NOT ANOTHER RUSHED ‘JADINE MOVIE’

While we take it as another blessing that James and Nadine would be staging a new movie, aside from the expected sequel of Talk Back and you’re Dead, most JaDine fans believe that this year is not a good time to release the third film of James and Nadine.

In reference to the article posted via PUSH.COM, James stated that VIVA is eyeing to produce another film with Nadine, possible this year. I don’t have any violent reaction if ABSCBN plans to launch JADINE’S first Teleserye this year. My issue is the THIRD FILM. My reaction: “Seriously. This year? No. Not this year. Oh No.”

I have written a lot of Dear VIVA articles before, but I am REALLY, REALLY hoping that this blog post will finally reach them. Given it’s true, here are the key points to consider why launching a third movie this year is kindda overboard:

DON’T STRIKE THE IRON TOO MUCH

There goes a saying ‘strike while the iron is hot.’ I see that VIVA has been using this as their strategy, reason why James’ and Nadine’s career skyrocketed. But personally, I think that VIVA overuses this strategy so much so that the projects of James and Nadine have always been IN A RUSH.

Reiterating what I said on the results of TBYD, the fast-phased production timetable of the movie was reflected on the output itself. Say for example, for students who RUSHED their projects because they’re time-pressured, you would always expect that the result will always be underwhelming.

Here’s the thing --- Fans of James and Nadine will always support them no matter what. If you release the movie this year, yes, we’ll support them, of course… because we love them that much. We are automatic ticket-buyers. But like what I’ve said, what about the other target market, like the non-JaDine Fans? 

For example:

The 400 Million Gross Sales of Starting Over Again didn't solely come from SOLID TONI-PIOLO or Toni-and-Piolo FANS. I am not a fan of Toni and Piolo, but I watched and gave a good review of the film because of its quality and the good reviews I’ve read. Oops, I almost forgot, it took them one year to finish the whole film. Plus it’s Olivia Lamasan (the reputation of the director also counts). See the result? Need I say more?

What I am trying to point out is, please take your time. Take it slow. Likewise, slowly but surely; consider that good preparation leads to success. I know you know this already. But given the timetable is true, there must be a problem.

VIVA, we are willing to wait; no matter how long it is, we know that it’s worth the wait. Too much of a good thing is not always a good thing. So please, don’t strike the iron too much. We are just here. We’re not going anywhere.

THE ‘SABIK’ Factor versus THE ‘SAWA’ Factor

One of the reasons why James and Nadine captured our hearts is because they’re like a breath of fresh air in the industry; new faces with magical charisma and palpable chemistry, but we don’t want them to be overrated as early as now. That’s actually the Unique Selling Proposition of James and Nadine. Since we don’t see them often on mainstream Television (only during weekends), the thrill, curiosity, and excitement on their next project has always been ka-abang-abang.

Allow me to share the difference of these two formulas:

‘SABIK’ Factor + Longer Production Time + Good Direction = REDEMPTION

‘SAWA’ Factor + In A Rush Production Time + The Same Direction = TURN OFF

I’m afraid that if James and Nadine get the impression of artists who stage low quality films plus the ‘Sawa’ factor if you’re going to produce three movies in a year, these situations might be detrimental on their part, thus affecting their careers as well.

VIVA, may bukas pa (there’s still tomorrow). Why are you in a hurry?

It’s already October. I am aware that you did it already on Diary Ng Panget. You did the whole thing in just one month. But the quality of film is not that superb. You did it again on TBYD, no less than 15 Shooting Days. But the quality of the film has been jeopardized. The third film should be a redemption film for James and Nadine. If you’re going to do a one-month preparation again, then I guess people would expect the same output. 

Then again, of course JaDine Fans would patronize it; we will promote it for sure, but we couldn't control the reviews coming outside of our fandom, coming from prestigious blog writers who have a say on movie reviews, who can sway the decisions of moviegoers whether to watch or not to watch the film.So please VIVA, take your time. Make us curious. Make us feel excited. Make us feel thrilled.

