Kwerdas

My short film, "Kwerdas" - my final project for Film 112 class, will be shown at the UP Film Center (Cine Adarna) on April 4, 2007 (Wednesday), alongside with my other classmates' works. There will be thirty 7-minute short films to be exhibited on that day, from 10 AM to 5 PM.

See you there guys!

"KWERDAS" (2007)

Written/Directed/Produced by: David Corpuz
Cast: Angelica Tolentino, Ann Margaret Bunyi, Bryan Jhonson Lim
Original Score Composition: Achilles Gonzales
Original Score Performed by: Maricor Reyes
Cinematography: Rosendo Concepcion
Film Editing: Rosendo Concepcion, David Corpuz
Casting: David Corpuz
Production Design: David Corpuz
Art Direction: Stephen Valena, Jomar Mislang
Set Decoration: Jesse Baban
Make-Up: Jed Medrano, Angelica Tolentino
Poster Design: Michelle Lao Baun

Something Fishy

“Elites dominated society primarily through their direct control over the means of production, and also maintained themselves in power through their control over culture. Elites would never willingly surrender power. Power must be taken from them.” Sad or how proper as it may seems, the wonders of being in a country with a democratic government wakes us up in a community divided by social classes. There will always be the rich and the poor, and in country like the Philippines where the media are dominated by families with business conglomerates, we would easily surmise that probably what we know as “responsible journalism” is actually a chunk of business and political interest.

The Lopez's have the ABS-CBN on their name; add up several cable stations, over 20 FM stations and half a dozen AM stations. They even hold the monopoly of Meralco. In an interview conducted by Fliza Romualdez, Gabby Lopez hasn't hesitated to state that ABS is more of a marketing-driven corporation, so they pay much attention to the ratings (iMagazine, July-September 1996). Questioning TV Patrol's time slot from 6:00-7:00PM to 6:00-6:30 PM to give the now defunct soap opera, Mara Clara, the 6:30-7:00PM slot, Gabby exclaimed that its more of a technique to give RPN 9's then phenomenal Mexican tele-novela, Marimar, a battle over the ratings. He also added that people have changed, telling that while the audience may want some news, it's not as much as before. To conclude the report, he reiterated the company's primary objective: to remain primarily economic and business in orientation.

To add up the long list of names of business conglomerates: Emilio Yap has Manila Bulletin, but he also have the Manila Prince Hotel and Philippine Trust Co. The Gokongweis have The Manila Times, alongside Cebu Pacific, Robinsons, Digitel and a long list of companies under their name. Manila Standard and the Philippine Daily Inquirer's owners are also business tycoons. It would be simplistic to say that newspapers are greatly influenced by their owners, but we could not sum it all up because each paper is different from the others. It might sound impossible, however, that proprietors would not dare intervene, mostly when their business interest are at stake.

Let's review the Marxist statement that I have stated in the introduction of my premise. Definitely, Marxist Theory is aiming for Utopia, which if based on what's happening to the Philippine media today, especially on the making of news, is far from being attainable. The owners have direct control to what should be printed in broadsheets, or what to air in television, thus they have the power to eradicate information which they found unpleasing which might cause the eradication of their good standing and grab on ideas that they will put their business on a high. They are much conscious to the ratings than what information they will feed to the audience. In the article, “Hoy Missing!” (iMagazine, July-September 2006), reporter Sheila Coronel described how media have acted as messiah via the now defunct Public Affairs Program, “Hoy Gising!” by stressing how ABS-CBN has transformed public affairs shows into something glamorous and dramatic – more “showbiz”. The government is always to blame is almost the basic premise of Hoy Gising. It doesn't enlighten about the problems but it gives the citizens the illusion that they don't have to act to solve their problem. They only have to wait and to be seen in television. Now that Hoy Gising is out, there are still a number of shows patterned to Hoy Gising which still airs on television: GMA's “Imbestigador” and ABS-CBN's “XXX” are obvious examples. So why do they keep on reviving these formulas? Because these give them their needed ratings.

Now, let's bounce to the politicians, another group of people who hold such unthinkable power. Well, election season is starting to cloud up the morning air, and so political candidates may start choosing journalists who can help them on their aspirations. According to the article, “Buying The News” (iMagazine, January–June 1998), politicians “buy” journalists to propagate their views and sell themselves. It is also stated that the fact that some journalists are being paid off is nothing new. The phenomenon of widespread media corruption is even much difficult to stop, thus distortion of news is something that is really disturbing.

The proliferation of libel cases and journalist killings are even much grave examples of powerful people putting their power to the level. They can do it just because they can.

Well, this is not to tell that I am aiming for communism. I don't feel that that will solve the problem either, not by force to achieve equality. And I'm also not positive about neomarxist's extra optimistic point of view on media. I still hold my penny that if everyone will be socially responsible as media practitioners, then problems may level down or possibly put an end. Maybe I'm wishing too much, but I know that this is probable.

