Family affair

CATHERINE Camarillo — fondly called C.C. by family and friends — ventured into film production with her family.

For more than two decades, she was at the helm of projects for the small screen. She also assisted veteran directors in their film projects.

«I decided to start up a film production company with my family because of the Covid-19 pandemic and the loss of ABS-CBN's franchise,» Camarillo told The Manila Times.

«I was looking for something to work on and supplement my craft, and so my family thought of putting up a production company.»

Last May, Pocket Media Productions released its maiden production, «Chances Are, You and I,» which starred Kira Balinger and Kelvin Miranda.

Today, the production outfit is coming out with its sophomore outing right away.

«Both projects were filmed in Korea. Naturally, there is always a certain project that will become attached to the filmmaker?

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»I still believe Pocket Media Productions is still relatively small and new compared to the established players in the film production industry," Camarillo said.

«I feel more attached to 'Chances Are, You and I' because it was the first film that we made.

»After a long period of time with having minimal work because of the pandemic, that was the project that motivated me to pursue creating films and fueled my passion."

Pocket Media Productions survived its maiden venture despite the many challenges production, stars and crew had to hurdle.

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«We survived with pure grit and resilience; always trying our hardest to work and continue doing so despite facing challenges,» said Camarillo. «We wanted to do things our way and be true to our company's vision.

»The hardest hurdle for me was encountering the learning curves of producing films. Since I am a director foremost before trying my hand in producing, there [were] a lot of first times for me when it comes to this side of filmmaking such as preparing the budget, creating and negotiating contracts, and the overall production and execution of our day-to-day filming.

«Facing those challenges was a learning process for us in the company, but it helped us improve our work little by little.»

Pocket Media Productions was