Filming principally a big screen project and finally wrapping it up requires a thorough preparation and seamless, rigorous processes to make sure a successful activity is achieved.
In the pre-production stage alone, location hunting, closing agreements, terms and conditions with owners or overseers of the prospective sites, securing permits, determining the space and time probability, for instance, in transporting sets, technical requirements, actors, crew and other artistic staff etc., from one place to the next must be judiciously planned and deemed implemented to avoid unnecessary delays, creative fiasco and other production problems that may cause extra expenditures on the part of the producer or simply, professional oversight.
Such is the case of the movie "Umbag," a female boxing narrative which was produced by GBH Films and directed by Siniloan, Laguna Pride John Ad. Castillo.
The film which is currently touring international film festivals has meticulously determined the doability and reliability of locations.
According to John, during his pre-prod meets, he emphasized the importance of foresight, practicality and logic in each shooting day.
"Marami kaming locations pero sinisiguro ko na praktikal, sakto sa mga eksena at hindi magastos, swak sa budget ang bawat araw. Magsisimula kami sa Siniloan, tapos, pupunta kami sa Cavite, sa Tagaytay. Tapos, sa ibang araw, sa Angeles City naman. Then, sa Maynila (We had many locations but I saw to it that our location choices each day were practical, adaptable to the scenes, appropriate to the budget etc. We started shooting in Siniloan, then in other parts of the country)," recalled Ad. Castillo.
It's advantageous, said John, that his stars were not committed to a lot of things outside of the project.
"Ito lang 'Umbag' ang kanilang ginagawa. Tulad ni Marie Flows. Siyanga pala, pinalitan na namin ang kanyang screen name, Marie D na (This is the only thing dix did. Like our Fil-Am lead star Marie Flows. By the way, we already changed her screen name to Marie D).
"Nasa Pilipinas si Marie para lang mag-shooting. Pero siyempre, may naisisingit siyang iskedyul tulad ng pasyal sa mga pinsan na matagal na niyang hindi nakikita pero hindi 'yon nakakaapekto sa shooting sked (Marie was in the Philippines just to shoot. Of course, she was able to squeeze in visits to her kin who she hasn't seen for the longest time but it didn't affect our shooting schedule)," John stressed.
One of the assets of Marie that smoothened the making of "Umbag" is her sportsmanship.
D is a boxing aficionado and has trained as a pugilist in the US so it helped a lot in the delineation of the character.
"Umbag" has been screened at the 2025 Golden State Film Festival in Los Angeles, California and the 2025 Indie Vegas Film Festival in Las Vegas and won Best Action Film Feature and Audience Choice Award, respectively.
In June 20, 2025, the movie will be screened at the 2025 Marina del Rey Film Festival in Culver Theater at 9500 Culver Boulevard, Culver City, California.
Photo Caption: Marie D (left) in "Umbag" (Photo Credit: John Ad. Castillo/Facebook)
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