The Making of 'Balota,' as told by Director Kip Oebanda (Online Exclusive)

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Alamin kung paano nabuo ang konsepto ng 'Balota' mula sa direktor na si Kip Oebanda sa online exclusive video na ito.

Transcript

00:00Actually, the original script is from 2019, I just remembered a story that I heard from

00:18a teacher who was burned along with the ballot box, so he died, he was protecting the ballot

00:24box, he hid the ballot box in the CR, and the school burned it along with the burned

00:29ballot box.

00:30I was preparing for the next election, and I was thinking of a good and inspiring story

00:37of teachers who defend democracy and protect our votes, that's where the idea of a teacher

00:46carrying a ballot box in the woods originated.

00:50But I didn't want it to be a depressing story, I wanted people to fight, I wanted people

00:57to succeed.

00:58It's been a long time since there was a political satire in the Philippines of this scale,

01:04so I wanted to make it a satire, a bit dark, violent, and funny, so it's suspense thriller

01:14and comedy.

01:15During the pandemic, there was a video that Marianne shot where she referenced the classic

01:27film Himalaya.

01:28That's where I saw her depth, how deep she can go in the drama.

01:35At the same time, the film requires action sequences, it requires stunts, it requires

01:40her to go up a tree, to be under the roots of a tree, to be chasing, to be shooting,

01:49and it requires physical strength to pull off the scenes where the teacher carries the

01:54ballot box in the mountains.

01:55It sounds simple, but if you go up a mountain carrying 3 kilos and you run, it's not easy.

02:02All those variables, I think she has emotional depth, I think she has the range for it, I

02:07think she has the physicality for it, which is very important in the film.

02:12And there's a fourth element that for me is very important, the character as a mother.

02:15When we first talked, she told me her maternal instinct, her love for her family, that's

02:21her number one, and that's the character.

02:24So, I felt that the moment I direct her towards making the film about coming home to her family,

02:32it's not going to be a hard job.

02:34And I must say, she's really pulling it off.

02:37I've never seen anything like this.

02:40And I don't think she herself expected how deep, how heavy, how intense, how wild the

02:49characters of Marianne are here that she pulled off.

02:54In fact, on day one with Marianne, it was a heavy scene.

02:58Running, carrying the ballot box.

03:01Of course, as a production, we were careful.

03:03We have a body double, we have a stunt coordinator, we have a very light packing ballot box.

03:09If you pass it to someone, no one will feel it.

03:11On the first take, it was a bit light.

03:14So, she said, let's use the real ballot box from 2007.

03:18There's a bone inside.

03:20It's heavy, it's slender, it's made of steel.

03:24So, she was running with her feet.

03:27After the shoot, she passed a lot.

03:30I said, why didn't you choose the double?

03:34There's an opportunity.

03:35You went up like this, you went up like that, you carried the ballot box.

03:39The actual ballot box, it's old, from 2007.

03:43You had the choice not to do it.

03:45But she wanted to do it.

03:47And she said, because this is what the character is going through.

03:51So, she wanted to go through that.

03:53I told her, it's like going on a cruise in the Philippines.

03:55You do your own stunts, even if it's hard.

03:58It came to the point that we were in the jungle.

04:00She needed to get dirty.

04:01Of course, we had make-up to get dirty.

04:03This is not a ballot box anymore.

04:05When she went up from the shot, her hair was all loose and it was a ballot box.

04:09I mean, not a lot of actresses would be willing to do that.

04:12So, I really respect that.

04:18Our message to the people,

04:20let's think about who we are voting for.

04:22Second, if there are new candidates that are not trapos,

04:26that are emerging, let's support them.

04:29That's the most important thing.

04:31Because if we want change in the Philippines,

04:33we need to understand that we have the power to elect.

04:37On the day of the election, let's be equal.

04:39Their vote is also our vote.

04:41Let's not sell it.

04:43Because a lot of people are making sacrifices.

04:46A lot of people are working hard.

04:48And a lot of people died to defend that right.

04:52Let's take care of it.

04:54So, that's what I'm hoping for.

05:16Let's take care of it.

05:18Let's vote.

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