Sharing the Room with a Director

When I first saw Jose Rizal, I was intrigued. I wanted to live in the same period and when my college professor showed us the movie's behind-the-scenes, I realize I didn't have to imagine-I can make my own film.

When I had the chance to attend Jose Rizal director Marilou Diaz-Abaya's class on basic Motion Picture Language, I was elated. She has been in the industry for almost three decades and has reaped awards for Jose Rizal and various others.

Prof. Abaya, with her faculty, is the school's draw card. Their simple explanations of film jargons and critical descriptions of metaphors in the Basics class is a good introduction to the more technical and hands-on part of making movies.

We all know that film uses sounds, lights, camera angles, dialogues, production designs and actions to show an idea. As future writer-directors-producers, we should strive for clarity in showing the scenes in movies we want to direct.

"I am trying to raise you up as a generation, not just individual film makers." Abaya would say in-between discussions. A good movie is one that is simple enough to be understood but is carefully planned and thought out. And a good movie reflects the culture-the Filipino culture.

With that, my first class ended but a serious enthusiasm for film began. I can't wait for the film shooting exercise next week. Who knows, maybe a few years from now, I'd be sitting in a movie house for the premiere of a film I directed.


Marilou Diaz-Abaya Film Institute and Arts Center
Milflores and Third Ave., Beverly Hills Subdivision, Antipolo City and at the Penthouse Providence Bldg., 55 Annapolis St., Greenhills, San Juan; tel. no. +632 722 8489; www.mdafilm.com, email: mdafilm@gmail.com


--This article was first published in a round-up article on "The New Schools" in the January 2008 issue of Mabuhay magazine.