Amaya (TV series)

Amaya is a Philippine television drama period series broadcast by GMA Network. Directed by Mac Alejandre, it stars Marian Rivera in the title role. The series is set in the pre-colonial period of the 1500s. It premiered on May 30, 2011 on the network's Telebabad line up replacing "I Heart You, Pare!". The series concluded on January 13, 2012 with a total of 165 episodes. It was replaced by "Legacy" in its timeslot.
The series is streaming online on YouTube.
Premise.
Amaya, born in the reign of Rajah Mangubat and as the daughter Datu Bugna, she is a "binukot" - a hidden princess and can't step on ground. Born with a twin snake, a secret hidden by his father to keep her away from danger. Due to having a twin snake, her destiny is to become the savior of her land against Rajah Mangubat.
Production.
The plot of the series, which involved pre-colonial setting, urged the producers to build sets on various locations such as Pagsanjan in Laguna, Bolinao, Pangasinan, and Bagac, Bataan. The scope of the series would require the filming of the integral scenes on-location as opposed to what the producers have done for Encantadia (a television series) a previous high fantasy production which was shot mostly in soundstages. However, to avoid the need for the reconstruction of some of the sets as the on-location shoots are usually ravaged by storms, and also to lessen maintenance cost as well as for the production to avoid acoustic issues by shooting in a controlled environment, they also used the network's temporary soundstages at Marilao, Bulacan for most of the indoor scenes.
The production gave much attention to details with regards to the recreation of historical elements vital to the show's production design. Guided by the academe, they attempted to recreate ancient elements of early Filipino culture from the architecture, to fashion, weaponry and jewelry. Jewels were made in cooperation with the jewellers of Meycauayan. Some textile used in making the costumes were imported from various Southeast Asian countries.
The production also built an ancient warship known as "Karakoa". It was made from an existing hull of a modern boat and was redesigned to fit the ancient descriptions of the legendary warship. The production spent more or less Php 2 million for a single unit of Karakoa.
Before the series started, a one-hour primer titled "Amaya: The Making of An Epic" was aired on May 28, 2011. The show was hosted by Cesar Montano and Miguel Tanfelix, it presented behind the scenes of "Amaya" from the brainstorming of the management including interviews from Jun Lana and Doctolero, the creative minds behind the story with the guidance of historians from the University of the Philippines.
In September 2011, Aljur Abrenica, Ronnie Lazaro and Yasmien Kurdi joined the series.
Accolades.
Amaya is promoted by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines and Department of Education due to its cultural concept that shows and depicts the Filipino material culture, beliefs, traditions and mores in the Pre-Hispanic era. It also teaches the history of the Philippines by means of epics and legends passed as oral literature through generations. The show's creators relied heavily on classic Philippine history reference materials such as the Boxer Codex, an early pictographic account of Filipino culture and physical appearances around the time the Spaniards began colonizing the islands. Historical references include the names of the characters in the series, such as Alunsina, from the epics Hinilawod and the Labaw Donggon.
Amaya was recognized by the Meycauayan Jewelry Industry Association, Inc., an organization composed of 135 jewellers in Meycauayan, Bulacan, for the promotion of the country's rich jewelry-making heritage. Apart from Filipino customs and traditions, the series also features native costumes and jewelry patterned after the popular designs of the era. Most of the jewelries in the series were crafted by jewellers from Meycauayan, Bulacan.
Ratings.
According to AGB Nielsen Philippines' Mega Manila household television ratings, the pilot episode of "Amaya" earned a 26.2% rating. While the final episode scored a 32.7% rating.