[As a film enthusiast, if ever this pushes through and film schools start sprouting to serve these film studios, I'll be a very joyful Kapampangan.]
Funtasia Entertainment - Philippines plans to have studio facilities with a combined area bigger than that of Hollywood
By Anthony Bayarong, Correspondent
SUBIC BAY Free port: A group of Filipino movie production executives is eyeing the Subic Free Port and Clark as a location for the biggest movie production facility in the country.
The plan according to Catherine Jimenez, Funtasia'’s assistant executive producer, is for Funtasia Entertainment Philippines to have Universal Studio-type facilities with a combined area bigger than that of Hollywood.
“What we plan for Subic and Clark are gated-type studio facilities that will serve as world-class location sites for local and international film producers,” Jimenez said in a meeting last week with Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Administrator Armand Arreza.
“Location wise, Subic and Clark have many beautiful places and facilities. And as [Viva Entertainment President] Vic del Rosario said, some of the sets made here are like those produced in Hollywood,” she said.
Two other movie production executives accompanied Jimenez, along with Ambassador Marita Magpili-Jimenez, a director of the Asian Development Bank, who was also conducting consultation visits in key growth areas in the country.
The Funtasia blueprint indicates gated studios in the Subic and Clark facilities will be managed by different companies.
In particular, Subic will serve as a location for filming, studio offices, and a water sub-stage for shooting underwater scenes, Jimenez said.
The tank for water sub-stage will be an environment- friendly, open sea-type with an area of 3,000 square meters.
In Clark, Funtasia will be utilizing the Sandigan Expo and other historical attractions, as well as the global city and fun zone.
Jimenez also revealed that Funtasia already has three foreign movie production outfits on its list of prospective clients, besides companies engaged in television and video production.
"These three foreign outfits are so eager to start their location shooting in the Philippines, that is why we were in a hurry to scout for the most suitable locations in the country," she said.
In the end, Funtasia settled for Subic and Clark because they meet all the company’'s requirements, Jimenez added.
Arreza, meanwhile, assured the movie executives that Subic “will be more than willing to accommodate your requirements,” and pointed out possible film location sites like the Nabasan Point, Hidden Beach, and the APEC Villas.
"Subic has lots of suitable places for film location sites, that’s why it has become the setting for many local and international movie productions even during the time when it was still a US naval facility," he said.
