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."  

OPEN24/7: STORY AND STRUCTURE

Story and Structure

From Ricky Lee’s book “Trip to Quiapo”

 

Before you write a Storyline there are questions that really help.

 “Kanino ba ang istorya? What is her problem? What he wanted? Is he aware about it? What is her action? How did others react to his problem? What solution that he thought? What is wrong with her? What happened to his problem eventually? What changes happened to him? What the story is all about?” here's the questions of Ricky Lee in his book Trip to Quiapo

Step 1: Sentence Outline

And sentence outline ay isang de-numerong pagkakasunod-sunod ng mga pangyayari sa istorya. Hindi mga description, hindi mga iniisip ng mga characters, kundi mga eksena. Kagaya ng speed writing, gagawin mo ito nang wala munang kinu-correct o sinesensor. Basta pabayaan mo lang tumakbo ang mga pangyayari

“Mag-isip ka ngayon kung paano tatakbo ang istorya”

Step 2: Background Story

Usually there are two levels of story

First is, all about the main characters and in her outer motivation

Ito ang foreground story: Nagri-rely ito sa physical line ng kwento. Naririto ang excitement and action.

Second is, background story, ay naka-focus sa inner motivation ng character. Ang background story ay nagri-rely heavily sa relasyon ng mga characters sa isa’t, at ng bida sa sarili nya.isa 
 

Step 3: Using the Sentence Outline

Parang X-ray ang sentence outline. Masusuri mo na agad ang skeleton ng buong katawan sa isang tingin.

Makikita mo agad kung masyadao nang lumiliko ang kuwento. O kaya may mga eksenang umuuli, o kaya dapat na magkatabi dahil parehong eksenang malaki. O kung may dapat tanggaling eksena, o dapat idagdag

Step 4: Rewriting

 Ang material gaano man kaganda ay dapat na tinatrabaho. Ini-imagine at isinusulat nang paulit-ulit para mabawasan ang mga taba, at mapatatag ang mga buto

Mas maaga mong nakikitang hindi ka pa mahusay, mas maaga kang huhusay. Ang unang hakbang sa pagiging mahusay ay ang tanggapin mong hindi ka pa mahusay. Kung hindi’y ano pa ang ihuhusay mo?
 

Step 5: Evaluate to others

Para kang asong may bagong panganak na mga tutang ideya, ayaw mong palapitin maski sino. Pero makakatulong din nang malaki ang pagpapabasa sa iba.

Kung alam mong may kulang sa sinulat mo pero di mo alam kung paano reremedyuhan, mag-imbita ka ng mga kaibigan at magdamagan mag-jamming. Mag-brainpick ka.

Para handa ka nang sumuong sa larangan ng pagri-revise.

Step 6: Evaluating the Storyline

Sa pag- evaluate ng storyline, tandaang framework lang ito, hindi pa tapos na trabaho kaya siguradong maraming kulang

Isang dapat tandaan – ginagamit natin ang mga tanong na ito bilang checklist kapag tapos ka nang magsulat. Kinakalimutan mo lahat nang ito pag magsusulat ka

Pwede mong i-evaluate mag-isa ang istorya, o pwede kang humingi ng tulong sa mga kaibigan at katrabaho mo. Malaking tulong ang may kabatuhan ka.

Sa huli ay ikaw lamng ang nakakaalam kung ano ang magwu-work at ano ang hindi dahil ikaw lang ang may overview ng gusto mong gawin

OPEN24/7: MAKE A LIST: TOP 10 INDIE FILMS

Top 10 Filipino Indie Films

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10. Ekstra (A Bit Player)

Directed by: Jeffrey Jeturian

A socio-realist drama-comedy film, it follows a seemingly usual day in the life of Loida Malabanan (Vilma Santos) as she embarks on yet another shooting day of a soap opera as an extra. As the shoot goes on, we get a glimpse of the truth in the ruling system of the production as well as the exploitation of the marginalized laborers like her.

AWARDS

Cinemalaya Film Festival 2013 (Directors Showcase)

Best Screenplay

Best Actress – Vilma Santos Recto

Best Supporting Actress – Ruby Ruiz

NETPAC Award – Jeffrey Jeturian

Special Jury Prize 

Audience Choice Award

 

9. Babagwa (Spider’s Liar)

Directed by: Jason Paul Laxamana 

Greg (Alex Medina) uses a fake Facebook account to trick people into depositing money into his bank account. Assuming the persona of a fictional guy named Bam (Kiko Matos), he flirts with a filthy rich woman that he met online. But in time, he falls in love with Daisy (Alma Concepcion) and is confused whether he will push through with the scam or admit his feelings for Daisy.

