Ortigas said he woud’ve rejected script if it was given to him earlier
He wasn’t in the ‘right frame of mind’ for movie-making back then
Ortigas, Rocha, and Alonso shelled out P80M from their own pockets to fund movie
MANILA, Philippines – Thank goodness he enjoyed the script.
According to Fernando Ortigas, executive producer of the critically-acclaimed ‘Heneral Luna,’ the historical movie would’ve never made it past the drawing board if he had received the script earlier than he expected.
“I told Ed (Rocha) and I told a lot of people that if I got this script one week earlier, I would’ve thrown it in the garbage can and forget about it because I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to get into movies,” he told ABS-CBN.
Fortunately, the script arrived at the right time.
“It came at the right time, I read the script and I enjoyed it,” he said.
Ortigas and his fellow producers Rocha and Atty. Joji Alonso shelled out approximately P80 million of their own money to make the movie.
The film, which centers on the life and death of the fiery revolutionary general Antonio Luna, has been praised for reawakening the public’s interest in history.
Now on its fifth week, the movie is set to break the P230 million actual break-even point.
“We’re coming close to breaking even, which is a blessing for us,” he said.
Ortigas— a member of the real estate company Ortigas & Company—added he used the same principles he utilizes in real estate to finish the movie since he had no prior experience in making films.
“My comparison was like building a house,” he said. “You can’t stop halfway, you have to put the roof on. And whatever your architect tells you the cost is going to be and if there’s a cost overrun, you can’t stop.”
“Same thing as the movie,” he pointed out.