So You Want to be an Artista...

I said this before, and I'll say it again. Mahirap sa showbiz. Sure, there are many perks and cash, if you're lucky, abounds. But for the life of me, all the waiting and the long hours of shoot make it an extraordinary world. What am I talking about?

6:30 AM: Pick up time. The production house has arranged for a van to pick us up. My call time is 6:30 AM. There was a meeting point at the office at 6 AM,and they pick me up along the way to the location shoot. If you're a real artista, your driver gets you to your destination, no one picks you up.

7:30 AM: After two more stops, we finally arrive in Sta. Rosa at this time. Traffic is light, eventhough the roads in Alabang and Laguna are under construction and there are makeshift turns along the way. We are greeted by the crew, who are polite and well-trained in treating customers. They offer us breakfast right away.

8- 9 AM: We begin setting up the store, reviewing the layout, stocking up the shelves so the products we offer (and my team developed) can be seen in a split-second shot, re-arranging the shelves to their proper display. "Oops, remove that chips, it is so prominent, I don't want the other brands to be seen, " I say. While watching the monitor, Christine, our A & P manager goes oncam and asks me if she looks good on camera (i.e. asking if she's fat). I told her her boobs are still bigger than her tummy, so she still looked good oncam.


9 AM: Direk Iggyboy comes in and greets us. He is the son of the owner of the production house, and grew up in this (production/shoot/TVC/advertising industry) scene. He studied directing in LA and his father begins to let him assist in directing some of his own projects. By age 24, his portfolio of TVCs rival those of the more veteran ones. We picked him for this project.

The models are with the make-up artist and production designer, putting on their choreographed outfit while we prep the store.

9:30 AM: He tells me where can he find a job like mine whose job is to look for exciting new products and taste test the (food service) industry. I noticed his comfortable shoes, his cargo pants and t-shirt. Take-san, his friend, classmate, now DOP (director of photography) is wearing the exact same thing and I ask if they are friends, because I can tell. He tells me they are. I saw Direk Iggy with his posse at Pepper Lunch two months ago. His ratpack includes young girls. I corrected myself because he is young, too. (More and more these days I realize we are not as young as we used to, someone actually called me Tita and I protested.) Direk and his crew begin to take over the store

10 AM: We start the first take with our model Erica. While on cam, we all remarked at how the screen shot looked like a Koreanovela. The pa-cute scenes were shot first, which are on the 3rd or 4th frames but the sequence of shoot is the call of the director. Erica gets it after the sixth or so take. The assistant director's job is harder than the main director since he has to prep the models/actors. For instance to elicit a really flirty reaction shot from Erica, Direk ManMan was saying stuff to her, instructing her that when she looks at Vince's (the other model) feet, she should remember what big feet connote. The ruse was effective as the model's flirty exchange of looks with the camera became more err..smooth? natural?

11 AM: We are on schedule and it looks like we were going to finish by 11 PM, I heard someone say. I am optimistic but also experienced, most shoots usually last almost 24 hours. Things were looking good though, as Vince is even more natural than Erica, and is a quick learner. My hotdog has to be seen, as well as the cup, and he practiced once, and nailed it. Directors usually play safe and take at least two safety shots. The directors also usually know when the shot is the right material.

The crew outside the store was housed in a tent where the actual recording of the shots taken are monitored in at least 3 VTRs. There is another tent set up for us where we can sit, get out of the way of the crew, and still observe the shots via a monitor. The tent is powered by two airconditioning units, 2 airconditioned portalets, and where a buffet table is spread out. This is where Direk takes his meals too. My team and I flit in and out of the tent to the store to observe, raise some comments with the director and the ad agency. The boys take turns eating the fruit spread.

12 noon: We break for lunch while the next scene is prepared. Direk's special request is gising gising to accompany the crispy fried tilapia (ala Abe's). There is the usual fried chicken, beef spare ribs and a pork dish served with rice and leche flan for dessert. Coke drinks are served. We are full but we realize we have 19 more frames to shoot. Arrrgggh. I can't just sit.

At one time, we were at the counter while Take-San is preparing the next shot. Then everyone was talking about the condoms that we were selling. I found out that these guys have the same style when buying them. They actually just need the condom, but at the counter, they buy other stuff, pretending the condom purchase is incidental. They each show me what they say and how they'd order. Funny.

1 PM: The crew re-arranges the store to get another angle of the same scenes from both Erica and Vince. ManMan was on the floor prepping and directing the actors so that the camera captures the same reaction from the previous individual shots taken in the morning. They ask me if the store background was OK, I had to ask them to pull down another logo, it was too much of a hard sell na.

4 PM: How many hotdogs does it take to shoot a perfect food shot? We brought 600 hotdogs and used up about 300. The crew could not perfect the trick. So after 3 hours, they decide to proceed to the perfect serve shot.


6 PM: How many 1.5Liters does it take to get Coke's perfect serve? About 17 of them. We shoot Coke with Sprite (this is the trick) being poured from a pitcher and onto a cup. We shot them over and over again. We had Coke's brand manager over at the location because he had to make sure it was a perfect serve or his ass is on the line.


9 PM: Kristen and Lon leave us and we are back to shooting my hotdog scene. We still had 8 frames after this. Finally ManMan got it. We applaud.


11 PM: Erica and Vince get retouched every once in a while, and I get to talk to Denise, the freelance make-up artist. She inquires about a franchise. I do my spiel.

The actors are being shot in another part of the store, while Direk's girls (one in short shorts and with a Cannon EOS SLR, and another in a distressed tie-dyed dress and slippers) sit beside him on the side, away from the camera angle. Once in a while the camera pans at them, while the assistant director preps the talents. These girls make faces. We reckon the girl with the camera is Direk Iggy's girl, and the other one might be Take's. ManMan said to James, one of my boys, that he can do many things with his hands. That obviously meant he isn't into girls.


2 AM: We are almost there, except, we're not. I notice Erica's eyebags begin to show and Vince's beard is starting to grow and it begins to show. We ask if he can shave it, or if it will be seen. Direk tells us they'll do it post-prod.

3 AM: The crew still had 2 shots left, but my director and I decide to leave because of our management meeting at 9 AM. We left our ads and promo manager and my two boys who were acting as extras (sales clerk). I readily fell asleep as soon as my head hit the bed. I even snored.

We shot this TVC for around 22 hours, and the final product? A 30-second TV commercial.