~* LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION! *~

So why was I experiencing total madness a few weeks ago?
Why did I miss catching the 2-DAY FINALE of ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA? [ yeah, I'm still sulking about this :( ]
This is the answer.

I was so swamped with work that entailed me to go to the office early and come home at 9ish pm. We had a Super 16mm Cinematography Workshop from Sept. 12 to 15. Director of Photography Joe d' Alessandro from Rochester, New York conducted the workshop for us. Among his familiar works are I Know What You Did Last Summer, One Tree Hill and Dawson's Creek. We had nine Filipino workshop participants. Instead of doing a hassle-free staging of scenes with different lighting, the participants actually experienced lighting and shooting a real music video. Through the help of Director Mike Sandejas (of the Cinemalaya Best Picture "Tulad ng Dati" fame), we had a deal of shooting the new music video of The Dawn on 16mm Kodak motion picture film.

In my 5 years of doing marketing events and such, this, by far, is the most gruelling and stressful event I have ever planned & implemented. After experiencing actual production work, I don't think I would ever have the stamina to be in that kind of career. It's sooo stressful that I would have probably looked 40 when I was just 28 years old. And I would probably get asthma attacks every now and then due to the sweat-inducing stress of it all. Oh and how we have experienced Murphy's Law almost every single day! I hate Murphy. hah! :p

Overall -- despite all that back/armpit/chest sweat -- it was such a cool experience for me. Imagine meeting The Dawn (that great 80's icon who's now celebrating their 20th year and coming out with a new album; that band who starred in Tulad ng Dati; Enveloped Ideas, Iisang Bangka Tayo, Salamat, Love Will Set Us Free... if that doesn't ring a bell, then you're one musically-deprived Filipino!) as part of my job! I've only seen them perform live twice: first time on one of the Warner Bar tours and the other time with Mig Ayesa at Capones. Spending two full days with the band was quite interesting since I got to witness sneak previews of their on and off-cam behavior.

The Dawn is comprised of Jett Pangan on vocals, Francis Reyes on guitars (he happens to be one of my fave bloggers at livejournal! he's also known as Francis Brew on NU107), JB Leonor on drums and Buddy Zabala on bass (he's probably best known as the bassist of the great 90s band Eraserheads).

It was one helluva ride doing that 2-day music vid shoot and it was also neat to get a coupla photography tips from Francis who also takes cool digital photos. I was actually tempted to bring my ultraelectromagneticpop and Anthology CD to have Buddy sign it but uhh, I chickened out, haha. I wasn't sure if it would be a great idea now that it's already year 2006 & he's playing for a new band and knowing that the e-heads disbanded in a not-so-amicable way.

Anyway, I'm too lazy to write a detailed day-to-day narrative of the workshop. Here are the photos...

straight from the storyboards...






from the storyboard to motion picture film...






*this photo was also shot by francis reyes





*the brown one is vic's, the black one is mine and the blue one is bianx's

Day 4 was Post-production. The participants spent the day inside the telecine suite viewing the film scans of the music video shoot. Since it was the last day of the workshop, we had our graduation dinner at People's Palace (Greenbelt) which serves really delicious Thai dishes. And of course, a foreign guest can't leave the Philippines without a mini-jeepney! We gifted Joe with Filipino souvenirs from Balikbayan Handicrafts.

On the 16th of Sept., we spent our entire Saturday at UP Diliman. Since Joe was in town, we also scheduled a "Stop By, Shoot Film" for the UP film students. The film majors were given the opportunity to have hands-on shooting experience using the Bolex camera and 16mm Kodak motion picture films under the guidance of Joe. It was another sweaty day under the sun with occasional winds blowing amidst the Lagoon trees. By the time we finished around 6pm, it was already raining cats and dogs. Such an erratic flu-inducing Manila weather.

After those extremely tiring days of work, I went on a well-deserved vacation leave last Monday to have some relaxing shiatsu massage from Laxare Nail & Day Spa at Alabang.

