One theme, four perspectives

If you like magic, there is no doubt you would like to know the mysteries that lie behind magic tricks. Recently, the advertising and marketing industry bore witness to magic. They were privileged to observe its secrets through the eyes of four characters: the magician, his assistant, his stagehand, and the date. But before the presentation was made, the audience was warned that not all magic would turn out to be magical. You might just be looking through a wicked person’s eyes.

The whole mystery was unveiled by the organizers of the 21st Philippine Advertising Congress (PAC) when they launched the specially made-for-TV ad congress commercial. It was described as a pivotal moment for Philippine advertising, when not one but four TV commercials had been created for the 21st PAC. Four of the industry’s finest directors — AF Benaza, Carlo Directo, Henry Frejas and Sid Maderazo — came together for a historic collaboration.

Playing with the ad congress theme “Perspectives: Ano sa tingin mo?”, they each produced an account of a single, inexplicable occurrence. The story centered on a magic show, and each director took on the perspective of a single character on the night of a mysterious magic act.

Henry Frejas, director of Nescafe’s “Home/Batanes,” Nestle Cream’s “The Offering,” and McDonald’s “Simbang Gabi,” told the story as seen through the eyes of the magician; Sid Maderazo, director of C2 Green Tea and Coke’s “Beat Game” TV commercials, adopted another view of the event through the assistant’s eyes; Carlo Directo, director of Sky Cable, McDonald’s “Burger, Burger” and Smart Buddy “Double-decker” commercials, narrated the tale from below via the stagehand’s perspective; and AF Benaza, director of Nescafe’s “Jewel,” Selecta Gold Series’ “Platinum” and Viva Mineralized Water “Boy” commercials, recounted the narrative as seen from the audience through the eyes of the volunteer’s date.

The collaborative effort showcased Filipino creativity at its best. As you watch the commercials, you become entangled in the mystery, as the story changes through the eyes and mind of each person involved. It is one story with four different perspectives and directorial interpretations. The directors followed a single course of events using the same set, talents and props, but in the end, each came out with a different take on what really happened. At the end, the viewers are pushed to ask, “Whose story would you believe?”

What is your perspective?

In storytelling, the one who recounts the narrative and how it is recounted are significant elements for a director to decide on. The tone and feel of the story, and even its connotation, can be changed radically depending on who is directing the story and what point of view he is taking. His angle of vision, the standpoint from which characters, events, and the details of a story are viewed, are important directorial considerations.

The director’s perspective is seen to be objective if he dramatizes what happens without revealing more than what can be deduced from available factors. He is not wont to disclose anything he knows about how the characters think or feel, or how the parts in a given plot should be scrutinized or interpreted. He remains an observer and doesn’t offer any subjective remarks.

In the first-person point of view, the director as raconteur plays a part in the action of the story. When his story is told using the first-person voice, he becomes conscious of the unfolding facts and occurrences. He may not be projecting the objective truth, but in that situation, it is understandable if his viewers question the fidelity of his own storytelling since it is up to them to determine what is the truth and what is not. On the other hand, if the director doesn’t actively participate in the story as one of the characters and simply lets his targeted audience discover for themselves exactly how the characters feel and what they go through, he assumes a third-person perspective. Here, his viewers become familiar with the characters of his story through his outside voice.

Characters. Remarkable people come alive as you watch the videos. You experience meeting them for the first time in the same way you come face to face with characters and characterizations. You pore over their moves and pay attention to what they say and how they say it. You notice how the central character relates to other people and how other people respond to the central character. And in the end, you look for purpose and significance.

The characters in the commercials are major or minor, stationary or moving. The one who dominates the story is the main, poignant character. What is evident is that the characters in the four story perspectives have varying sets of emotions — surprise, sorrow, disappointment, pain, fear, disgust — that resonate with the spectators. All in all, each execution leaves a mark on the viewers’ hearts and minds and becomes truly memorable.

Setting. The director defines the world he wants to project. He vividly puts together sights, sounds, colors, and textures as an artist paints images on canvas. He imagines a story to be happening in a place that is ingrained in his head. The location of a story’s actions, along with the time in which it occurs, is the setting, created by video images and audio elements. How many or how few details the director uses is up to him, but a good director leaves a lot of details up to the viewer’s fertile imagination. For the setting to be consequential, it must bring a dimension of meaning, reflect individual characterization and embody the theme.

Theme. The theme of the ad congress is not at all presented directly in the commercials. You extract it from the varying characterizations, altered actions, and tweaked settings. In other words, viewers are encouraged to figure out a perspective stemming from a singular theme. The director’s task is to communicate on common ground with the viewers. Although the particulars of his experience may be different from the details of the story, the general underlying truths behind the story may be just the connection that both the director and the viewers are looking for.

Everything comes to a head at the 21st PAC opening night on Nov. 18, where the real magician’s story will be revealed. Be sure not to miss the unveiling of this mystery. Register now. The 21st PAC, which will be held in Baguio City from Nov. 18 to 21, needs you to start thinking about your own perspective. Is it permanent or movable? Does it conform to a general outlook, or does it stray away from what the majority says? Does it zoom in and zoom out, crane up or crane down, pan right or pan left like the eye of the camera and the person behind it?

Catch the directors’ cuts of the ad congress commercials now at www.adcon.com.ph.

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E-mail bongosorio@yahoo.com or bong_osorio@abs-cbn.com for comments, question or suggestions. Thank you for communicating.