Colorgrading at Optima

Special thanks to:

Optima Digital Inc.
Tony Gloria, CEO
Pete Jimenez, General Manager and COO
Jam Manikan, Business Development Manager
Ice Cruz, Colorist
Sieren Tuplano, Post-production Producer
Christian Cortez, Systems Administrator
Tinii Banzuela, HR Assistant

BTS #4 -On-cam Work (Pera-perahang Lata)

Pera-perahang Lata (Penny from the Tin Can) Film Credits

BTS #3 - Production Experience (Pera-perahang Lata)

BTS #2 - Behind-the-scene Work (Pera-perahang Lata)

BTS #1 - Film Concept and Vision (Pera-perahang Lata)

BTS (Behind-the-scene) video (1 out of 4) for "Pera-perahang Lata" (Penny from the Tin Can) in partial fulfillment for my grant from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).

Videography by Dustin Uy
Music by Philip Arvin Jarilla

Pera-perahang Lata (Penny from the Tin Can) Theme Song

Pera-perahang Lata (Penny from the Tin Can) Theme Song

Composed and performed by Paul Arroyo of the band X-Axis

Sound Engineer: Philip Arvin Jarilla
Director/Director of Photography/Editor: Rianne Hill Soriano

This is a no budget music video using a palm-size mini DV camera while documenting the recording session at the studio. I grabbed one halogen lamp from the house and used it to light the shots. Then the footages of the film are still offline and no color correction yet... pardon the not equal cropping coz i just covered the time code from the bottom of the frame... 95% of the studio shots were handheld :)

Acknowledgments: National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the staff, cast, and crew of PPL, Unitel, Filmex, Engine Room, Hit Productions, Marikina City Government, Saint Francis Xavier Parish Church, Yobs Restaurant, and Colorwheel Media Studios

Plans for Film's DVD and the Last Parts of Post-production

I'm so excited to finish the last part of post-production in Manila when I get back by last week of December this year. I'm yet to finalize things, but so far, these are the initial plans:

I'll be finalizing the poster with Ojay and Chrisel. I'm also hoping that I can do the DVD authoring with them. Perhaps, I'll also contract them with the DVD cover. For the film's DVD, since the film is less than 30 minutes long, it would have enough space for: the film; the trailer; the behind-the-scene videos; 2 music videos from the OST, and the press kit (with production notes, production stills, and BTS photos).

I think Philip is considering recording some of the musical score again, this time doing live recording with musicians he knows. Some parts of the musical score were made using computer softwares only. And it would really be great to re-record them with live musical instruments.

Actually, there are around 3 dialogues that I still wanted to be dubbed... I think Philip is working on them already.

After the online editing and color correction, the HD and SD copies (NTSC) of the film will be released.

Then, we will start doing the plans for the film's premiere and making the copies of collaterals including poster and other small things for the film, then dub copies of the film in HD tape and DVD.

Hopefully, we can find sponsors for these :D I'll do my best.

PPL offline copy here in Korea

I've been staying here in Seoul for 4 months now. And the final mix of the sound was already emailed to me. Now, I'm about to start manually fixing the EDL for my online editing when I get back to Manila. So far, I released a DVD copy of the film's offline and it was seen by a couple of people from various walks of life already... Some are film professionals, some are from the Cultural Partnership Initative Program (where I met lots of awesome Filipino delegates), some are OFWs, some people from the Philippine Embassy in Seoul, some are friends from Korea, Europe, and other parts of Asia. So far, I'm blessed enough to hear good feedbacks... and I owe it to everyone who worked and helped in this production. In fact, my Philippine mobile phone bill raised so much because of communicating with some of them coz I just couldn't help but share my wonderful stories about our film from this side of the world. I'll save the specific stories and notes when I meet you guys personally. I'll be back in Manila on Dec. 29, 2008.


The BTS video (divided into 4 parts: Concept and Vision of the Film, Production Experience, Behind-the-scene Work, and On-Cam Work) is already finished. I'm just waiting for the sound mix from the Philippines, then I can upload the 4 videos online already, hopefully within the month.

I'm planning to start editing the "Sa Pagdating" (reedit for the final music released by the musical scorer) and "Kaibigan" music videos within the month. I just need more time to sit on them.

New Trailer!

