- The network and producers invested a lot in the preparation of ‘Sahaya,’ having rented a shore for 6 months and creating a Badjao Village as its location set
- The team recreated an entire Badjao Village in Calatagan, Batangas, replicating the stilt houses of the Badjaos in Tawi-Tawi
- This was revealed by program manager Helen Rose Sese
On March 04, GMA Network is set to air a fresh and exciting Badjao themed story, ‘Sahaya,’ on the network’s telebabad line up, replacing ‘Onanay.’ The network and producers are all-out in creating the new series that they replicated a Badjao Village in Tawi-Tawi as their set.
In a press conference of the show, program manager Helen Rose Sese revealed that the production staff underwent an intense immersion and research in the city of Tawi-Tawi to study the lifestyle and way of living of the Badjaos.
That is why when they came back to NCR, they tried to replicate entirely the stilt houses and made a Badjao Village in Calatagan, Batangas. Helen proudly disclosed the journey that the staff went through to finalize their plans.
“It’s an IG-worthy location. So… ‘Yung production designer din kasi namin is really good. So lahat ng details when we went to Tawi-Tawi, inaral din nila ‘yon. Even the baskets na makikita niyo are customized, pinagawa namin. Kasi it’s different. Even ‘yung bangka. Strategically, ‘yung sunset, pinuwesto kung saan ‘yung area namin.”
She added that they rented the shore for 6 months to set-up the recreated Badjao Village to be their set.
“We created an entire set sa Calatagan, yung set construction is ongoing. Ang ganda ng nakikita ko na progress ng set. It’s really something to be proud of. We rented the entire shore area and then we constructed a set there, yung stilt houses ng Tawi-Tawi. Perfect yung sunset.”
Helen also claimed that the network itself is very innovative, when it invested in trying something new and interesting for the viewers to look forward to.
“Alam n’yo naman, GMA is known for innovative concepts so wala tayong nakikitang ganyan pa from ibang networks, so we wanted to try out something new and that it would be interesting to the viewers.”
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She also believed that ‘Sahaya’ is fit to be screened on Netflix. Adding that for the very first time, they will be using high-end cameras which are really good for a Netflix show.
“I’m happy to share with you guys, nag-taping na kami ng three taping days and I’ve seen the materials. Ang galing ni direk Zig Dulay. Ang ganda ng materials niya, ang ganda ng camera movements niya, nu’ng shots. And this is also the first time that a GMA drama will use the C700 cameras. So ito ‘yung akma na puwede for Netflix.”
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The series stars Bianca Umali and Miguel Tanfelix are also excited about the possibility of ‘Sahaya’ showing on the famous online streaming service, Netflix.