Bloggers Invited to Tour of Cutting Edge & "Dayo"

Yesterday, a group of Pinoy bloggers, along with my 2 sisters and I, were invited to take a tour of Cutting Edge Productions, the company who is producing the much anticipated animated film "Dayo" (which will be released internationally as "Wanderer").

It tells the story of Bubuy, a child who goes on a quest to save his abducted grandparents. He meets Anna, a teenage manananggal who helps him enter the enchanted world of Elementalia, a magical place populated by creatures of Philippine Lower Mythology. There, he embarks upon a great adventure that would change him forever.

Over lunch, we spoke to some bloggers about the state of Philippine folklore today. Children nowadays were no longer familliar with creatures like Kapres or Tikbalangs. The creatures that elders used to threaten us as children (Magpakabait ka! Kung hindi, kainin ka ng Aswang!) has now been replaced by threats that are a bit closer to home (Magpakabait ka! Kung hindi, huhulihin ka ng pulis!). Because of that, children of this generation do not have vast imaginations and creatures of folklore have become endangered species.

After a satisfying lunch courtesy of Cutting Edge (catered, by the way!), we were taken to the studio where the main animation took place. Wow! Each animator sat in front of a Wacom tablet/monitor animating with what seemed like ease. Talk about cutting edge! I cannot be sure how many units there were but I would put an estimate at 15 units in that room. That was pretty impressive. Many of the animators and other members of Cutting Edge were more than willing to answer many of our questions regarding the equipment, the characters, and the story (without giving too much away).

We also got to meet some characters from the movie: There's Buboy, a kid who dreams of flying; Anna, a mananaggal (manananggirl) who claims to be vegetarian; and Narsi, a very vain and narcissistic Tikbalang (thus the name Narsi). They also pointed out that the manananggals in this film have 2 sets of wings, so they don't need to keep flapping when they want to just hover. The second set was loacted on the lower back and beat rapidly, like a humming bird. Nice!

The next part of the tour took us to the area where coloring was done. Again, I was impressed. Adding the colors and shadings seemed to bring the characters to life. After that, we went by batches to a smaller room where the music was being created. We met "Dayo" composer and Executive Producer Jessie Lasaten, who showed us the "Dayo" trailer along with some exclusive, never-before-seen clips from the movie. He also treated us to a sample of the score and a preview of the song "Lipad," of which there are 2 versions: one sung by the talented Lea Salonga and another sung by an up and coming band from SonyBMG. We were also informed that the score will be recorded with a full orchestra in a few weeks time. He even informed us that they had a recording with Joey Ayala the day before. Wow! Lea Salonga and Joey Ayala in a film about creatures of Philippine folklore. No other combination could have made me want to watch a movie so badly!

Last on the line-up was a session with "Dayo" director Robert Quilao. He showed us more exclusive never-before-seen clips from the movie (though many of them were still unfinished). This production used some big names in the industry to bring the characters to life. These include: Michael V, Peque Gallaga, Pokwang, and Johnny Delgado. We were shown a clip introducing Narsi, the narcissistic Tikbalang, which I thought Michael V portrayed very well (Definitely better than his role in the other animated film "Urduja."). Like everyone else in Cutting Edge, Robert Quilao was more than happy to answer all our questions. Yes, they are planning sequels.

After the tour, we said our goodbyes and made our way home.

So, here are my thoughts on the company and the upcoming film:

-I like the fact that from the trailers and the few clips we saw, it was easy to see that the characters have... well... character! I mean, a vegetarian manananggal and a self-obsessed Tikbalang! Imagine that! Even Buboy seemed to have this tactless innocence about him when he referred to Anna as a halimaw. I hate to compare "Dayo" with "Urduja" (okay, that's not true) but the latter seemed to have characters that were so... generic. Where are the quirks? And don't get me started on historical accuracy!

-Music is great! I may be a bit biased because I'm a huge fan of Lea Salonga and Joey Ayala, but the score was wonderful. And we've only been treated to a digital rendition. I can only imagine what it sounds like with a full orchestra.

-Buboy looks like a character from my elementary textbook. It's not a bad thing. They wanted a Filipino feel to it... there you go!

-Good marketing strategy.

Bloggers can be the worst critics. They have no limitations or censors and readers can get the most honest opinion about any topic from them. And so, Cutting Edge has decided to invite the bloggers over to their studio for a tour and to answer all of thier questions. My sister thought it was a pretty devious strategy. I cannot help but agree. I think it was also a very smart move on thier part. Make the bloggers feel special and they can definitely say something good about you. Put their guard down with a good meal, then wow them with high-end equipment and big names. I was certainly impressed. But what truly struck me about the tour was their dedication to the project. It really showed!

On the way home, my sisters and I talked animatedly about the tour. My sister turned to me and asked: "Are you just saying all these nice stuff about them because they fed you?" That made me think. The names and the equipment were great. Joey Ayala and Lea Salonga really helped give me a good impression of the production. So did the freebies! :-) But at the end of the day, it was their passion for "Dayo" that won me over. They believed in it so much, it made me a believer, too. But the food definitely helped!

"Dayo" is an official entry to the 2008 Metro Manila Film Festival and will be shown in local theatres sometime December. Definitely a must-see!