Project "Bernardo Carpio" (a Folktales Animated! Film Project)

Editing the Live-action Component...

2012-05-21T17:14:00.001-07:00

Technical glitches on post abound... But surviving... ;-)

Bernardo Carpio Shoot/Voice Recording at Hit Productions (March 25, 2012)

2012-03-27T17:44:00.014-07:00

We shot the film at Studio H of Hit Productions in Makati City, Philippines last Mar. 25, 2012. Call time was 2:00 p.m. Grind started past 3:00 p.m., we packed up by 10:00 p.m., inclusive of break times.

Thanks to Hit Productions, our sound engineer Philip, also to Sir Dennis and Mikko of Hit, for helping us.

Thanks to Dusty for the cameras, our awesome actors Arnold and Angeli, Mon for dropping by and doing the documentation, Herbert for the clapperboard, Joje for working on the clapperboard, Joy for the stills and the slight PD-ing. Thanks to everyone who went with us!!

Super light shoot! I had fun. Hope you guys also enjoyed the "unusual shoot" :) Yeah, it really felt weird as we took more time fixing the mics and not the cameras... No fixing of lighting equipment or removing cables and mics on frame, as long as the shots are properly exposed for actors' face and body details. =)

The script...

Reading the script...

The shotlist...

Our audio engineer Philip in front of the console and our Tuldok producer Ramon, also the director of another animated folktales project entitled "Catalina of Dumaguete," as seen from the monitor at the recording side of the studio. Yes, the monitor is right above a piano. :)

Low-angle shot. I like lying down on that wooden floor. =p

Philip and Protools HD...

Philip fixing a mic.

Philip was checking his Facebook and email in between takes!! He opened it from the other end of the studio where the console and mixer was. This computer was on our side of the studio. We were practically seeing his FB profile and email from here! Had I known that there's a chance for me to control it using that keyboard, I should have naughtily changed his FB status message!! =p

Errr... yep, they caught me scratching my itchy nose. It was a pretty short moment, but Joy managed to capture it on cam. =p

In between setups...

Blocking a shot...

Blocking another shot...

Before a take...

In between takes...

Rehearsal with Arnold (Bernardo Carpio) and Angeli (sorceress)

During a take using the Lumix GH2. This is a high-end consumer camera, and I love it for both its quality and accessibility. Just enough for the production needs of our project. :)

Dusty and the AF100

Arnold doing a crucial shot. Yes, he was shouting to the max. ;-)

The Project's Live-action Component: Acting Performances by Arnold Reyes and Angeli Bayani

2012-03-27T17:42:00.019-07:00

After two Sundays of readings, discussions, and pre-prod meetings, it was time to shoot. It was more like hitting two birds in one stone -- in a non-conventional way of working on an animated film. We finally shot the live-action component of the project. But come to think of it, the film is going to be fully animated. There would be no live-action footage to be seen in the final film.

At one point during the early days of the project, I considered shooting the two present-day sequences as live-action parts. But at the end of it, after thinking deeply of the various considerations of doing so, I decided to make it an entirely animated work with no live-action parts.

Some 3D CGI projects do a similar workflow using motion-capture technology, some do rotoscoping. For us, it's as old school as simply shooting the actors on video to serve as reference and inspiration for the animators.

Instead of merely recording the actors' voices, we chose to both record their voices and shoot videos of them for the use of the animators. We intend to use the voice recording elements as final ones, instead of using scratch voices, which are usually meant to be re-recorded during an animated film's post-production.

The actors were very excited of the project, especially it's their first time to encounter this type of production setup and workflow. It's also their first time to lend their voices for an animated film. They readily understood that their video recordings will become references for the animation.

Given our unconventional set-up, it was quite interesting to experiment on how to attack the scenes. I and my actors Arnold and Angeli initially met. We discussed their characters and the film, but we never fully rehearsed the scenes to keep a certain spontaneity to what we would get during the shoot.

During the shoot, although I had a few sequences of the storyboard with me already, I deliberately not showed the storyboard to the actors as I wanted them to completely put their own print on their characters. I believe it's a matter of providing them the right direction on set, in case there would be parts needing some polishing along the way.

