cinemmarian ([info]joeydaninja) wrote,
@ 2003-07-09 16:25:00
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In a country where movies choose our next president, Cinema is of maximum importance.
So I just came from Lasalle today, and Ateneo last Monday, where basically the theme of talk was how entertainment and politics are virtually married in this country.

One can no longer deny that movies win elections. Erap became president. Goma is thinking of running for senator. Imelda Papin won in Camarines and two of our senators won because of their "admired" spouses. And there is no doubt in my mind if that Fernando Po Jr. would run for President, he would win.



So we can bitch and moan, or do something about it. My talk was about independent film. In the last few years there has been a surge of independent filmmaking in this country, due to the fact that filmmaking has been democratized. Digital video cameras are very cheap, and even if you can't afford one, I'm sure there is always somebody out there who would be willing to lend you one, for free sex, ah, este, for free. And as long as you have a semi-powerful computer you can edit on it. And there are tons of out of work post production guys and girls out there that would also be willing to do it, for free or a small fee. The indie world is friendly. And if you really don't have any money, then get a job in Mcdonalds, or kung soz ka, Starbucks!

After your film is done, you can show it in venues like Brash, Titus Brandsma, the UP Film Center, CCP, you're friendly neighborhood school, or sometimes even a church. I know some subversive communist films are shown in churches. Very dangerous.

Film is now the new version of the band. The very same people you would use as a bassist, lead guitarist, keyboards, drummer, singer, you could use as director, cameraman, sound recording, editor, scriptwriter, producer. It may just take more time, but if you think about it, the same amount of work and time you put into band practice, you could put it in your film. And you can always shoot it in your garage, or your mom's coffeeshop. Kevin Smith shot Clerks in a convenience store with a video shop nearby. Robert Rodriguez in a small town in Mexico, where his main actor was king. We have little provincial towns here that would be more than happy to allow a shoot at. *Grin*.

The reason why I am promoting independent film is because the revolution will not come from the major studios. Viva, Star, Regal, they are interested in making money. They have no time for independent films. They may steal from us, recruit our people, but they will not be experimental, unless it makes money. So what we are trying to do is change the tastes of the people. Make them care more for a good quality script, or honorable acting. Not that I'm saying that we will get rid of popcorn flicks all together. Entertainment has it's noble purposes too. But we can't have ALL popcorn, or like it is in the Philippines, BOLD films. Bold, maybe, but not BOLD! Besides, once the studios realize that intelligent films make money, they'll switch. It happened in America, there is no reason why it can't happen here.



The tribes of indie film producers in this country are formed of groups like Furball, composed of Lyle Sacris, RA Rivera, Jun Sabayton and others. They are most famous for their UNTV shows like Strangebrew which introduced Tado to the world. And Lyle is now a director for Viva. The other group is tribong Mowelfund, composed of their boss Nick De Ocampo, and his co-workers, Ellen Ramos, Ricky Orellana, Eric (I forgot his last name) and Paolo Villaluna. Quark's group of Chris Costello, Ramon De Veyra, Mo Zee and Jo Fabul. Core 24, founded by EJ Salcedo, of which Topel Lee is a member, director of the short film Bruce. Robert Quebral and Black Soup. Lav Diaz and his cohorts. Aureaus Solito and his crew. Raymond Red. These are the originals, there are legions more after. There is even the group of Gil Portes. Ack! But Munting Tinig was good.

The indie film scene does exist. You may have to start as a PA. Making timpla coffee or waking up actors to go to their shoots. You can shoot music videos or AVP's, or worse, even wedding videos. You can go through TV commercials, which pay more, but are few and far between. The point is, no matter what you do, do what you have to do, but don't let your creativity be stifled. There is no perfect way to become a filmmaker. The only constant is practice. No matter how good (or bad) you are, work conquers all.