Updates About Pera-perahang Lata

For all those involved in the production of Pera-perahang Lata, please accept my apologies for the delay of the premiere of the film. The major problem encountered was with the sound and music production. Most of you know how things happened and I am hopeful of your understanding. So far, the music is almost done and approvals and correspondences would be done online (transferring low res versions) as I am currently in Seoul Korea for the Asian Film Professionals Training Program. I am staying here until Dec. 23, 2008. Once I get back, I shall move on to the online editing (primarily the conforming of the offline edit and laying in the mixed track of the sound and the colorgrading). After which, the master copies shall be finally released through Optima.

I will be submitting the mini DV (offline version) to the NCCA in a month or two from now. To follow, I will also submit an online copy next year once it is available. If I were in the Philippines, the premiere would be within the said time frame as well. However, given how things have gone, we are now looking forward for a premiere on January 2009. Yes, I know it is such a long wait for a 29-minute short film (inclusive of credits). However, even though I would want to try having a premiere within the actual Christmas season (considering the film being about the Filipino Christmas season), I don't think it's possible as that means keeping up with the surely tight schedule of Optima by December - considering the many projects that may be coming in by that time especially with the Metro Manila Film Festival entries post-production. Moreover, the earliest I will be able to get back to Manila is Christmas Eve already. And most will be on vacation within the Christmas season. So I don't think it would be wise to still hope for a Christmas premiere, thus it will be a post-Christmas premiere. :)

I am uploading the new trailer of the film soon. It's already done. I just have to find time to upload it from my external hard drive. I'll try to upload new photos during the post-production as well once I get some free time. The "Kaibigan" music video and the BTS will also be available in around 2 months. I am working on them already, slowly but surely... whenever I have free time here in Korea. So far, it's been such a busy stay. But just like how the Pinoys say it "Kung gusto may paraan..." =p

Let's look forward to a great premiere ahead!!!

And oh, our lead actor Von Arroyo is once again part of the Pinoy Dream Academy of ABS-CBN. You can also check him out there. He's a very different person there compared to Pera-perahan's Nilo. :D Check out Arnold's new films too with Adolf Alix (also starring Ms. Anita Linda) and another one... hmmhhh... Arnold, update me about more details... I forgot the title... :s

Pera-perahang Lata (Penny from the Tin Can) Film Poster

Poster by OJ Desuasido

Dubbing and BTS Shoot at Hit

Thanks to everyone! It was fun seeing everybody again after the shoot :D

Oh, I'm definitely here... it's just that I'm the one taking all the photos hehe! =p

- Rianne

Von Arroyo dubbing additional lines at Hit Productions Studio F, Apr. 13, 2008.




Arnold Reyes dubbing additional lines at Hit Productions Studio D, Apr. 20, 2008.



Philip Arvin Jarilla, our sound engineer, while dubbing additional lines for Paul Sy and Arnold Reyes at Hit Productions Studio D, Apr. 20, 2008.

Gio Respall dubbing additional lines at Hit Productions Studio F, Apr. 13, 2008.


Philip Arvin Jarilla, our sound engineer, while dubbing additional lines for Von Arroyo, Via Antonio, Jocel Vergel de Dios, Gio Respall, and Gigi Pirote at Hit Productions Studio F, Apr. 13, 2008.



Gigi Pirote dubbing additional lines at Hit Productions Studio F, Apr. 13, 2008.


Dustin Uy, our videographer for the BTS of the film, on standby while we finish dubbing at Studio F, Apr. 13, 2008.
Arnold Reyes with friend (out of frame: me, Ayeen and her friend) recording some crowd scenes for the factory sequence at Studio D, Apr. 20, 2008.
Arnold's classical pianist friend, together with Ayeen and friend, (behind Philip our sound engineer who's working on the mixer) checking out our dubbing at Studio D, Apr. 20, 2008.

Via Antonio dubbing additional lines at Hit Production Studio F, Apr. 13, 2008.


BTS of the BTS... DOP Wowie (in red) suddenly becomes SP... interview shot with one of the actors. Dustin shoots with the DVX cam.
Interview for the film's BTS - Actress Jocel Vergel de Dios (Gary's sister role)
Haha! This is funny, our DOP Wowie changes career for a few minutes... as SP and soundperson. How's that for a change? This is how indie film works when you have your friends and colleagues working together, we may be multi-tasking sometimes, but we're having fun. Wehehe!