Actually, by the middle of the film, after shooting the parts with the storyboard already, I showed the board to them. Just equipped with the script and our initial discussions, our footage turned out in line with what our storyboard would really need. I believe the experiment worked. :)

I also had Arnold as one of my main actors for my third film way back a few years ago and he knew how meticulous I could get with scenes. But this time, things were in between the planned and the unplanned. We felt that the project called for it. And it worked. :) It's funny though, we would eventually feel surprised every time one shot gets marked as good, then proceed to the next shot, in a matter of a few minutes. In our past live-action indie project, we would typically film one shot anywhere between 30 minutes to two hours, depending on the requirements and setup.

I also rarely showed them the footage we were getting. We were working on a two-camera setup, one with a Lumix GH2 and another with an AF100. There were more times they that they would get to hear the recorded voices than preview the footage. As I was filming with the Lumix, every time I pressed the camera's record button, I clapped from inside me as most of the footage already showed what I really needed for the film. There were only a few times that I had to provide them some change of direction on how to perform their scenes. The working relationship and trust we already had even before this shoot were very much apparent with this project's experimental and non-conventional setup.

Live-action Shoot/Voice Recording Production Team

2012-03-27T17:18:00.019-07:00

It was something I proposed to my animators and they said it would be an ideal path to take. It's a given that they are promising young artists in their craft, but considering it's their first time to be in this type of film project (they are mostly in their early to mid-20s and most are fresh from digital arts school), they agreed that having professional actors on board the project would make an interesting collaboration.

Unlike with using motion-capture or rotoscoping, the simple editing of the live-action footage will allow them to get the right emotional ups and downs, pulse and pacing, and a more cohered storytelling based on the actual voices to be used for the film. At the same time, they can tweak some parts from the original video materials according to the needs of the story -- as the making of this animated film progresses.

Our live-action shoot/voice recording went very smoothly. It was fun, no pressure, but it kinda felt weird. Interestingly, there were more mics than cameras and we were using available light only. We practically ignored any cable, mic, or even musical instrument appearing on the composed shot.

Come to think about it, the video footage would actually work more like the animated film's "scratch voices," while the supposed scratch voices, the one we also recorded during the live-action shoot, would already be the final voice elements to be used in the film. Why? Because we're not using the video footage as final components of the film. We would only be using them as guide during the animation process.

Most of us came from film work and our production experiences are clearly not the same as this. From the production team to the actors, it was everyone's "first time" to work like this. Imagine, we took a little more time arranging the mics than blocking the actors and fixing the cameras!! =p

Framing of shots for the two-camera set-up merely required properly exposing the actors' faces and body details. We couldn't even move that much as we had to make sure that we avoid making noise and footsteps during the shoot/recording. But clearly, we know what we wanted and what we needed. The final output is the animation.

We set our priorities straight and we knew that the camera shots would remain considerably "unlit" and "unframed" yet for our storyboard. We just needed to document the actors' acting performances. Yet, we couldn't really avoid getting that weird feeling that the said set-up is something we're not used to. We're used to perfecting our shots. This time, we mainly needed to perfect the sound. :)

We shot the film at Studio H of Hit Productions. It's their biggest sound studio, which is primarily used to record music artists. That's why on the background of the photos, there were guitars, drums, and other musical instruments.

And as a bonus, it's great to have an opportunity to shoot in a place where legendary Pinoy musicians have already played and recorded their music projects.

Who wouldn't feel excited of all the musical instruments available inside the studio? Our 3D animator Joje who took a break from rendering some parts of the film had his first time in live-action production and he ended up working on our clapperboard. Now, he had a better idea on how to do the shot-per-shot on a slate... and he had a fun time trying to briefly play with the drums in between our takes.

We needed a clapperboard as we were filming the audio separately -- straight to Protools. We didn't have things patched to the Lumix GH2 and AF100.

Our sound engineer Philip was working on the other end of the studio with Protools HD.

But hey, he was also running here and there as he would be fixing our mics from time to time, depending on the actors' blocking.

