ABS-CBN celebrates Kapamilya Summer in new station ID

Charo Santos-Concio gamely joins a pedicab "race" with kids in the streets of Manila. Martin Nievera jams with magtataho vendors in Plaza Miranda. Dolphy, Jeffrey Quizon and Vandolph hang out in the sidewalks. Kuh Ledesma and ZsaZsa Padilla ride a trolley along the riles with some manongs and manangs. Piolo Pascual opens a fire hose and starts a festive "foam party" in the streets, with ABS-CBN teleserye stars and comedians, the traffic enforcers, street sweepers and onlookers.

ABS-CBN talents are all in the mood for summer, as presented in the network’s newest station ID "Iba Ka-Summer ang Kapamilya." Produced by ABS-CBN’s Creative Communications Management (CCM) headed by Robert Labayen and Zita Aragon, the image spot bursts of scenes never before seen on any other station ID.

Where else can you see Piolo Pascual and Bernard Palanca banging on steel drums while strapped onto one side of the Jones Bridge? Or Karen Davila and Ted Failon chilling out on top of a shanty’s roof, creating music with cans of cookies? We see Gary Valenciano strutting his stuff on top of a stationed train, and Maricel Soriano riding a raft. The plugs also find today’s hottest stars in the scenic beaches and resorts in Subic and Taytay.

Still, despite the big scenes and spectacular summertime imagery, perhaps the most interesting feature of the project is how it presents the all-star cast celebrating the season with ordinary people. Taking time out from tapings and mall tours, the celebrities dressed down and reached out to real-life community members, taking part in the people’s daily activities.

"Summer is a very important season for us Filipinos," says Labayen, VP for CCM, "and we want the viewers to realize that they can actually spend the time with their favorite stars, their kapamilya here in ABS-CBN." The project is indeed able to display the distinct fun and excitement one can experience only with a kapamilya.

"We don’t really have to spend much or embark on a major trip to enjoy summer – even the simplest activities become extra special if we do it with kapamilya," adds Aragon, director for promotions, CCM. Hence, the station ID’s idea of a summer getaway includes showbiz icons bringing it on in the busy streets of El Hogar and Quiapo, creating music out of used sticks, steel, cooking pans, paint cans, blocks of ice and other items commonly seen during this season.

Helmed by commercial director Onat Diaz, who also handled the highly acclaimed "Otso Otso" station ID of ABS-CBN, "Iba Ka-Summer ang Kapamilya" adds a different luster to the familiar, daily routines in summer. News anchors Dong Puno, Ces Drilon and Henry Omaga Diaz cool off with fresh fruits and Danilo Barrios, John Wayne and Joseph Bitangcol make fun with foam while cleaning a taxi. Willie Revillame, alongside the "Wowowee" girls Iya Villania, Kat Alano and Janelle Jamer groove with common people in a park, watching hundreds of multi-colored balloons go up in the sky.

Shot in high-definition camera, the series of plugs are further enhanced by animations, such as the rich images created when Aga Muhlach spilled paint on a giant canvass. Director of photography Shayne Sarte and ABS-CBN’s iPost department created the impressive total look.

The cast energetically moves to the techno rhythm of the soundtrack, an original music composed by Himig Handog winner Jonathan Manalo and arranged by Paolo Zarate. The powerhouse group composed of executive producer Jinky Fabelico, associate producer Minnie Malapira, segment producer Jessamae Samson, production designer Aida Concepcion, choreographers Maribeth Bichara and Mij Santos and the rest of ABS-CBN’s Special Projects Team collaborated to capture the smiles, energy and colors of summer.

"Iba Ka-Summer ang Kapamilya" is ABS-CBN’s biggest station ID to date, gathering about 200 entertainment and news personalities, including local talents from the Regional Network Group (RNG). It follows the network’s award-winning series of themed plugs like the "Saya ng Summer," "Umulan, Umaraw," and the yearly Christmas IDs. CCM has already won a bronze medal from the New York TV Festival for its "50 Years Gold" station ID and the 2004 Gold Quill award of excellence in the audio-visual division for "ABS-CBN 50 Years Journey" station ID. The Sabay Tayo song used in last Christmas season’s station ID has even been adopted by several cities, schools and organizations as their own official theme song.

The series of high-energy plugs "Iba Ka-Summer ang Kapamilya" was recently launched on ABS-CBN Channel 2, Studio 23, ANC, MYX, Cinema One and Lifestyle Network, and across the network’s radio stations.