New Cebu (?) Films, a division of Bigfoot

[pnoize]

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Taken from the inquirer:

$1-M movie hopes to jumpstart Cebu film-making industry

First posted 03:17:00 (Mla time) December 18, 2006
Irene R. Sino-Cruz
Inquirer

LAPU-LAPU CITY--The shooting of a one-million-dollar feature film in Cebu would not only boost the local economy, it would also help create the film making industry here.

"We are growing Cebu's movie industry," Elliot Tong, producer of the movie "Deep Gold," says.

Deep Gold is an action thriller about the missing $10-million worth of Philippine gold when the plane carrying it crashes into the seas. It is the maiden offering of New Cebu Films, Bigfoot Entertainment's new film division.

Since the film making industry in Cebu is almost non-existent, Tong says the company has to create an entire human infrastructure from zero.

In Hong Kong or in Manila, Tong says a film producer only has to get in touch with a talent agent if there is a need for talents.

But in Cebu, he says, he and his support staff has to go to schools or distribute flyers to get people to apply.

"But the flipside is we have to explain what movie making is. We have to open the minds that when we make movies, we are creating jobs," Tong pointed out.

With the filming to be done entirely in Cebu, the New Cebu Films requires a lot of freelance staff for production planning, cameramen, drivers and many other functions.

Tong cites several benefits to Cebu with the decision of the New Cebu Films (NCF) to shoot it entirely in Cebu.

While a Filipino movie usually costs $500,000, he estimates that the Deep Gold film would cost at least $1 million.

"This is a moderate budget in the international scene but this is a very bold venture since it's the first time its done in Cebu," says Tong, an independent film producer.

Tong began his filmmaking career as a scriptwriter for Jackie Chan's First Strike and was the assistant to director Stanley Tong in the 1997 film "Mr. Magoo."

According to Tong, about 70 percent of the film's total budget goes to the local economy.

He also says having a movie shot entirely in Cebu would encourage foreign independent producers to consider the place for location shooting.

Actor Joel Torre and filmmakers Darwin Bolsico (1st assistant director), Marinette Lusanta (production manager) and Lili Esquillon (art department coordinator) are among the Filipinos who will be joining the Deep Gold cast and crew.

The three will join technical director Ken Siu and stunt director Ailen Sit.

Siu's credits include associate technical director in Jet Li's "Fearless" and "Rush Hour." On the other hand, Sit served as martial arts director for Shaolin Soccer and martial arts choreographer for several episodes of the TV series Martial Law.

Of the 26 Filipino crewmembers, 22 come from Manila, Tong says.

He adds that having all aspects of film production done in-house and in Cebu, as well, is a major move for a new film company.

Two separate teams would shoot different scenes, one for those with dialog and the other for purely action scenes, such as car chases.

Even before the NCF starts the film shoot, the company has already spent money to restore the old lighthouse, in the northern Liloan town, which is one of the sites for location shoots.

It is also spending between P2 million to P3 million to transform a place into what looks like a yacht club. And, since Deep Gold has a good number of underwater scenes, the company has built a special set of a giant water tank.

The filming of underwater scenes is scheduled in March next year. The NCF is set to produce four to six full-length feature films within the next two years.

The filming of Deep Gold is scheduled to wrap up in April 2007 while postproduction will follow immediately at the BFE's state-of-the-art facilities in Mactan.

Deep Gold, which is for international release, would be shot in both English and Mandarin.

[godCode]

very good news indeed...

[if_i_aint_got_u]

nindota gud ani.... :mrgreen:


g00d news!!

[jancemsy]

sa lapulapu ra sad? ka layo oi

[pnoize]

What I find interesting here is that the film currently in production by the new outfit is spoken in English and Mandarin. Meaning, the target audience are not the Cebuanos and this film will most probably not be shown in Cebu.

Secondly, if you take a look at the main cast, most of them are not bisaya except for Joel Torre who is Ilonggo. These women are models from FTV that Bigfoot has been trying to promote as Model / Actresses. None of them speak Cebuano. And yet, the claim to be "growing Cebu's film industry". hmm....

[diem]

Nothing has really changed in Bigfoot's policy concerning about their 'films'. Their targets have always been the film markets with a large number of movie going audiences and/or DVD buying market, in this case we can safely assume Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, and generally all English speaking nations such as North America, Australia etc. etc.

Hey, it's all business... minimize costs, maximize profits.[br]Posted on: January 02, 2007, 07:27:26 AM_________________________________________________O ne good thing I see about this brainchild of Bigfoot is that it would become a source of employment for local talents (both in front and behind the camera) and a source of revenue for local businesses and institutions (shooting locations are often enough rented).

But on the flipside, the local culture will just be as important as the local scenery; a mere backdrop to stories tailored to appear mainstream to appeal to a wide audience. Hey, its show business-- emphasis on the word 'business'-- that's a given and its understandable. Movies should make money in order future movie projects will be possible but...

But...

But...

Turkey's Yuksel Aksu; director of "Ice Cream, I Scream"(a comedy about a small-time Turkish ice cream salesman struggling to keep his business open) said it best when asked about his thoughts on global cinema:

"The Americans are doing American films perfectly. If we imitate them, then we won't be able to create our own cinema. I wanted to make a film that belongs to this country(Turkey), this geography and this culture. That doesn't mean I don't like American movies or I am against them. I really follow them, but even with their influences, I wanted to make a very different kind of film, a film about what is in our culture."

Online Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070103/en_nm/directors_dc

[Ms.Beau]

i'd say it's a good start

[pobre]

atleast its n cebu