so tired!

UNSCHLD: Always Up to No Good, all credits here.

Christmas Lights

Confetti, Christmas, moving props, cartoon sets, rocketships, carousels, Christmas lights, sequence shots, balloons, fireworks, and the best band in the whole world, Coldplay: all my favorite things in one video!!!! How crazy exciting!!!!!!!! :-D :-D :-D

Whenever Coldplay is to come out with a new video, I always hold my breath in both anticipation and fear. I get excited for what could be another "The Scientist" type of haunting video, and I dread a weird, "The Hardest Part"-like interpretation they've released before. But this was a great one. :-) And it definitely put me in the Christmas spirit! How apt for the start of December. I think it's about time to bring out my Christmas movies!

My friends are crazy! And so is my mom.

1. First things first, congratulations are in order.

My production friends have a running joke that our friend and director King Palisoc is slowly going crazy. Hahaha We mean that in the best way possible, of course, as his concepts have become more challenging, and at the same time, more fulfilling to help bring to life. From action scenes to sequence shots, and now, stop motion, if you don't believe us yet, here's the video that just last weekend won him his second NU 107 Rock Award for Best Music Video, and that might just convince you. Someone give him a movie to make already!

Congratulations King! You and your team deserve all the accolades!

Video embedded from http://vimeo.com/kingpalisoc, where you'll find his showreel and more of his work! :-)

2. Not only is King crazy, but so is Mon Sebial, the production designer who helped concretize his idea. With the simplest of objects - a pillow, a mattress, a piece of cloth, a colored paper strand - she created a whale, an ocean a toilet, a forest, among everything else in the video.

This Halloween, she also helped our book store create a haunted tour for kids to walk through and have fun in!

Entitled "Sprits of the Page," the tour was put together by the simplest of objects, but came out as a great experience as well! Thank you, Mon! :-)

Our staff was also able to have their faces painted for the weekend! Along with these characters, others I saw where of Spiderman, the Joker and even Ironman!

3. And lastly, I'm finished! Finished with the Christmas decorations for the year and ready for them to be picked up tomorrow. I always post pictures of how my house has been turned upside down because of my displays, or of the boxes piled up all around the walking space in my living room, but I'm quite sure this project has invaded my family's personal space in a way that is most unwelcome. It's really a wonder how my mother puts up with this, and how anyone can even exist in a space that's been taken over by boxes like this has!

Though I've gotten most of the work done, the stress and tight schedules aren't over yet. Thank you to everyone who helped out, made the decor, and was patient with me as I ditched plans, invaded spaces, and interrupted lives! Despite missing out on the outside world for the past two months or so, I'm still very thankful for this all...

Good night! :-)

Why You Do What You Do

"But if you're going to do what you want to do, you have to be prepared for the difficulty because you're going to be doing something that people aren't gonna be expecting you to do. You're going to be hitting challenges; you're going to be hitting resistance, even within yourself. So unless you're prepared to destroy yourself and come up from the ashes again, then go live somebody else's life." -- Carlos Celdran

From featuring artists, to cosplayers, to designers, entrepreneurs, and street performers like Carlos Celdran, the episodes of the web show "Why You Do What You do" are for anyone that has ever had a silent hope inside them to follow a dream a little bigger than they let others know. Very much like the people behind the series, my friends Julo, Marco and Nicky are all pursuing their different passions, and come together as one to make these shorts.

I think this is my favorite episode. I just love what Carlos Celdran said in the end... Anything I've ever been involved in that I loved made me feel that way -- destroyed, in pieces, in ashes -- until the moment I discovered it was actually worthwhile! :-)

WYD, produced by Julo de Guzman of Commune Manila http://www.communemnl.com/. More passion people over at http://www.wydmnl.com/! And visit http://celdrantours.blogspot.com/ for the Walking Man of Manila. :-)

Hangover

Underneath it all, above all things, first and foremost, and at the end of the day, I think we are all fans. We're fans of the music, of the videos that accompany them, of the people that pour their hearts and souls into making them. We're fans of the movies, fans of the shows, fans of the ways our idols have made, lit and written them. Fans of one another. Fans of what the other is able to think of and conjure in his or her mind.

