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“Documentary”
Based on Nick Deocampo's award-winning book, Cine: Spanish Influences on Early Cinema in the Philippines, this digital documentary traces the beginning of cinema in the Philippines in 1897 when two Spaniards showed the first moving pictures in Escolta. Against the backdrop of war and revolution, film developed to become the emerging Filipinos' dominant form of public entertainment. The documentary further explores the elements of Spanish culture found in Filipino films as evidenced through the classic films made by three National Artists - Eddie Romero, Lino Brocka, and Ishmael Bernal. This is Deocampo's homage both to Philippine cinema and the Filipino nation that is its twin.
Director
Writer
Status
Released
Original Language
EN
Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.