Indie Filmmaking-style, Old Hat for Veteran Directors
by SineBuano ~ January 29th, 2010. Filed under: SineBuano Features, SineBuano Guides.In the upcoming Cinemalaya 2010, bigtime directors of the Philippine mainstream like Joel Lamangan, Mara O’ Hara Gil Portes and Joselito Altajeros make do with the small indie film budgets of PhP600,000 each,taking part of the film fest’s Directors Showcase.
However these veteran directors welcome the challenge, as being old hands with working with tight budgets. Let’s take a look at what they have to say on working “indie”.
“Everything should be ready before filming. You can’t waste time thinking of camera angles and lighting, or rehearsing your actors. You should maximize every day.”
– Joselito Altajeros, Director of “Ang Lalaki sa Parola” and “Ang Lihim ni Antonio.”
“You start writing your script aware that you’ll be working on a very limited budget. For example, the original script of ‘Two Funerals’ features a road accident in the opening scene. Three buses fall off a cliff. That would have cost us P200,000—for only two seconds onscreen. I told my co-writer, Eric Ramos, ‘Let’s see … how we can achieve the same effect without staging this accident.”
– Gil Portes, director of “Mga Munting Tinig” and “Saranggola”
“I’m used to doing films in 10 days—those were the days of quickie films in the ’70s. You just need to work within your budget, without sacrificing quality. Your movie may not have big scenes or expensive set designs, but it should have substance and high-caliber performances by your actors.”
–Mario O’ Hara, director and screenwriter. His Cinemalaya entry is the historical film, “Ang Paglilitis ni Andres Bonifacio.”
