On becoming Jason Magbanua

“Kilala namin iyan, maririnig namin iyong ‘klak klak klak klak’ ng bakya, tapos yayayain namin siyang tumagay, lalakad siya papunta sa amin ‘klak klak klak klak’ at makikitambay. Kilala iyan sa amin bilang 'Prof. Jason.'”

 

This imagery I’ve been presented with is at odds with the dapper, perpetually put-together Jason Magbanua sitting across me. This Jason Magbanua, known to be the wedding film game-changer, the holy grail of wedding videographers, taking what used to be an act of mere documentation and turning it into a veritable art form.

With clients that read like a who’s who of Philippine showbiz, it’s hard to imagine Jason being any less put together than he is today.

 

It started with a compelling desire to say ‘NO’ to his dream job

 

Heavily immersed in video production in his college days, Jason already knew that his passion was visual storytelling. It would seem serendipitous that his very first (and only) job interview was for a position he had always wanted — to be an editor in a prestigious post production house. It would seem that at this point in Jason’s story, the stars had already lined up for him; but he would decide otherwise.

 

An opportunity to teach in Sacred Heart College in Lucena City presented itself. In other words, to teach in a place where he had no friends, no family— a total uprooting; versus his ‘dream job’ — and yet to Jason, the choice was so clear.

 

“I politely declined their offer and the post I always wanted. While it was a difficult choice, it was very clear to me what I had to do. I felt that this was a detour I had to make— to teach video productions, to essentially set up their AB-communications course —was so compelling. I knew I could always go back to my ‘career path’, and that teaching was something I had to do at that point,” Jason recounts.

 

The unlikely first gig in Gumaca, Quezon

 

It’s hard to imagine how Jason Magbanua would become Jason Magbanua in the context of this ‘detour’, and yet he did. A seemingly insignificant favor was asked of him: “Sir, can you videotape my kuya’s wedding?” his student asked.

 

“That wedding was in Gumaca, Quezon. I said, sige. So I hired another student who owned a camera, hired another student who had lights, and we all took a bus, me with my Hi-8 handheld videocam in tow to get to the wedding. It was very Cinema Veritae. We shot it, then caught the last bus back to Lucena to edit it.”

 

Even in that humble first gig, Jason already knew he wanted to do things differently.

 

“I was 25, arguably young after 2 to 3 years of teaching. I was so much into the things I learned from Father Nick Cruz, Kokoy Jimenez. I was fascinated by film school staples like Kramer vs. Kramer, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest; and at around that time, the Guy Ritchie film Snatch came out. I remember thinking ‘Wow! Ano 'to! 'Di ko alam 'to! Pwede pala iyan.’ And so with all of those things put together, I wanted to apply it to wedding filmmaking.

 

Fast forward to today

 

When I asked him about the moment that he realized he “had arrived,” he said it was a gradual realization.

 

“People were asking to have their pictures taken with me at weddings — it made me realize that the stories I’ve told were connecting with people. It’s moments like these that quell my doubts. My parents were not in favor of my decision to teach. All my peers were climbing the corporate ladder. At year 4 or 5 after college, they were in prestigious positions and I was still  in Lucena. I knew I made the right choice  but the question would surface: ‘What If I had chosen a different career path?’ 

 

Hitting the sweet spot

 

Needless to say, his doubts have since been silenced. Fifteen years later, Jason has hit the sweet spot. 

 

“That’s the thing about getting older— I get to connect with the couples on a deeper level which allows me to represent their stories so much better than if I were 25. Because now, I know about annulment. I know about second chances. I know about having kids not of your own, but wanting to build a family together. Having undergone so many life experiences gives me an advantage because before, where conversations were ‘What kind of music do you listen to?’, now, I can ask ‘What took you 11 years to propose?” Jason muses.

 

Two cents worth on pursuing your passion

 

Our dinner and this interview coming to a close, I ask him for his two cents worth on pursuing one’s passion. Without giving it too much thought, he says “Stick to your guns.”

 

“Pangatawanan mo ang mga desisyon mo— see it through. There will be mistakes. There will be failures. It’s not always an upward trajectory. There were days na walang booking. There were times walang pang-taxi papuntang shoot. Iyong naging problema din ang papaano uuwi galing Tagaytay— but if you love what you do, you will enjoy the ride." —KG, GMA News