As I was trudging a muddy and rocky trail way, my skin was burning because of a scorching morning sun, feet aching and sore because of the rough path, and blades of grass taller than me surround us. I passed by bahay kubo (nipa hut) or two along the way, and a small stream. After walking a for a seemingly neverending path of mud, rocks and grass, I finally saw from afar, a small performance stage made of sticks and bamboo. This is the filming location.

Overlooking the fields of green

Master Diwa is the Composer and Musical Director
I take pride in being able to travel because of my career as a composer and musician. Now here I am at Biak na Bato, a local town in Bulacan, to work with the cast and crew of an independent film.

I was attending my first ever film shooting for a movie and I never expected it to be outright extreme. I was hired to compose the original songs and soundtrack of the musical film KOLORETE, directed by Ruel Lozendo and produced by Cinema One Originals. However, I was also the musical director by default. And on that day, they were shooting all the scenes that involved singing, and I was there to quality check the performance.

Shots were redone when the song performance wasn’t satisfactory for me, even if the acting was a good take. Of course, I wan’t the musical quality of this film to be top notch or competent at the very least. My name as a composer was at stake here so I have to be at my best. Also cast in the film was fellow-Frost Joker Edwin Guillermo, playing the role of Don Rafael.

The Enviroment
Part of the film’s narrative required a stage play performed at a rural farm. The location was very rural indeed, the stage was set on a sloping hill overlooking vast rice fields and mountains in the background. Carabaos and the dung was in every direction. Goats and dogs made their noises every now and then. The scene was a very peaceful sight, something that can pass as pictures for greeting cards or tourist post cards. However, being actually in that scene has it’s nuances. For instance, the bright burning sun is annoyingly hot.

The shooting started at 7am and it went on until the wee hours of afternoon. It was extremely hot that I probably would have lost my sanity if it wasn’t for the abundant supply of ice in the cooler. I would periodically wipe ice in my face. The sensation of ice melting in my face, while being cooked under the sun was truly an addictive sensation during that day. I could care less if I looked like an idiot, as long as I regain my sanity. Surprisingly, the others followed my footsteps.

Action!
While I cannot really give too much details yet on the plot, I can safely say that the film has a colorful narrative, filled with love, conspiracies, hatred and angst. The shooting went smoothly in general, with minor problems along the way. But the actors and actresses generally sung their parts great form, and I really felt the importance of my presence, as none of the cast and crew specialized in the technical details of music. I can confidently say that my presence added a notch of quality in the film.

Storm Coming
As if the extreme heat wasn’t enough, during the final hours of that day’s shooting, the sky darkened and thick clouds began to stick together. Thunder and lightning followed shortly after. As direk Ruel shouts the final “Cut!”, rain began pouring fast. Everyone rushed to get all the equipment in their respective containers, while everyone else rushed to the dressing tent.

Winds howled loud and strong, umbrellas were suddenly useless and the tent itself almost flew away with the wind if we didn’t held on to it like crazy. Despite the tent, everyone was drenched and cold. The memory of the extreme heat caused by the sun just vanished like that and everyone was suddenly shivering.

It took almost an hour for the rain to finally subside, then one by one, everyone started the hike to the manor. No car could reach the filming location so the only choice was walking. The carabao service was already bringing the important filming equipment. This time, we didn’t walking he muddy path again as it was useless, we were already wet and muddy to start with anyway. I then thought, this is how the carabaos live in the fields everyday. I’ve been living the life of a carabao for the whole day! WTF?

The only danger now was the rocks have become even more slippery. Edwin really screams loud every time he slightly slips. Luckily nobody slipped and everyone got back to the manor safe and sound.

Back to the Manor
Everyone was relieved to finally be back at the manor. But there was no rest for the production crew. After a quick dinner, more scenes were shot but indoors this time. But the rest of the cast and crew took this time to relax and I was no exception. We brought out the booze, and shared it with everyone.

The 2nd day
My responsibilities for the film were all covered during the first day of shooting so I took most of the second day as a chance to take more pictures and relax before going home. It was this time that we played around with the props of the set.

Home Sweet Home

Then it was finally time to go home.

I had a truly extreme outdoor experience with this film shooting, I’m looking forward to more exciting projects such as these in the future. And don’t forget to watch KOLORETE’s premiere on NOVEMBER 19, 2008 at Robinson’s Galleria. For more of my pictures of the shooting, click HERE or watch the slide show.

For more information about KOLORETE, you may visit the official KOLORETE blogspot. That’s it for now, hope you enjoyed the pictures and this post.