Post by WeLoveJen on Jan 29, 2007 21:01:02 GMT 8
From hit movies to ‘cinenovelas’
By Nini Valera
Inquirer
Last updated 11:48pm (Mla time) 01/07/2007
GMA 7 HAS ACQUIRED THE RIGHTS to serialize for television five blockbuster movies from Viva Films.
The movies—“Saan Darating Ang Umaga?” “Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin,” “Sinasamba Kita,” “Kung Mahawi Man Ang Ulap,” and “Gaano Kadalas Ang Minsan?”—will each be blown up into a series under the “cinenovela” genre, according to Wilma Galvante, GMA 7 senior vice president for entertainment.
16 weeks max
Each series will run for a maximum of 16 weeks, she added.
“We started remaking classics with ‘Darna,’ and its success as a series has encouraged us to look at the classics,” Galvante said.
“Darna” has had several remakes as a movie. After “Darna,” GMA 7 produced as a series “Captain Barbell,” another Mars Ravelo classic.
Galvante noted that GMA 7’s productions of such classic movies had given the komiks stories longer shelf life.
They were even better produced than the original, she claimed. And, unlike a movie, with a running time of only 90 minutes, a TV series runs daily, accounting for the “stickiness” of the material with the audience.
Modern dimension
“In a series, we can stretch the story to include more sub-plots, more characters, more twists and turns,” Galvante explained. “But we always give it a modern dimension to be in tune with the times.”
In remaking the Viva movies, Galvante is also banking on the films’ equity with the audience.
“Sinasamba Kita” and “Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan?” both starred Vilma Santos, and were monstrous hits in the 1980s.
“Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin” reunited Sharon Cuneta and Gabby Concepcion and echoed their real-life early marriage and its eventual collapse.
“Kung Mahawi Man Ang Ulap” showcased Hilda Koronel going through all the travails of a young woman, who had to deal with a scheming stepfather (Eddie Garcia) out to dupe her of her inheritance.
“Saan Darating Ang Umaga?,” which starred Maricel Soriano, is a family drama that revolved around conflicts created by a child in the family.
Keep ‘em riveted
Galvante said the TV remakes will remain true to the stories’ plots.
“In all our remakes, we have never violated the basic plot of the author,” Galvante said. “Even if we add more characters, we still remain faithful to the story. That’s why we have maintained a good working relationship with the authors.”
She said characters are added to expand the story and give it a bigger dimension “that the audience appreciates.”
“It’s giving them something new,” Galvante said. “Otherwise, sawa (fatigue) factor sets in. So we have to keep the viewers riveted with the story. It’s up to our writers to embellish the story.”
This early, GMA 7 has shown that it has mastered the “cinenovela” genre.
“Bakekang,” a classic komiks novel by Carlo J. Caparas, which was made into a movie starring Nora Aunor in the 1980s, is one of the network’s highest-rating prime time series.
Galvante is “Bakekang’s” number one fan. “I’m hooked on it,” she admitted. “It has all the classic ingredients of a soap.”
‘Barbell’s’ last leg
“Captain Barbell,” starring Richard Gutierrez, is another example of the success factor of the genre. Now in its last leg, the series is still soaring high in the ratings. It will end on Jan. 15, and will be replaced by the Robin Padilla-Angel Locsin action-adventure series, “Asian Treasures.”
Galvante said the “cinenovelas” will cast GMA 7’s young stars in lead roles, but the lineups have yet to be finalized.
“We still have not reached the casting stage,” she said. “But definitely, we will be tapping our young stars.”
She noted, however, that veteran actors offer strong support to the young ones.
“It’s still a mixture of the old and the new,” Galvante said. “We don’t use half-baked talents to carry a series. It will never stand.”
Aside from the Viva movies, GMA 7 has also bought the rights to “Fantastic Man” from Canary Films and Vic Sotto, who starred in the movie shown during the 2004 Metro Manila Film Festival.