To date, this is now the shoot that I had the "most minimal" number of production team members. Aside from me directing and producing it, I only had myself and Dusty working on the camera and Philip working on the sound. Helping us along were Joje working on the clapperboard/ID, Ramon documenting for Tuldok, and Joy taking some stills and doing a few PD work. Additional people from Hit, technical head Sir Dennis and sound engineer Mikko, also assisted us in setting up our sound requirements.

Our actors Arnold and Angeli on the set.

I and Philip at the other end of the studio after the wrap... Most people were outside having dinner at the pantry. We managed to take a snap of our only picture together during the shoot. Yes, we were both busy and we were primarily working on two other ends of the studio ;-) And yes, it wasn't shot using an SLR unlike most of the photos here, just from a mobile phone.

The Film's Sound Requirements: Thanks to Hit Productions

2012-03-27T16:44:00.002-07:00

Thank you, Hit, for sponsoring the film's sound requirements. Now, we can dream beyond stereo... imagine Bernardo's chains, all the boulders falling around his prison area, the duel with the sorceress, the other fight scenes and 19th century Philippines... in a surround mix :)

Thank you so much for the support! :)

Pre-prod with Actors (Mar. 18, 2012)

2012-03-19T23:26:00.003-07:00

Arnold Reyes as Bernardo Carpio and Angeli Bayani as the sorceress

The Film's Facebook Page

2012-03-10T07:14:00.001-08:00

Nothing much there yet, but key details already found their way there!

Bernardo Carpio: Characters

2012-02-17T17:04:00.000-08:00

October 2011 Online Meeting: Team Photos from 8,000 Miles Away

2011-10-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

Another online meeting after the initial May 2011 presentation (presenting stories, progress reports, updates...)

"Presenting My Story and Treatment from 8,000 Miles Away: So This is What Happened..."

"Presenting My Story and Treatment from 8,000 Miles Away: From the Other End of the Line... The Manila Perspective"

Another Presentation via Skype on the Way...

2011-09-25T03:00:00.000-07:00

There will be a project meeting with the directors of the "Folktales Animated!" project with the Tuldok producers and CICT this Oct. 1 (Philippine time). I'm almost done with my presentation. Just have to add a few more images and things will be all set. Will be testing the online presentation with Mon soon. :)

Nostalgia... Past Meets Present

2011-09-24T14:37:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to finish my script. So I thought it's nice to go back to the past and view this old work. This film was primarily shot in the same location as this new Bernardo Carpio film. Although not directly related to this new project, I thought of watching this trailer and the film itself to hopefully get rid of a creative writing block I'm currently encountering (sigh...). It's been a rough few months with all works and almost no play for me... :s

Also, in line with the ever-evolving means to keep things archived and readily accessible, and as people start encouraging me to create "Movie" pages for my films via Facebook, here's the link to that page (where you can also check out more pix and videos). Enjoy!

August 2011 Works and Developments

2011-08-31T00:06:00.000-07:00

Our FB Group has been very busy for the past weeks. Lots of concept studies and developments. This FB platform is really very helpful with our production set-up. Plus, we don't need to always print out materials and the documents and photos always come in handy any time. :)

Here's one photo I found while doing some archiving of my old hard drive and finding some old pix along the way. This photo was an ocular we had in Montalban from many years back -- the time when we were about to shoot my film "Aninag" (Light's Play). So I readily took the uploaded photos in our FB group for references for our backgrounds.

Who would have thought that after a number of years, after shooting a live-action fantasy children's film, I'll be going back to this very location to shoot a new short?

It's actually an animated film about the Legend of Bernardo Carpio, but there are minimal live action parts in the script. So, see you soon again, Wawa Gorge! :)

Rough Works and Juggling Around... May 2011

2011-05-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

I've been working on the sequence treatment for the film, finalizing it, actually. And at the same time, I've been juggling in between researches, preliminary sketches, concept artworks, character designs, and background designs. All those on the side since professional works are really piling up (need to pay the bills!!). So I've been pretty much working on my free times for this indie project. It's very much like how the rest of the team are working. Like the rest of other Tuldok projects, it's always been a "virtual office" set-up given our limited resources. That's not something to stop you from doing things anyway ;-)

So far, I've been working online with my previous production designer for most of my other live action films for initial ideas on the costumes. I am also regularly working with the project's concept artist/background and set artist. I've been giving some updates and asking for creative inputs from my editor and art director/storyboard artist as well.

