The State of Bohol's Independent Cinema

by Ryan Macalandag

Last Wednesday, I went to Manila to join Cinema Rehiyon a film festival of sorts featuring independent films from the provinces or from the “other Philippines” as they call it. I was with a Ted Ramasola and Sherwin Tutor, local independent filmmakers in their own rights who also had submissions to the festival.

We were exposed to films from other provinces, including Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Bicol, Laguna, Baguio and a few others. The range of films submitted was vast that it was a feast for our hungry eyes. The small theatre at the Cultural Center of the Philippines played host to the exposition.

We submitted three films for the Bohol time slot – “Allan”, “Siyam Ka Kinabuhi” and “Tabi Apo”. “Allan”, made by Teddy, is a film adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story and adapted into a short film by Brian Luce, Ted’s friend. “Siyam” is a project for Sherwin’s TV Arts class in UB Fine Arts while “Tabi Apo” is a six-minute short film we shot last Tuesday with Sherwin, Jude Montejo and a few neighbors as actors. I only edited it as soon as we arrived in Manila and had it shown the day after.
Inasmuch as our local cinema here in Bohol is concerned, we are a bit behind compared to most of the delegates. Bacolod, for example, for the past twenty years have had their film making workshop which has churned out world-class directors, cinematographers and even indie actors. The three of us Bohol delegates were unanimously challenged by this fact and we are committed to improve things from here on a bit. Film making workshops will be lined up for aspiring Boholano talents for sure.

Moving Pictures

Movies are basically just pictures in a fast-moving sequence. Each frame in a film reel is a picture shot just like any other camera. The same principles in photography may be applied in this discipline of movie making. Cinematography is the making of light and camera choices when shooting a film.

The cinematographer or the director of photography (DP or DOP) chooses which angles, shots, film, lighting treatment and other photography decisions. Just like the still camera, the cinematographer chooses shots that will enhance the scene and create beautiful and discernable images for the reel.

Photography basics such as exposure, white balance, camera perspectives and other techniques are staple. The pictures are used to tell a story. Sometime in the future we will be doing some workshops and trainings on the basics of film production to improve the state of our local independent film industry.

We already have movie industry bigwigs such Cesar Montano and RD Alba and we hope to increase the number of Boholanos using film as a medium for storytelling. Please do watch out for that come April or May of this year.


Eric and Mai2x

Let me take this opportunity to congratulate Eric Corloncito Migriño and Mae Grande Lagare who got married yesterday, February 20, 2010 at the Saint Joseph Parish Cathedral. May God bless you guys with more love, passion and prosperity.


Happy shooting!


(For questions and comments regarding this column, please email me at ryanmacalandag@yahoo.com or look me up on Facebook. You may also catch me on these websites: ryanmacalandag.blogspot.com and www.flickr.com/ryanmacalandag. A photography workshop and clinic is planned to happen soon in February. Stay tuned.)