“I ugly cried,” says director Avid Lingoren, when asked about his reaction after finding out that his movie, Saving Sally was included in this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival.
“I cried again, then I ate shawarma.” he said.
Its probably the most genuine reaction one could expect from the first-timer whose film spent 10 years in production, hobbled by budget constraints and the limited technology they had.
How the film was put together is also anything but typical. You might as well call it “epic.”
“Saving Sally” was mounted by a small team of young animators led by its director Avid Liongoren who has directed for television and TV commercials. They began shooting as early as 2005 but production slowed down due to funding.
A Disney animated film he said takes around 4 years to make with almost 500 people working on it, they only had less than 10 people with their outdated PCs to work with.
But getting included in the top 8 was just the beginning as Saving Sally also got an A rating from Cinema Evaluation Board.
The Metro Manila Film Festival Screening Committee describes “Saving Sally,” one of the eight entries in this year’s December film festival as “an atypical youthful love story replete with child-like elements as applied through 2D animation.”
The Cinema Evaluation Board gave an A rating to the directorial debut of Avid Liongoren, a motion picture that weaves a young romantic story set in wonderful 2D animation hues.
Production came into full swing in 2010 on a blue screen, which was later replaced with a stylized Manila and 2D animated monsters created by Liongoren and his team of artists at Rocketsheep. Every frame, every background, every piece of art was painstakingly made. “What we lacked in manpower, we made up for with love in every single frame. We spent countless hours checking and rechecking every detail,” shares Direk Avid.
Watch highlights of the press conference below Part 1:
Part 2:
The result is ready to be served come December 25. “Saving Sally” as director Liongoren puts it is “a familiar coming-of-age story told with superstylized visuals. The project blends live action, 2d animation and an abundance of warm, fuzzy feelings to create a totally unique and lovable little film.”
Get ready to be dazzled and mesmerized, children, millennials, and the young-at-heart. “Saving Sally” will make you believe in love, comic books, and the monsters in our heads all over again.
Cheer on as Marty (Enzo Marcos), an aspiring comic book artist pines for his best friend Sally (played by Rhian Ramos), a gadget inventor. Sally, however, has monsters for parents and an inconsiderate boyfriend (TJ Trinidad). In Marty’s fantasies, he conjures up ways of defending the love of his life from the big bad world.
At its very heart, “Saving Sally” is a simple story about love and never, ever giving up told in a unique way that combines live action & vivid kaleidoscope-colored animation.
“Saving Sally” stars Rhian Ramos, Enzo Marcos, TJ Trinidad, Bodjie Pascua, Carme Sanchez, Sharmaine Centenera Buencamino, Archie Adamos.
And what does this director say about being compared to Scott Pilgrim vs The World (another animated flick with similar theme)
“We had the script in 2004, and we were working on it long before “Scott” was released in 2010. —Its like comparing “mami and ramen,” was his witty remark.
Bringing you a tale of young love, monsters and how dreams really can come true, “Saving Sally” opens this Christmas in cinemas nationwide.
