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Post by insurrectomad on Mar 11, 2009 10:00:47 GMT -5
I have got the College of Performing Arts in Angeles City, Pampanga willing to make a short drama film about Gen. Luna's attempt to arrest & confront Gen. Mascardo on the eve of the Battle of Bagbag. It will be the centennial anniversary in a few weeks time, so we believe a short drama doc. may be accepted on one of the Nat. TV. progs. We plan to show how Luna enraged by Mascardo's defiant message challenging Luna to come and get him marches to Guagua with a large body of troops to arrest Mascardo. We will film Luna being placated by the Mayor and the band of local beauty 'queens' including the young maiden that Mascardo had wooed away from the lovesick Luna. this group of belles including the Nat. Chief Nurse of the Phil. Red Cross, knelt before The gen. each with a bouquet of flowers crying & pleading with him accept the submission of Mascardo & rest while Mascardo is summoned before him. (Cut to) the priests and company persuading Mascardo to submit & obey Luna's request for troops & to obey his superior commander. Both men were asked to think of their country first, the casualties if troops loyal to each gen began fighting, etc. Final scene of Luna being led through a military/field hospital by the still tearful Head Nurse of red Cross reveals the cost of the 2 gens pride & dispute over a sweetheart as men are seen groaning from their wounds and a horse drawn cart carries away the dead. we will have to stick to close-ups for the battle-ground shots, smoking debris etc. and students 'dead bodies' at long shot soft focus. But I need some help with historic details though. Did the gens shake hands, or just exchange salutes? Did they ride together side by side to Calumpit or did each, ride in front of his own troops with Luna to the head? Mascardo as you know was at Arayrat 20 miles away from his troops in Guagua with the young woman. he protested ever after he was inspecting new troops. we have a male star from Miss Saigon Film on board already & My Asawa's cousin was/is still? a big Fil. actor. who I hope can open some doors if nothing else. the college has small but high-tec cameras, many costumes including some uniforms. A few rifles is all we need for the Generals guards! Hoping the lads in Manila will like to play their part. Don't think we plan to have any firing of them, just distant artillery sounds. The plan is to use this 15min slot to gain support for a 30mins/1hr drama-doc. of B. of San Mateo ready for 111th anniversary next year 19 Dec. 2010. I've been asked to supply a rough draft script by next wk! So help with Q's above would be welcome. Salute! David
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macky
History Student
Posts: 63
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Post by macky on Mar 11, 2009 11:13:43 GMT -5
Hi Sir,
Try G. Vevencio Jose's book(The rise and fall of Gen. Antonio Luna)it might help you.
Rgds,
Macky
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macky
History Student
Posts: 63
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Post by macky on Mar 11, 2009 11:28:27 GMT -5
Sorry for coming back, When it comes to Luna you also need to read Gen. Jose Alejandrino's memoir(The Price of Freedom)for more information about him(Luna)
Macky
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Post by insurrectomad on Mar 11, 2009 21:59:52 GMT -5
Thanks Macky, I'll try getting the books.
Insurrectomad
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Post by 79thfoot on Mar 29, 2009 19:36:32 GMT -5
If you need help with the script or shooting, let me know. I was a film major in UP and I've done a lot of editing and play-type productions as well as scriptwriting ;-)
BTW, sorry to have missed you last Sat! I was at CosplayCon but I came in late. Clyde and Nono told me you were there.
Salutes, Tom
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Post by VeeVee on Mar 30, 2009 5:47:54 GMT -5
Did you take screenwriting class as part of your major?
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Post by insurrectomad on Mar 30, 2009 9:16:16 GMT -5
Sorry to have missed you too 79thFoot! Cosplay Con. was great & I had time to talk to Ding & Selwyn. I would be thrilled to have you film & direct & help in script writing . It would be in Angeles though; is that OK? I'M hoping that the details i need now will be supplied by Danny Dizon, as he seems to know a great deal of local history related to all the fighting and events in Pampanga during this time. It's only a short Film of 15 to 20 mins, as a stepping stone means to gain interest and financial backing for a drama/docu of the Battle of San Mateo. Pipe Dream would be to get (A) a Fil. TV producer to take on a Hist. of the War 1896-1904 series or at least a Hist/doc Soap of 6 episodes & (B) to create a large reenactment society to field an event such as you see in Europe or America. VEE VEE, If you are asking ME if I took a major in Scriptwriting? No is the answer, But as Head of media resources/audio-visual aids at the school where I worked; I often got left the task of working up scripts, stage designing etc. I collaborated with the performing arts faculty staff. In the States I would have been called a MRO I think. Amongst many other duties expected of london MRO's is to 'head -up' the Schools/college P.R. and promotions with schemes to raise money. I picked up a few things from attending the committees. That's all really, just as this venture in growing from a rough draft of 6 pages. Quick thought to 76thfoot-- do you have a framed recruiting poster in the Manila bar you frequent? Our Nap. Grenzer Regt. has one in 4 pubs in London, and at 2 Unis, 2 TA bars, (Nat.Guard) 2 Rugby clubs and a police station. Bolomen & spearmen as beginners and slowly buy up the kit to be riflemen. A showing of 20 to 50 reenacters in Manila in time for 2010 (IIIyrs anni) would course a big stire of interest I think and not beyond doing? regards David
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Post by RayAdillO on Mar 31, 2009 4:00:06 GMT -5
Oh how exiciting, I wish I were in the Philippines to help out, even just to portray a Filipino volunteer "water carrier" for the thirsty troops, he, he ;D
I've already discussed this with Perry and Ding when I was in Manila summer of last year but I think it's worth mentioning a couple of things to enhance your project:
1) You can make a short music video that will promote your film or TV series.