Surreal Love

GRIFFIN AND SABINE TRILOGY by Nick Bantock
“Griffin and Sabine” (pictured), “Sabine’s Notebook” and “The Golden Mean”

Matt Madden enthralled us to his “99 Ways to Tell a Story” by proving to us that eventhough a same story can be heard more than a million times in our life existence, there is also a million plus ways possible to treat it so that it won’t appear as cliché. Probably we have already heard the story of two individuals, passionately in love with one another but they only exist in each other’s diegetic world, because they are separated by distance or a different time frame, or simply either one or both don’t actually exist at all. The premise may not sound bizarre at all, since this has been a subject matter tackled a number of times, especially in films: remember “Il Mare”, “Lake House" (a hopelessly cheesy remake of the former), our own “Maruja”. Well, the same case as that of this masterwork created by Nick Bantock, possessed with a very promising storytelling technique. This is literature literally talking in pictures.

Reading somebody else’s letters eventually brings us to the exciting personal world of both of the sender and recipient. There is always a sense of curiosity to us, readers. The postcards of Griffin Moss and Sabine Strohem definitely brought out the intrigues on us, despite the fact that we are aware that they are just a culmination of the author’s imagination. What makes the whole idea very interesting and unique is that most of their letters were “handwritten”, while some are typewritten, on beautifully-painted postcards or designed papers inserted in an equally creative envelope. Our main characters live a world apart: Griffin is in London, Sabine is somewhere in South Pacific. In a sane yet surreal happening, Griffin received a postcard from Sabine who appears to know a lot of significant things about him – even some insignificant information like what Griffin painted the past night. The turn of events proved to be good because as they fell in love with one another, eliminating the fact that seeing each other personally is close to impossibility. They have no idea how’d they look like, or how’d they sound like. The only way that they could learn more about themselves is through their letters and their majestic artworks in their postcards. Their art speaks for themselves.

Their love for one another appears to be passionate as encompassed to the artworks they painstakingly draw in their postcards and envelopes. Their painting is an extension of themselves, as every postcard displays Griffin or Sabine’s emotional baggage for the moment.

Which bring us to the story’s weird conclusion: after following the surrealistic love affair of Griffin and Sabine, we were confronted by a disclaimer that for years, we haven’t heard anything from Griffin and Sabine until a letter from Sabine to a guy named Matthew was found in Kenya. Weird thing: the mystery letter’s date (Feb 22) has the same date with Griffin’s first letter to Sabine; even the design of the mystery letter’s stamp is an exact copy as that of the postcard of Griffin (goldfish in a glass). The message doesn’t make sense at all, as far as we want to connect it to the whole affair, but we should be aware of the existence of the terms telepathy, mystery, and scientific research in the course of the trilogy.

I always think of art as a madman’s creation. Whatever it is: a painting, sculpture, literature, music, film, you name it. A work of art is essentially rooted from a certain experience or inspiration or a feeling that one would want to immortalize. It’s amazing how a very depressing moment would help push someone to make a masterpiece. In a world where weirdness is slowly equating to the terms intelligent and beautiful, art is present to pose as everyone’s labyrinth.

What if Griffin is just a work of imagination of Sabine - a product of Sabine’s loneliness? Nick B. tried to screw our minds off by emphasizing Griffin’s earthly existence and Sabine’s semi-ethereal image too early in the story and as the story progresses, a question of who’s actually real begins to draw a bold line. I’m thinking that my assumption is very possible, as Nick Bantock himself created the story, who is also capable of making one of his characters create another character and story.

"Stay" by Color It Red

My first directorial attempt!
Presenting ... "Stay" by Color It Red

Hangga't Maty Tatsulok at Sila Ang Nasa Tuktok Di Matatapos Itong Gulo

Despite the fact that I'm not a big fan of Bamboo's music (after "Noypi" I already stopped cheering), I need to thank the band for bringing Noel Cabangon and Buklod's activist song, "Tatsulok" to the mainstream audience. I always believe that no other artist can surpass the more heartwrenching and contempt take of Buklod to a very subversive song but Bamboo's version added more angst and made it still very effective nonetheless. After hearing the song playing in MYX. I can't help but dig into my PC and play Buklod's version which I haven't heard for a long time. Of course, I still love Buklod's version way better than Bamboo's effort, but I'm not saying that the latter gave injustice to the song. As I am saying earlier, Kudos to Bamboo!

It's even a more clever idea to release such song with strong message this election season.

For those who would like to check Buklod's version. Click here.

This is also the breathtaking music video of Bamboo's Tatsulok.

Stopping the Hiatus

(Production: "Stay" by Color It Red, February 11, 2007)

Then it came to me that I haven't written anything personal in my blog for the past two months. A lot of things had happened and I felt guilty simply for not nourishing my Mental Porn. This is redemption.

