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