Philippine drama can be classified into different forms and genres, with the most popular being the teleserye and teledrama. The teleserye/teledrama is a television form of melodramatic serialized fiction. It is rooted from two words: "tele", which is short for "television," and "serye", a Tagalog term for "series" and "drama" for drama. Teleserye is now used as the generic term for most Filipino soap operas on television, although the term officially came into existence in 2000 when Philippine network ABS-CBN aired its first official form of teleserye, Pangako Sa 'Yo. Prior to this, Filipino soap operas were called either "telenovelas" (and some are still referred to as such) and "soap operas". But as of 2010, GMA Network officially uses teledrama as their form of Philippine TV Series that is drama related.
Teleseryes share some characteristics and have similar roots with classic soap operas and telenovelas, yet the teleserye has evolved into a genre with its own unique characteristics, often working as a reflection of the social realism of the Filipinos. Teleseryes are aired in prime-time five days a week, and often replays during weekends. They attract a broad audience which crosses age and gender lines, and they command the highest advertising rates in Philippine television. They last anywhere from three months to a year, or even longer, depending on its rating.
Teleseryes/Teledramas are currently produced by ABS-CBN, TV5, and GMA Network. They are usually co-produced by TAPE Inc., and film studio, VIVA Entertainment.
Other forms of Philippine dramas include serials and anthologies, which are usually shown on a weekly basis. These dramas are also intended to air a finite number of episodes usually lasting one season depending on the ratings.
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Soap operas in The Philippines originated when Gulong ng Palad was first heard on the radio in 1949. The genre then expanded into television in the early 1960s. The first Philippine TV soap opera was Hiwaga sa Bahay na Bato in 1963, and was produced by ABS-CBN. Liwanag ng Pag-ibig, Prinsipe Amante, and many others soon followed.[1]
The "soaps" were usually shown during daytime, however in 1996, soap opera programming was moved to primetime due to the popularity gained by the Mexican telenovela, Marimar, which aired in The Philippines on RPN 9. This marked the start of the telenovela craze in The Philippines. Major networks followed the trend by showing local and foreign telenovelas in their respective timeslots.
Eventually, Philippine primetime began to focus on serial dramas and anthologies; both becoming highly watched programs. And in 2008, TV5 revived serial dramas for Philippine Primetime television.
In 2000, ABS-CBN, made a milestone move in television when it introduced Pangako sa 'Yo, which has since been known to be the first official teleserye, and Kay Tagal Kang Hinintay. These teleseryes set the standard for present teleserye productions in The Philippines. This new genre became a big hit in the country, and its popularity was soon spread to other countries. Because of this phenomenon, subsequent soap operas shown on television have regularly come to be referred to as teleseryes while GMA Network officially began referring to their television dramas as teledramas.
ABS-CBN did a remake of the longest running teleserye, Mara Clara and Mula Sa Puso.
The underlying theme of any teleserye tends to focus on love in all kinds of dimensions: love between couples, families, and friends. A popular plot-line revolves around a love story between two different individuals; most often an affluent individual who falls in love with someone from the "other side of the tracks," so to speak. Often the couple is separated by ill-fate, with their romance being often contradicted by a third party, usually meddling parents or relatives. Another popular storyline revolves around a character's search for a loved one: a parent, a child, or a long lost friend; stories tend to start at the beginning of the main character's childhood. These storylines usually begin showing the child being separated at birth, or at a very young age, due to some unforeseen circumstance. In some instances, the protagonist may change places with the antagonist, or the main character may meet separated family members at another time in their lives.
Feelings of love, betrayal, jealousy, social status, and revenge are usually the underlying elements that abound in popular storylines, and story arcs build around main characters, and/or the different family members and generations.
Among the most common twists in the storylines circling around a romance between couples is that they may find out that they are actually related; brothers and/or sisters who were separated at birth. Or conversely, characters who have grown-up as siblings may find that they are, in fact, not related after a climactic event and/or situation.
Teleseryes are notorious for adding new characters to an already convoluted plot-line. This often adds more of a twist to the overall story. For example, the lead female character may meet a new love interest. This will eventually create a rift between the lead characters.
Sometimes teleseryes uses the "multiple lives" storyline to add more twists: a main character, who may be known as dead, may all-of-a-sudden show up out of nowhere one day; a technique that is popular in the classic American soap opera.
Villains are created to make the life of the protagonist especially miserable. Old Filipino soap operas portrayed very rude, violent, greedy, almost sociopathic villains who have come to be tagged as "Kontrabida," derived from the words "kontra" ( Spanish word for "against") and "bida" ("the lead character").
