"The future of Philippine cinema is not bright." That's what Erik Matti, the director of Honor Thy Father, On the Job, and The Aswang Chronicles, stated in a news article on the Philippine Star. The director was adamant to say that his future in films, in particular, is not looking too bright. He said that his film, "Honor Thy Father", was supposed to be his next film after "On The Job", but "On The Job" bombed at the domestic box-office in 2013. He and his crew hardly made P30 million against the P43-million budget. If not for the international success of the film, the sale in 11 countries, plus a remake deal with Universal Pictures, they would have been hit hard with its losses. And then the problem with the popularity with "The Aswang Chronicles" happened. The film was written as a crowd pleaser. It had comedy, family, heart, adventure, computer graphics, stunts, and an ensemble cast. With all the safe and calculated ingredients of what could possibly be a commercial Filipino film, it still didn’t make money at the box office.

That's the problem with films today— even though directors know and understand that some stories are hard to sell, they still put up a fight because that's the story they wanted to tell. But that's just it. The whole romantic idea of doing the stories you like, and hoping that they will eventually find an audience, may not be all that easy.

It’s not easy telling stories different from what is usually shown out there. It’s not easy casting new faces from what is usually out there. It’s not easy telling stories about the evil three little pigs when everyone believes they are supposedly the heroes. It’s not easy, period.

Presently, films are primarily made for profit, lacking any qualities to redeem itself. Studies show that Hollywood films, with its high technology and subject matter, are being preferred over local films. It is no wonder for films now are too profit-oriented [with] corrupting morals and dubious values sticking with formulaic films.

Genres that have been present for the past few decades are being recycled over and over again with the same stories. The teen love teams of the fan movie are still present with incarnations of love teams of yesteryears. In Filipino slapstick or komedya, Dolphy has been replaced by younger stars.

Here is what every person struggling with the art of film today hopes for:

• We wish for the producers to make insightful, progressive, relevant and fresh stories. We don’t care if it’s funny, wacky, aspirational, mushy, cheesy or super commercial. Just tell stories that we haven’t heard or seen before. Stories that make us see ourselves and understand ourselves better. Stories that elevate us to think beyond our sorry lives and not just reaffirm what we already know about ourselves.

• We wish that the film producers would become impassioned enough to share good stories and not just write a mishmash of stories that second-guess the market to meet the quota.

• We wish for film workers to devote their knowledge and expertise to not just making a living but to mainly making something memorable. It has become all about the paycheck and not about doing excellent work. We wish for them to stop doing five projects all at the same time so they can focus on what matters to them most. This is a tough thing to ask from a Third World country and from an industry that doesn’t pay much, but we still wish for this.

• We wish for actors to take acting jobs for their souls, not just their bank accounts. We wish that at least they do something to hone their craft once in a while so that they don’t wake up one day and realize that they have become prostitutes. What makes an actor is not the number of tickets sold at the box office or the number of products endorsed.

• We wish that the media and social media would play an active role in seeing this industry grow for the better. That they do not just become mere observers reporting what’s out there but that they actually become movers in shaping a healthier, mature, and progressive film industry. To dissect when there are wrongs. To question beyond what is just said. To forward the thinking when everything appears to stay the same.

• Being given a chance to make films is a privilege and not a right. And with that privilege comes the challenge to make it the best that it can ever be because it may be your last chance. It’s easy to say something meaningful. Grab a microphone and shout it out and you can already tell the world what they want to hear. It is tough to say something meaningful using the medium of cinema. Take time to learn how to use every element of cinema to say what you mean better. Don’t just make films to beat the deadline.

We call to the Head of the FDCP (Film Development Council of the Philippines) to bring back what makes a movie great. To create an organization that will supervise the presence of the values in the films before the light in the film industry completely burns out.

 

 

References:

http://onlineessays.com/essays/arts/art043.php

http://www.philstar.com/supreme/2016/01/09/1540571/future-philippine-cinema-not-bright