By this point in time a number of movie studios in the Philippines are taking a new lesson to heart: if their film did not make a splash in the theaters when they premiered, have it put on Netflix and there is a chance it could become a streaming blockbuster. This line of thought could be gleaned from the new lease on viewing life that was experienced by “Through Night and Day,” a Viva Films and Octo Arts Films co-production that starred Alessandra de Rossi and Paolo Contis. Said film was actually a personal project for de Rossi, who conceptualized the original story, but also had a random creative reason.
According to GMA News, Alessandra de Rossi recently revealed a few development tidbits about “Through Night and Day,” her 2018 romantic drama tandem with Paolo Contis. In particular, she said the film, which she has been brainstorming for years, would give her an excuse to shave herself bald for a role. The actress shared this while being interviewed by Lyn Ching on the Tuesday, July 28 broadcast of Kapuso morning show “Unang Hirit.” The movie plot originated as a story idea she had put together when she was aged 19-20.
“I had a handle on [the story] then I said I wanted to use [it] to get my head shaved one day. That was one of my dreams,” was how Alessandra related the reasoning for her creation of the plotline that became “Through Night and Day.” Of course, turning a story idea into a movie was another thing so de Rossi brought her framework to a screenwriter. “I was going to script it myself,” she relates. “But I was so busy with the [soap] then, my co-producer called me asking, ‘Where is the script?’ I said, ‘I can’t do it.’”
All told, Alessandra de Rossi was invested in personally writing and directing “Through Night and Day” for Viva and Octo Arts, but being busy with other showbiz commitments pushed her to entrust her ideas to professional scripters and filmmakers instead, leaving her only to star and produce. The results have been impressive, as “Through Night and Day” became the most-viewed Filipino film on Netflix Philippines, while her 2017 rom-com “Kita Kita” with Empoy Marquez was a hit enough through cinema box office alone. It even got a 2019 Indonesian remake.
Alessandra notes that such successes for her starrers came about because the plots were not of standard Filipino filmmaking conventions, which she summarizes as simply the lead actor and actress emoting in a way primarily to make the audience cry.
Image from Click the City
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