THE RETURN OF DICKHEAD



Surprise, surprise. The SEXMEN are coming back! I originally came up with their first adventure when we were editing my first tv series.My drawings were rough because it was just meant to be a storyboard for a flick. I added the word ballons to serve as a script guideline.
Then I thought, No way can this be done effectively without the major backing of a studio and no studio would ever back this up. Then just turn this into a comic book.

I then drew part 2 and part 3.

My drawing style with 2 and 3 was different from the first one because on both of them I used thumbnail sketches and I preplanned the page layouts.On Issue 1 I just drew them in storyboard form. More concerned about the story and the flow of the action.

When I finished 2 and 3, I then set out to print issue 1.But I just cant print issue 1 with the existing pages. They were very rough drawings on a bond paper with blue ink. I had to re-draw them and make them more ...nicer.

But when I saw the finished pages it just didnt seem to fit the seat of the pants storyline that I made. The drawing was too studied and limting for me. So I re-drew them again and tried to get the original rough look of the first draft in.

When issue one came out. I was heavily critized by some illustrators on my drawing style.Of course the concept of a comic book having a story and it playing a major part in the package was lost to them. But hey, different strokes for different folks.

Anyway I just set out to tell THE SEXMEN stories and if it infuriates a lot of people well thats the cherry on top.

I was realy surprised when it sold well.

I figured my market would be the 20 or 30 somethings who would be young enough to get what I was doing. The real shocker was when I was hanging out in Mike's comicshop and this distunguished gentleman wearing a suit and accompanied by his wife came to the store and went up to the saleslady.

GENTLEMAN: " HIja, Do you already have the copy of SEXMEN 2

( In the backcover of SEXMEN 1 I naively announced that I was comming out with #2 after one month.)

The saleslady cupped her mouth and began to snicker and then She pointed to me.

SALESLADY: " Why dont you ask him? He made it! "

The gentleman then walked towards me. And then extended his hand.

GENTLEMAN: " HIJO, I LOVE YOUR COMIC! I AM A FAN! "

I was shocked because... he was...well...he's ...mature.

FLIM: " Oh thank you. Uhh dont you find that sort of thing ..offensive? "

GENTLEMAN: " NO! IT'S FUNNY! IT'S VERY FUNNY! YOU HAVE A SICK SENSE OF HUMOR!GIANT MONSTER VAGINAS! You're a very naughty boy."

Then this lady pulled alongside of him and tapped his arm.

WOMAN: " Well Is it in yet ? "

Gentleman roars with laughter.

GENTLEMAN: " No its still here, sweet heart."

He then taps the front of his pants.

She blushes.

GENTLEMAN: " THis is my wife. Sweetheart, this is the boy who made SEXMEN."

She shakes my hand.

GENTLEMAN: " That comic book did wonders to our sex life. So when is it coming out ? "

FLIM: " Oh... as soon as I recover eh costs of the first one."

GENTLEMAN: " Here's my card. Give me a call when it comes out. I'm a fan."

I took the card. He's an executive at the ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK.

GENTLEMAN: " We have to go. Keep it up."

Well that made my day. When young people tell me they love it, I thank them and it feels good to know that your work affects people. But when the older set crowd tells you that they love your stuff. Then it means that your work has crossed a barrier that is something more difficult to bridge than nationality. The AGE GAP!

There was a long PAUSE from #1 TO #2. I'll detail those sad events some other time.Its a dark tale of betrayal and of sinister forces at work and would make for a great telling.And I had to abandon issue 2 and 3. I meet people who'd ask me what happened to issue 2 and I cant reply with a single answer.I told myself that 2 and 3 might be a story that would never be told.But...
you can't put a HARD MAN down...

And the best part is that there will be A SEXMEN MOVIE.The full details to follow.

So on to the second coming of THE SEXMEN.

Now if only I could find where I placed that calling card.

Just arrived from Alabang after doing the rough cut for the MOJO FLY video I directed two weeks ago. Jay, my editor picked me up from my place thru the driving rain because I couldn’t have ridden the bike it was raining and it would have been a bitch to clean up after wards. It was the driver’s day off so no car.

In the editing room we ordered a large thin crust and some fried potatoes and 4 bottles of beer. The first two was very cold…and nice. The latter ones were the stucked in the bodega type so you need lots of ice.

I kept piling up the list of post –production stuff I wanted done. Jay’s eyes glazed over.

JAY: “ That’s going to be bloody! You move the camera too much.

FLIM: “ But if it’s easy, where’s the fun in that? “

The best part about being an editor myself is that you don’t have to go thru the usual crap that lazy editors would give you. The ‘ it cant be done or we don’t have the program to do that shot. “ Or if you have to go thru that then you can counter with,” Get off that chair and I’ll do it myself! “

It began as I said two weeks ago when I was lounging around bibliotech during those rare moments when I can just relax and read the sealed books they have on display when my phone rang.

JAY: “ I want you to direct a MOJO FLY video.”

FLIM: “ Shouldn’t I be preparing for that cable series.”

JAY: “ There would be plenty of time for that.”

Initially the treatment Jay gave me (He’s also the producer) was the band driving around in a top down car and some rose garden or was it fields.

FLIM: “ NO WAY am I going to be involved in a top down drive by band playing their instruments, music video! Every generic band has done that to death! I want complete freedom with whatever treatment I do decide to shoot! “

JAY: “Dude, that’s why I want you, Give me your treatment as soon as I send you the cd.”

FLIM: “ I don’t need to listen to the song. I’ll give you this treatment.”

Funny enough He didn’t object to my treatment and neither did the band. HEHEHE Now let’s have some fun!

We had a 2 cam set up. One was locked and the other one, I hand held. Saved a lot of time for the set-up. The shoot was relatively easy. The props were very simple. There was a lot of cutting and pasting and stringing stuff and materials along. It was a simple set up.
Its the assembling and the parring down of the footage that’s the trick.

The funny part about all this is the music video is for a love song. Go figure!