(unfinished)

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[info]masturmind
2003-07-09 10:40 am UTC (link)
hey joey pare, nice piece. the idealism is inspiring.

i don't mean to spoil the party, but i will argue with a few points.

1. there is plenty of reason why the revolution can happen in america but not here. (hehe, papatayin ako ni lav diaz.) one, filmmaking here is more expensive since most of the equipment and raw materials we use are imported. this makes it tougher for filmmakers to break even on their experiments, and therefore, tougher for an actual experimental movement to thrive. two, the so-called niche markets here practically don't exist. the only filipinos who pay tickets to watch filipino films aren't niche. they're what critics call "masa" or studios call "economic class c-d-e." (well, there are other viewers, but their number is widely believed to be too small to matter.) this means we don't really know if indie film has an "audience" or if this "audience" will truly, in hard deed, support indie films. according to track record, this "audience" hasn't. they'd rather buy on video or watch on cable. nic tiongson will say indie filmmakers are like masturbators in front of a mirror. tayo-tayo lang din ang nanonood ng sari-sarili nating mga gawa. three, my friend [info]bodiddley will say the philippines is not "a culture of ideas" like the u.s., and therefore we as a people are not as open to new things. he's more adamant about this argument than i am.

teka, ang haba na ng sinulat ko. i'd love to say more but i don't want to clog your page.

i'll try to be brief:

2. the commercial studios are actually looking and trying new ways to make films. in a way, they also try to experiment. but the vision is really just different from indies.

3. i still think a revolution can happen. nagkakasundo tayo na DAPAT mangyari ito.

dude, i would've loved to hear your talk. sorry ang haba ng sinulat ko. :-/

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[info]bodiddley
2003-07-09 04:43 pm UTC (link)
Yes, I will have to be adamant about my point that the Philippines is not a "Culture of Ideas". i have written about this in masturmind's page one time - hanapin mo na lang please yung argument ko ukol dito. in any case, i still believe the revolution, THE GREATER REVOLUTION will have to happen in the studios, because much as we hate to see it, FILMMAKING (even indie filmmaking) is an INDUSTRIAL ART requiring lots of input(and the cost of making one - kahit indie - will not go down soon enough for plenty of reasons - such as bottlenecks along the chain, like the expense of kinescope transfer or unavailability of high-lumens video screening equipment) unless a NEW DISTRIBUTION INFRASTRUCTURE is in place (one that truly sells, mind you). Kumbaga, dehin pa rin magboobook ang SM ng mga pelikula natin unless nasa-filmfest mode (which means underwritten with someone's big money, di ba), at alam naman nating mass medium ang pelikula talaga - education (in the mcluhan sense) is secondary na talaga, and is best left to philosopher-writers like us (kaya nga tayo nandito't nagpupumilit - because someone has to do it.) Kumbaga, maaring mangyari uli yung nangyari nung '70s so long as nandiyan yung mga ginintuang ideas/idealogues/ideacists - at kaya nilang panindigan ito, in manner of makikipagpatayan within the industrial setting to get the shit done, insidiously or not, you know - at handang maglagay ng pera ang mga producers sa idea products na ito dahil handa ring bumili ang audience ng mga idea products na ito. until then, it's a second-guessing game between producers and audience. (or as i see it, potential audience to market to. such shortsightedness, tsktsk. kung may pera lang ako tulad ni Mader, haaaaaaay.)


*nandun in detail sa page ni Mastur kung ano tong second-guessing game na itong aking tinutukoy, kundi ako nagkakamali.

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[info]ex_compound644
2003-07-09 09:10 pm UTC (link)
I'm afraid I'll have to not-so-respectfully disagree with you, sir.

This reasoning is *so* lame, I feel compelled to make a whole post in my own LJ -- a bit later -- explaining why this "Philippines is not a 'Culture of Ideas'" argument stinks of condescending horseshit.

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[info]joeydaninja
2003-07-09 09:14 pm UTC (link)
ok, please debate, but walang personalan, okay.