You can use this South African music video as a template.
-Take note, the 2nd Anglo-Boer War happened about the same time as the Fil-Am War, 1899-1900s
-The Fil-Am War too had mausers, internment camps, trenches, etc.
-Just change the lyrics into a tagalog theme, keep the "western-style" melody which is popular with Filipinos anyway (remember those April Boy Regino hits?)
-get a rakish-looking young male local singer to sing it
-change the "boers" into Filipino katipunero soldiers
-change the British soldiers into U.S. troops.
AND YOU'VE GOT A NEW KARAOKE HIT!
2) It would be a unique production if you can introduce some of the "technologies" used during the period:
This is something essential to a proper depiction of "modern war" the way Antonio Luna tried to wage it.
-You can make a train or railway sequence.
-I believe there are still some small working turn of the century steam engines being used in one of those sugar plantations in Tarlac which run on squeezed out sugar cane stalks?
-or maybe even just a sequence showing the use of a telegraph machine, or maybe of soldiers cutting wires from telegraph poles.
-there is a vintage Gatling gun, a small Spanish Krupp artillery piece, and a Spanish nordenfelt both of which work and whose owners can be contacted here in L.A. for a few firing sequences. Some skillful editing can make stateside sequences look continuous with Philippine sequences.
3) I think the most important scene would be the sequence when General Luna finally confronts Mascardo, Here's how I understand it:
- When Luna and Mascardo finally came face to face, Luna was immaculate in his uniform on horseback while Mascardo was sitting alone in a small horse carriage or "buggy", expressionless. Both their troops were in assembled formation with a clear view of the proceedings.
By this time, Mascado was resigned to back down, Luna on horseback slowly positioned with his horse by Mascardo's side and said in a clear stern (but collected and not angry) voice something like......"General Mascardo, are you ready to obey all orders from your superior officers? Mascardo did not exactly respond vocally at first, but he slowly bowed down his head, closed his eyes and nodded saying.."Yes General".
Mascardo may have been defiant, but he is a dandified courtier at heart who knows how to back down when he is cornered.
At this point, General Luna told Mascardo something like.."General Mascardo, we will forget this incident", then Luna issued his orders to Mascardo, then Mascardo to his lieutenants, and so on......
4) In the depiction of General Antonio Luna, it would be good to avoid the mistake of making him look like he's always raving mad, as they often do with depictions of Hitler. Luna can be quite charming and affable in demeanor, otherwise he would never have had a loyal following among his officers and men who appreciated his gifted command, it's just that when he does get mad, he can get over the top.
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Post by insurrectomad on Mar 31, 2009 5:58:37 GMT -5
The Musical/C.D.is a great idea & I was telling Ding & Selwyn ( Rep.Cav. Col. & Spanish Guardia) at the Cosplay Convention in Manila Sat. about the audio cassette tape my friends And I made of popular marching and drinking songs of the of the English Civil War. Our Capt. Martin Hazil was a profession folk singer & history teacher and had a friend who had a small recording studio, I designed the cassette sleeve and illustrated song book. One side was Royalist & Rounhead (Republican) songs, the other drinking songs. The profits paid for a large Marque tent, 2 Toilet tents, 20 pairs of hand made leather 'clogs' for the troops, plus authentic field kitchen with cooking-cauldron and tri-pod and small wooden 'Death-Cart'. I will try and E-Mail the draft script I have to you. I would welcome your feed back! Insurrectomad
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Post by insurrectomad on Mar 31, 2009 6:35:13 GMT -5
Just seen the Utube film/song. Yes, great! We could do something like that. i like the telegraph idea as you can have operator tapping message to the beat, wire cutting, followed by ambush of US engineers & patrol sent to fix it, and rescue company as Patriots fade into the jungle again. I only wish the utube film would round from begining to end & not stop every other second!! Very frustrating. The Angeles Performing Arts Academy could sing anything easily. Their siging coach sang in Miss Saigon movie, and I have 2 nephews who are local Karaoke 'stars' so that's no problem. All we need is a good-smith and tune.
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Post by 79thfoot on Mar 31, 2009 7:58:06 GMT -5
Yup, we took EVERYTHING lolz... well almost. We're all required to submit a film for our thesis so we did acting, directing, camera work, editing, etc. I've only recently added costume design to that list.
"Bolomen & spearmen as beginners and slowly buy up the kit to be riflemen. A showing of 20 to 50 reenacters in Manila in time for 2010 (IIIyrs anni) would course a big stire of interest I think and not beyond doing? regards David "
That's my dream too - especially after participating in the reenactment battle last year at Ft.MacArthur. I've got at least one recruit - my superhero sidekick (lolz) Evan, who invariably plays the Royal Marine to my British Admiral/Commodore and Wachtbattalion Landser to my Stauffenberg. I'm thinking if more people could get interested in history thru this - through REALLY well done productions, we might see more kids actually giving of themselves to help their country.
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Post by insurrectomad on Apr 1, 2009 4:01:53 GMT -5
I agree Tom, I've just seen the poem "Bataan falls" If we can only find a fitting tune to go with it, a CD would be in the bag! --David
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Post by ibarramedia on Apr 11, 2009 0:38:14 GMT -5
Too bad there are no pictures of this event.
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Post by insurrectomad on Apr 27, 2009 3:00:31 GMT -5
It's not quite good P.R. to highlight a fallout between 2 leading gens. on the eve of a major battle! The poor "Paparatzi" would probably be shot at the orders of either gen!
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