Film

A Union of Creative Talents

Generally, film is a photographic material on which visual images and

sound are printed. The Audio-visual spectacle is created inside the theatre
through a projector. Films are cultural artifacts created by specific cultures,
which reflect those cultures, and, in turn, affect them. The visual elements of
cinema give motion pictures a universal power of communication.

There are different terms for this art. The term “cinema” was derived from a French
word “cinematographe” which means movie and motion or in other words, motion picture.
Film is a result of the illusion of movements which is brought about by the continuity of
vision. While the term movie is used by the general audience believing that there is a trick
of both to mental and visual cognition to retain optic scenes longer than its presentation.
The visual tool seems to move because of the flashing of twenty four frames per second.

Elements of Film

1. Screenplay
Is the spine of the film, it serves as the visual copy for
the shooting of the film. The scriptwriter is the one
responsible for this element. Akira Kurosawa believed
that for someone to become a good director, he must
master the art of scriptwriting. The writer should be
able to make the first twenty five percent of the film,
exciting and visually stimulating. There are two types
of screenplay: Spec Script where the script is already
available and all written by its scriptwriter,
Commissioned Script pertains to the fabrication of
storyline depending on the request of the producers,
director and actors.

According to Ricky Lee, writing a film needs 6 basic

elements. Concept, which best describes the theme.
Premise, uses the powerful word “What if?” to make the
story more exciting. Statement is the elaborate plot to discuss the topic. Millieu
goes for the setting that includes time and place. Characters provide the lines and
life on the screen. And last is the structure which organizes the entire film.

2. Direction
Is the captain of the ship which holds the over-all
artistic and creative control in the film, secondary to
the Producers that manage the budget, expenses,
publicity, promotions and legal matters. An actors
director is notorious for a superb acting of the cast.
Having a background in acting or performing arts,
this type of director masters the art ok making the
character convincing and believable. Visual Director
may not be an acting per se director, but creates a
loud and brilliant production design. This type of
director has a background in visual/fine arts and multi-media arts. Film Director
masters the styling of the cinematography and acting.
 Magnificent Production design making inside Hollywood studio

3. Production Design
Creates everything which is seen and used in each scenes. This is under the
Production Designer which holds the props, location, lights and spaces, costume and
make-up, and visual effects.

Oscar best actress, Meryl Streep playing Miranda Priestly

in “The Devil Wears Parada”

4. Acting
The soul of the film is deeply embedded on the life of each actors playing their role.
The major actors are called lead actors followed by supporting actors while those
who don’t have any speaking lines are called extra or a bit-player.

5. Cinematography
The proper style and framing of each scenes
depend on the ability of the cinematographer.
Lights, camera movement, shooting angle,
distance of blocking and measurement are all
important in making an artistic scene.

Life of Pi
 6. Editing
This happens during the post-production with the editor. It is the beauty of the film
from a different scenes and angles as chosen by the editor. In this stage, some
scenes were deleted while the remaining angles were continuously patterned and
connected with one another.

7. Music
In highlighting the emotional, risky, and flat scenes, music is expected to provide and
support the background by giving a rhythmic accompaniment and emphasis.

8. Sound
Serves as an intense meaning per scene and this also includes dialogue, dubbing and
even silence.

Types of Film

Narrative Film. May also be considered as Commercial or Mainstream Film which is

concerned with fictional characters.

Sample Mainstream movies from Star Cinema

Documentary Film. Is an ultra-realistic film that doesn’t use a script for speaking
lines of the characters, instead it is concern with real people and their actual dialogues that
may came from an interview.
 Promotional Poster of an Indie Film

Experimental Film. Today, this is also known as indie or digital film. Concerned with
new style and approach in telling a story.

Film Genres

Drama. Is usually associated with crying and emotional scenes.

Comedy. The main ingredient of a comic film is “humor.” It pokes the audience to
laugh and a celebration of life and being alive.

Action/ Adventure. Contains physical struggle and usually accompanied by active

scene or risky situation.

Mystery Crime. Creates thrilling scenes in a suspense and inquisitive attack.

Romantic Comedy. Is a humorous love story.

Biography. Real stories of real people.

Sci-Fi/ Science Fiction. Uses modernized technology and gadgets.

Fantasy. Stories beyond the bound or reality such as magic and mythological
creatures.

Horror. Dark or gothic in presentation. Usually associated to evil works and

influence.

A Brief History of film

The history of film spans over a hundred years which leads to a substantial impact
on the arts, technology, culture, politics, and society. Motion pictures were purely visual art
up to the late 19th century, but these innovative silent films gained a hold on the public
imagination. Around the turn of the 20th century, films began developing a narrative
structure by stringing scenes together to tell narratives. The scenes were later broken up
into multiple shots of varying sizes, angles, and cuts. Other techniques such as camera
movement, camera tricks, and special effects were utilized for effective ways to portray a
story on film.

The Birth of the Moving Picture .The early motion pictures were static shots that
showed an event or action with no editing or other cinematic techniques. It was then called
a "peeping hole”, which came from the typical sketches of kids in the edge of their
notebooks. The early versions of the technology required a person to look into a viewing
machine to see the pictures that were separate paper prints attached to a drum and turned
by a hand crafted machine. Some of these machines were coin operated.

Early Hollywood studio during the 1920’s

The Silent Era. Inventors and producers had tried from the very beginning of moving
pictures to marry the image with synchronous sound, but no practical method was devised
until the late 1920's. And so, for the first thirty years of film history, movies were more or
less silent, although they were usually accompanied by musicians and sometimes sound
effects, and with dialogue and narration presented in the so-called intertitles.