Another thing I love (and will always!) about production: how everyone believes that what their doing matters, how everything pulls through, how everyone (well, the better half of whom I've met in it) loves what they do. Even if it's for a fleeting four minutes of just one song from a band whose had many other videos, it's still made with precision and with careful thought. After all, we are fans of the song, fans of the band, and fans of the craft.

Congratulations on the successful music video launch to Sugarfree and King!! :-)

Hangover by Sugarfree, directed by King Palisoc, assisted by Odin Fernandez. Shot by Pong Ignacio, production design by Marco Ortiga, art direction by Gino Nacianceno. Production managed by Mara Andres, and styling and make up by Christina Dy and me!

People I'll Miss

I only started to take pictures in one of my last shoots, when I realized it would be my last with these people!! These are the people I've probably worked with the most, and whose company makes a long, grueling shoot feel like playing with my friends. These, and many more people whom I wasn't able to take a picture of (like Marco! Hahaha!), or whom I wasn't able to see recently, are the reasons I'll really miss shoots, and probably why I've stayed in production for as long as I have.

HANGOVER TEASER from King Palisoc on Vimeo.

The video teaser which just came out a few minutes ago. :-)

Tomorrow, I start a somewhat new life; I'll start regular work hours at Fully Booked, the chain of bookstores here in Manila that I currently create window displays for. Visual merchandising has always been a field I've wanted to be a part of, and though there's really nothing like the passion one feels when part of a production, it's really about time for me move on to something new, professionally.

Wish me luck! :-)

Hangover by Sugarfree, directed by King Palisoc.

Salita (And look!! Not just one light bulb, but many!)

I can't believe I haven't posted this!! I remember being very excited to share it after shooting... hahahaha!

As I mentioned in my last entry, I'd been feeling a bit down lately because of some mess-ups at work. Nothing like remembering this video again to cheer me up, albeit a little! The time when this was shot, in April of last year, was probably the last time I felt really very sad about work, even worse than I feel now. But shooting this was another reminder of why I chose to stay in production, something I needed to be reminded of today, as well. :-)

And look! Not just one light bulb moment appeared, but many!

Salita by Angulo, directed by King Palisoc http://vimeo.com/kingpalisoc, shot by Mackie Galvez http://mackiegalvez.com/, production design by me!

So what else can we do with books?

Some random pictures, part of what I look at when I brainstorm and daydream...

Mmmmm intellectual cake!

Book Spine Painting by Mike Stilkey http://www.mikestilkey.com/.

Small sculptures carved from books by Robert The http://www.bookdust.com/main.htm.

And book city stills captured from this next video from 4th Estate Publishers' 25th Anniversary, produced by Apt Studio and Asylum Films.

This Is Where We Live from 4th Estate on Vimeo.

Kate Moss

It's been about a week and I still can't stop watching this video!

Directed by Nick Knight for Kate Moss' Topshop line.

P.S. It's really hard to get back in the groove of working after going on a break from it! Let's just dilly dally all day.

Yun Lang

I realized today that I really really miss shooting...

I miss being a part of a giant orchestration of elements. Toilet paper to the left! Band in, colorful outfits! Kids run around and clap! And the feeling of getting a great first shot of the day.

And getting a great last one, too!

I miss spontaneous on-set ideas that perfect even the most obscure of scenarios. Like adding a camwhoreing element to these already hipster grandparents. In a bathroom of vines, nonetheless!

I miss having a dress from the clothes I hoard from my sisters and mom perfectly fit one of the talents! It was meant to be! Hahaha! :-)

And when I actually get to shop for costumes and use them and have them just perfect for a certain scene? I miss that feeling of "being right" hahahaha! Like I made the right choice in that dress, despite all the other dresses I could have bought instead.

I miss using the most basic arts and crafts kind of way to come up with a costume... and have it work! Who would have thought that covering cloth jumpsuits with foil tape would actually pass for space suits? I know I was thinking of all the ways it would fail... but I taped and covered until the very last second! :-)

I miss (and LOVE!) seeing sets that inspire me. This set was made by Trinka Lat, one of the production designers I worked with much less that I would have liked to! What I love about working with her is that I learn a new way to use materials I've seen many other times before. Like hanging balloons upside down, instead of upright! We've all seen balloons in different scenarios, but never like this.

