OPEN24/7: REBLOG: MJJ POST FOR ME

Online Journalism. : REFLECT ON SOMETHING:

I was amazed when I found o...: REFLECT ON SOMETHING: I was amazed when I found out that the Government gave a Budget every year for the Music scene here in the Philippin...

OPEN24/7: REFLECT: GO INDEPENDENT SECTION

I was amazed and glad to tell that the Independent films are Globally accepted. I'm happy that here in the Philippines many Film enthusiast and film makers love to do Indie films. In addition may Audience are watching it. And Philippine Government is there to Support Filipino films. We have FDCP (Film Development Council of the Philippines) and Cultural Center of the Philippines and many more. We have 5 film festival here in the Philippines, first is the Cinemalaya Film Festival sponsored by CCP and Cinemalaya Board, The Cinema One Originals by Cinema One and ABS-CBN, Sineng pambansa by FDCP, CineFilipino by TV5 and Unitel and the Most awaited Festival here in the Philippines, the MMFF held during Christmas season. Not only here in the Philippines, Pinoy Indie Film are accept, but all over the world. May Film makers are known in other Country, We have Brillante Mendoza, DGPI won Best Director in Cannes Film Festival last 2009 and may more Film makers are globally recognized.

OPEN24/7: REPLY: ORIGINAL PILIPINO MUSIC WILL NEVER QUIET

ORIGINAL PILIPINO MUSIC WILL NEVER BE QUIET

OPEN24/7: VISUAL: AWARD WINNING FILM DIRECTORS

 AWARD WINNING FILM DIRECTORS

MARILOU DIAZ- ABAYA 

(1995-2012)

 Marilou Díaz-Abaya was a multi-awarded film director from the Philippines She was the director of the 1998 film Jose Rizal, a biographical film on the Philippines' national hero.

AWARDS

Díaz is the 2001 Laureate of the Fukuoka Prize for Culture and the Arts in Japan. She has won numerous directing awards from award-giving bodies such as the Metro Manila Film Festival, the Urian Awards, the Film Academy of the Philippines, the Famas Awards, the Star Awards, the Catholic Mass Media Awards the British Film Institute Award, the International Federation of Film Critics Award (FIPRESCI), and the Network of Pan Asian Cinema Award (NETPAC).

  

 Díaz-Abaya died on October 8, 2012 succumbing to breast cancer.

 LINO BROCA

(1939-2001)

 Catalino Ortiz Brocka  is a Filipino film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and significant Filipino filmmakers in Philippine cinema history. In 1983, he founded the organization Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP), dedicated to helping artists address issues confronting the country.

  

n 1974, Brocka directed Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang (literally: "You Were Weighed but It's Not Enough"), which told the story of a teenager growing up in a small town amid its petty and gross injustices. It was a box-office success, and earned Brocka another best-director award, this time from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS).

 
Insiang (1976) was the first Philippine film ever shown at the Cannes Film Festival. It is considered to be one of Brocka's best films — some say his masterpiece. The film centers on a young woman named Insiang who lives in the infamous Manila slum area, Tondo. It is a Shakespearean tragedy that deals with Insiang's rape by her mother's lover, and her subsequent revenge.

CELSO AD CASTILLO

(1943-2012)
Castillo started as a writer for a comic magazine. With the help of his father, he published his own magazine where he wrote all the stories from cover to cover, using different names as authors. A movie producer commissioned him to write a script on the character of " James Bandong ", named after Britain's superspy. The film made money and it was followed by a sequel, Dr. Yes, 1965, a spoof on the British film, Dr. No. He wrote and directed his first movie, Misyong Mapanganib (Dangerous Mission), in 1966.

Castillo won the FilpIno Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) awards for best director and best story for Pagputi ng Uwak, Pag-itim ng Tagak (When the Crow Turns White, When the Heron Turns Black), 1978, and also won the Urian awards for best director and best screenplay for the same picture. He shared the story credits with Ruben Nicdao, and the screenplay credits with Lando jacob, Ishko Lopez and Ruben Nicdao. He won the FAMAS best director trophy again in 1985 for Paradise Inn, a Lolita Rodriguez-Vivian Velez starrer. He also has a FAMAS best supporting actor award, for Sampung Ahas ni Eba (Ten Snakes of Eve), in 1984.

Celso Ad Castillo, died early Monday, November 26, 2012 due to a heart attack

EDDIE ROMERO

(1924-2013)

Edgar Sinco Romero (July 7, 1924 – May 28, 2013) was an influential Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter, considered one of the finest in the Cinema of the Philippines. Romero was named National Artist of the Philippines in 2003.

His career spans three generations of filmmakers. His 1976 film Ganito Kami Noon…Paano Kayo Ngayon?, set at the turn of the 20th century during the revolution against the Spaniards and, later, the American colonizers, follows a naïve peasant through his leap of faith to become a member of an imagined community. Agila situates a family’s story against the backdrop of the country’s history.