Charlie Chaplin

The Sound Era. By the 1920's, new technology allowed filmmakers to attach to each
film a soundtrack of speech, music, and sound effects synchronized with the action shown
on screen. These sound films were initially distinguished by calling them "talking pictures,"
or "talkies."

The Foreign Films, Black-and-white vs. Color. The next

major step in the development of cinema was the introduction of
color. As color processes improved and became as affordable as
black-and-white film, more and more movies were filmed in color.
After the end of World War II, as the industry came to view color as
essential to attracting audiences in its competition with television,
most films remained in the black-and-white medium until the
mid-1960's. By the end of the 1960's, color had become the norm
for filmmakers.
 The 2000's:Documentary,Animations,Digital Filmmaking & 3D
Modernized films rose as a commercial genre with the profit and
sustainability are the key forces in the film industry of today. Digital
technology has been the driving force in filmmaking history
throughout the 1990's and into the 21st century. The said era also
marked the beginning of film and video distribution online. The
demand for audio-visual content is consistently rising with internet
venues like the historical Youtube.

Philippine Film

Of all the arts in Philippines, Film is the certified crowd drawer. Nationwide there are
approximately 1000 cinemas, some of it are already technically advance like the I-max
theatre. The number of audience members and its varieties are the umbrella of power and
downfall of Philippine movies. Filmaking in Philippines started with the showing of film clips
during the 1890’s, courtesy of Swiss filmakers . In 1912, two Americans sensationalized a
cinematic approach in a Jose Rizal movie. Scholars tagged Jose Nepomuceno as the “Father
of Philippine Movies,” his first movie is an adaptation of the popular zarzuela entitled
“Dalagang Bukid.” At that time sound wasn’t invented yet, forcing the director to provide an
instant sound inside the theatre while the film is being shown infront of the audience. The
sound, is a “live sound” coming from the artists singing and talking, accompanied by
different musical instruments. Vicente Salumbides also created some films along with Julian
Manansala who returned in the Philippines in the 1930’s.

After the Japanese liberation, movie became the source of entertainment in entire
ruins of Manila, the 1950’s were years of the Golden period. Different film outfits were
created such as: LVN (comedy and metrical tales), Sampaguita Pictures (women themed
plots, komiks adaptation, sing and dance approach), Premiere Films (Action movies) and
Lebran (Historical Epics). Awards for movie excellence both for artistic and production
aspect were first instituted during this golden year. First was Maria Clara Awards which is
now FAMAS (Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences). Gerry de Leon also won an
international award for his movie, Genghis Khan.

The 1960’s saw the rise of fanaticism, Filipinos’ search for Elvis Presley and Beatles
Counterpart, The Nora Aunor & Tirso Cruz III versus Vilma Santos & Bobot Mortiz tandem.
This decade also saw the softcore sex (bomba films) and cowboy movies. Under the martial
rule of Marcos during the 1970’s he established the BCMP (Board of Censors for Motion
Pictures) which is now MTRCB (Movie and Television Review and Classification Board). This
year saw the evolution of brilliant young filmmakers like Lino Brocka (Tinimbang Ka ngunit
Kulang, Maynila sa kuko ng liwanag, Jaguar, Bayan ko: Kapit sa Patalim), Ishmael Bernal
(Pagdating sa dulo, City after dark, Himala), Celso Ad Castillo (Burlesk Queen,
Pinakamagandang Hayop sa Balat ng Lupa), Eddie Romero (Ganito kami noon, Paano kayo
ngayon), Peque Gallaga (Oro Plata Mata) and Mario O’Hara (Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos).
These filmmakers has a remarkable energy towards the cinematic approach thus it created
positive outputs and innovative techniques. While the 1980’s saw the barkada themed
movies and English comedy lines in Gosiengfiao’s Temptation Island, Bernal’s Salawahan
and Working Girls and Mario J. Delos Reys Bagets.

Lino Brocka

Today, the Philippine cinema is brave to test the new approach and creating various
independent films. Western and Korean style may also be seen in some plots of modern
movies, but the acting is still faithful to Filipino culture. Film critics and scholars believed
that there are some problems today: producers, popular taste, audience, foreign invasion,
censorship and entertainment tax.

Problems of Philippine Film Today

Excessive Tax Actors Working Attitudes

Invasion of Foreign films Producers
Censorship The Taste of the Audience
Ishmael Bernal
Film Personalities for Artistic and Production Aspect

Artist Position Filmography

Fernando Poe Jr. Actor, Director, Producer Panday, Asedillo, Ang
Padrino
Nora Aunor Actress, Singer Bona, Minsan may isang
Gamo-gamo, Bulaklak sa
City Jail, Bilangin ang Bituin
sa Langit
Lamberto Avellana Director Sakay, Hantik, A portrait of
the Artist as Filipino
Ishmael Bernal Director El Vibora, Nunal sa Tubig,
Relasyon
Lino Brocka Director Wanted: Perfect Mother,
Orapronobis
Celso Ad Castillo Director Pagputi ng uwak, Pagitim ng
Tagak, Virgin People

Manuel Conde Director Juan Tamad

Dolphy Actor, Producer Ang tatay kong nanay, John
en Marsha
Ricky Lee Scriptwriter Brutal, Himala, karnal
Mario O’Hara Actor, Director, Scriptwriter Insiang, Tubog sa Ginto
Paraluman Actress Sino ang maysala, Mister
mo lover boy ko
Vilma Santos Actress, Producer Sister Stella L., Dyesebel,
Darna
Mary Walter Actress Ang Lumang Simbahan,
Stardoom