{"id":61897,"date":"2015-09-25T12:00:40","date_gmt":"2015-09-25T04:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=61897"},"modified":"2015-09-23T17:12:47","modified_gmt":"2015-09-23T09:12:47","slug":"global-filipino-jerrold-tarog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2015\/09\/25\/global-filipino-jerrold-tarog\/","title":{"rendered":"Global Filipino: Jerrold Tarog"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Making of an Epic
\n<\/strong>Award-winning filmmaker Jerrold Tarog sits down with the Philippine Canadian Inquirer to talk about \u2018Heneral Luna\u2019, his craft, and making it to the Oscars.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Award-winning<\/a>
Award-winning filmmaker, writer, director, composer, and musical director Jerrold Tarog (Photo by Leovic Arceta)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When award-winning filmmaker Jerrold Tarog (\u2018Sana Dati,\u2019 \u2018Confessional\u2019) started playing with the idea of making a historical movie, he knew he didn\u2019t want any of the usually glorified heroes from school textbooks.<\/p>\n

He wanted something more. He wanted a complex \u201canti-hero.\u201d Enter Gen. Antonio Luna.<\/p>\n

Historical movies are nothing new, often assigned as required viewing for history classes. But \u201cHeneral Luna\u201d is no ordinary historical film. It gives more than justice to its genre\u2014it is a historical epic.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Gen.<\/a>
Gen. Antonio Luna has fire and passion beyond reason (Screenshot from theatrical trailer)0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Beginning<\/strong>
\n\u201cHeneral Luna\u201d follows the life and tragic death of Gen. Antonio Luna, a brilliant Ilustrado who became one of the country\u2019s greatest military tacticians. The General is also famous for his temper, intensity, and boisterous laughter.<\/p>\n

The movie was based on Vivencio R. Jose\u2019s book \u201cThe Rise and Fall of Antonio Luna\u201d and Jerrold admits this is his biggest project so far.<\/p>\n

With over 500 extras plus the main cast and crew, it took more or less three years to complete the movie. But the original script itself\u2014written in English by Henry Francia (\u2020) and Executive Producer Eduardo Rocha\u2014was 17 years old when Jerrold asked their permission to turn their words into film.<\/p>\n

\u201cMalakas \u2018yung feeling ko na maraming makaka-relate sa kanya given na \u2018yung struggles niya noon ay struggles pa rin natin ngayon,<\/em>\u201d Jerrold said.<\/p>\n

(I have a good feeling that a lot of people would relate to him, given that his struggles back then are still our struggles today.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Left<\/a>
Left to right: COL. MANUEL BERNAL (Art Acu\u00f1a), COL. PACO ROMAN (Joem Bascon), CAPT. EDUARDO RUSCA (Archie Alemania), GEN. ANTONIO LUNA (John Arcilla), GEN. JOSE ALEJANDRINO (Alvin Anson), CAPT. JOSE BERNAL (Alex Medina) Photo courtesy of ‘Heneral Luna’ on Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Perfect Cast<\/strong>
\nIn order to achieve the delicate balance between drama and comedy with the Philippine-American War as the backdrop, Jerrold and his team at Artikulo Uno Productions had to make sure they have the perfect actor for each role.<\/p>\n

For the role Luna, Jerrold shared three actors were considered: John Lloyd Cruz, Mark Abaya, and John Arcilla. Casting Cruz would ensure a box-office hit, but his contract at that time kept Cruz from working on other projects.<\/p>\n

Jerrold recalled feeling relieved when the producers agreed to take on the route of integrity in building the film. This left Abaya and Arcilla bidding for the role of the feisty general.<\/p>\n

\u201cPareho silang may<\/em> (they both have this) fire\u2026 but we went with John (Arcilla) because he was more experienced,\u201d Jerrold said, adding that he\u2019s still thankful that Abaya agreed to do a cameo in the movie as the younger Antonio Luna.<\/p>\n

