PRINCESS URDUJA TIFFANIE MUNDA ANG Submitted to the COLLEGE OF MASS COMMUNICATION University of the Philippines Diliman In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of BACHELOR OF ARTS IN FILM April 2013 PRINCESS URDUJA by TIFFANIE MUNDA ANG has been accepted for the degree of BACHELOR OF ARTS IN FILM by Prof. Jose C. Gutierrez III and approved for the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication by Prof. Roland B. Tolentino, PhD Dean, College of Mass Communication BIOGRAPHICAL DATA PERSONAL DATA Name Tiffanie Munda Ang Permanent Address 37 Igdalig Street, Barangay Manresa, Quezon City 1115 Telephone Number (+63-02) 365-1476 or (+63915) 555-8663 Date & Place of Birth 17 September 1991, Tarlac City EDUCATION Secondary Level Valedictorian, Philadelphia High School, Quezon City Primary Level Valedictorian, Philadelphia High School, Quezon City ORGANIZATIONS Secretary, Member, UP Cineastes’ Studio VP for Alumni Relations, Member, UP CURSOR Publicity Team, UP CAPES WORK EXPERIENCE Intern, Mediaeast Production Services Script Continuity, Kuratong Baleleng of RCP Productions Assistant Production Manager, Liyab by Adrian Gonzales Sound Recordist, Tanglaw by Adrielle Esteban Art Department, Para kay Ama by Relyn Tan Edit Log/Slate, Paghilom by Mayee Baquiran ACHIEVEMENTS University Scholar: 2nd Semester, AY 2010-2011 College Scholar: 1st Semester, AY 2010-2011, 1st and 2nd Semester, AY 2011-2012, 1st Semester, AY 2012-2013. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The filmmaker would like to offer her film and express her deepest gratitude to the following people for all their help and support in making her thesis film production, Princess Urduja, possible: Her parents, Salvador and Cristeta Ang, for unconditional love and encouragement despite the innumerable challenges that came along the way during the conception of Princess Urduja, for believing in her vision and for their incredible planning and handling of logistics – all of these are priceless gifts that a director could ever ask for from her producers; Sir Joni Gutierrez, the filmmaker’s thesis adviser, for his time, patience and invaluable contribution to the film, for his shared vision with the author to reintroduce the icons of Pangasinan, for his guidance and ceaseless encouragement that made Princess Urduja possible, the filmmaker is extremely thankful and indebted to him; Geli Blanco, for being the most dedicated and the most efficient production manager a director and a producer could ever work with, for believing in the film’s message and for the countless miracles she has done for the production to push through; Baschia Mariano, for her incredible performance as first time assistant director in a thesis film, as well as being the filmmaker’s loyal confidante and source of strength since the very beginning of her thesis journey; Owen Berico, who despite the limited time never turned his back on the production but rather gave his full effort in adding life, color and meaning to the visuals of Princess Urduja without asking for anything in return; Aise Hernandez and Kweng Aguirre, for putting their best foot forward in providing the necessary materials to faithfully translate the filmmaker’s vision of the characters and the mise-en-scène; Adi Bersales and Jed Patron, for being the most helpful, supportive and efficient pair of sound recordists a film crew could ever work with, as well as their keen attention to flawless sound that added greatly to the life of the film; Ezi Ferrrer, for her tremendous effort in searching and providing the best set of talents for the film, this is in addition to her unparalleled ability to entertain and put a smile on every crew member’s face; Brian Sulicipan, Glenn Barit and Rob Jara, for their heartfelt assistance and dedication in meeting all the cinematographic needs of the film; Tiya Leonora, Auntie Nita and Uncle Treb, for opening wide the doors of their home to the whole film crew, their full assistance, sincere hospitality and permission in allowing the film to be shot in their residence free of charge; The government of Pangasinan, the municipality of Lingayen and of Aguilar, for granting us full permission to shoot in all of our locations free of charge and providing a safe filming environment along with the necessary security needs for crowd control; Ate Marcy, Tita Chit and Tita Amy, for composing the happiest utility team the filmmaker have ever seen in any film shoot and the continuous provision of scrumptious Pangasinan meals and snacks during the two-day filming; The cast of Princess Urduja, Ms. Ian Galliguez, Sabel Avendaño, Kyle Banzon, Valerie Santos and Julianne Cornelio, for their excellent performances and interpretation of the film’s characters; It is truly an honor to be able to work with these professional and very supportive actors; Mediaeast Production Services, especially to Mr. Rafael and Ms. Marilen Magsaysay for providing all the technical requirements of the sound department and