The Mindanao Center for Moving Image (MCMI) with the support of GenSan Tourism Council conducted a two day film workshop to the 13 aspiring filmmakers last October 18-19 at Veranza Conference Room. The said workshop aims to teach the fundamentals of feature/narrative filmmaking as well as to raise the consciousness of the people of its importance for cultural regeneration.
“Film is about feeling it,” as Teng Mangansakan, the workshop director said. “There are lots of individuals who can make a video or short film because of the democratization of technology today. You can watch and upload videos in Youtube and other video related sites. What will make you set apart is how you tell your story.”
Teng pointed out the importance of story in making films. “With the accessibility and availability of technology today, anybody can shoot a film. If you have HD camera, you can easily shoot as long as you want. But most of the output of young filmmakers today has weak stories. The story can make or break your film. So it is important to strengthen the filmmaker’s storytelling technique.”
The participants also learned how to formulate ideas and how to capture the right premise for their stories. “There’s no such thing as original idea…idea is not copyrighted. There is an interpretation or variation of old idea,” said Teng.
“Culture is a natural element in a story,” Teng said. He stressed out the importance of culture as one component of storytelling. But he also pointed the pitfall of overdoing it. “Culture is a broad term. Cultural dance or traditional dress is only one component of culture.” He cited an example, like wearing traditional dress (throughout the film) does not necessarily tell the whole story of the culture of a certain tribe or community.
“In a competitive world, it is not enough that one becomes a filmmaker. One must aspire to become an intelligent filmmaker,” Teng pointed out.
The second part of the GenSan film workshop will be held on November 8-9, 2014.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
YADU KARU is an independent filmmaker and a photojournalist. He also blogs at YaduKaru.Com.
“Film is about feeling it,” as Teng Mangansakan, the workshop director said. “There are lots of individuals who can make a video or short film because of the democratization of technology today. You can watch and upload videos in Youtube and other video related sites. What will make you set apart is how you tell your story.”
The participants also learned how to formulate ideas and how to capture the right premise for their stories. “There’s no such thing as original idea…idea is not copyrighted. There is an interpretation or variation of old idea,” said Teng.
“In a competitive world, it is not enough that one becomes a filmmaker. One must aspire to become an intelligent filmmaker,” Teng pointed out.
The second part of the GenSan film workshop will be held on November 8-9, 2014.
YADU KARU is an independent filmmaker and a photojournalist. He also blogs at YaduKaru.Com.
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