GUAM PACIFIC DAILY NEWS
SHIRO'S HEAD
MUNA BROTHERS MAKING ALL-LOCAL FILM
By Sun Kang
February 3, 2008

When Don and Kel Muna saw the film "Max Havoc: Curse of the Dragon", they complained about it. Many people complained about the movie, myself included, but we went on our way and didn't give it much more thought.

The Muna brothers, however, decided to do something, as Chamorro directors who know and love Guam.

"The real turning point for me was when I watched the TV version of Max Havoc 'Curse of the Dragon'. Man, I'll never forget that movie. My first reaction was, "Hey, that's not Guam," says Don Muna in an e-mail interview. "The only locals I saw were the extras."

The Muna brothers began to wonder what they'd do with the same opportunities afforded "Max Havoc" director Albert Pyun. They came up with a basic storyline, using elements of Max Havoc and a short story titled "The Legend of Shiro" the two had written, to create the world of "Shiro's Head - The Legend."

"At this point they were only ideas in our head, but the story started developing pretty quick. The next morning we both said to each other, 'I think we should make this movie,'" Don Muna says.

After the Max Havoc debacle, the Muna brothers were pretty sure that if they wanted to make a movie, they would have to go at it in true independent film fashion and carry the production of the film themselves.

"We knew that there was no way we were going to get a loan from the island after the whole "Max Havoc" ordeal so we planned for a self-budgeted production," Don Muna says. "We went into it thinking, 'if we could only make one movie in our lifetime, what would it be?' Then "Shiro's Head" was born, but the story has evolved since then."

This is the first feature film for the pair, though they have been tossing story ideas around for years. The two produced, wrote and directed "Shiro's Head."

Don Muna even plays a starring role as Vince Flores, a man working through a complicated relationship with his family.

"The story revolves around one of the main characters (Vince Flores) and his search to find his true purpose in life. The story reveals many issues that a lot of regular people go through in life while searching to find their true calling," Don Muna says.

"It's been a year since "Shiro's Head" went into production, and the film itself is nearing completion, clocking in somewhere between 87 and 100 minutes, Kel Muna says.

"We are currently in post-production," Don Muna adds. "As of right now we are finishing off the master audio mix and incorporating musical score and soundtrack."

"We are also trickling into self-marketing and promotions, so we still have a lot to do," Kel Muna adds.

Like many independent films, "Shiro's Head" was made on a shoestring budget. Scratch that. It was a no-string budget, says the Muna brothers.

"Normally in a movie production every one has a single job to do. ...In our case we couldn't afford to pay anyone to help us and to be quite honest, trying to recruit during the pre-production phase with no money was impossible," Don Muna says. "So we decided to take responsibility for the production of the movie ourselves. ...Plus I think it was about time Kel and I stopped talking about it and just started doing it."

The cast was chosen "off the streets," Don Muna says. The brothers were on island in late January 2007 scouting for faces that fit the characters in their minds among friends and in public places.

One such find was Dion Lizama at Java Junction, who plays Imo Masakatsu in the film. The Muna brothers also did some location scouting, he adds.

"We had a basic cast lineup visualized in our heads so we approached anyone who looked the part. First, we tried casting all of our friends but some were a bit hesitant because they only know us as Don and Kel from Agana Heights, not the moviemaker guys," Don Muna says. "Kel and I also made it a point to go out to public places just to scout for faces."

The entire film was shot "pretty much everywhere" on Guam, from Yigo to Umatac. The brothers were shooting from February through May last year. When asked why they decided to make the film on Guam, Don Muna says it was a natural decision.

"Well, being Chamorro, I would expect it from Chamorro directors," he says. "We're very proud of our island and, like I said earlier, we went into this project as if it could be our only one. So if we could only make one movie it would have to be on Guam."

Using Guam as their backdrop did have its challenges, Don Muna says.

"The biggest challenge award goes to...the weather! The rain and the cloud cover are so unpredictable so we really had to make sure we filmed our takes as fast as we could for the sake of continuity."

If all goes well, the Muna brothers plan to release the film some time in the fall, though they haven't yet set a date or a theater.

Don Muna adds that the film will release on DVD, though they can't say when, and that if it's ever made available for purchase, it will probably be offered on the movie's Web site.

What the Muna brothers will do next is anyone's guess, including their own, but Kel Muna says "Shiro's Head" will not be the last thing Guam sees from them.

"All we can say is that we will focus our efforts in creating more entertainment for Guam," Kel Muna says.