The real story behind those intense Darna stunts | ABS-CBN

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The real story behind those intense Darna stunts

The real story behind those intense Darna stunts

Liezel dela Cruz

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It took more than camera work and CGI technology to mount the superhero series Mars Ravelo’s Darna. The truth is it also involved intense training and strong will on the actors’ part as they performed their own stunts.

In these videos, stunt director Darvin dela Cruz and stunt coordinator Erwin Tagle will take us closer to the action. Find out how the most iconic, heart-pumping stunts and fight scenes in Darna were made.

“You always have to tell a story through the action even if they’re not saying any word, like, ‘Oh, she’s in danger.’ That’s the most important thing about stunt direction,” said Darvin, whose résumé includes stunt works for international films. According to him, stunts have to include the element of danger and viewers must anticipate whether or not the character will win in the fight scene.

For Darna, they wanted to take action to new heights. The actors and their trainers worked hard for the series, “I was honestly very on it. I know it’s a big TV series. I know it’s a big comic book. We’d like to actually bring the stunts up to, like, a Hollywood standard.”

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In addition to that, stunts require collaboration among the actors. The behind-the-scenes footage shows Jane de Leon getting pointers from veteran action star Joko Diaz on their fight scene in the woods wherein Darna transformed in front of Ding (Zaijian Jaranilla) for the first time.

Erwin mentioned that they developed distinct fighting styles for each character, especially for the lead actresses. Jane’s technique was hinged on Filipino martial arts infused with made-up Martean elements, while that of Janella Salvador, who played Valentina, involves snake-like movements.

“For me, it was a challenge but natawid namin lahat kasi ang ganda nu’ng synergy ng mga directors at writers, constant collaboration. Kailangan clear ‘yung interpretation,” he looked back on his experience.

Erwin added that they are proud of their product, and no matter the challenges, they were able to gain superhero strength. “We were tested but we came out stronger and more fuelled.”

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