Shoots that can kill

Three years ago, a film by Jeffrey Jeturian that starred Vilma Santos premiered at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. Titled Ekstra (Extra, or as it’s known overseas, The Bit Player), the film follows a very long day in the life of a middle-aged single mother who endures indignities as one of the many bit players in a popular telenovela. 

Not only does Ekstra show the conditions these players very often work in, but also the many challenges that the production staff—from the director to the lowliest production assistants—experience regularly in trying to finish filming a single episode: constant compromises and disruptions, network or advertising demands, unpredictable weather, stars suddenly leaving the set, and stress-fueled meltdowns. They’re enough to give a man a heart attack.

I was reminded of Ekstra when I heard about the recent deaths of directors Wenn V. Deramas and Francis Xavier Pasion—who were 47 and 38, respectively—from cardiac arrest, the decision of veteran actress Vivian Velez to leave the ABS-CBN afternoon soap Tubig at Langis (Water and Oil) after being fed up with lead star Cristine Reyes’s allegedly rude behavior and, most recently, the revelation of respected actor Robert Arevalo’s daughter Anna Ylagan that he was spending ungodly hours working on the set of his television series.

Unsurprisingly, these saddened and alarmed many people, and highlighted the TV industry’s unhealthy and unreasonable working practices. Some insiders, including filmmaker Quark Henares and singer Aiza Seguerra, have deplored these practices, while others have called on the networks to improve them. A few, such as helmers Mike Sandejas and Chris Martinez, have advised their colleagues to take care of their health, as their profession is very stressful.

And the networks’ response? None, so far.

I can’t say I’m surprised. Much as I agree that working conditions in mainstream film and TV productions need to be more humane, the fact that industry executives remain silent about the matter tells me that things would stay as they are. Why change when they still work, some of them may privately argue. Why rock the boat? Why fix things if they’re not broken?

If someone in a production—an actor, director or member of the crew—becomes unavailable for whatever reason, there’s always another who will step in and take his or her place. The executives know that they would never run out of people for each role in the production, people who are eager to prove themselves and earn their favor.

Also, those executives can argue that those who succumb to ailments caused by work-related stress should’ve taken better care of themselves. They should’ve known what they were getting into; they should’ve been prepared for it. Or maybe, they can add, pressures of the job were not the main cause of those ailments, but something else entirely.

This is not to say changes to current working conditions are impossible. They are not, but I imagine them to be hard to implement. There will certainly be some resistance, but if there are concerted and consistent efforts to pursue reforms, it should weaken. The fact that this issue is being discussed at length on various media is, I think, a positive sign.

If nothing else, Deramas and Pasion’s untimely deaths, and what the 78-year-old Arevalo and other performers like him continue to endure, should serve as a wake-up call—or a warning to those who wish to have a flourishing career in the entertainment industry. If conditions don’t improve, then we can expect more stress-related deaths in the future and more actors choosing to keep whatever complaints they have to themselves out of concern that they may lose acting jobs if they speak out.

Gawad Buhay! nods

Last Saturday, the Philippine Legitimate Stage Artists Group Inc. (Philstage) unveiled its list of Gawad Buhay! nominations for 2015. Topping the list is Tanghalang Pilipino’s Mabining Mandirigma (Mabini the Warrior)—about the eventful last years of Apolinario Mabini, originally played by actress Delphine Buencamino—which garnered 13 nominations, including for outstanding musical—original or translation/adaptation and outstanding female lead performance in a musical.

Following Mabining Mandirigma is the Philippine Educational Theater Association’s Arbol de Fuego (Fire Tree), a Filipino adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard that’s set in martial law-era Negros Occidental province, with 12; and 9 Works Theatrical’s production of the Broadway hit La Cage aux Folles, Actor’s Actor Inc. and The Necessary Theatre’s staging of Larry Kramer’s powerful AIDS drama The Normal Heart, and Ballet Philippines’s production of Peter Pan, all with 10.

Space constraints prevent me from including the entire list here. Nevertheless, I would like to congratulate all the nominees, especially Rody Vera and Elmer Gatchalian (outstanding translation or adaptation for Arbol de Fuego and Juego de Peligro [Dangerous Game], respectively); Kanakan Balintagos (outstanding original script and stage direction for a play for Mga Buhay na Apoy [A Breath of Fire]); Raffy Tejada (outstanding male lead performance in a play for Arbol de Fuego); and Ed Lacson (outstanding set design for 33 Variations).

The Gawad Buhay! awarding ceremony will be held at Onstage, Greenbelt 1, Makati City, on Apr. 28.