(Direk David experimenting for a better angle with 1st Assistant Director Jesse Baban)

I can't believe that alongside my portfolio of crappy short films is my directorial take to Color It Red's music video for "Stay" from their self-titled latest album (released February 2006). After a month of tedious pre-production, a tepid and exhausting day of shooting and almost two weeks of assemblaging more than an hour amount of rushes to fit the duration of the song which is four minutes, the finish product arose to what I can say is my first film masterpiece.

Asking the security guards to act is a tough one

It all started when our Film 112 professor, the ultimately adorable Lyle Sacris, required us to make a music video as a midterm project (I find it annoying everytime my friends would not believe that what I'm doing is just a midterm project. It's not fun telling the same premise again and again). My initial plan is to get an underground rock band for my video, but my heart went ecstatic when my friend, Chris, recommended me to Color It Red. Of course, we all know that they are responsible for the legendary hits "Paglisan" (which lyrics is most notable as it was parodied in the Jollibee commercial: "At sa iyong paglisan/ Ang tanging pabaon ko/ ay Jollibee" ... man! If my memory won't fail me, I was just in Grade Four then) and "Na Naman." And I am here, a very amateur filmmaker who doesn't have even a single impressive item in my portfolio, taking a big leap to create a music video for a well-known artist. Then I told Chris that I'm thinking twice, that I don't know if I can do it, that if I'll fail probably this will be the end of my dream. Ok, I'm exaggerating again. Honestly, I was really really afraid when they accepted my offer. Good Lord!

Direk David telling Cooky to walk facing the sun, with RG Concepcion (DOP), and Manong Dolly Operator

I had three concepts in my mind. The first two are crap. I thought that these treatments are too easy, mushy and very literal. The whole idea of my final concept came upon after I chanced upon Matthew Honan's collection of very short stories which are actually twenty-two one-liner "stories." While some are too vague that they can't almost make any sense, the fourth story jolted my consciousness, telling myself that this is perfect for my music video. What's the line? "Mister, mister can you please help me find my mommy?" Then the music video started playing in my mind.

In another angle, with the dolly

"Stay" is a love song but I decided to make a video without an image of a man and a woman in the middle of courtship, or argument, or happiness and all that jazz. But all I can see is a girl, holding a red ballon, wandering in the streets of Ortigas, pleading passersby to help her find her mother. In another setting is Cooky wandering around an old building, looking for a way to get out. I want to anticipate to the viewers that Cooky is the mother of the girl, but the ending will tell us something out of our expectations.

That's my sister, having a photo opportunity with Cooky

Well, I made the concept without knowing whether it would be very heavy for the the viewers or might turn melodramatic, but I continued anyway. This is a concept wherein I made truckloads of revisions. The ending was a salvage. I made fifteen options, after learning during my editing that my ending will never be in any of the fifteen options, even the one I finalized in my storyboard.

My simple production set-up

February 11, a Sunday, came my shooting date. I woke up 4AM, two hours earlier than my call time of 6AM. This was one of my most memorable day of my life as this is the first time that I really feel that this is what I really want to do. Thanks to my production crew: RG for being my DOP. for letting me rent the Canon XL2 and the lights for a very reasonable price; Jesse and Jed for being my assistant directors; Stephen, for being there to help me with errands ... and of course, the storyboard; Ate Luz for travelling all the way from Bulacan to Ortigas to support her daughter Paula who is my actress. Of course, Mommy and Ate Mayumi for being there all the way. Thanks for the support. All the groceries that you bought is very much a relief in my side. Your presence is what I am more thankful about. Thanks also to Cris for visiting and helping. I know, runnning errands sucks but thanks for doing it for me. Thanks to Color It Red for being on time despite the lack of sleep. They went all the way from a gig in Lucena City and arrived here at Manila by 5AM. My call time for Cooky is 10AM. She's arrived 930AM.

Barbi and her baby, Bopip, Cooky in my former Alma Mater, Don Bosco

The shoot has been a very relinquishing moment for me, despite the striking heat of the sun and the deflation of the balloons. Things started on time and ended on time and some people say that I am very organized in shooting, whereas I feel the other way around. Well, for those who find me as a disciplined person, thanks still.

Time for me to pose for the other camera

Editing is the most exciting point of the whole production process. But it will probably become very irritating if you need to edit a four-minute video, frame by frame. And one second has 24 frames. So that's 24 x 60 x4 frames (Do the math). This is the time that I started cursing myself for wanting the whole music video monochromatic except for the balloon which will be red all the time. I almost gave up, crying after learning that I might not achieve it due to time pressure. Thanks to Ramil, what seems to be impossible turned the other way and the red balloon easily became the biggest asset of my music video.

Presenting the band in goofy mode

I'm really sorry, probably I'm not being coherent in my writing today, I'm very overwhelmed... because all the brain cells that I have burned, all the money that I spent, all the sleepless nights, all the misdemeanors... they all paid off. And they are all in a single DVD. I can't believe that all I have worked hard for is stored in this very fragile disk but once every image is translated thorugh the projector, you realized that you created a different life. A world of my own.

Thanks Sir Lyle for such an experience.

Watch out for the music video...