MANILA, Philippines?The forthcoming animated flick ?Dayo,? an entry in this December?s Metro Manila Film Festival, marks many firsts.

Although ?Adarna? is the first animated film to compete in the MMFF in 1997, ?Dayo? has the distinction of being the first digital animated flick in the annual fest.

Erwin Escubio, finance director of Cutting Edge, the production company behind ?Dayo,? clarifies that the film is actually ?tradigital ? a combination of traditional and digital animation.?

Challenging

?The art work is still drawn by hand, but the artists are using a cintiq screen tablet,? Escubio explains. A computer hardware, cintiq screen tablet allows artists to draw directly on the monitor?s screen using pressure-sensitive pens.

?It?s very challenging,? Escubio notes. ?We are trying a paperless animation process for the first time. It?s like we are learning on the job. We haven?t perfected it, but we?re getting there.?

(Artists refer to 3-D resin models of the animated characters as guide.)

Bulk of the work is being done in the Cutting Edge headquarters in Makati, but they?ve farmed out some of the ?cleanup and in-between? work to animators in Naga, Camarines Sur.

?Cleanup and in-between? are the stages following rough animation, Escubio says. ?After these, the drawings undergo the digital ink and paint process? in layman?s terms, the black-and-white art works will be colored.?

There are 100 to 150 artists working in Makati and at least 50 to 60 animators in Naga, Escubio reports.

Voices

Director Robert Quilao works closely with the animators. ?He is directing not only the actors who did the voice work, but also the animators doing the visuals,? Escubio says.

Among the stars who lent their voices to the film are Nash Aguas, Michael V., Johnny Delgado, Laurice Guillen, Noel Trinidad, Nova Villa and Pokwang.

?It?s a baptism of fire,? Quilao says of his feature debut. ?We want to showcase the talent of Filipino artists.?

?Dayo? also presents a non-stereotypical portrayal of the manananggal (vampires in local folklore), says Quilao. ?The manananggal in the story is a vegetarian. The film teaches tolerance and acceptance of people who are different.?

Theme song

Another first is that ?Dayo? will feature music by Jesse Lasaten, as played by the 35-piece orchestra, FILharmonika, under the baton of Gerard Salonga.

Lasaten, who is the music scorer and executive producer (as well as chief executive officer of Cutting Edge), composed 14 original pieces for the soundtrack? four of them with lyrics.

The theme song will be interpreted by internationally renowned singer-actress Lea Salonga, said Escubio.

Lea, who recorded songs in the soundtracks of Disney flicks like ?Aladdin? and ?Mulan,? is singing the theme of a local animated film for the first time.

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