The four Directors were the most important assignment that had to be made. They had to have at least a good sense for the art and leadership skills. Hernel Tocmo was no surprise to anyone in the class as we have seen his past works and always seem to be a natural artist. My Beadle, Carren Lapined, was also an obvious choice as she always shows initiative and good leadership skills. EJ Fernandez sort of caught me off guard as I’ve never heard of his interest in making films and he was always that quiet “big-guy” in the class, kinda reminds me of myself back in college. I had to look at that as a good thing! Speaking of which, when we were having trouble finding our fourth director, I gave them that speech about how “nobody initially believed in me as a filmmaker back in college” and that it means “(the fourth director) could be somebody unexpected.” As soon as I uttered the last word in that speech, Jen Francinilla stood right up and assumed the director’s position. Jen showed one of the most important things that take to be a director; desire.

The four “direks” then were assigned their respective writers and editors and let them choose the rest of their members. And there, four new production teams were born, Knight Vision Films (Tocmo), Evo Productions (Lapined), Avant Garde Films (Fernandez) and Thespian Productions (Francinilla).

Out of these four teams, came four short films as their final projects and the following will be their reviews. I’ve always known that I’m really not a good critic so I will keep the reviews as brief as I can and concentrate on the things I appreciate and how they could have been better. Additionally, I understand that six weeks of the whole subject wouldn’t really be enough for film production so I will keep the time constraint of the teams in mind.

Cul De Sac by Evo Productions
Directed by: Carren Lapined
Writen by: Kristin Gonzales
Cinematography by: Jus Jugador
Edited by: Ronald Allan Baril and April Joy Academia

    Cul De Sac is a story of Marga (April Joy Academia/Isabella Fernandez) and her relationship with her father, Carlos (Ronald Allan Baril). It shows how family bond could strengthen through time and the impact to the members if somehow that bond is broken.
    I like the fact that at least one of the films in the class had Family as its central theme and Cul De Sac established that theme through a very wide timeline starting the story with Marga as a child. I totally understand how difficult it is to work with children in films so I admire the team’s courage to do so and I believe Isabella Fernandez did a better job than most kids would have. I love cameos as they are like Easter Eggs in movies so seeing the crew appear on screen adds more interest in the film.
    Setting could enhance the overall feel of the movie so I appreciate the fact that the team traveled for hours just to bring the story to an exotic location. More establishing shots would have made the audience appreciate the environment better and would make them feel more connected with the characters. The story did leave me with a lot of questions though. I wondered what really happened to Carlos between the introduction and the climax of the story. How did the daughter-father connection get lost and how long was it gone? I guess we’ll have to wait for the sequel then. ☺

Stalked by Thespian Productions
Directed by: Alyza Jen Francinilla
Writen by: Rochel Betonio
Cinematography by: Diana Binsar
Edited by: Albert Canete

    “The experience of being stalked is more common than people realize” according to Wendy McElroy and the film portrayed that idea. It shows Ramee (Sheryl Lea Batitao) experience being stalked by an individual who is revealed as the film progresses. The film also presented a very common motivation for stalkers to do what they do.
    I appreciate the theme that the team chose for their film, as I believe that people, especially in this side of the world, needs to be more aware of the idea of being stalked. A also admire the location chosen for the climax of the film as it adds to the darkness of the story and the antagonist. If the team’s Producer, Jeanyber Fernandez, provided this then she has done her job well. The team also did a good job on the casting for the role of Ramon, as I believe Kynn Rae Paraguya suited this character well. The film also included cameos from the crew but it would have been nicer though if we were able to spot the director in there.
    The framing of the shots are very important in the film especially in the build up to the climax but there were some breaks in the 180 degree rule that could disorient the audience a bit. I am also a bit lost in the conclusion of the film. I do not want to give anything away so I would just want to say that it would be more enlightening if there were more indications of which was real and which was not.

Lambada by Avant Garde Films
Directed by: EJ Fernandez
Writen by: Eva Magno
Cinematography by: EJ Fernandez
Edited by: Ritz Beltran

    Avant Garde Films explores the very sensitive topic of summary execution by having an assassin as their film’s central character. Additionally, the film explains the process of how these executions are done, including the codes and the powerful people involved in the process.
    Any story that is based on research will always have a good foundation and Lambada is no exception. Backed by a research paper done by Magno and Fernandez themselves, the film brings its audience deep inside the world of summary executioners and the challenges of being involved in the process. You learn new things and gain more understanding how these operations happen. I really enjoy films when the central character is an anti-hero. It could quite be a challenge to make the audience feel a connection with a character that lacks the conventional quality of a protagonist. Additionally, the lines delivered by the film’s characters are well written with metaphors used fittingly. Speaking of metaphors, the relationship between the two main characters could be looked at as a good symbolism of what the executioners do to their fellow man.
    The one who delivered the best performance in the film is surely Oliver Abraham who plays Viktor. What he lacked in physical dominance he makes up with firm line delivery and conviction. Ugo del Campo, who plays Nestor, on the other hand, seems too conscious. The relationship between the two main characters could have been greatly improved if they were played by one actor and were only revealed to be separate characters in the climax. They did this with the younger versions of the characters. I wonder why they didn’t do the same for the rest of the story. It would make a good twist.

Lingon by Knight Vision Films
Directed by: Hernel Tocmo
Writen by: Ruji Abat
Cinematography by: Emory Juansengpue
Edited by: Hernel Tocmo

    Lingon takes us with a group of young vacationers on an exotic location. The youngsters are enjoying their stay when a bad encounter with an odd local brings danger to their door.
    The plot of Lingon is a very familiar slasher-movie formula and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. I’ve always believed that what is proven often works and this is the case with this Knight Vision presentation. The casting was simple yet effective. Shaira Joy Gultiano played the “airhead” quite fittingly, Emory Juansengpue was natural as the head of the barkada and Ruji Abat is so believable as a killer that it’s scary.
    The use of sound and music in Lingon is quite good except in the scene in the wet market. It is what I would call as “extreme palengke shopping”. I just think that the music used in this scene was unnecessary as it was a very simple activity and a slower-paced music would have been enough and would make a better build up to the first encounter with the killer. Other encounters with the killer would have also been better if there were more quiet build up before the impact shots. Overall, Knight Vision Films did not deliver the best of storytelling but instead it was more of a showcase of exceptional skills in production.

    In every one of those four films in our class, you will see that we have included the logo for the House of Kroz. First of all, I would just like to make it clear that… Yes it is somehow my self-serving way of placing my stamp in my students’ films but still, it is more than that. This will also serve as a symbol of our collective identity and the experience we all had during the summer of 2009. A symbol of everything that was shared, the knowledge gained and the events that molded us to what we became after the course. More importantly, as I am intending to teach Video Production for quite a long time, this class is the pioneer batch that have entered my House and I am happy with this batch.

    What I also want my filmmakers to keep in mind is that their final project is not the only thing that defines their whole experience in MC105. What’s also important is that they’ve actually learned some things and they will use these things more in the future. Not only that, but I also wish that if ever they continue to make films, they will also continue to grow and make sure that every new project they create will be better than their last.