The IDEAL Movie to take SUPPORTING ROLES

I actually can’t imagine how VIVA can squeeze in the schedule of James and Nadine if they’re going to release the movie this year. It's gonna be toxic. Enlighten me with this one, but I don’t know any artist who did three major films in a year. I only know artists who did two movies in a year but the time-gap is long.

If VIVA is still deaf over our clamors and push through the film this year, it’s advisable if they give chance to others. JADINE can do supporting role. Use them to help VIVA launch other artists. As of now, VIVA confirmed or gave us clues that they are set to produce these two films – Operation: Breaking the Cassanova’s Heart and Para Sa Hopeless Romantic. So it’s either one of these films, or an ORIGINAL FILM. Let’s eliminate BTCHO since it has been announced that this is the launching film of Shy Carlos. We are down to two – Marcelo Santos’ Para Sa Hopeless Romantic or ORIGINAL Film (When I say original, it’s not a wattpad or a book adaptation).

Para sa Hopeless Romantic

They can get the supporting roles of Para Sa Hopeless Romantic. If you’ve read the book, you can relate. Give the Ryan-Maria Love Story to James and Nadine. Elaborate on the plot of Ryan and Maria. Since the love story of Ryan and Maria is the start of the book. Give the Rebecca-Nikko Love Story to Yassi and Andre. It’s their time to shine. Let’s not put into waste the awesome tandem that they had in DNP. The rest of the characters actually don’t matter to me.

Start it with Ryan-Maria – then Rebecca – Nikko- then end it with Ryan and Maria again. If you haven’t read the book yet, you can relate with my imagination. Huge bulk of the story falls on Rebecca and Nikko. But on the book, Rebecca is writing the story of Ryan and Maria. You’ll get this if you’ve read the book. At least, the beginning and end of the film will be given to James and Nadine, the main characters will be given to Yassi and Andre. I think this is fair enough. I’ll post my own story line on a separate blog post.

The STRATEGIC Timing

Evaluating the fans’ reaction, a Teleserye before a Movie would be great. After My App Boyfie, it’s very okay if they’ll have a Teleserye starting this year. James and Nadine will gain more fans if viewers see them on FREE TV. TFC Subscribers will get to know them more, thus gaining more fans abroad. More Fans abroad will make them money-worthy for Star Cinema or VIVA to have International Screenings, and many JaDine Fans who were pleading to watch their films ever since TBYD can have a chance to watch on the big screen.

Star Cinema is set to release a lot of movies this year, like Kim and Xian’s Past Tense, plus entries for Metro Manila Film Festival. KimXi is strong in the box office and it’s advisable for JaDine to give way for this one, since they already had two this year.

How about a third movie of James and Nadine on the first quarter of 2015? Like sometime February 2015 (Fifty Shades of Grey month pala ito) or March 2015, April 2015 is also a good timing (DNP Month last year)?

TWITTER Survey

I actually asked the fans if they agree on another JaDine Movie this year. Take a look at their answers:

AT THE END OF THE DAY, let's just pray and hope for the best. I hope that James is just referring 'this year' as the start of the production, but not the release of their third movie. There's no confirmation yet from VIVA; but I really hope that they consider this, a simple blog post speaking on behalf of the fans, in making their decisions. 

Thank you for reading. 

Up Next on my blog: ASAP POP CHOICE AWARDS STRATEGY/FEATURE. 

Twitter: @JadinePublicist

Open Letter to VIVA: JaDine deserves Quality Films

Dear VIVA,

Thank you for giving birth to James Reid and Nadine Lustre as VIVA Artists. Everyone would agree with me that 2014 wouldn’t be as exciting as it has been today without JaDine. Patronizing their tandem is one of the highlights of our 2014.

We trust VIVA on how you handle your artists having been in the industry for quite a long time. But we also believe that you put much consideration on how would the fans or people react on certain decisions or strategies that the management does. Launching JaDine last April 2014 was one of the best timing and decisions that VIVA has ever made.

