Looking Back at Jon Red’s Still Lives Part 1

It was one of those relatively uneventful years for Philippine cinema – 1999 did not have any big scandals, no elections for actors to run, dance, and sing in, no international film festival awards to speak of. Regal Films and Viva Films, together with Seiko and Star Cinema, provided the Filipino audience with most of the films produced in 1999 with titles such as Scorpio Nights 2, Katawan, Ang Kabit ni Mrs. Montero, Banatan, Warat, Isprikitik, Unfaithful Wife 2—Sana’y Huwag Akong Maligaw, and Walastik Kung Pumitik. Amidst the mediocre yield in 1999, a few films received critical recognition such as Mario O’Hara’s Sisa and Jeffrey Jeturian’s Pila Balde which won a special prize at the Cinemanila International Film Festival and screened in festivals abroad such as the Goteberg, Munich and Singapore. Philippine cinema also saw the emergence of Lav Diaz with two films - Burger Boys and Hubad sa Ilalim ng Buwan (Naked Under the Moon), both shown at the Berlin Film Festival. The annual Metro Manila Film Festival conducted every December yielded films such as Esperanza, Sa Piling ng Aswang, Pepeng Agimat, and Ako ang Lalagot sa Hininga Mo with Marilou Diaz Abaya’s Muro-Ami bagging the Best Picture award over the more critically acclaimed Bulaklak ng Maynila by Joel Lamangan.

Amidst all the noise of the Christmas festivities and the brouhaha that is the MMFF, a full-length independently produced film shot using a digital video camera, Jon Red’s Still Lives, was shown at the Mowelfund compound in December 1999. This signaled the emergence of digital cinema in the Philippines.

It has been ten years since and Jon Red, also known as Juan Pula, commemorated the event quietly by watching Still Lives all alone on December 31, 2009. Then he wrote an email to friends and colleagues, including me, “huling araw ngayon ng 2009. 7pm na. Kakatapos ko lang manood mag-isa ng unang feature length film ko, isang komedya tungkol sa mga drug-pushers.” (It’s the last day of 2009. 7pm. I just finished watching my first feature length film, a ‘comedia’ about drug-pushers). Written, directed, and co-produced by Red together with Lawrence Cordero, Seleena Cordero and Carol Bunuan Red, Red reveals, “Kasama ang ilang kamag-anak at kaibigan, sampung taon na mula nung ginawa namin ang isang digital film na tinawag kong thesis. Kasi parang study lang siya o experiment o gawa ng ilang “estudyante” ng pelikula. Walang expectations sa proyektong yun...hindi para makakuha ng recognitions at lalong hindi para kumita ng pera.” (Together with some family and friends, it’s been 10 years since we made a digital film that I like to call thesis. It was just a study or an experiment or a film made by film “students.” I had no expectations for the project. I did not do it to get recognition and definitely not to earn money).

The film’s tagline declares, “The camera does not move, but the characters do.” The camera lies still for the entire duration of the film but the narrative, an intriguing look into a world of drugs and crime, dynamically moves through the lives of the different characters – the druglord Enteng, played by the late Ray Ventura, and his minions, police, and customers played by top theater and movie actors Joel Torre, Nonie Buencamino, Allan Paule, and Soliman Cruz while Ynez Veneracion who plays the role of the mistress. The camera acts much like a voyeur, never moving and interfering with the acts and actions of the characters, but exposing the inner workings of drug trafficking in the metropolis.

Red’s personal account on the how Still Lives started is priceless: “Kung totoong siya ang “first full length digital film” sa Pinas, na tulad ng sabi ng ilan—aksidente lang yun. (If it is true that it is the “first full length digital film” in the Philippines, as some people say – it was just an accident.” In a personal interview with me, Red reveals “Incidentally, because the camera is borrowed from Chuck and the camera is digital, then it became the first digital film.” He did not aspire or plan to make the first ever digital full-length film in the Philippines; it was just a matter of circumstance and need.

Red initially planned to use a Betacam for Still Lives but a tragic event happened. Red discloses, “Betacam dapat ang gagamitin namin. Kaso, nung 5am na nung araw ng shoot, tinawagan ako ni Lawrence Cordero (producer/editor) para sabihing magrenta na lang ako ng camera. Sagot daw niya ang gastos…. Nagsuicide daw the night before ang caretaker ng betacam camera niya. (I was supposed to use a Betacam. But Lawrence Cordero called me 5:00 a.m. on the day of the shoot to tell me to just rent a camera and he will take care of the expenses. The caretaker of his Betacam committed suicide the night before.).” Red did not want to push through with the shoot because of the tragic incident, “Bad vibes, karma, whatever.” But he thought it would be unfair to the actors who confirmed to suddenly call off the shoot. So Red decided to push through but instead of renting a Betacam which costs P10,000 a day back then, Red told Cordero that he will try to borrow a camera first. So Red called Chuck Escasa, a fellow filmmaker, who owns a Sony digital video camera – a VX 1000. When Red told Chuck what happened, he just asked, “OK, anong oras mo kailangan ang camera? Ambait. (OK, what time do you need the camera? He’s very kind.)” Red saw a glimmer of home, “Mukhang may pag-asa ha. Baka sa pagkamatay ng isa, may puwedeng mabuhay muli. (Seems like there is hope. Maybe in the death of one person, something can come alive again).”

