Day 7 & 8 plus a bit of information

Before I start I think I should briefly give a synopsis of where this film is headed and why we are moving forward with it. Some people have asked questions about the representation of the Aswang and I hope this helps. I admit that I have chosen not to have the Aswang split in half and fly into the night sticking their hypodermic tongues into the wombs of unsuspecting mothers to be. This is because I don't really think this can serve the purpose of the film - although this aspect is not excluded. Let me elaborate. My last film was a documentary film on women's rights - "Bangkok Girl". Some time before I made that film I came across a the story of an early Filipina immigrant who was bought in the Philippines by the Chinese Mafia circa 1920 and sold into slavery here in Victoria (where there is one of the oldest Chinatowns in Canada). Some first and second generation Filipino immigrants have created and held a myth around this; that she was in fact an Aswang. The myth goes that she had not completed her full transformation into an Aswang because she was brutally abused and murdered. Through the course of the film, we have found more fact than fiction. So the film is specific to this particular tale and how the city of Victoria is hiding it - which is why we go to the Philippines to get the truth about the folklore and myth. Some of the above is creative license from the filmmaker but most is based on reality. This is the reason it fits so well into a documentary style. I hope that answers some of the questions that have arisen. On to the filming: Day seven was something I added in to the film schedule. John Emmet Tracy had impressed me so much and his character seemed so compelling that I felt it was left unfinished with the previous scene. I added in another between Maria (Janice) and Bryan (John); something that would show John’s character torn between interests, showcasing his vulnerability and relationship with Maria. This was a tough scene because I had scripted based on what we may be filming on Day 9 – which precedes this scene in the film. Since Day 9 is an improv scene with Maria’s family (actually Janice’s family) giving their perspective and knowledge of the Aswang Folklore during a dinner scene – I didn’t have anything concrete to base it on. We just kept trying different ways of delivering the information until we had enough options to make it work either way. This film should really be shot sequentially – for that reason alone. How can the actors’ improv to scenes that have not been shot – how can I write scripts relating to information we haven’t received yet? So far we have lucked out and we will see if our luck continues. Thank goodness I am surrounded by supportive professionals. Needless to say, this scene started off rough, but we were able to come through in the end with something very important to the story and characters – something that pushes the film forward and gives motive for Maria. Day 8 was a similar type of scene, but this time it was between Daila and Maria. So far Daila has been the rock in the relationship and Maria has slowly been gaining momentum in her confidence. The beginning of the film deals a pretty hefty blow to Maria and knocks her confidence right down. This scene is the transfer of character traits between Daila and Maria. Daila has become more broken and Maria has become stronger. There is a great build between them that transfers over through a small argument. Both scene were fairly tense, so I have been using very closed space and going handheld. I know the handheld look is most likely a passing trend, but I feel it adds so much in how it is currently being used. I try to transition all the handheld scenes with tripod scenes. This, I feel, will give the audience a breather from the constant movement. I am trying to give a break between intense scenes – which become fewer and farther as the film progresses. I believe the audience needs several breathers during intense or heavy subject mattered films. Whether you use comedy, silence, or visual breaks, they are still very important. Take Peter Jackson’s “King Kong” for instance. When we as the audience are on Skull Island there were not enough breathers in the action for me. This took away from the spectacular scenes during the sequences. It then left me expecting more for the films climax. I am not saying that I am a better judge of film audience than Peter Jackson, just saying how it affected me. I really liked King Kong and found it to be a totally justified remake. So this catches me up to date on production days. I will be filming the family dinner scene in Vancouver this Sunday. Check back to see how it went. Janice has already let me know that her brother has insisted to work in the line “Maria, can you pass the rice?”