John Prats becomes "Tiny Tony" starting October 11
By: Nerisa Almo   From: Philippine Entertainment Portal
[October 9, 2008]

Although this is not the first time for John Prats to play a superhero role, the 24-year-old actor still feels excited to act as Tiny Tony in the next Komiks Presents Mars Ravelo.

The young actor said it's not only because this would be his first title role in 17 years that he stayed in his home network ABS-CBN. He also mentioned the technological difference between the scenes that he had to shoot for Tiny Tony and his previous works in the movies such as Batang X (1995) and Super Noypi (2006).

"Kasi po 90 percent of the buong Komiks episode, maliit lang po ako," said John. "So, sila po, 'yong mga normal na cast, nagte-taping sila... Kung 30 sequences, 30 sequences 'yong kukunan na wala ako. 'Tapos kapag ako na po mag-isa sa studio, sa chroma, 30 sequences po. Uulitin ko po lahat nang ginawa nila for the effects na isasama po nila ako na nakikita ko talaga."

When Tony becomes a six-inch tall person because of a freak accident, the scientist Anthony "Tony" Aniscol becomes a diminutive superhero who uses his powers to defend the weak.

John admitted that it was hard for him because he had to look at a monitor to see the pre-taped sequence of his co-actor while acting out his part. Then, this would be in the sequence using chroma key technique.

"Sobrang hirap po," John told the press during the media junket prepared for the cast last Thursday, October 2. "Kasi sa isang sequence na kinukuha nila [co-actors] ng isang take lang. Sa scene ko, kapag inulit ko ang one sequence na 'yon, mga seven shots�for my reaction, from the master, ganyan."

Aside from acting alone on the green screen, the Tiny Tony actor said that acting while being suspended on air, through the use of harness, was also one of the difficult parts in making the weekly series.

He narrated, "Siguro ang pinakamahirap na eksena ko po...Eventually kasi may mga mangyayari na hindi ko gusto�'yong naka-harness po ako sa green screen na nagbi-breakdown, na ini-imagine ko kung sino 'yong mga point of view ko.

"So, siguro 'yon na po ang pinakamahirap po dahil madaming factors na ngayon ko lang na-realize na 'yong emotion kailangang ma-meet. 'Tapos may mga factors na masakit na 'yong singit ko kasi nga naka-harness ako, 'tapos 'yong point of view ko mali so I had to adjust, maraming technical problems. Ang hirap palang mag-drama [gamit] ang green screen, so first time ko po ma-experience, nakaka-drain pala siya."

Despite these difficulties, John was still proud in portraying the role of Mars Ravelo's Tiny Tony especially on the fight scenes that they used for Komiks.

He told the entertainment writers, "'Yong ginawa po namin, para maiba po siya sa ibang Komiks�mas realistic, Bourne Identity, mas fist fight, 'yong mga fight na lumilipad ako, naka-jet pack ako, mostly harness. Lahat ng mga fight scenes ko, kapag kalaban ko 'yong mga tao, puro aerial, puro sapak, sipa, tumbling po sa harness."

When John saw the first few episodes of his new weekly fantaserye, he felt sentimental and nostalgic about his experiences. "Sobra akong na-senti kasi nga natuwa ako sa lahat ng ginawa namin."

Aside from John Prats, Tiny Tony also stars Alex Gonzaga as Michelle Peralta, the love interest of Tony and Coco Martin as Dr. Joaquin Peralta, the biochemist brother of Michelle. Susan Africa is cast as Eden Aniscol, the mother of Tony, while Jopet Concordia is cast as police officer named Jumbo Madrigal and the "kinakapatid" of Tony. The bad guys in this fantaserye are Mura, who plays the crime boss Don Gil Gante, and Arron Villaflor, who plays Red Cloud, the leader of the assassin squad.

Witness how John Prats's character shrinks into a six-inch tall superhero on the first of the six episodes of Komiks Presents Mars Ravelo's Tiny Tony on Saturday, October 11, after The Singing Bee on ABS-CBN.