Kamakalawa explores the folklore of prehistoric Philippines.

Banta ng Kahapon, his 'small' political film, is set against the turmoil of the late 1960s, tracing the connection of the underworld to the corrupt halls of politics.

 

His 13-part series of Noli Me Tangere brings Philippine national hero José Rizal's novel to a new generation of viewers. Along with Filipino language films, he made English language films that became cult classics, like Black Mama, White Mama and The Twilight People and worked with American actors like John Ashley and Pam Grier. Romero's films, the National Artist citation states, "are delivered in an utterly simple style – minimalist, but never empty, always calculated, precise and functional, but never predictable."

Quentin Tarantino has drawn upon Romero's film Twilight People as an inspiration for his "grindhouse" homages.

 
He died of a blood clot and prostate cancer on May 28, 2013

ISMAEL BERNAL

(1938-1996)

Ismael Bernas was a Filipino film, stage and television director, actor and screenwriter. Noted for his melodramas, particularly with feminist and moral issues, he directed many landmark Filipino films such as Nunal sa Tubig (1975), City After Dark (1980), Relasyon (1982), Himala (1982), and Hinugot sa Langit (1985).

 He won the Urian for best director four times for Dalawang Pugad, Isang Ibon (Two Nests, One Bird), 1977; Broken Marriage, 1983; Hinugot Sa Langit (Wrenched From Heaven), 1985; and Pahiram Ng Isang Umaga (Lend Me One Morning), 1989; and the best screenplay for City After Dark, 1980. His film Pagdating Sa Dulo, won for him the FAMAS for best screenplay award while Himala (Miracle), 1982, garnered nine major awards in the Metro Manila Film Festival. In that same year, Bernal was chosen by the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino as the Most Outstanding Filmmaker of the Decade 1971-1980. Among the 10 best films chosen by the critics, five were his. These include Pagdating Sa Dulo, Nunal Sa Tubig, Manila By Night, Himala and Hinugot Sa Langit. He was also hailed as Director of the Decade by the Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA).

OPEN24/7: FIGHT FOR FILIPINO FILMS

  

 

OPEN27/4: INTERVIEW WITH LAV DIAZ

INTERVIEW WITH AWARD WINNING DIRECTOR

MR. LAV DIAZ

Why do you make films that run for hours and hours? What’s the rationale behind it?

“I’m free. My films are free. I’ve liberated my cinema. I’ve emancipated it. I am not a prisoner of that two-hour or one hour and a half cinema. To confine my work on that market-imposed practice would be moronic. How dare I call myself an artist if I’m not even free with my canvas and brush? Why would I surrender my praxis to profit-making? Everybody knows that popcorn and coke are lethal. Why would I equate my cinema with bad cholesterol? I’m beyond that since Batang West Side.”

People have been wondering if you do films with awards in mind at the expense of the commercial aspect.

“The only reason why I make films is that I really love cinema. I make films for cinema. An award and a so-called market are consequential. They happen because there’s my cinema. Festivals invite my films. Museums,gallaries and institutions exhibit my films.

Describe your struggle to get to where you are now

“Hard work. Lots of sacrifices.”

Who are the film makers that you admire and what did you learn from them?

“They early days, of course, there was Lino Broca and Ismael Bernal. The whole gamut actually as I practically ate cinema then; Chiquito, Dolphy, Fernando Poe. Jr, the kung fu movies of Hong Kong, the spaghetti westerns, James Bond, even the bomba movies. I didn’t think of directors during those times. Nang lumaon, nang magka-isip ako, lumutang na lang ang issue ng pagkumpositor, may author. Siya pala ang gumagawa. I started paying attention. I started assuming that persona, that so called maker or creator of god. I understood being. Cinema is being”

Name 10 films that left a mark in your mind and heart and WHY?

“So many films really. I don’t have a Top 10, even a Top 100. But there are films that kept me going bak akin to the guitar pieces that I would immediately play and float upstream once I get hold of the instrument. The works of Tarkovsky are a true Jerusalem and Mecca for me. In his wors, it’s holy. You got there to a pilgrimage always. It’s holy. You go there to seek you soul. Making cinema is more about the soul”

How is your life/routine like when you’re making a movie?

“It’s a duality. I am alone and at the same time, I am part of a team. The struggle to achieve a vision is a solitary pursuit. To articulate the journey toward achieving the vision, particularly in cinema, you would need other hands”

Does the routine alter the way you live, etc.?

“I live cinema. It’s art of my being. I’m a father, a grandfather, a lover and a filmmaker. It’s a continuum and a constellation.”