By Nini Valera
Inquirer
Last updated 11:48pm (Mla time) 01/07/2007
GMA 7 HAS ACQUIRED THE RIGHTS to serialize for television five blockbuster movies from Viva Films.
The movies—“Saan Darating Ang Umaga?” “Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin,” “Sinasamba Kita,” “Kung Mahawi Man Ang Ulap,” and “Gaano Kadalas Ang Minsan?”—will each be blown up into a series under the “cinenovela” genre, according to Wilma Galvante, GMA 7 senior vice president for entertainment.
16 weeks max
Each series will run for a maximum of 16 weeks, she added.
“We started remaking classics with ‘Darna,’ and its success as a series has encouraged us to look at the classics,” Galvante said.
“Darna” has had several remakes as a movie. After “Darna,” GMA 7 produced as a series “Captain Barbell,” another Mars Ravelo classic.
Galvante noted that GMA 7’s productions of such classic movies had given the komiks stories longer shelf life.
They were even better produced than the original, she claimed. And, unlike a movie, with a running time of only 90 minutes, a TV series runs daily, accounting for the “stickiness” of the material with the audience.
Modern dimension
“In a series, we can stretch the story to include more sub-plots, more characters, more twists and turns,” Galvante explained. “But we always give it a modern dimension to be in tune with the times.”
In remaking the Viva movies, Galvante is also banking on the films’ equity with the audience.
“Sinasamba Kita” and “Gaano Kadalas ang Minsan?” both starred Vilma Santos, and were monstrous hits in the 1980s.
“Dapat Ka Bang Mahalin” reunited Sharon Cuneta and Gabby Concepcion and echoed their real-life early marriage and its eventual collapse.
“Kung Mahawi Man Ang Ulap” showcased Hilda Koronel going through all the travails of a young woman, who had to deal with a scheming stepfather (Eddie Garcia) out to dupe her of her inheritance.
“Saan Darating Ang Umaga?,” which starred Maricel Soriano, is a family drama that revolved around conflicts created by a child in the family.
Keep ‘em riveted
Galvante said the TV remakes will remain true to the stories’ plots.
“In all our remakes, we have never violated the basic plot of the author,” Galvante said. “Even if we add more characters, we still remain faithful to the story. That’s why we have maintained a good working relationship with the authors.”
She said characters are added to expand the story and give it a bigger dimension “that the audience appreciates.”
“It’s giving them something new,” Galvante said. “Otherwise, sawa (fatigue) factor sets in. So we have to keep the viewers riveted with the story. It’s up to our writers to embellish the story.”
This early, GMA 7 has shown that it has mastered the “cinenovela” genre.
“Bakekang,” a classic komiks novel by Carlo J. Caparas, which was made into a movie starring Nora Aunor in the 1980s, is one of the network’s highest-rating prime time series.
Galvante is “Bakekang’s” number one fan. “I’m hooked on it,” she admitted. “It has all the classic ingredients of a soap.”
‘Barbell’s’ last leg
“Captain Barbell,” starring Richard Gutierrez, is another example of the success factor of the genre. Now in its last leg, the series is still soaring high in the ratings. It will end on Jan. 15, and will be replaced by the Robin Padilla-Angel Locsin action-adventure series, “Asian Treasures.”
Galvante said the “cinenovelas” will cast GMA 7’s young stars in lead roles, but the lineups have yet to be finalized.
“We still have not reached the casting stage,” she said. “But definitely, we will be tapping our young stars.”
She noted, however, that veteran actors offer strong support to the young ones.
“It’s still a mixture of the old and the new,” Galvante said. “We don’t use half-baked talents to carry a series. It will never stand.”
Aside from the Viva movies, GMA 7 has also bought the rights to “Fantastic Man” from Canary Films and Vic Sotto, who starred in the movie shown during the 2004 Metro Manila Film Festival.
