My experience as short film writer and director is something I will really treasure. This is one of those great opportunities that provided me with fertile ground to hone whatever I have and train myself further in dealing with all sorts of pressure. While filming Siklab and Ikaw Lamang, I had to be five personas inside a mortal body— director, father, husband, teacher, and law student—with one formidable enemy, Time. Because Time as a foe is such a strong one, I never had the chance to prepare myself in the task of directing or filmmaking before I plunged into it. I just dove and swam and I was just lucky to have friends who, like me, were unmindful of whether or not what we were doing then was plain greatness or sheer stupidity. So, what I will tell you are things which are really personal to me. These are three simple realizations that I hope will help you prick your own balloon of unique ideas.
First, I learned that taking lightly the portrayal of even the most minor character is potentially damaging to the film as whole. An improperly captured scene is distracting but there is nothing more distracting than poor acting. For this reason, I made it a point that our next film was portrayed in much better way than our first. I learned that ‘hiding’ an actor’s/actress’ weakness by lessening his/her exposure is not always “the” solution, the “true” solution. This time my approach was different. I looked for ways to bring out the gem inside them. It’s an about-face move on my part. If previously my opinion was that “we have to finish this no matter what”; this time, my view was this—“let’s be better this time, no matter what”. Deep inside me, if the Team won’t be able to offer something better by performing better, might as well “throw in the towel”. I literally raised the bar a couple of notches higher for all of us. And when Ikaw Lamang was hailed as Best Film for 2009, I was particularly overjoyed and really glad that I changed my approach.
Second, this year’s competition even increased my conviction that I should never let go of my “Never-Say-Die... Go-For-The-Kill” attitude… Contrary to common notion, we actually worked under tight budget. I mean really tight budget. There were many instances that we had to shell out money from our own pockets. And as of this writing, and embarrassing as it is, we have not yet paid the Team’s incurred debts. Neither did we have our own equipment. All we had was oozing courage. What’s worse was that the team’s videos (mostly major scenes) for several days got corrupted. With this fact as background, it was a miracle that we even reached No. 6 after the first evaluation. I really thought it was goodbye red carpet for all of us. Then, with several days left to revise, we resolved to wage the fight to even greater heights and with greater spirit. It’s not over ‘til it’s over—that was my considered view. And so with borrowed funds and borrowed equipment, we ventured to make drastic changes and maximize the use of things we had. It was a virtual race with Time. But while working, I really felt that I could still make a difference by tightening my grip and focusing on an aspect in which we had better leverage—acting. Thus, I went for the kill and the rest, as they say, was history.
Finally, I learned that it was not wise for me to pattern my film after commercial ones. A 30-minute film calls for a different kind of exposition. In this film you only have a quarter of two hours to tell the whole story with all its twists and turns. I began to learn that characterization must be made in such a skillful manner so that a character’s depth will not be too much compromised. You can’t waste even a second. You can’t delve into the trivial. I realized that every element in a 30-minute film must be material. The complexity of the plot must in turn be reconsidered. The plot must be reconciled with the rest of barriers. It must be one that coincides with the very limitations of a short film and not one that presents many entanglements that the film is left at the mercy of this fact. I thought that if I would infuse too much intrigue, complicity and complexity in the plot I would end up sacrificing what our film should achieve in the first place—approximate the richness and depth of human character and experiences. Indeed, a 30-minute short film must be simple enough that it cuts like blade.
In parting, I would like to thank the organizers of ESIHAS for this great opportunity, the jurors for appreciating my humble crafts and the students, faculty and staff of Nueva Ecija High School for willingly taking part in my short film ventures. It is indeed an honor working with you.