However, coming from the two back-to-back movies that JaDine did, we, as their die-hard fans, tend to evaluate the career run of our idols and their reputation as movie stars. DnP is undeniably a surprising box-office hit, whereas TBYD, though it also performed well in the box office scene, it didn’t exceed the expectation that the fans had coming from the success of the first movie. The latter received a fair share of not-so-good movie reviews from critics due to its jumpy story line and direction. This has made me worried that even so JaDine performed well in terms of their acting and so, if the quality of the movie itself is below the moviegoers’ standards, that wouldn’t make sense at all.

ON JADINE’S NEXT MOVIE

Recently, VIVA Entertainment initiated a social media discussion where fans can vote for the next JaDine movie they want to see. Here are the choices:

1.)    Girlfriend for Hire

2.)    My Husband is a Mafia Boss

3.)    My Sadist Lover

On top of these three options, I also asked some of my Twitter Friends if they have suggestions other than the above-presented stories. They suggested the following:

4.)    Project Ex, Project Why and Project Z

5.)    All Over Again

I have ‘somehow’ read and studied the story lines of these five wattpad stories. Though I commend the artistry of these aspiring writers and respect the fans of the stories, I couldn’t help but observe that almost all the plots of these stories are common.

Typical Arrogant Boy meets the Palaban Lady. Typical Chick Magnet meets the Palaban / Astig Lady again. Though I see that the stories have their own kilig scenes and attacks, it’s hard not to associate it with the Cross-Eya love story or Dao Ming Xu-San Chai love story. Girlfriend for Hire might be associated with Kim Chiu and Xian Lim’s Bride for Rent due to its title (oops did I mention that the Brye’s surname is also Stanford). Project Ex, Project Why and Project Z have potential in terms of the richness of its plot, but all three still carry a common or predictable story line as their titles imply.

My Husband is a Mafia Boss is another gangster film. It’s too dark for JaDine. We don’t want another Talk Back and You’re Dead Movie, right? And we don’t want to fast forward the maturity of JaDine, like the Mr and Mrs Smith peg of Angelina and Brad Pitt. Please take note that the quality of film doesn’t depend on how many kissing scenes a story has. J (Kahit gusto ko non, pero Vote Wisely pa din.)

When I first read My Sadist Lover, I got interested reading it. But along the way, I’ve found it very heavy since the story is so heartbreaking. It’s like I would feel heavy hearted after I watched it on the big screen. It’s the same with All Over Again. It’s not that popular but both have the same theme: Broken-heartedness.

Looking at it now, I observe that moviegoers opt to watch feel-good and heartfelt movies than those with heavy story lines. Ang drama na kasi ng buhay ng mga Pilipino eh. Remember also that DRAMA is not YET the forte of JaDine.

Don’t get me wrong. I commend the writers of these stories. They have invested time for these stories and gained fans because of their story takes. But not all stories have cinematic potential. Some may be fit for Teleserye Adaptation instead of a movie adaptation. But to justify my points clearly, here are the options that I’d like to present for your considerations.

OPTION A: Petition for ORIGINAL Material

I get it. James and Nadine are the Book King and Book Queen of Philippine Movies and you don’t want to veer away from that title this early. But take note that this has pro’s and con’s. Based on previous experiences, due to wrong direction and unimpressive story treatment of a book adaptation, there’s no denying that the REPUTATION of James and Nadine as an artist has been affected.

They are the face of the film, that’s why they carry the quality of the film. They are the brands of the film so whatever comments the viewers have, the initial blame goes to the lead stars of the film. It’s on the latter part when people realized that it all boils down on the director himself.

Having an ORIGINAL Material is a good selling point as well since nobody knows the exact flow of the film. Disappointment rate wouldn’t be as high as compared with movie adaptation since there’s no expectation coming from the readers’ imagination.

