1st day in manila

i arrived in manila yesterday morning. Walking out into 35 degree heat after a 22 hour plane ride from the other side of the world gave me the inclination to pass out but i thankfully held myself together. It was great to see my parents again, of course. Definitely a treat to see them for the second time in 3 months...an entire year usually passes between each visit with them. Lunch and a trip to the spa (to get my nails done and a massage....i'm such a princess!) followed. That evening, the press conference/dinner was held for The Inheritance film's cast and crew. The event was held in the backyard of someone's house, in one of the most amazing tropical gardens i've ever seen. The place was huge and packed with people, food, lights, cameras and mosquitoes. The entire cast (both Toronto and Manila based members) was present, as well as the production crew. After dinner, the director (Toronto-based Romeo Candido) went through the story and described all the characters in the film. A press conference followed where reporters from various broadcasters in the Philippines interviewed the cast members, the director and the producers. I had the chance to meet the cast and crew as well as alot of the people responsible for the post-production end. This included the socre composer, Gerard Salonga, who will be composing and conducting an actual orchestra (!) to create the film's score, the director of the editing team, the post-production supervisor as well as some of the members of the web team (programmers and designers) that I will be working with on the film's website. My first meeting with the entire team will be held on Monday evening so I'll be spending today and tomorrow creating some rough drafts for page layouts and finalizing the site map. The idea of actually directing and collaborating with an entire team is so exciting as well as a little intimidating. Shooting starts next week so I'm definitely looking forward to that. More updates and photos to come.....