Villains in teleseryes have changed from the old soap opera-like versions to a less violent, less vengeful character. Instead, "villains" in teleseryes tend to build on issues such as insecurities, lack of true people skills or true love, or being misunderstood. While less violent, the teleserye villain continues to wreak havoc on the lives of protagonists through mental tactics, and/or more subdued actions.
Stories usually end with villains meeting a spectacularly violent, gruesome, painful and gory end. Most complications will reach a resolution, and protagonists end up on top: winning the prize, getting married, having a child with a loved one, and or landing the lead job in a corporation.
The predictability of teleserye endings, however, has become an outstanding issue leading audiences to complain about repetitive and predictable plot-lines and endings. Because of this, scriptwriters have endeavored to change the endings of certain teleseryes to provide an additional twist, or a mark of added originality.
In recent times, many "classic" love stories that were popular during the 60s, 70s, and 80s have seen a resurgence on the small screen. These "old" story lines are sometimes transposed, and often re-showcases the main characters in their new incarnations: usually through a child, or another character who may share the same characteristics as the former. Some dramas give importance to story lines centering on the showbiz industry, with arcs portraying former friends or siblings fighting for fame and popularity. This days Philippine dramas evolved into a new range, it's now more light and comedic, a good example is the series Precious Hearts Romances that features stories from pocketbooks.
Unpredictable twists are still a huge part of the modern day teleserye, and can be used to further extend a series. Some twists focus on having the protagonists as "scapegoats" for the wrongdoings of the villain, causing further suffering to the main protagonists. Antagonists often shows much torture and difficulty to the protagonist making the climax more interesting and heart-stopping.
The endings of modern storylines are sometimes quite different from what has been classically written. These days, story lines sometimes showcase a noted change in a character: often a villain who later faces forgiveness from the protagonist. Or instead of the obnoxious demise of a villain, the antagonist is often brought to justice and subsequently imprisoned. Also, some protagonists actually die, and do not survive the tumultuous lives they have lived. Modern drama serials have also opened up the possibilities for a series return through cliffhanger finales.
ABS-CBN has since started the exportation of their dramas, most likely classical dramas as they often have a universal message. Pangako Sa Yo (The Promise) is one of the most successful Philippine dramas abroad. Prior to China, the love story of Angelo Buenavista and Yna Macaspac have mesmerized people in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia and even Africa. As Cambodian Nai Hiu Mei recounts, “The teleserye, broadcasted here with Khmer dubbing, was so popular that many Cambodian babies are named Angelo.” The Times of Zambia writer Meluse Kapatamoyo wrote, “The series has become a topic of discussion among families, friends and even neighbors who daily ponder on how the show would end.” René Lötter of One Africa Television has even said, “When is Pangako sa’Yo coming back?’ I wish I could get a dollar each time I get that question. From teenager to grandma, from household organizers to tax consultant – it’s gripped people across all genders.".[2]
Sana Maulit Muli was also aired in Taiwan. ABS-CBN have continued not only to embark teleseryes on other cultures but also win awards such as Lobo (dubbed as She-Wolf: The Last Sentinel), which garnered awards and nomination on other countries such as the Best Telenovela award at the 30th BANFF World Television Festival in Toronto and an International Emmy nomination for its lead actress Angel Locsin. Another show, Eva Fonda managed to win awards from the Seoul International Drama Awards where also the lead actress Cristine Reyes managed to get a nomination as Best Leading Actress and a Special award for the show. GMA Network's Boys Nxt Door, a teen melodrama, was the first Philippine TV series aired on a local broadcasting network in Korea, and their show Mga Mata ni Anghelita was aired in Mexico. Both networks have maximized the use of online streaming to promote their series' abroad. ABS-CBN has also introduced a website called ABS-CBN International Sales,[3] for easy access to their shows.
Today, Philippine dramas gained international recognition from international award-giving bodies, cementing the reputation of the Philippines as a prime drama producer. Most of these nominated dramas were from ABS-CBN. It started with Lobo wining the Best Telenovela category in the 30th BANFF World Television Festival. Several dramas were also nominated in the International Emmy for the telenovela category, including ABS-CBN's Dahil May Isang Ikaw, Kahit Isang Saglit and GMA's Magdusa Ka. Magkaribal of ABS-CBN was recently nominated in the 2011 New York Festivals TV and Film Awards.
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