Though I don't know if I miss being coerced by my superiors to extra in scenes! Hahaha! Too many weird things have come from not being able to say no to the director!

I miss the collaboration!! :-) Of directors, their ideas, and my own. I miss reading concept papers and getting excited. I miss that feeling of asking the right questions and discussing the elements so everyone can get to the aesthetic scenario we are all working to create!

Some pictures of the last shoot I styled, way back in March! I can't believe it's been more than two months. What have I been up to since?!?

This video was for a band called True Faith, for their song, "Yun Lang." To introduce the concept to me, director Quark Henares gave me a list of scenarios to prepare for, all of which were very production and costume design heavy, as you can probably tell.

The shooting day was very hectic! We had a lot to shoot, not a lot of time, and a lot of hurdles to get over (like a brown out! And my double-bodying as make-up at the beginning of the day!). I could barely keep tabs on what was going on, what was being shot now, and what would be shot next! I was literally running around the entire day. I was also very lucky to have a great team -- Sarie, Therese, Karen, Gracie... I can't believe I even thought I could style this on my own! Too many baskets and suitcases of clothes to organize and keep neat! I even misplaced my camera for a huge chunk of the day; it was in one of the baskets of clothes.

I'm getting stressed just thinking about the day itself! Hahaha! But I really do miss shooting. It's really a different experience to go through, and I'm very lucky to be able to go through it with people I not only respect and admire, but also some of whom are my closest friends. :-)

I miss you guys! You know who you are!! :-)

"Yung Lang" by True Faith featuring Armi Millare. Directed by Quark Henares. DOP Pong Ignacio. Production Design by Trinka Lat. Styling by Victoria Velasco. Production Managed by Mara Andres. And we would not have gotten through the day without the most charming assistant director ever, Harold Soon! Hahahaha! :-)

All photos from this entry, save for the first, second, and second to the last, were taken by Dom Dycaico. :-) Thanks for letting me use your pictures, Dom!!

Write the Future

Nike Write The Future from Wieden + Kennedy London on Vimeo.

I'm not even going to begin to think of production costs for this commercial!! So many sports superstars, so many countries. I sure hope they had separate units in each country, rather than one art department to take care of... ALL OF THAT.

The future of production value here in Manila? Well, it's definitely something we'll aim for.

Happy Weekend everyone!! :-)

Write the Future, directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu. Nike World Cup Advertisement by Wieden+Kennedy http://www.wk.com/. See more at http://www.nikefootball.com.

To the Sea!!!

Thank you Jack Johnson for once again igniting my desire to go to the beach!!! It's summer in Manila and I still haven't stepped foot on sand. A very fun poolside barbecue outing with my friends made me forget for awhile, but now I just wanna dip in the ocean!!! :-) It's so pretty here!!

And the reason I'm really posting this video is that I wonder how on earth they shot this video. How did they do playback for that? Slow motion, plus in the middle of the ocean. How do you do playback for that? I'll just imagine and stay in awe.

You and Your Heart by Jack Johnson, directed by Jack Johnson, shot in Hawaii. From his new album To the Sea.

Run and Play

run&play ph with Arigato, Hato! - Mister Music Maker from run&play ph on Vimeo.

In his pursuit of portfolio-building and music-loving, one of my good friends, Marco (not to be confused with my boyfriend Marco, whom I mention a lot in this blog and who helps me with almost everything art dept related!), started a website here in the Philippines that features acoustic performances of local independent acts. Since launching only a few weeks ago, Run and Play Ph is well on its way to provide a library of music played best -- stripped down to its most sincere form.

This video of Arigato, Hato! has to be my favorite of what they've released. It's a simple, cute performance for a simple, cute website!

For more videos, including those from Outerhope and Ang Bandang Shirley, visit http://runandplayph.wordpress.com/. You can also find them on Tumblr: http://runplayph.tumblr.com, and  visit their Flickr account: http://www.flickr.com/photos/49164306@N04/. Beautiful pictures! :-)

Alive Out There

There's nothing like the experience of watching music played live. No matter who the band is, I find myself always inspired and in awe of performances when backed up by the most complementary lights and a perfect pitch sound system.