I'm starting to pile up on lots of materials from documents to artworks. Looking good!!

It's really a work-in-progress... but it's definitely taking some shape now. Ayos. =D

Presenting My Story and Treatment from 8,000 Miles Away: From the Other End of the Line... The Manila Perspective

2011-05-17T18:35:00.000-07:00

So here are the events that happened from the other end of the line... Thanks to Frank Aldana for sharing the photos! =D

Working out the kinks:

Finally! Connected!!

Pitching session!!

I'm definitely missing here... =p

Presenting My Story and Treatment from 8,000 Miles Away: So This is What Happened...

2011-05-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

After a couple of Internet issues, iChat and YM blocked by the office network in Manila, troubleshooting, iChat started working but screen sharing disabled! Thinking fast... Screen sharing via Skype worked! Took a few good minutes. Well worth the wait, at least I was able to present on my own and not with the last option of having video conference then Mon is gonna click the Keynote presentation for me from there -- as I look on the video for the cue for the next slide to show.

Took a few shots. Here they are:

Presenting My Story and Treatment from 8,000 Miles Away: Planning and Testing

2011-05-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

Artheus, my workhorse MBP

Yesterday, I woke up quite early with Internet as breakfast. I actually slept quite late, just a few hours before, but I think it has something to do with the music playing on the background that woke me up in no time. After falling asleep with my laptop on my bed (it was a productively tiring work night as usual), The LOTR 1 soundtrack has been looping in my iPod and it's not really a "pro-sleeping soundtrack."

Anyway, I think it was about 10pm or so in Manila. And had to talk to Ramon for the pitching session for the stories.

I have to present my project as well. But obviously, I can't be there until the last quarter of 2011. I'm currently in the U.S. and the most I can do is to provide all the materials to people in Manila. I got a spoonfeeding type of Keynote presentation with PDF backup and video peg for the animation also sent separately so all materials are already there prior to the Saturday session.

A slide from my Keynote presentation exported in PDF format (backup copy I sent to people in Manila)

I could have sent a representative from my creative team already, but decided not to first. I thought it would be better to have somebody from my team once we "officially start," with their contracts on hand. There are other options anyway. I'm looking for ways to present, that for the first ever pitching and presentation about my plans for my film, I'm taking charge.

Initially, Ramon will be my "proxy." He has the materials from me and he considerably knows my story. We actually developed it while riding the plane back to Manila from our animation workshop in Aklan last March.

So Ramon was online that morning. Good! So it's time to talk about how the presentation will go. Prior to that, we were looking for ways to make an online presentation possible. Suggestions included Skype, Yahoo Messenger, Facetime, Google Wave, the Share button in Keynote, among others. Apparently, only one option seemed appropriate: Apple's iChat.

Awesome MBP!!!

Since we both have Macs, we started exploring the program. In a breeze, my screen got shared to his screen from 8,000 miles away! Awesome! Successful test! Technology is so cool!!! Best of all... it's free!! It's as simple as opening iChat in the two Macs. =D

His laptop is going to be an extension of my laptop. Then his laptop will connect to the projector and an external speaker for better audio from the conference room where the presentation will be done in the Philippines.

The plan is to also have one of the many laptops during the presentation to be used for Skype or YM. I'll be there via video conference. That laptop will just be beside Mon's Mac and the projector so people can see my face and I can see them. It helps, too, that the conference room's table was long and rectangular (with a vertical orientation from the projection wall) -- making me have a good view of people there during the video conference. They see me, I see them!

This is my first time to do a professional presentation from thousands of miles away. Really cool. Let's see what happens... session starts in about 12 hours from now. It's 2pm, Saturday, Philippine time, which is also 11pm, Friday, Pacific Standard Time.

Going back to Wawa Dam in Rodriguez (formerly Montalban), Rizal

2011-05-02T23:30:00.000-07:00

I shot my second film “Aninag” (Light's Play) at the exact location of the story of Bernardo Carpio -- at the Wawa Dam. I have lots of footage in video and also in 35mm film (those used on the film plus the out takes/unused footage). The film featured locations around "The Two Clashing Boulders" from "The Legend of Bernardo Carpio."