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Apologies x 1 000 000
[info]ex_compound644
2003-07-09 09:21 pm UTC (link)
... for my sudden outburst. That was an impulsive, gut-level response on my part, and it was wholly inappropriate, considering this journal is ultimately your own space, Joey.

Let me clear that up: I take issue with bodiddley's argument, and i'll respond accordingly in my own LJ.

Sorry for raising the drama level on your journal. I'll go delete the first comment now.

(Reply to this) (Parent)(Thread)
Re: Apologies x 1 000 000
[info]joeydaninja
2003-07-10 09:47 am UTC (link)
ey pao, i wasn't referring to your post when i said walang personalan. i just meant that whatever course the debate takes, nobody takes it too personally.

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[info]bodiddley
2003-07-09 11:23 pm UTC (link)
I hear ya, sistah - and in my defense, i'd like to say i don't only preach, i'd like to say i practice too, in my own small way, or at least trying to get on my way to the big arena, the real marketplace of ideas - the real world of money, capital, ideas, and culture. and i base my observation only because i see the truth for what it is - or at least reports from the inside too - such as producers not wanting to pull on the status quo, of course, because they (unlike models or pockets of certain world cinema, including hollywood - the Sony Pictures Classics, the Miramaxes, and even your usual sometimes) like to bank on the safe, which is understandble - because it sells. it's all economics, dear. aminin na natin. eh kung unti-unting bumebenta yung mga bagong tunay na ginintuang ideas, eh bakit hinde? at sundan pa nila ng "step-ahead" thinking pagdating sa distribution schemes...na from the ground up pa eh mahihila rin ang mismong pagbuo ng idea o concept pa lang na panalo sa world market....kaso, unti-unti pa talaga....at yun ang cold hard truth. go ask your usual struggling screenplay writer,or maybe you are one yourself....but in any case, that's one way of looking at the glass, being half-full and half-empty, so to speak, all at the same time.

To prove my point better - or perhaps, i digress further, but I believe in this instance, it is related - population economics aside, how come our skilled labor power is not commensurate with the salaries that we draw, on the whole? it's because of the same thing: we don't put enough value into what we do. because in the end, pricing is just as much a psychological deal as a real demand for services in the real world. and that includes ideas as products.


(Kumba tayo lahat ay raket na lang ng raket. haaaaay, buhay.)


Go ask your local inventor. If ernie baron or Negosyong Pinoy on IBC13 (an excellent idea, really) didn't get to them first.

;)

(Reply to this) (Parent)
Oo nga pala...
[info]ex_compound644
2003-07-09 09:16 pm UTC (link)
I'm not disputing your call for newer (or more alternative/democatic?) channels of distribution -- that part makes sense -- I just think the "not a culture of ideas" argument is completely dismissive, and is such a pathetic, scapegoating excuse to rationalize mediocre work (and i'm not jsut talking about film anymore).

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Re: Oo nga pala...
[info]bodiddley
2003-07-09 11:39 pm UTC (link)
Oh, i never said I'm against a better work ethic - I even discuss this topic with taxi drivers too - and the thing is no one really wants mediocrity in any form, because in the end, it defeats itself.

There has never been any excuse for shoddy work. or shoddy ideas. mabuhay ang kritisismo sa pilipinas - if we know how to criticize and accept real criticism too.

(Reply to this) (Parent)
in defense of bodiddley...
[info]masturmind
2003-07-10 11:37 am UTC (link)
i think the "not a culture of ideas" argument is very valid. it makes us see that we are up against bigger forces here. if we lived in new york city, all of us right now, the enemy would look and smell different. i mean, think about it. how many of our countrymen care for the values of intelligence, artistic integrity, and ground-breaking innovation? now how many of those countrymen care for these same values in the context of moviemaking? these things aren't as important to the population as it is to a small circle of us.

but still, i have reservations on generalizing our culture as such and the culture of the u.s. as its opposite.

true, though. studios use the same reasoning to justify mediocre work. but sometimes i wish the idealistic indie filmmakers would see it too, and then use the same knowledge to strengthen their often confused work.

