Catching ‘Waves’
Filmmaker Don Frasco’s first full-length project forays into a closed world in paradise
By Fiona Patricia S. Escandor
IT IS a love story, filmmaker Don Gerardo Frasco describes — a love story between two souls torn apart by culture and distance, then reunited on a trip to a far-off, isolated island, ridden with old emotions and nostalgia on baggage.
Titled Waves, it is the first film to come out from his Cebu-based company, Waverly Pictures, and of which he also stands as producer and cinematographer.
Waves will debut in a private screening and red carpet gala on Sept. 5 in Ayala Center Cinema 5, attended by the cast led by award-winning actor Baron Geisler, leading lady Ilona Struzik, veteran actress Pilar Pilapil, and the international crew behind it composed of talents coming from different parts of the world.
“With Waves, we set out to make something heartfelt and I think we achieved it,” Don said. “Hopefully viewers can appreciate the film and feel something from it. They don’t have to understand it; I’d rather they feel something — a connection.”
Something personal
Geisler plays Ross, a troubled man with an enigmatic past, whose life changes when he gets a visit from an old friend, the lighthearted, woman of the world Sofia, portrayed by Struzik. The story, according to Don, is roughly based on personal experiences and past relationships, then written into a screenplay by Scott Curtis Graham.
Waves was shot on location in the idyllic Mangenguey, an island that’s a good three-hour boat ride away from the seaport of Coron, Palawan, and in parts of Cebu City, Oslob and Liloan.
Don said that though a traditional theatric distribution is in the pipeline, they will also be releasing it through new platforms such as online media retailers iTunes and Vimeo, and streaming service Netflix, by the end of the year.
“I like the fact how people can get a movie whenever they want, and watch it however they want, be it on tablet, laptop or home theater,” he said. “The best way is still through a cinema because of the size and surround-sound, but since Waves is very personal and intimate, viewers can also appreciate it even on mobile gadgets.”
First foray
Trained in filmmaking and cinematography at the New York Film Academy, Don’s prior experience in the industry includes freelancing in several productions in New York and Los Angeles.
He has worked as cinematographer in critically-acclaimed short films Rebirth that was applauded in the SOHO International Film Festival and New York Independent Film Festival, and Echo that was selected by the Festival de Cannes 2013 – Short Film Corner. Waves is the young filmmaker’s first foray in creating a feature-length production.
For Waves, Don worked with a global crew, mostly those he has worked with before, producer Anna Skrypka, editor Adrian Morales Ramos, and steadicam operator Yousheng Tang among others. For post-production he also worked with a sound designer based in Los Angeles, a colorist in New York and a composer in London.
Growth drive
Filming took 20 days and including pre and post production, the entire project ran for a year.
“But I guess the reason it’s delayed is mainly since I’m also working at Titay’s,” he said, referring to his family’s decade-old business in Liloan. “I did (the film) on and off, but now I’m giving it more time.”
“The entire experience has a special place in my memory. It’s my first film. Locked in a small island with people I enjoy being with and we were shooting a movie — it was great. There were ups and downs but that’s part of the creative process of filmmaking,” he said. “I also hope that it would be a contribution to drive the growth of filmmaking in Cebu.”
On hindsight, Don said he is looking forward to working with more homegrown talents in Waverly Pictures’ succeeding projects and also to creating a Bisaya-language film, one that he plans will explore on the culture of Cebuano youth.