*the sweaty outdoor look :p

~* NOW PLAYING: TRUST ME by CLEAVAGE *~

TRUST ME by Cleavage

You’re shaking all your fears away
so they won’t forget who you are
And it’s all because of me my friend
And they won’t forget who you are

oh, how soft we are
{oh, how soft we are)
oh, how soft we are
Oh, how soft we are

You’re shaking all your love away
so they won’t forget who you really are
Maybe in a little, I’ll see you tomorrow,
it’s all that’s good and said, so let’s go
All the life I knew before is good

Trust me I swear I will never let you down
(and I said) Trust me I swear I will never let you down

You’re shaking all your fears away
so they won’t regret who you really are.
So maybe in a little, I’ll see you tomorrow,
it’s all that’s good and said, so let’s go
All the life I knew is good

Trust me I swear I will never let you down
(oh how soft we are, oh how soft we are)
(and I said) Trust me I swear I will never let you down
(oh how soft we are, oh how soft we are)

Then when the light comes without a glow
Then when the fear went away
Then when the light

Giving into softly and sorrows
You can be the one who brings me to go
I can look softly between your eyes
I can be the one who knows your games
only for this life’s cut bandage
I can’t be put to sleep without it
I know you won’t forget me tomorrow
‘Cause I am not this world uncovered
You are not this dream, discovered
I will not be the one to hold your pain

‘Cause I am not this world you hoped for
I don’t want this dream you wanted
I will not be the one to hold your pain

(It’s in your eyes)
(oh how soft we soft we are)

*********************************************************************

This is the first Lukas Rossi original that I've heard. I was very surprised to find that his songs from Cleavage and Rise Electric (his former bands) were mostly very different from the way he sang on Rock Star Supernova. He can actually sing, after all. There's so much more behind all that gravelly growling of his. I would rather that he continue making this kind of music than be stuck in a rut with Supernova.

~* TOTAL MADNESS *~

I pretty much felt like this the past few weeks. It's total pandemonium with all the back-to-back events that I've been working on. Up next week will be this big deal cinematography workshop that I've been working on for weeks. We'll be working inside the studio, at an outdoor location in Manila and in a post-production house for 4 freaking days. I will even have work next Saturday for this mini-workshop thingie for the UP film students. I am so looking forward to the spa/massage I will be going for when I go on vacation leave after this very stressful event.

Anyway, I saw this quote on this sarcastic/funny desk-calendarish thing on top of my officemate's desk. I love it. It's so appropriate for the madness I'm going through these past few weeks:

I'M OUT OF MY MIND BUT FEEL FREE TO LEAVE ME A MESSAGE.

~* ARGHH, COMMUTING IS A B*TCH! *~

Commuting is a b*tch. I've been working late this week coz of our upcoming cinematography workshop. It's been total madness at work for me for the past 3 weeks-- 2 events down and 1 big bang to go. So anyway, I was ready to leave the office yesterday around 7pm but the rain was pouring so hard that I didn't want to leave the office and spoil my blue suede ruffled high-heeled sandals. But it was already 8pm and the rain just kept on. It wasn't raining as hard but since it has been raining for more than an hour, Pasong Tamo was flooded. There was no way out -- turning right would mean over-the-sidewalk deep flood in Don Bosco/Walter Mart while turning left would also mean the same flood level in Mantrade. Totally b*tching. Anyway, since my officemate (I hitched in her car for a ride to Ayala Center) could neither pass left or right, she decided to go back to our office. I, on the other hand, decided that I really really wanted to go home so I gambled on ruining my dainty sandals. So I basically waded my way through Mantrade and bravely walked among the masa crowd towards the MRT station. I had my jeans folded up mid-calf so I looked pretty fashionably stupid but I did not care anymore coz I was very tired and very hungry. I just wanted to go home. Period.