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See what you see
[info]bodiddley
2003-07-10 06:06 pm UTC (link)
Right on, bro!

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[info]joeydaninja
2003-07-10 10:14 am UTC (link)
I also must respectfully disagree. The hope of Philippine cinema does not reside in our studios. I am against the Philippine mentality of depending on our institutions to save us. Individuality is the key to the future of any country from now onwards.

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[info]bodiddley
2003-07-10 11:42 am UTC (link)
There's always room for individuality in an industrial setting. ito nga yung mismong argument ng mga pop-culturists against sa mga kasulatan ni Marcuse noong 1940s - na ikinocontend niya na dahil ang mga products of culture for mass consumption ay for mass consumption nga eh homogenized na yung magiging product, from conception to assembly to delivery system - but time has proved (at lalo na sa internet delivery system, di ba?) that the opposite has happened - niche markets develop as different forms of media expand their commercial viability. kita mo't wala na ngang Life o Look magazine, pero may Guitar Player at Digital Video magazine - at short films on demand online. Likewise, in an "industrial" studio setting, there is always room for individuality - degree na lang siguro, manner or means ang pag-uusapan - but in any case, hindi naman makina ang nagsusulat ng mga kwento na iyan, di ba? There is hope yet.

Isipin mo na lang, si Masturmind na manunulat sa Star, makakuha siya ng magandang break to do a good thoughtful project na kahit sabihin nating may insidious hand pa rin ang status quo ukol sa thesis statement ng pelikula, eh parang si Michaelangelo na rin siya na nabigyan ng komisyon to paint the Sistine Chapel, na siyang entertainment naman ng faithful noong kapanahunan nila.

So modes lang talaga ang usapan. bahala ka na kung papaano mo iiwan ang stamp mo sa products of culture na iyan - ke indie ka man o inde, in the end pareho lang yan - palakihan na lang kung saan ang impact - kaya nga tayo may auteur theory that extends even to writers, cinematographers, editors, or whatnot, diba? Wala naman nagpupumigil sayo kung gusto mong gumawa ng pelikula - kung may kamera ka at kaunting perang iluluwal para sa ideya mo, then why not? but some of us choose the greater audience too - and to live of being a cultural worker, and who's to denigrate them for that? that's why we study such things in the university for - pampalawak ng ating pananaw ukol sa mga bagay-bagay na iyan.

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ikumpara ba kay michaelangelo!
[info]masturmind
2003-07-11 02:48 am UTC (link)
ipressure ba ko! the last time i painted a ceiling and finished it, them people said okay, now let's have somebody build the walls. then they decided to stop building the walls. my work was done, but no chapel. so i know i can't be very optimistic. maraming kalaban. but i will still fight the good fight. *cue heavenly music*

at alam mo, there's a very good chance i can actually suck at what i do. hehe.

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Re: ikumpara ba kay michaelangelo!
[info]joeydaninja
2003-07-11 03:31 am UTC (link)
gawa lang ng gawa. bahala na!

(Reply to this) (Parent)
Re: ikumpara ba kay michaelangelo!
[info]bodiddley
2003-07-11 08:57 am UTC (link)
Ah, shut up n get on with it! ;)

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[info]joeydaninja
2003-07-09 09:04 pm UTC (link)
ey, mastur!

I hear ya! Indeed the indiefilm revolution will have a difficult time starting here if it is based on film stock. That's why I'm basing the revolution on digital video and digital editing. We have now weapons of mass distraction at our disposal. Digital cameras, digital editing and now even Digital Light Projectors. Mini-theaters can now sprout all around the Metropolis, showing independent film pictures, and you can charge tickets! There will be no copyright issues, and MTRCB will charge a nominal fee.