This is also James’ and Nadine’ chance to prove themselves; and work with caliber directors and Star Cinema’s screen play writers.

OPTION B: Diary ng Panget 2 with a Twist

Yes Guys. I hear you! Some fans have been protesting for Diary Ng Panget 2. They missed Cross, Eya, Lory and Chad. They also missed Fab 4 – Nadine, James, Yassi and of course, Andre. I miss you Andre. 

At first I didn’t entertain the idea because for me it could be a ‘downgrade’ for Nadine as EYA since she already established her image as the beautiful, rich-achiever, named SAM in TBYD. But how about a TWIST? ( Since we only have one book remaining, sorry Denny for this suggestion)

·         After GRADUATION: What if EYA became beautiful, but not as beautiful as SAM. Sakto lang. No pimples. No bad hair days. No jumpers. No sneakers. Tamang feminine lang. Tamang wardrobe makeover. She did that out of insecurity from girls running over Cross. She changed physically but not a big change, same personality still. Until she became noticeable to the eyes of other guys. Another love triangle came along. That guy fell in love with the new EYA. Conflict arises between the new guy and Cross. Jealousy issues..--- I can go on and on.. but it’s like a story about CHANGE; but at the end of the day, CROSS still chooses the PANGET EYA over the NEW EYA. Cliché but at least may twist. (I am sure you guys can think of something better)  

It’s hard for me to explain but a story twist as such can be effective to viewers. As much as we want to be faithful on the story line, it’s also better to provide the moviegoers something unexpected, something to watch out for, like a plot twist but of course Cross and Eya pa din in the end.. The conflict in DNP Book 4 just revolves around a showdown with Eya and the ‘other girl’ whose name I forgot. This may seem shallow once it is adapted in a movie.

DNP could be another hit as long as VIVA offers a twist in the story. Do not stick with the book itself.

OPTION C: WATTPAD STORIES but in ONE or TWO or THREE or FOUR CONDITION(s)

Since you want to live with the BOOK KING AND QUEEN TITLES of JADINEs, okay… let’s go with WATTPAD STORIES (could be the 5 options as presented above or other suggestions) but here are the conditions: (these can be applied once you start filming TBYD)

1.)    New Director – No more Direk Andoy Ranay this time. Look for other Directors, the likes of Chris Martinez, Joyce Bernal, Mae Cruz, Laurenti Dyogi, etc. Again, a change of direction is a good selling point.

2.)    No Rush – Yes we are excited; but we are not impatient. Do not fast-phase the production. Take your time. “Starting Over Again” taped for one year, and also “The Gifted” – both films earned great reviews from movie critics. So please take your time. We are not in a hurry.

3.)    Collaboration of Screen Play Writers – Allow Star Cinema Screen Play writers to collaborate with Ms Keiko Aquino. Two heads are better than one. This could address problems in terms of story treatment and poor scene by scene transitions. Get the gist and don’t make us feel again that there are hanging or cut scenes in between. Since most of the choices above are not that popular as compared with DNP and TBYD,  writers can just based the story on tho

4.)    Please the Non Readers– I have been saying this but please give a story that would please the non readers more than the fans of the book. Take note that the book fans are automatic ticket buyers.

Thank you VIVA. I hope you take into considerations the views and opinions of the fans. I am just speaking on their behalf. I know you have a lot of experience in doing this but listening to the clamors of fans won’t hurt you. 

Sincerely,

JaDine Publicist

Note:

To all JaDine / Naddict / Reiders / Kehrbears, please VOTE Wisely. There you go. You have three options to choose from. If you have OPTION D, E, F… let me know. Let this be a venue for discussion. Please bear in mind that at the end of the day, no matter how popular you are, how much effort you put into it by endorsing it, it’s the QUALITY OF FILMS that really matters.

P.S. Bashing of other fandom is not allowed here.

The floor is now yours. Feel free to suggest. Who knows, this might reach VIVA. 

Love you guys. 

Follow Me on Twitter: JaDine Publicist