So anyway, at the MRT station, I faced another b*tching line to the MRT pass counter. I think I got there around 8:15pm. I queued in the "exact change" line even if I didn't have the exact change (the good MRT ticket guy gave me a frown and a heavy sigh but still gave me my change. yipee.) Fortunately, the MRT train I rode in wasn't sardines-packed. I got to SM Ayala, went down to the terminal on the parking lot across Hotel Intercon. I stood on my wet high-heeled sandals and waited in another horrible line from 8:40 to 9:30pm. Since I bought a bottle of rubbing alcohol at the Mercury Drug at the MRT Station, I tried in vain to clean my very kadiri flood-soaked feet while standing on line. After ten years, I was finally in a cozy FX on my way home. Makati was basically one big parking lot so it took us 30 minutes from Pasay Road to the Skyway ramp near Don Bosco. Don Bosco area was still flooded. There was average traffic from the Skyway to South-what's-so-Super-about-it Hi-way.

I got home around 10:45pm. What was absolutely wicked was that it was so dry in San Pedro. Didn't rain at all. Gee, I just waded through Makati waterworld and I was surprised to arrive in a dry and toasty San Pedro, Laguna. Oh well.

I had my feet soaked in a big bowl of warm water and bath salts coz they were so so cold. I ate my dinner around 10:50pm while my feet were soaked in heavenly warm fuzzy water.

Commuting is such a b*tch but I survived it. Good thing I decided against wearing my Naturalizers when I was dressing up yesterday morning. Or else, I would have really really went home crying over my dead shoes.

~* ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA: And Then There Were Four... *~

So it's down to Lukas, Toby, Magni and Dilana.

I'm still repulsed with Dilana so I am not gonna be a happy camper if she wins. I have a sneaking suspicion that her frog-in-a-lilypad look is just there to elicit sympathy votes (she injured one of her legs so she was in crutches decorated with jungle leaves or whatever. She's up on stage standing and hopping with her one good leg).

Lukas Rossi surprisingly hit the Bottom Three for the first time this week after debuting his original [Rise Electric] song "Headspin" which was about his mother and after reinventing Bon Jovi's "Livin' On a Prayer" into a moving stripped-down & re-arranged version. I am torn as to whether Lukas should win or not. After hearing a lot of his songs from his two previous bands Cleavage & Rise Electric, I think it would be a waste of his talent if he got stuck with Supernova. So far, I don't like the Supernova tracks they've debuted in the show (except for the one that Magni sang this week). I think it would be better if Lukas kept on with the kind of music he made with Cleavage/Rise Electric which was sort of hmm, emo-rock/punk-rock. Supernova is cheesy old school rock music (again, save for "It's All Love" which Magni sang, which did not even remotely sound like the 3 other tracks they debuted). Lukas can probably do a Marty Casey in this case. (After being 2nd place to JD Fortune in Rock Star INXS, Marty Casey carried on with his original band, The Lovehammers). I'll still be a Rossi Posse anyway.

Toby Rand. Memorable butt exposures on the reality show. The beefcake of the Mayan Theater. The naughty cake-throwing practical joker of the mansion. Popularized the Aussie slang "evs" but he is the anti-thesis of EVS at this point after he wonderfully kicked ass towards the end of the season. Although, I still think Marty Casey did a much better rockin' version of The Killers' "Mr. Brightside" last season than Toby did this week. The Thunder from Down Under may very well win this gig and I'll be very happy with that. So far, he clicks with the Supernova guys esp. Tommy Lee. And his original song "Throw It Away" will never fail in making everyone experience quasi-chemical dreaming with that "uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh" hook. He will go a long way from being a part-time carpet store clerk... especially after winning a new Honda Element for his catchy original song.

Magni the magnificent Iceman. He is such a good-natured guy. He's so nice that I wished Dilana fell off the window sill after she threw that wine glass on the floor and accidentally hit Magni on the head. The poor bald guy's forehead bled and that immortalized Dilana into being the crazy witch-bitch of the mansion. Anyway, back to Magni. He's literally come a long way from being this famous rock star back home in Iceland. Honestly, his performances rarely wowed me but he remains to be a consistently good performer. Well, whatever happens to him, I wish him all the best coz he really deserves it.