Some pre-prod video documentation

These videos were shot at McDo Philcoa where we usually had pre-prod meetings. Video shot with a mini dv cam using a memory stick and video in mp4 format.

Just to give you a glimpse of how our meetings are real fun times for us. :D Yes, mostly we are girls in the prod.

Post-production Update for Pera-perahang Lata

To update everyone, I have just finished the offline editing and we are about to work on the sound requirements for the film. It took quite a while as I had to schedule it within the busy work days for a number of productions I've been working at. I did the whole editing work. :) While my sound engineer and musical scorer will be the one hands on with the sound requirements, I'm going to manually edit the EDL file of the offline edit at FCP by putting the correct time code in's and outs' for every shot for the whole film. Yes, that's a little tedious but it's the best option I have given my available resources.

I edited the offline of the film using a Macbook Pro with the downconverted footages from the HD tapes transferred to mini DV tapes with superimposed time codes on the visuals to help me out with the preps for the online editing. And since this is the best option laid down for my resources as approved by Engine Room (I have no available files from the mini DV tapes as it couldn't keep such needed files in the said format; a betacam SP tape could, but I need resources for a betacam SP player to capture the footages using firewire connection to the Macbook Pro - which I don't have, and it would entail great cost if I push through with it) to keep up with the right EDL file which shall serve as the "cut list" of the film for online editing (it's like having a cut list for a film then the negative matcher will follow the said list to come up with the matched negative ready for printing). On this note, I will produce the EDL file from FCP (which will turn out to be a text file in a certain format with the needed information for online editing), then edit the part of the time codes since the ones determined during digitizing are not accurate anymore from what the mini DV tapes could offer, put the correct time code in and time code out for each shot for the whole film - along with this, I also have to transfer the edited elements to 1-2 tracks only (ideally 1 track, and the 2 tracks would be for parts with such transitions/effects as superimpositions and cross dissolves which shall only be possible with at most 2 tracks) at the timeline of FCP (as an EDL produced is in a per track basis). After which, I shall provide the EDL file and the master DVCPRO HD tapes of the rushes and the overcranked shots to Optima for the online editing.

In between, the additional dubbing for certain lines, foley, sound effects, musical scoring, music lay-in, and sound mixing shall be done at Hit Productions. Most likely, I shall also give a copy of the EDL with specifications for the audio to help out the sound engineer to doublecheck the source files from the DVD of the master WAV files of the sound elements - the file name shall appear at every event (every shot) provided by the EDL file and will guide the sound engineer in cases that he would opt to use the master files from the DVD of all the sound elements, primarily the live sound elements, than the originally provided sound elements from the offline edit.

The colorgrading will be done at Optima. And after this, the mixed audio from Hit shall be laid in to prior to the release of the final cut of the film.

The film shall have two versions: one in HD and one in SD. The HD copy will have a master in a DVCPRO HD tape. I still have to inquire about the possibility of an HD copy in digibeta. Otherwise, the masters in digibeta, betacam sp, mini DV, and DVD shall be produced in SD. I am yet to inquire about the blu-ray disc if it's already possible for me to have a master in HD using a blu-ray disc in preparation for what the future has in stored for the said medium being greatly considered as the next generation DVD.

About the possibility of blowing up the film to 35mm, we're still going to explore options. Of course, who wouldn't want a 35mm film print right? Considerably, it has more venues in a number of theaters and festivals and more possibilities of being projected in a theater as a film to be shown prior to, say, a full-length feature (my first two films had such invitations being a film preceding a full-length feature for some film festivals requiring a print instead of a digital copy) - and I really had good venues with the 35mm prints of my first two shorts. But looking into the practical side of things, there are a number of great venues still for the digital format. All in all, it will really be dependent on what resources can be made available for the film. It's good to know that whether I'll have a print during the premiere of the film or I'll have a DVD to be projected in the big screen with the best possible resolution it can offer, I shall have an HD copy in DVCPRO HD tape which shall be ready for blowing up to 35mm some other time in the future. :) Yay.

Anyone with ideas and suggestions that could help us with post-production (primarily in terms of the availability and future of blu-ray, digibeta, and blowing up from HD to 35mm), you may get in touch with me through here or at svelte_rianne@yahoo.com. We will really appreciate all the help that you can offer. Thank you so much!

- Rianne