OPEN24/7: SUGGEST AN IDEA:

1) Block – determining where the actors will be on the set and the first camera position
2) Light – time for the DOP to light the set and position the camera for the first shot
3) Rehearse – camera rehearsal of the first set-up with the actors and crew
4) Tweak - make lighting and other adjustments
5) Shoot - shooting the first scene (then repeat the process)

Blocking is the first, and most crucial, aspect of this 5-part sequence. When you first start directing, blocking a scene can be one of the hardest – and most embarrassing – parts of your job. Get it wrong here, and you could waste valuable shooting time trying to get out of the mess you created!

Director Prep – Before you step onto any film set, you need to first do your homework on Script and Character Analysis. In the last two articles, we talked about Understanding the Script (what the story is about; the themes; the story points) and Character Development and Analysis (the development and objectives of the characters).

Blocking a Dramatic Scene – The first thing I do when the actors arrive for a blocking is to get them in a group and read the scene: no moving, no “acting” – just reading the scene through. This makes sure everyone is on the “same page”. (Sometimes actors do not have revisions and this is a good time to find that out.) Also, by reading together, the actors start to feed off each other – and you get to watch the process.

After the actors read the scene, I ask them to show me what they want to do. I just step back and let them go for it. If it is a set no one has been in before, I take a few moments to discuss the physical lay out of the room – the door an actor will come through; a window they can walk up to; which desk they can sit at etc.

The actors then begin their first walk through – they read the scene and walk around the set to get a feel of what they want to do and where they want to be. During this initial blocking, I try not to make any suggestions to the actors – it is important that they show me what they have in mind.

Remember, this is the first time the actors have been together on the set and they need their time to explore. As you watch the actors, you get a feel for what they want to do, where they want to go and how they are relating to each other.

On the next blocking, you begin to make your changes. Maybe you want an actor to sit in a chair by the window instead of on the couch; you ask an actor if it would be okay to pace beside an actor and not infront of him so you can save a set-up; you make a suggestion to an actor to move across the room instead of standing by the door etc.

Once you have discussed the scene, and everyone agrees with the suggestions, the actors do it again. This time, you begin to figure out your camera placement based on their movement and what you first had in mind.

As the actors go through the scene, you walk around them looking at all your camera positions. Usually the DOP is with you to discuss camera set-ups and positions. This is also a time where you can stop-and-start the actors – move them around to get a better background. During this blocking, a camera assistant will place marks on the floor whenever the actors stop.

When everyone is satisfied, the actors leave and you discuss the first set-up in more detail with the DOP and the camera operator. When the DOP begins to light, you go over all your set-ups with the First AD and the Script Supervisor.

OPEN24/7: INDIE IS THE NEW MAINSTREAM?

Do you think that Indie Films is the New Mainstream?

OPEN24/7: BLOG AN EVENT: FILM WORKSHOP

Over 600 college students attended the Muntinlupa-hosted Young Filmmakers’ Workshop, an event supported by Muntinlupa’s Gender and Development Office (GAD) and organized together with the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). College students from 21 colleges and universities from the cities of Muntinlupa, Paraňaque, Las Piňas, Taguig, and Pateros attended the biggest filmmaking workshop in the metro south. Held at the Filinvest Tent in Alabang, the Muntinlupa Student Film Festival (MSFF) and MMFF teamed up to give student filmmakers the opportunity to learn from distinguished names in the film industry. 

 Film producer Ida Tiongson discussed the different ways of generating resources for movies

 "A lot of good films weren't viewed because people didn't know about it."

"If you feel you're not successful today, that's a good learning ground. You will succeed tomorrow."

Director/Screenwriter Zigcarlo Dulay gives a very informative lecture on screenplay writing

 "Huwag mong iasa lahat sa imagination mo, kelangan mong magresearch."

"Kapag hindi ka naniniwala sa materyal ng pelikulang ginagawa mo, huwag mo na lang gawin."

 "You can never go wrong if you base your story from real life."

"A story that loses connection to its audience will not send the intended message." 

 Pag hindi mo gusto o hindi pinaniniwalaan ang ginagawa mo, hindi mo yun magagawa nang maayos."

 Director/Cinematographer Dan Villegas gives answer to students questions

"Number one rule as a filmmaker, leave your ego at the door."

 Actor Joey Paras teaches the student filmmakers the basics of acting for film.

"Hindi ako celebrity. I consider myself as an actor. I undergo training, nag-aaral ako para sa ikauunlad ko."

  "If you want to be an actor, show your sense of truth."

 

Musical Director Jessie Lasaten demonstrated the musical scores used in various local films.

 "It's best to work with a composer who has a complete craft." 

TV/Film Director Paul Soriano gives a very informative lecture on directing and basic filmmaking 

 "It's free to dream. Be a dream maker. Do what it takes to make it come true"

"You have to fall in love with your story."