Two Filipinos recently competed against other Asians in a unique reality show that searched for creative talents across the region.
PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) was invited to the taping of HP Space in Singapore to get the chance to watch its final episode and to interview Rafael "Raffy" Francisco and Adrienne Vergara--the two Pinoys who represented the country in this pan-Asian reality show. HP Space was broadcast in the Philippines, India, Hong Kong, India, Taiwan, and the Middle East.
Sponsored by Hewlett Packard, this reality show was aired for two months on Star World and Channel V. It aired eight, one-hour episodes wherein 16 chosen finalists were challenged with a new creative task ranging from multimedia and visual art, to product design, to music, fashion, and publishing. The challenges of the show included creating an art installation, creating an animated short film, designing a hotel room, and directing music videos. One challenge even had the contestants come up with a guerilla marketing plan that would be implemented in the streets of Singapore.
HP Space was launched in August 2009 for any Asian citizen over 18 years old with a passion for design and the arts. Over 2,000 video auditions were submitted, with close to 14,000 registered users on the official website of the show. Sixteen finalists from all over Asia competed against each other until the Top Three emerged. The winner would receive the grand prize of US$50,000 as well as a fully paid job on the production team of Bubblegum Crisis, a blockbuster remake of the cult anime classic.
Paula Malai Ali, currently a presenter on ESPN Star Sports, was tapped to be the host for HP Space.
PEP was able to observe Raffy as he joined the top three finalists during the December 17 taping of HP Space in Singapore. He was pitted against Chinese student Lora Lee and art director David Tang.
The final challenge of HP Space was to direct, produce and edit a music video that emphasized the use of touch.
For his interpretation of the song "Prom Queen," Raffy opted to shoot the band Bunk Face in a skate park while fellow HP Space contestant Admira Pustika acted as a woman with a "Midas touch."
Lora used stop-motion animation to show objects moving eastward for her music video for the song "Go East" of the band New Pants.
Meanwhile, David interpreted Electrico's song "The Slaves and The Digits" by showing individuals wearing corporate outfits as they sleepwalked around the streets of Singapore. He later explained to PEP that the reason why he interpreted it this way. "The song is about the worker's life. People work long hours without enjoying what they do. While they were sleepwalking, they were dreaming about an exciting life. I can really relate to that because I used to work in IT [information technology] and I was just doing it for the money. This song is a bit like a wake-up call but it's done in a fun way."
The judges-advertising guru Sean Cummins, entrepreneur Ban Yinh Jheow, executive producer David Searl and Hewlett Packard vice-president and general manager Dennis Mark-unanimously chose David as the winner.
When TV host Paula announced that David had won the competition, the young art director was overwhelmed and as soon as the cameras stopped rolling, he jumped down the stage and hugged his family members who were present at the auditorium of La Salle College of the Arts. Dubbed "The Tang," David hails from Australia but he is currently based in Singapore where he works as an art director of bi-monthly magazines.
Ban Yihn Jheow explained why they picked David's music video as the best work: "Well, it wasn't a straight forward thing. We looked at the videos and asked, 'Which is the most polished?' Then, of course, it's Raffy's. And then we looked which one is the most memorable. Then it was Lora. And then we go down deeper: Which has the best idea? Then it was David.
"So we started thinking, which is more important: the glossiness or are you looking for the interesting use of technology? Or do you wanna go really down to its core? The idea itself.
"We all agreed that idea is important because given more time, it would become great. In the end, we decided that the idea-the seed that you plant-is very important...We have to judge based on the best idea."
RAFFY THE DIRECTOR. After the taping, PEP had the chance to interview Raffy and Adrienne in the 15 Minutes Café located at La Salle. Even though he has been a music video director for several years now, Raffy said that joining HP Space allowed him to rethink his way of directing.
"The hardest part was to get the best idea from the group...It's a balance of having your thoughts heard and hearing others as well.
"The last challenge put a lot of pressure on me," admitted Raffy. "We have two people who were making their first music video while me, I don't even want to say how many music videos I've done. It pushes you to relearn the craft. Maybe there are no rules in making music videos. After this, it's back to filmmaking for me. It's my passion. I left several careers to pursue this."
Raffy took up Marketing in De La Salle Taft and he worked with major companies in the Philippines until he discovered his passion for directing. He trained as a film and video director at the New York University. When he returned to the Philippines, he met Wyngard Tracy who helped him get connections to Warner Philippines. Raffy recalls that the first music video that he did was for Barbie's Cradle.
The band that he collaborated with in HP Space, Bunk Safe, has told Raffy that they plan to use his music video for their airing on Channel V.
After directing around 50 music videos, Raffy is excited to enter another phase in his career. He has been offered a job as the second unit director of the Bubblegum Crisis. Even though he did not win the contest, Raffy is close to realizing his dream of working on an international film.
When asked to describe his fellow Pinoy contestant, Raffy said that Adrienne is "perfectly poised to jumpstart a career in show business for more mainstream audience."
ADRIENNE A.K.A. LADY GAGA. PEP took the opportunity to ask Adrienne if she wants to pursue a career in Philippine showbiz but she says that she would rather rest for sometime. She has been working full-time in Hong Kong Disneyland where she regularly performed in the Golden Mickeys show for the past five years. When she learned that she made the cut in HP Space, she resigned.
During the taping, some of the contestants referred to Adrienne as Lady Gaga. With her penchant for wigs, accessories and standout fashion, it does seem that the 25-year-old performer has been heavily influenced by Lady Gaga. In fact, Adrienne admitted that she joined a contest on Channel V, pitting her against other impersonators of the pop singer. The Filipina won the contest and for her prize, she was able to personally meet her idol during her concert in Australia.
Does she really dress this flamboyantly in real life? "I love dressing up! In theater, I really love costume design. But here's the thing...I can't dress up like this in Manila or else maho-holdup ako! Sa totoo lang, na-holdup na ako ng ilang beses. In Hong Kong, I never felt so free. I can dress up like this and no one would care. It takes a bit of courage wearing colored wigs in public. It's very liberating."
Adrienne studied Theater Arts in the Philippine High School for the Arts located in Mt. Makiling. She then took up Theater Arts in the University of the Philippines-Diliman.
Unlike Raffy who is very familiar with editing software, Adrienne was clueless when it came to editing videos. She exclaimed, "I was even reading the manual of Final Cut Pro while editing! I didn't know After Effects at that time but fortunately, the producers saw my potential."
Even though she was not tech savvy, Adrienne's theater background proved to be very useful when it came to presenting their projects to the judges. "I discovered that presentation, the ability to pitch the idea, was equally important to the product as well."
CLICK HERE to view behind-the-scenes photos taken during the grand finals of HP Space.