Teaser trailer to the Teaser trailer

This is just wrong; a teaser trailer for a teaser trailer to a movie. This is equally as wrong as countdowns to the release of a movie’s teaser trailer. Are people’s attention spans that short in this social media world that the marketing department has to try to hype up something that hypes up a movie? Basically it’s the hype that will hype up the hype.

Michael Christian Martinez

Photo courtesy of Rappler.com

Watching the Olympics Men’s Figure Skating, I was shocked by what happened to Patrick Chan (Canada). As a Canadian, I was rooting for him and felt that the gold was his to lose and unfortunately he did lose it. As a Filipino, Michael Christian Martinez‘ story of being the first South East Asian to compete in Men’s Figure Skating and first Filipino to represent the Philippines in 22 years at the Olympics is nothing short of inspirational.

Nothing Is Free On Facebook

Veritasium, a science video blog posted something interesting about what is currently happening in Facebook.

Veritasium created a video highlighting how Facebook has started monetizing the access and distribution of information and content. Content creators and basically anyone who posts something on Facebook are being encouraged to pay to get their message out. But the problem is the underhanded way Facebook is going about to make you avail of the service not to mention the service Facebook is offering is not delivering as advertised.

Nuclear pissing contest

This is the most scary, mind boggling and strangely cool video that I have seen. Japanese artist Isao Hashimoto has created a beautiful, undeniably scary time-lapse map of the 2053 nuclear explosions which have taken place between 1945 and 1998, beginning with the Manhattan Project’s “Trinity” test near Los Alamos and concluding with Pakistan’s nuclear tests in May of 1998. This leaves out North Korea’s two alleged nuclear tests in this past decade (the legitimacy of both of which is not 100% clear).

Wildlife Cinematography

I don’t know why but as a filmmaker watching this video gave me a rush. It would have been awesome to film a Black Rhino in its natural habitat. I don’t know though if I would go so far and put myself in the danger zone to get a shot. What I found the biggest mistake the cameraman did was to immediately crouch down when he got near the rhino. Seriously, he looked like a lion suddenly crouching to prepare for an attack.

The last thing a wildlife cameraman/cinematographer wants is to be part of the story. The focus should be all about the animals in their natural habitat and not about someone trying to get the shot. The only reason the cameraman walked away and had a good story to tell was because of how cool and composed he was with his response to the rhino. Kim is the James Hunt version of wildlife cameramen.

CinemAyala?: Indie filmfest goes commercial

An interesting article pointing to the evolution or maybe devolution of the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. There’s an old saying, “Actions speak louder than words” and to know what kind of contest Cinemalaya is; all one has to do is to look at what the organization did in the past. The signs are pretty much there for anyone to figure out.

Oggs Cruz said it best in the article, “although Cinemalaya has accomplished its goal of introducing a market for alternative films, it has “revealed itself as a mutant studio.”

“[Cinemalaya] does produce quality films but to think that it has some higher aspiration than producing films is no longer a reality.”

We are not a statistic

Around 438 workers died after a garment factory collapsed at Savar Rana Plaza. Most of them are women. Savar Dhaka, Bangladesh, 24th April 2013 / Photo by Taslima Akhter

The most haunting, sad, tragic but at the same time the most romantic photo I have ever seen in my life. It’s like straight out of Shakespeare or a tragic movie where two people who love each other embrace themselves one last time, never letting go in the face of death.

The man’s tender loving embrace on the woman. He put his body in front of her, hoping to protect her from the falling concrete and steel. The tear of blood rolling down his face as if telling her, “I’m sorry.”

Are “applications” to film festivals newsworthy?

I read an article on Interaksyon.com reporting that the filmmakers of “Ekstra” submitted their movie to the Cannes Film Festival hoping that their movie will get its world premiere there.

My knee-jerk reaction to the title of the article “Vilma Santos’ indie film ‘Ekstra’ submitted to Cannes filmfest for consideration” was of shock at the presumptuousness of the filmmakers. The saying, “Don’t count your chicks before they hatch” has been redefined to another level. It’s not the first time I encountered a filmmaker jumping the gun in assuming something.

Senate Bill 3384

An odd piece of news that I read today, surprisingly marked under Science and Technology.

Reported by TJD for GMAnetwork.com on January 29, 2013:

Photo courtesy of Inquirer.net

“Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has filed a bill seeking to ban the use of gadgets inside movie theaters and similar show venues.

Senate Bill 3384 or the “Silent Mode Act” seeks to mandate persons inside movie theaters, concert halls, auditoriums and other indoor venues of public performances to turn off or place on vibrate or silent mode at all times their mobile telephones, two-way radios and other audio visual electronic devices.

Why Filipinos Love Going to the Movies

I read an article from Inquirer newspaper that I think is very enlightening about why movies in the Philippines tend to be the way it is. The article is also a good reference to remember when one is thinking to produce or market a movie.