Almost a decade later, it's time to go back to do updated research and documentation for Tuldok's animation project "Folktales Animated." This includes our "Project Bernardo Carpio,"

You can check out more about the "Aninag" at: www.riannehillsoriano.com/aninag.html.

Here's the 15-minute short film "Aninag." Enjoy!

Researching About "The Legend of Bernardo Carpio"

2011-05-02T22:34:00.000-07:00

Bernardo Carpio: a being of great strength trapped in between two great rocks in the Mountains of Rodriguez, Rizal.

Some versions say he is keeping the mountains from crashing into each other (similar to the Greek titan Atlas holding up the sky), and some versions say he is trapped and trying to break free. When Bernardo Carpio shrugs his shoulder, an earthquake occurs.

Some say it is one form of revolutionary story against the abuses done during the Spanish occupation.

Filipino revolutionary heroes Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio are said to have paid homage to the Bernardo Carpio legend - the former by making a pilgrimage to Montalban, and the latter making the caves of Montalban the secret meeting place for the Katipunan.

From Wikipedia: The Spanish hired a local engkantado (shaman) and conspired to trap him through supernatural means. The engkantado used his agimat (talisman) and he was caught between two boulders which the shaman had caused to grind each other. The legend says he was not killed, but was trapped between these two boulders, unable to escape because the talisman's power was as great as his own strength.

People soon surmised that whenever an earthquake happens, it is caused by Bernardo Carpio trying to free himself from the mountain.

The tale of Bernardo Carpio can be considered an etiological myth which explains the occurrence of Earthquakes. Interestingly, the area hosting the legend is also home to the Valley Fault System (formerly called the Marikina Valley Fault System).

Damiana Eugenio was able to find and document a 1940 compilation of tales detailing the legend of Bernardo Carpio. It specifically says that "Bernardo Carpio is considered the savior of the Filipinos against national oppression and enslavement."

According to that particular telling of the tale, when the last link on the chains binding Carpio is broken, "the enslavement and oppression of the Filipino race will be replaced with freedom and happiness."

While this belief apparently referred to the Spanish Occupation of the Philippines and the later occupation by the Philippines by the U.S. and by Japan in WWII, the legend has continued to be told this way, an apparent reference to freedom from poverty rather than foreign domination.

"Project Bernardo Carpio" Synopsis and Tuldok Animation Recruitment Video

2011-05-02T22:22:00.000-07:00

Welcome! First post!

It's almost time for the pitch for our initial plans for our shorts. This includes the story, treatment and other key aspects of the production. Here's my synopsis for the initial pitch...

"Project Bernardo Carpio" Synopsis:

Bernardo struggles to free himself from his chains, while he also duels with the powerful entity who led him to his demise under the mountains of Montalban. This character-driven story depicts a rivalry that unveils an account of Bernardo's life and the story behind “The Legend of Bernardo Carpio."

With many, many, many months of production to go, of course, it is not impossible to have certain changes as the project develops. But here's to chronicling how those developments progress...

About the film's title, still on the works... suggestions/recommendations/advice are welcome!!

Tuldok Recruitment Video for the Folktales Animated Project:

Yup! This trailer is talking to you!

After a successful completion and launch of our second project, "Pasintabi" and "Lines to Life" educational series, we are now opening membership to anyone who is willing and wants to help create an Original Philippine Animation Industry.

Visit our website to find out more about us, http://www.tuldokanimation.com,and if you want to help out, go to the community section,http://tambayan.tuldokanimation.com, there you will do two things:
1. Fill up a quick questionnaire how you can help out
2. Register in the forum.

Only registered members with approved application forms will have access to the exclusive forums to exchange ideas, submit concept art, and contribute in their own special way.

See you at the Tambayan!

-Tuldok Animation Studios Team

Tuldok Animation Studios is a nonprofit organization whose goal is to bring Filipino Artists together to create an Original Filipino Animation Industry.
We are a virtual studio and our previous projects have been built up using community driven efforts inspired by our local custom of "Bayanihan".

Original music: "The Call" by Pepe Manikan