Cinemalaya Campus stresses importance of film technology

JUDY Ann Santos (in black) is surrounded by Cinemalaya attendees. Photo by Dexter Macaraeg

“TECHNOLOGY is important. It is the enabler of indie filmmaking,” according to Cinemalaya Campus codirector Eva Mari Salvador.

“If you have an SLR (single lens reflex) camera, you can already become a filmmaker,” added Salvador, also the manager of the Arts Education Department of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP).

The annual event—a gathering of key players in the filmmaking industry wherein ideas and views on current issues are exchanged and discussed—coincided with the 12th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival that concluded last Friday at the CCP in Pasay City.

Cinemalaya Campus 2016, which carried the theme “Technology and Indie Films,” focused on the technology available for both student and professional filmmakers.

This year’s fora were on various shooting equipment, from the ubiquitous cell phone to the more advanced high-end cameras, on sound recording and on postproduction, particularly editing and color grading.

Cinemalaya Campus codirector Clodualdo “Doy” del Mundo Jr. opened the two-day event with a keynote presentation, titled “Technology in Search of a Style.”

Asked to recall some of the interesting points during the two-day event, Salvador cited Session Five, “Acting with Indie Technology,” attended by speakers Aiza Seguerra, Liza Diño, Ina Feleo and Rolando Inocencio.

“Aiza shared her two L’s in acting. First is ‘listening.’ When you listen to your surroundings and to each other, then your acting is enhanced. The other L is ‘letting go.’ Once you’ve given your best, let it naturally flow with you,” Salvador recalled.

Session Three was all about “Shooting with Drones, GoPro and other Emerging Technologies,” featuring Neil Daza, Oli Laperal and Bing Lastrilla.

Breathtaking

“The beautiful thing about drones is that they help us see the world differently,” said Salvador, citing the breathtaking shots of lahar in Bacolor, Pampanga, in the Zig Dulay drama, “Paglipay.” “Who would have thought that this area, which should have been so dusty and dry, would become so beautiful in our eyes when the drone was used?”

The first session, “Indie Film Directing and Storytelling for the New Technologies,” featured television and film director Jose Javier Reyes.

Session Four, or “Indie Film Sound Technology: From Sound Design to Musical Scoring,” had Teresa Barrozo, Corinne de San Jose and Mike Idioma as speakers. “They talked about the importance of listening and good storytelling, but using sound and music,” said Salvador.

Session Six, which tackled the final session, about “Storytelling: The Endless Possibilities of Technology,” featured writer-directors Zig Dulay and Gino Santos.

“You have to have a statement. You have to make a stand on an issue that you’re writing about,” Dulay advised.

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