supervising all the post-production processes like color grading, musical scoring and rotoscoping; the filmmaker is extremely indebted to their family for all the things they have done to add sound, color and life to the film Princess Urduja; Reverie Rodelas and Adrielle Esteban, for the ceaseless encouragements and for keeping me company during the sleepless nights of the post-production phase; Aiess Alonso, for her friendly nature and provision of the equipments requested for the film shoot to push through; Mr. Stephen Pangilinan, for his technical skill and immense patience to save a very crucial footage of the film; Anton Pelon, Sari Estrada, Beni Salonga and Carlo Cielo, for sharing their thoughts on the script and suggesting ways to improve it further; The UP Cineastes’ Studio, for the all the love and support until the very end; To everyone who gave a smile, a hug, a cheer and a little of their time and self for the completion of this production; And the Almighty Father to whom all things were made possible. DEDICATION In memory of Sisenanda Recto Munda (July 14, 1932 – December 23, 2011) ABSTRACT Ang, T. M. (2013). Princess Urduja, Unpublished Undergraduate Thesis, University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication. The film is about two interweaving stories set in completely different worlds - the real and the fantastical. The protagonists, Princess Urduja and a soldier's wife, both deal with grief in the passing of their own respective companions. With awakening as its central theme, the film does not solely focus on their sorrow. Instead, it strives to shed light on the lead characters' immense ability to rise up out of their situation and their valiant decision to accept their new lives as the new leader of their own dominion. Princess Urduja is set in one quiet night when Rita – a soldier’s wife – tells her two children the tale of Pangasinan's legendary warrior, Princess Urduja, as she goes on a search to find her missing brother, Haring Mahabala. An unexpected visitor interrupts the storytelling, as he delivers a letter that will forever change Rita's life and the course of the Pangasinan tale. The film makes use of the Montage and Feminist Film Theory so as to translate and articulate well the idea of feminist awakening and the strong parallelism between Rita and Princess Urduja. The cinematographic treatment on the other hand is strongly rooted from classic cinema with adaptations from Alfonso Cuaron’s A Little Princess and Ang Lee’s Life of Pi in order to enrich the fantasy-drama tone of the film and the semblance between the real and the fantastical world of the story. x TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Title Page i Approval Sheet ii Biographical Data iii Acknowledgments v Dedication viii Abstract ix Table of Contents x I. INTRODUCTION 11 II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 16 III. FRAMEWORK 23 IV. METHODS AND PROCEDURES 28 V. SCREENPLAY 49 VI. SCREENCAPS 61 VII. FACULTY CRITIQUE AND RECOMMENDATIONS 68 VIII. THESIS DEFENSE EVALUATION FORMS 71 IX. IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 80 X. BIBLIOGRAPHY 82 XI. APPENDICES 85 I. INTRODUCTION A. BACKGROUND A great number of films in Philippine Cinema tackle the experiences and struggles of the modern day heroes, often referred to as the OFWs (overseas Filipino workers). However, seldom have the author seen films that center on military wives, given all of the themes already explored in Filipino motion pictures. In Philippine society, one of the most respected and treasured personalities are mothers. Quoting Anne Firor Scott, “This marvelous creation was described as a submissive wife whose reason for being was to love, honor, obey and occasionally amuse her husband, to bring up his children and manage his household.”(144) Filipino mothers undertake the greatest responsibility of shaping the community and society by the way they handle their own household. It is to their credit that we have become the person we are today. However, more than taking the role as managers of the home, mothers, especially military wives – at the time of their marriage – have entered into a contract that poses a great risk and uncertainty in their lives. In a famous phrase among soldiers, they always refer to themselves as “kalahati nang katawan namin ay nakabaon na sa hukay.” But they are not the only ones who feel such insecurity. Military wives also carry the same burden and their very own families would naturally look up to them as the frontrunner of the household in case the worst happens. As a granddaughter of a soldier’s wife, the filmmaker values the distinct personality and bravery of military wives, as well as the way they raise their own 12 families. Their resilient nature and ability to maintain the same composure and goodwill no matter how daunting the future may seem is an excellent theme for a film that aims to empower Filipino women and Filipinos in general, especially in trying times like the present.