AWARD

Cinemalaya Film Festival 2013 (New Breed Category)

Best Supporting Actor – Joey Paras

  

8. CHILDREN'S SHOW

Directed by: Derick Cabrido

Inspired by a tv documentary made by the same director, Children’s Show tells the story of children ages 13-15 being exploited by a powerful syndicate managing a betting game involving underground fighting.

AWARDS

Cinemalaya Film Festival 2014 (New Breed Category)

Best Supporting Actor – Miggs Cuaderno

Best Sound

Best Editing

Canon Award (Best Cinematography of the Festival)

  

7. Sundalong kanin

Directed by: Janice O'Hara and Denise O'Hara

Set during the Japanese Occupation, four friends (Nitoy, Benny, Carding, and Badong) aspire nothing more than to become soldiers fighting the Japanese... until they are confronted by the realities of war that threaten to destroy their families and their friendship.

AWARD

Cinemalaya Film Festival 2014 (New Breed Category)

Audience Choice award

6. Dagitab

Directed by: Gian Abrahan

While the marriage of two professors is on the verge of falling apart, the woman is dragged into a scandal involving a young student. On the other hand, the man falls in love with his research -- a deity (supernatural being) that appears to him as the ghost of an old flame.

AWARDS

Cinemalaya Film Festival 2014 (New Breed Category)

Best Screenplay

Best Director

Best Actress – Eula Valdez

  

5. BWAYA

Directed by: Francis Xavier Pasion

Divina is preparing for her daughter Rowena’s 13th birthday when she hears shocking news: her daughter has been attacked by a crocodile, her body still missing. As Divina searches for the body of her daughter in the marshlands of Agusan del Sur, she learns a lesson more tragic than her fate: not all predators are underwater. The film is based on actual events.

AWARDS

Cinemalaya Film Festival 2014 (New Breed Category)

Best Film

Best Cinematography

Best Musical Score

Netpac Award for New Breed

4. TRANSIT

Directed by: Hannah Espia

The film begins and ends in an airport during a father and son’s transit flight from Tel Aviv to Manila.  It tells the story of Moises, a Filipino single-dad working as a caregiver in Herzliya, Israel, who comes home to his apartment in Tel Aviv to celebrate his son Joshua’s 4th birthday. Itwas on that day that Moises, together with their Filipino neighbors Janet, and her daughter Yael, find out that the Israeli government is going todeport children of foreign workers.  Afraid of the new law, Moises and Janet decide to hide their children from the immigration police by making them stay inside the house.

AWARDS

Cinemalaya Film Festival 2013 (New Breed Category)

Audience Choice Award

Best Original Score

Best Cinematography

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role - Jasmine Curtis-Smith, 

Best Performance by a Lead Actress - Irma Adlawan Certificate of Recognition for Ensemble Acting - the cast of "Transit"

                                  Netpac Special Award 

  Best Film

Best Director

3. BARBER'S TALE

Directed by: Jun Robles Lana, DGPI

Barber's Tales is set in the rural town in the Philippines during the end of Marcos dictatorship, and tells the story of newly widowed Marilou (Eugene Domingo) who inherits the town's only barbershop from her husband- a business that has been passed down by generations of men in her husband's family. With no other means of support, she musters the courage to run the barbershop. But as to be expected, she fails to attract any customers. But a touching act of kindness she extended to Rosa, a prostitute who works in the town brothel, leads to an unexpected opportunity. Rosa, who now considers Marilou a friend, urges her prostitute friends to pressure their male clientele into patronizing Marilou's barbershop. The men have no choice but to grudgingly oblige out of fear that Rosa will expose their infidelity to their wives.

AWARDS

 2013 Tokyo International Film Festival

Best Actress - Eugene Domingo

2. Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan (Norte, the End of History)

Directed by: Lav Diaz

A man is wrongly jailed for murder while the real killer roams free. The murderer is an intellectual frustrated with his country's never-ending cycle of betrayal and apathy. The convict is a simple man who finds life in prison more tolerable when something mysterious and strange starts happening to him.

AWARDS

Cinemanila International Film Festival 2013

Best Director

International Cinephile Society Awards

Best Picture

Nuremberg International Human Rights Film Festival

Nuremberg International Human Rights Film Award

Gawad Urian

Best Picture

Best Actress – Angeli Bayani

Best Cinematography

Best Screenplay

1. OTJ (ON THE JOB)

Directed by: Erik Matti

Filipino crime thriller inspired by a real-life scandal in which prison inmates are temporarily released from prison to work as contract killers on behalf of politicians and high ranking military officials.

AWARDS 

Famas Awards

Best Picture

Best Director

Best Screenplay

Best Editing

Best Sound

Best Story

Gawad Urian

Best Actor -  Joel Torre

Best Sound