It goes without saying that Arcilla was tailor-made for the role of Antonio Luna. From his stance to his mustache to the indefatigable fire in his eyes, he lived and breathed the General\u2019s intensity.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Gen.<\/a>
Gen. Antonio Luna was one of the greatest military tactician in the Philippines (Facebook)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Line Between Fact and Fiction<\/strong>
\nThe beginning of the movie shows a disclaimer saying \u201ccreative liberties\u201d have been taken in making the film to accentuate the story. Jerrold openly pointed out which parts of the movie were embellished with fiction, but for the sake of those who haven\u2019t seen the movie yet, this author won\u2019t discuss it here.<\/p>\n

Despite fictional content, a painstaking amount of research and consultation with historians and experts were still done in order to keep the story as historically accurate as possible. From the General\u2019s outbursts to the buttons of the military uniforms, the team worked day and night\u2014some even had to go through a balikbayan box of research material\u2014to make sure every detail was correct. Jerrold said all this attention to detail was the main difference of \u201cHeneral Luna\u201d compared to his previous projects.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Direk<\/a>
Direk Jerrold said the most challenging scenes to shoot were the battle scenes, but they still managed to insert some comic relief. (Screenshot from theatrical trailer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Importance of Comic Relief<\/strong>
\nIf you\u2019ve already seen the movie, you\u2019d know how the film struck the perfect balance between historical accuracy and natural dialogue. According to Jerrold, one of the goals of \u201cHeneral Luna\u201d was to \u201cportray heroes as human beings\u2014flaws and all.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the gravity of the film\u2019s message, the movie was also intentionally peppered with moments of comic relief as homage to the unbreakable Filipino spirit.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Yung idea na ang Pilipino sa gitna ng calamity, may mahahanap na katutuwaan \u2018yan,<\/em>\u201d Jerrold said. \u201cTapatan mo ng camera, ngingiti \u2018yan.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

(The idea that Filipinos, even in the middle of a calamity, will find something amusing\u2026 Point a camera at them and they\u2019ll smile.)<\/p>\n

For 31 days in the span of three months, the team shot scenes from various locations in Ilocos, Tarlac, Laguna, Batangas, and Bataan\u2014using digital manipulation and on-set production to turn modern day locations into 1898 Philippines. And in those days, Jerrold and his team worked hard to make sure every scene was as unburdened with high falluting words, resulting to a more natural discourse between the characters.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The General’s last moments (Screenshot from theatrical trailer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Death Scene
\n<\/strong>Spoiler Alert: Gen. Luna dies.<\/p>\n

The General\u2019s death is one of the most heartbreaking things this author has ever seen. And all that heartbreak, according to Jerrold, was intentional.<\/p>\n

\u201cAng ini-imagine ni<\/em> Ed Rocha was something closer to [Quentin] Tarantino, with all the blood and gore,\u201d he recalled. \u201c[We decided] na madugo parin pero mas masakit panoorin, ganon nalang \u2018yung treatment namin.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

(Ed Rocha was imagining something closer to the films of Quentin Tarantino, with all the blood and gore\u2026 We decided to still make it bloody, but more painful to watch, that\u2019s the treatment we went with.)<\/p>\n

The movie\u2019s vague portrayal of who\u2019s the bad guy and who\u2019s the good guy was intentionally done to keep the audience thinking, according to Jerrold.<\/p>\n

\""[Gen.<\/a>
“[Gen. Luna’s] struggles back then are still our struggles today.” (Screenshot from theatrical trailer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\u201cBahala silang lumabas na may sarili silang<\/em> interpretation (It\u2019s up to them to walk out with their own interpretation),\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2019Pag napanood niyo \u2018yung pelikula, pwede mo siyang tignan as Luna vs. Aguinaldo, or mga probinsya vs. Cavite, pero itapon niyo lahat \u2018yon. Ang mas tignan niyo \u2018yung angle na Filipino vs. Filipino,<\/em>\u201d Jerrold pointed out during one of their school visits in Cavite.<\/p>\n

