10,000 Hours: Why it won and what worked

Joyce Bernal didn’t make any promises to her producers that “10,000 Hours,” one of the entries to the ongoing 39th Metro Manila Film Festival, would be as successful as it has become. But the film took home most of the coveted awards including the Best Director for her, Best Actor for her lead actor Robin Padilla and the Best Picture and the FPJ Memorial Award for Film Excellence and the Gat Puno Antonio Villegas Cultural Award for her producers!

She is hopeful that the awards would now draw in moviegoers so her producers would make money.

So what worked in the movie’s favor? All the goals and intentions of the people involved, from Joyce to lead star Robin as well as all the producers, to produce a good movie!

Another factor could be the relationship between the filmmaker and the action star, which started with movies they worked on together – from “Tunay na Tunay, Gets Mo” and “Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw” and “Buhay Kamao,” to “Pagdating Ng Panahon.” The evolution of their relationship was also witnessed by televiewers when they were reunited via ABS-CBN’s soap-opera “Kailangan Ko’y Ikaw.”

Robin’s bid to showcase his thespian skills in “10,000 Hours” was a success. Watching the film, it was hard to bend one’s preconceived notion of the actor as a rough, tough action hero. But as the scenes go on, Robin becomes his character Sen. Gabriel Alcaraz, the fictional character inspired and based on Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson. In fact, he was “Sen. Lacson” throughout the movie, playing the role intelligently.

But Robin the action hero gets to shine too particularly in some of the movie’s more thrilling scenes. Indeed, his “actions” in “10,000 Hours” spoke a thousand words of his growth and maturity as an actor. (More of this new Robin could be savored in his upcoming film in 2014 on the Kuratong Baleleng gang.

As to how important Joyce was to his development as an actor, Robin, again, at the grand press conference of “10,000 Hours” explained “Si Joyce lang ang pwedeng magbalik ng ningning ng action. Isang katulad niya ang nakakaintindi ng puso ng mga masa kasi ‘yung aming golden age of action iba na ang action ngayon…si direk Joyce pala talagang taga-UP, talaga palang rebolusyonaryo ito. Naniniwala ako na sa bawat dialogue ni Gabriel Alcaraz sa pelikulang ito nanggagaling din sa ilalim ng puso ni direk Joyce.”

It was hard at first to imagine that Joyce actually helmed “10,000 Hours” as action-packed as it is. In her first full-feature action film, Joyce showcased some Hollywood movie-making styles. And it wouldn’t be surprising if she’s bound to direct more explosive and high-budgeted action movies in the near future.

As Joyce explained, she got her knack for the action genre movies working for action film directors when she was just starting in the movie industry.

Passing on the chance to direct the third “Kimmy Dora” movie and “My Little Bosings” was all worth it given the awards “10,000 Hours” received.

Lastly, Neal Arce, one of the producers said that their intention was “manalo ng awards na hindi binabayaran.”

But the awards were paid and dearly so through the hard work of the cast and crew who did everything to produce a Filipino film worth watching.

Besides, if you’re curious to what really happened to Sen. Panfilo Lacson, when he disappeared from the country some years back, this is the closest one can get to knowing about it, unless of course, Sen. Lacson writes and publishes a no-holds barred tale of his experience!

“10,000 Hours” is still showing in theaters nationwide.

10,000 Hours: Why it won and what worked

Source: Mb.com.ph (December 28, 2013 at 09:29PM)

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