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[info]bodiddley
2003-07-09 11:31 pm UTC (link)
Game ako diyan, chong! with Atarnajuat, The Fast Runner as prime model. damn those brilliant canadians. and australians too (kumba saan naka-base yung plans ng CCP some years ago to "revitalize" the culture industry with real capital too a few years back, based on some GNP studies ng mga Aussie on their entertainment industry - as in 1/3 ng kinikita ng buong bansa nila!)

Pero kung available lang rin talaga dito ang Super16mm stock at processing (cameras, oo - pero sa Starlab, napagtanungan ko na - wala silang filmgate for that because walang demand), eh di maaring makagawa rin tayo ng oroplatamata epics on a shoestring (say a few millon) budget, ba't hinde?

Meanwhile, mag-ipon para sa VX2000.

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[info]masturmind
2003-07-10 10:57 am UTC (link)
well, the australians and canadians have the english language on their side. it didn't take them long to figure out that the products they make for the people at home can also be appreciated by people outside. the rest of the world, like us, aren't so lucky. the cost of subtitling alone is a big discouragement already.

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Go Lucas Go
[info]bodiddley
2003-07-10 11:56 am UTC (link)
Right about that, dude. dito nga lang, walang gumagawa niyan pang 16mm, eh papaano mo pa mapapadala sa Henry Langlois yan, kung suwertehin ka man makapasok, di ba? Asa ka pang kinescoping sa Roadrunner. Mahal. Millionbilliontrillionthousandpesos ang usapan. kahit friends mo pa sila.

well, talagang sana the digital medium can catch up soon enough - at democratic prices ba.

in any case, soon enough, malamang ibinibeam na rin naman yung program from satellites into theaters -kung uso pa siya in the future, dahil 1920's pa yang mode of distribution na yan ano (pero sa tingin ko, malabo namang mawala ang sinehan bilang institution - saan ka pa magdadate, diba?) - kundi, supersatellitecable sa bahay talaga or smaller theaters like such with niche programming (like i've seen in NY's "U-belt" ika nga, with it's tinytiny moviehouses showing the "latest" Bunuel or Kubrick, say) ang magwawagi.

hintayan na lang talaga kung ano ang mangyayari. meanwhile, gawa lang ng gawa.

(Reply to this) (Parent)
Mga munting tililing, este....
[info]bodiddley
2003-07-10 12:04 pm UTC (link)
PS. Isipin na lang natin na one of these days, baka may lumabas na genio sa atin, mula sa idea pa lang ng kwento, hanggang sa marketing niya, na siyang pipick-upin ang pelikula ng Sony Pictures Classics o Miramax, why not....



*(positive, positive...)

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[info]_fiction_
2003-07-11 03:20 am UTC (link)
Atanarjuat was a good movie, and digital helped it get made, but don't use that as a prime example. The lighting was horrible in most of the scenes! Could have been shot much better.

Ah, those brilliant Canadians...;)

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[info]joeydaninja
2003-07-11 03:33 am UTC (link)
and their Molson's Beer

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(no subject) - [info]skipscada, 2003-07-11 09:57 am UTC

[info]masturmind
2003-07-11 06:34 am UTC (link)
what do you mean? i liked the way it looked. where did you see it? maybe it was the projector? *scratches my head*

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Re: - [info]_fiction_, 2003-07-11 09:56 am UTC
The Band are 4/5 Canadian, and so does Neil Young too
[info]bodiddley
2003-07-11 09:05 am UTC (link)
mahirap sigurong magdala ng kuryente sa north pole, di kaya? baka matunaw yung yelo, mag-collapse yung igloo.....anyway, dili naman ziya halata nung sa sine ko pinanood - mapanood nga tuloy siya sa DVD ng buo....(sinumulan ko pa lang, dahil di ko nasimulan talaga sa sine...ay naku, sakit ng DVD eh short attention span....) i suppose maaring tama ka.

but damn, those brilliant canadians, no?

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