(When you watch the movie, you can look at it as Luna vs. Aguinaldo, or the provinces vs. Cavite, but throw all [those ideas] away. You should look at the angle of Filipino vs. Filipino.)<\/p>\n

Indeed, the General\u2019s last minutes are not for the faint of heart. But true to historical accounts, the brutal murder of Luna today just stands as another reminder of the movie\u2019s famous line: \u201cMay mas malaki tayong kalaban kaysa mga Amerikano — ang ating sarili.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

(We have an even greater enemy aside from the Americans — ourselves.)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Paulo<\/a>
Paulo Avelino as Gen. Gregorio Del Pilar (Screenshot from theatrical trailer)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Trilogy<\/strong>
\nJerrold has solid plans of making two more historical epics after \u201cHeneral Luna.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s sort of like an Aguinaldo trilogy,\u201d he said. \u201cThe sequel is [already planned] in my head. If hindi man<\/em> with the same financer, I\u2019ll find another way to make it happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

He plans on making a follow-up movie to \u201cHeneral Luna\u201d depicting the life of Gregorio Del Pilar, one of the youngest officials in the Philippine military and an alleged henchman of Aguinaldo. Jerrold said he\u2019s already planned the Battle of Tirad Pass in his head.<\/p>\n

The last movie in the trilogy will be about the presidential race between Aguinaldo and Manuel Quezon.<\/p>\n

For him, his historical epics are \u201cnot about cleaning up the names of certain people,\u201d but it aims to show the infighting among Filipinos.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"'Heneral<\/a>
‘Heneral Luna’ on Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Overwhelming Support<\/strong>
\nWhen \u201cHeneral Luna\u201d debuted on September 9th, it was being shown in over 100 cinemas nationwide. On their second week, the number of cinemas dwindled to half. But as of posting, the historical epic is back on more than 100 cinemas. The movie is going strongly into its third week.<\/p>\n

With the pleasant surprise of the success of \u201cHeneral Luna\u201d\u2014despite several establishments declining to show support for the movie before its premiere\u2014Jerrold said he was not expecting the people\u2019s positive response.<\/p>\n

\u201cSanay na ko sa ganon, mas nagulat nga ako na dumadami (ang cinemas). Mas sanay ako sa<\/em> disappointment,\u201d Jerrold said.<\/p>\n

(I\u2019m used to that, I was actually surprised that the number of cinemas is increasing. I\u2019m more used to disappointment.)<\/p>\n

He adds, \u201cYou don\u2019t make movies expecting [great] response. You just go in there, do your best to tell the story, and just cross your fingers.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Jerrold, making the movie was about creating something entertaining with a strong social significance.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were trying for something higher, trying to transcend the idea of movie promotions,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re making this an act of nation building.\u201d<\/p>\n

As of posting, their marketing team is also in the process of planning a U.S. theatrical release in October or November of this year, with hopeful plans of a Canadian premiere, as well. Jerrold also assured this writer that a DVD release of \u201cHeneral Luna\u201d is in the works.<\/p>\n

With the huge success of the movie, \u201cHeneral Luna\u201d has been chosen by the Film Academy of the Philippines as the country\u2019s official entry to the 2016 Academy Awards for the Foreign Language Film category.<\/p>\n

Jerrold, being a veteran of international film competitions and festivals, sent a message to the Philippine Canadian Inquirer, saying, \u201cWe made \u2018Luna\u2019 with the Filipino audience in mind and that\u2019s all that matters to me personally. Anything outside of that is a welcome bonus.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWe were trying for something higher, trying to transcend the idea of movie promotions,\u201d Director Jerrold Tarog said of ‘Heneral Luna.’ \u201cWe\u2019re making this an act of nation building.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":61909,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1482,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61897","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-breaking","category-filipino-canadian-in-focus","mauthors-ching-dee","mauthors-philippine-canadian-inquirer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61897","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61897"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61897\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61897"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61897"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61897"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}