Red tells the story of their first day of shoot. “Pasado 9am. Nung nasa set na kami ni Carol (partner/producer/best friend) sa bahay ni Ate Net sa murphy, nakaset up na si kuya Danny (designer). Dumating si Ruben Lee (lighting director/actor) na may dalang mic na napangako niya. Pagcheck ko...pangkaraoke! Nagngitian na lang kami ni Ruben. (Past 9 a.m. Carol and I were already in the set in the house of Ate Net in Murphy. Danny Red, my brother, has already set-up. Ruben Lee arrived with the microphone he promised to bring. When I checked…it was for karaoke! Ruben and I just smiled aty each other).” So Red called Nolet Clemente, a soundman who worked with his brother, filmmaker Raymond Red, and Clemente agreed to lend his sound equipment for free.

Their conversation went like this: “Nolet nasan ka?/ Nasa bangko./ Anong ginagawa mo- nagwiwithdraw o deposit? / Deposit. / Ibig sabihin may pera ka. Ibig sabihin makakapagpahiram ka ng gamit kahit walang budget?/ Oo ba.Kelan? / Kanina pa dapat. / Bigyan mo ko ng isang oras, dadating ako diyan. ---Grabe ambait din. (Red: Nolet where are you? Nolet: In the bank. Red: What are you doing – withdrawing or depositing? Nolet: Depositing. Red: That means you have money. That means you can lend your equipment without budget. Nolet: Sure. When? Red: Hours ago. Nolet: Give me one hour. I’ll be there. – Wow he is also very kind.)”

Red employed a lot of improvisation during the actual production. For instance, Red shot an interview scene with Ynez Veneracion as a rape victim which resulted in 12-minute footage which had the look and feel of a documentary film. The actors were as Red describes, “Express na express, may freedom. (They have freedom to express themselves)” and were all very generous actors. The filmmaking process was also a collaborative process between the actors and the filmmaker - Nonie Buencamino asked Red about the background of his character and Red told him that the script provides half of the character and that Buencamino should provide the other half. Red reminisces fondly, “Ok ang shoot. Totoong beer ang ginamit namin kaya hapon pa lang lasheng na mga artista. (The shoot was OK. We used real beer, the actors ended up drunk by afternoon.)

After the first shooting day, they just placed masking tapes to mark the position of the camera tripod. They came back a week after when all the actors were available again and found that the masking tapes have been removed making it difficult for them to place the camera in the exact same location. Red narrates, “…may nagtanggal ng masking tapes na marker para sa pwesto ng tripod sa sahig. Eh dapat nga STILL eh. Pero nagawan naman ng paraan, using the TV monitor. Tanchahan na lang. (The masking tapes we used for marking the spot of the tripod was removed. The camera was supposed to be in the exact same position. We were able to solve the problem using the TV monitor, we just approximated the spot).”

Red, a graduate of the Philippine High School for the Arts, used his experience in directing TV shows such Philippines Most Wanted where he learned how to shoot fast and cheap. He decided to shoot from only one angle since it significantly reduced the cost of production as opposed to multiple set-up which entails longer shooting time. He also decided to use limited or no lighting at all to make it look like a surveillance video. Red likens his film to a stage play wherein there is a fixed perspective with the camera locked in one place yet he still employed film techniques such as close-up shots and full shots with dissolves and jump cuts though the shots look like they were unedited. He shared that the longest take was fifteen minutes. Red confesses that he likes shooting in just one location and usually in just one day for a simple reason – it is cheap. He claims that there is no philosophy behind it - it was a pragmatic decision.

Taking only two days to shoot, Red shares that he spent P30, 000.00, some on lights and equipment but mostly for the food and drinks for the actors that he just bought from the nearby food stalls. “Actually, binili lang sa Glo-lyn’s, karinderya sa kanto. Ginandahan lang naming ang presentation. Nung maglu-lunch na nga, humiram pa ko ng P3,000 kay kuya Danny habang pinakuha’t pinacash ko ang latest check ko sa ABSCBN foundation (P12,000 ata)...kasi wala naman talagang panggastos sa project. (We just bought from Glo-lyn’s, a neighborhood food stall. We just fixed the presentation. Before lunch, I just borrowed P3,000.00 from Kuya Danny while I had my cheque from ABSCBN Foundation (P12,000 I think) picked up and encashed. We really did not have any money to spend for the project).” Red used his personal money while some of friends and family helped. Everyone worked for free including the actors.

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