The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
No doubt, I was very eager to undergo the Cinematography-Directing Masterclass with award-winning filmmaker Raymond Red (“Anino,” ⁿBayani,” “Sakay,” “Ang mga Rebeldeng May Kaso,” “Himpapawid,” “Manila’s Finest,” among other prizewinning masterpieces) at the Conrado “Dengcar” Baltazar Theater of the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation (Mowelfund) Film Institute for three consecutive days (whole day) on the first week of June that started Thursday and ended on a Saturday.
I was extremely excited, indeed, to learn cinematography from an expert in the field.
I even thought I could finally hands-on the P2 Canon video camera given to me by controversial Fil-Briton filmmaker Jowee Morel (“Moma,” “EC2Luv,” “Mga Paru-Parong Rosas,” “Mona, Singapore Escort,” “Latak (Residue),” “HiStory,” “When a Gay Man Loves,” “Strictly Confidential,” “Leona Calderon,” “The Making of Quezon City,” among other cutting-edge titles).
I also wanted to learn how to shoot professionally and broadcast quality with a motion picture camera of any model.
Moreover, I wanted to learn how to edit footage to tell a story.
The primary reason to indulge in these pursuits is my penchant for independent filmmaking.
I don’t have enough budget to pay a cameraman and an editor.
TikTok, reels, YouTube
I was thinking that if I could already shoot and edit at the same time, I could produce more films, shorts, especially, or docs, regularly, or do TikTok or reels as starters for uploading in YouTube and other digital platforms.
In my decades working for television—5 years in Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC), 9 years in ABS-CBN, 7 years in Radio Philippines Network (RPN) and 2 years in UNTV—I didn’t bother to hold a video cam because I had my assigned cameramen, assistant cameraman, Production Assistant (PA), light man, driver etc.
In my “Action 9” years in Channel 9, though, I was urged to edit my own entertainment stories on a linear editing gadget at that.
Now, editing videos come in non-linear fashion.
And so I have to take advantage of all workshops on the technical aspects of filmmaking for additional knowledge because I believe education, practically and theoretically, is supposedly superfluous.
I even applied to the “Libong Kulay: Mga Istorya ng Quezon” Cinematography Workshop organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) now being held in Atimonan, Quezon under the tutelage of Lee Briones-Meily.
Theater Arts at Leon Guinto Memorial College
Since I am a resident of Lopez town in Quezon Province with my Senior Citizen’s ID presented as one of the requirements and I would be in Atimonan during the duration of the workshop because I teach Theater Arts at Leon Guinto Memorial College, I thought I was qualified.
Truly, I was since the Education Division of FDCP had initially sent me an email that I was eligible for an online interview as part of the selection process only to be advised later that I didn’t meet the requirements.
Wonder why when I submitted all the requisites.
I thought I was deprived of an essential learning on cinematography from another perspective.
Anyway, I had to contend with Mowelfund.
It was indeed another educational experience with the expertise of Raymond as a Director of Photography (DoP) and a captain of the ship.
Red, director and cinematographer
According to Red, he is attuned to being the director and cinematographer at the same time of his own film which he has been doing since he embarked on his creative journey.
It added to his seminal workmanship, anyway.
Oh! I was the oldest among the nearly thirty (30) work shoppers and happy about it.
Curiously, it reminded me what showbiz fixture JC Nigado and critic and UP Film Institute Programmer Nonoy Lauzon assumed why I was declined by FDCP on the step-by-step procedure of the selection.
“Maybe because of your age,” JC and Nonoy quantified separately on two occasions.
In self-defense, though, I thought the pursuit of learning doesn’t require age limits.
Anyway, I was rejuvenated and re-energized when I integrated with my Mowelfund classmates and learned not only about proper lighting, the play on chiaroscuro and the blend of colors, the choice of lens, ISO etc. but the evolving experiential process of cinematography.
Reyna Infante, granddaughter of J. Eddie Infante
I had wonderful classmates from all backgrounds, social and otherwise.
I couldn’t single them out and mingle with all of them except on breaks because of time constraints but at random, I had Church Cabreira, the grandson of the iconic rom-com and drama director Danilo P. Cabreira; Jose, a screenwriter and a prof Creative Writing at the UST Faculty of Arts and Letters; the technical assistant of award-winning director Jay Altarejos; a certain Nadres from Candelaria, Quezon (who now stays in Manila); the members of our group (for exercises and application of theories where we were asked to film a short video to illustrate lighting by using Red cameras etc.), namely Ginox, a cameraman at GMA Network; Ervs, an all-tech man of a Christian post-prod house; Timothy, an actor; Aidyn, an indie filmmaker and Reyna Infante, a granddaughter of the late famous and illustrious actor J. Eddie Infante.
Back to Church.
It was a surprise and a bonus to have a scion of an icon in the house.
Church wasn’t familiar with his granddad’s controversial film, “Mga Uhaw na Bulaklak” Parts 1 and 2 (this version starred Alona Alegre, Atoy Co, Ernie Garcia et all which were mangled by the censors during the Martial Law era).
He was surprised to find out that his grandfather’s controversial work was a box-office hit.
According to the grandson, his forebear has Alzheimer’s.
Actor, producer and former Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista was, happily, also a classmate.
It was a fruitful seminar-workshop where I finally got to watch Raymond’s masterpieces “Anino,” “Himpapawud” and “Manila’s Finest” which I missed their commercial run.
Red’s three representative films are the testaments of his unwavering love for his craft which reflected the way he enlightened his students.