Just two or three weeks ago, I was part of a crew that taped a concert, the first of a series for online viewing called Alive Out There. At the end of the shoot, we were nothing short of amazed. The band, Urbandub, already a favorite among us crew members, even prepared to play their songs with a string quartet, dj and other guest performers (as can be seen from the teaser above).

Now that the program has been released and the website launched, everyone else can see what an awesome show it was as well. After all, there's nothing like the experience of watching music played live.

To watch the concert (I definitely recommend it!!), click this next link:
http://pelicola.tv/channels/index_gg.asp?msg=Passkey%20Required#watch, and for more information on Urbandub, visit their website http://urbandub.bembang.com/. :-)

Hopefully more of these soon! And HAPPY WEEKEND everyone!!

Paper Man

Oh my, a movie that's filled with paper crafts!! I can't help but feel like I have a special connection with this film. Then again, I feel that way about a lot of movies hahaha!! From the trailer, we already see what's to come including a book couch, and a few other paper banners. I'm so excited!!

Paper Man is written and directed by Kieran Mulroney and Michelle Mulroney. Starring Jeff Daniels, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone and Lisa Kudrow. Visit its IMDB page for more info: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0437405/.

Wag Kang Magtanong

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As a designer who enjoys the arts-and-crafts-making side of the job, I truly appreciate it when a colleagues' work brings new ideas and use of materials to the plate. For a steampunk-inspired project I had awhile back, I sat comfortably with my styling hat on as the production design team scrambled days before to put together prop pieces from that fictional period in time. From dressing up a car to making completely new guitars and instruments, the team composed of Paolo Apagalang and Monica Sebial definitely impressed the entire crew with how they turned commonplace materials into a whole new look.

With the whole video in black and white, it was easier than usual to make

materials and surfaces look like metal works. This dashboard is my personal favorite!

Made of illustration board and some trinkets.

My own contribution to the set! A knapsack (and some embellished clothes).

More instruments, and the artist, Yeng Constantino

And finally, the video!

"Wag Kang Magtanong" by Yeng Constantino. Directed by Avid Liongren. Cinematography by Mackie Galvez. Production Design by Paolo Apagalang and Monica Sebial. Styling and Make-Up by Victoria Velasco. The whole video was shot on green screen and could not have been completed without the amazing CGI talents of Enzo Valdez, Edzon Rapisora and Robby Brillantes.

Our Weekends Dissolve

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What do you get when you have a room full of foil, a crazy dancing band, and a giant stoplight? A video of playful reflections and gesticulations, that's what.

One of the last music videos I built a set for has come out!!

Our Weekends Dissolve by Us-2 Evil-0

It involved a camera test on my part (to see if the reflective material would work!), a full day of setting up a room of forced perspective, and 150 meters of foil paper. I must say, my favorite moments have to be when the light is at its lowest.

It looks like an aquarium!

Almost the full band in this picture.

The room at its barest. Try to spot the corners?

A very special thank you to the setmen who built the room, to Karen who art directed, and to Nicole, Sarie and Therese who helped us out on the shooting day!! And a giant wave of congratulations to Ramon who directed his first music video!! Yayyy!

And yes, the band is as active and enthusiastic in real life as they are in the video. :-)

P.S. Looking back several entries, I realized it's been awhile since I posted an actual job/commissioned work. I find that funny because all I've been feeling lately is completely and utterly swamped! I wonder where all that work is going... Hmmm...

Behind the Wardrobe Scenes

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How many seconds does it take to change your wardrobe? Well, not very many from these two videos. It's always a pleasure to find concepts where the styling and art departments are challenged in different ways than usual. Even much more fun are the behind-the-scenes takes that share to us audiences all the pressure it took to complete.

Thanks to Marco, Pong and King for referring the videos to me!

Gimme Sympathy by Metric www.ilovemetric.com, directed by Frank Borin http://frankborin.com.

Valentino by Diane Birch, directed by Dennis Liu www.youtube.com/dennisaliu.

Life Imitates Art

A fun video referred to me by one of my good friends, Pong. I love how the production used the simplest materials -- paper and cloth -- to recreate different costumes and sets. Videos like these were probably the most fun for people like me! Hahaha! :-)