When my son was a mere four year old tot, my producer –friend coaxed me into allowing him to voice for a public service ad.
Warning bells rang like crazy in my head.
Not only did he want my baby to voice the commercial, he also wanted him to be the talent in the commercial.
Public service naman eh, he winked at me. For the good of mankind.
What’s more, he argued, it’s not as if the boy doesn’t speak well. He’s also quite a head turner, quite good looking, my producer friend pointed out.
Flattery. The downfall of tyrants, even of the gods. I nipped it immediately in the bud. Of course my son speaks well, I said, but the script is in Tagalog---NOT easy for a boy --born to a Kapampangan mother and a Waray father--- but who believes himself to be a New Yorker! And as for good looking, hello, the storyboard calls for a child’s hand. To be even more precise, a child’s chubby little finger. Not even his nose, his eyelashes, the round of his cheek, nay, not even the shadow of his face will show in the commercial.
Public service ad naman eh, my producer friend repeated, smiling his best “sigi na” grin.
Brownie points in heaven.
That’s how I found myself a few days after in the recording studio with my 4 year old in tow.
So picture this: one very well-rehearsed 4 year old boy … one very determined producer, and one very demanding creative director (that’s me), at war with her indulgent mother persona (that’s me again).
Of course I was determined to get exactly the voice I’ve heard in my head from the very first day I wrote the commercial. One little sliver of doubt crossed my mind though as to whether my English speaking son could do it. But still, I was adamant: no special treatment--- even if the talent happens to be related to the creative person behind the script. I reminded my producer friend that let us be prepared to squeeze the lemon dry, even if it means having to make the talent deliver his lines the whole afternoon. Just don’t ….ah…I mean, don’t shout at him, okay. Don’t even think of raising your voice by a few decibels. Bawal ding panglakihan siya ng mata. And it’s not even because I’m his mother---I’ve treated all my other children talents this way , because I firmly believe that it’s easier to coax the best out of children through gentle instructions…or flat out bribery.
Easy ka lang, my producer friend said. Ako bahala sa kanya.
To his credit my producer friend was a gem at directing my son.
And both gentle instructions –and bribery, did come in handy. But more than anything else, what saved the day was my son, the four year old parrot.
Never ever underestimate the power of a parrot.
The boy who came to the studio with a Jimmy Neutron accent with a dash of Hillary Duff was soon talking like he was a stalwart of Filipino telenovellas.
Gayahin mo ako anak ha, said my producer friend. He’d deliver it, and my son would parrot him.
But it was when we asked him, how will you say it to mommy , in case daddy isn’t home yet ?
That’s when the magic happened. He spoke his line as only a four year old boy would say it--- with all the worry, intensity and sadness of a child waiting for a parent... He was earnest, as only a child longing for a parent could be earnest. ( in the commercial, the parent incidentally was never ever coming home, but my son didn’t know that---it was something that was left for the audience to discover) . And earnest was just right, for I didn’t want anything weepy or melodramatic. (When it comes to acting, I believe that if you cry too much, the audience wont).
See, my producer friend smiled. Told you he‘s a natural. The commercial shoot will be a walk in the park, my producer assured me.
And it was. Except for that one single moment when my son suddenly decided that he’s had enough of it, and announced to the director and everybody else on the set that thanks, but no thanks, I don’t want to push that dog tag into the frame anymore, because my mom and I are going to Glorietta already. Goodbye, it was nice knowing you.
And he walked off the set.
In a flash, my producer friend, my writer, my art director and the commercial director all fetched him right back. And made such promises that would have turned any 4 year old’s head (no wonder a lot of child talents ----more so actors, are spoiled!). Yes, yes, yes, the eleventh take will be the last take, and no, of course not, we won’t reach 12 and even if we reach 12 or …13 maybe…or 18 takes, we will definitely not reach 20 takes, so please come back or else your mom, our creative director will say to the producer , this was your idea, and will say that the child is now forever traumatized , the child will never recover from having had to toil at the tender age of four, and what’s more, he will forever wonder if it was his fault it had to be done again and again, and we should tell him that it was the fault of the lighting…and the rigging, and the props, or even the tenant’s next door, we should tell him that $#!T happens in a shoot, but don’t use that word , not in front of my son…and it went on and on, etc,etc. etc. Finally, the boy caved in at the promise of Timezone,
(Oh, but before I forget, since it was a public service ad, there wasn’t any talent fee, it was all gratis et amore. So in case you were thinking that there was anyway a carrot at the end of the stick, there you are, there were no carrots , not even a bit to nibble on).
All things considered, it wasn’t a bad shoot at all. In fact, it was a good one--my boy worked a total of less than four hours , (even the recording took only an hour), we had an early wrap and the commercial won an award. My son went on to voice other ads, and even appeared in a TV spot lately where hey, they actually showed his face! Today he is is an outgoing child, and can hold a conversation even with adults. No trauma there, not even the slightest hint. And that experience didn’t spoil him either, though he was promised heaven and earth for just going back to the set! On the contrary…he’s as normal as any kid in his circle of friends. Though I admit that more than one teacher has told me that unlike other kids, my son has no qualms speaking in front of a crowd, or stepping up when volunteers are required. Did that experience help build his confidence and help hone his public speaking skills ? I’d like to think it did. Even as I admit to myself that maybe, like a lot of other parents, my son’s appearances in such TV commercials was ---and is, more for his parent’s vanity than his own !
But still, our family’s own oral tradition is richer for the experience; we have yet to tire of telling, and retelling this story. Especially since my son always eggs me in the end:
“You made me work at the tender age of four???”
And I shoot back, “It wasn’t work, you didn’t get paid , remember ?”
BOOTS MA. GARCIA –SISON IS A WIFE, MOTHER, SOCCER GROUPIE , AND ADVERTISING WRITER AND CREATIVE DIRECTOR, NOT NECESSARILY IN THAT ORDER. IT WAS HER SON ANTON WHO THOUGHT OF HER COLUMN’S NAME.
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