Pang VENICE Film Festival ang Director’s Treatment ng ‘Thy Womb’

Venice Film Festival web header

Pang VENICE Film Festival ang Director’s Treatment ng ‘Thy Womb’

By Art T. Tapalla

http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/festival/lineup/off-sel/venezia69/sinapupunan.html

TAMA ang sinabi ko: Si JC Nigado (or Julio Cinco Nigado) nga ang nagsulat ng naunang “Director’s Intention” na pinalabas ko kamakailan dito, at ito’y pinatutunayan mismo ng kasama ni kaibigang JC sa trabaho.  Sa katunayan nga ay marami pa umanong ginawa si JC sa Center Stage Productions ni Brillante Mendoza at iba pang local at international award-winning directors maski noon pa.

         Pero bakit masyadong “secretive” si JC pagdating sa mga trabaho niya sa kilalang filmmakers o producers?  Marahil kung di pa alam ng ilan na siya mismo ang nagbansag kay Vilma Santos ng “The Star for All Seasons” noong 1987 ay baka inangkin na ito ng kung sinu-sinong mga nagkukunwari sa media at showbiz.

Brillante Mendoza and Nora Aunor in the film, Thy Womb (Sinapupunan)

         Anyways, isa pang “tagong” material ng pelikulang Sa Iyong Sinapupunan (Thy Womb) ni Nora Aunor ay ang tinatawag na “Director’s Treatment.” Mahalaga ang Director’s Treatment hindi lang sa buong production team, ayon sa isang batikang film insider, kundi pati na rin sa mga requirement ng international film festivals gaya ng Cannes, Berlin at Venice, at siyempre pa sa paghahagilap ng funds both here and abroad.

         O, siya, tunghayan na natin ang kakaibang Director’s Treatment na sinulat ni JC para sa pelikulang Thy Womb (Sinapupunan), an official entry to the Main Competition in the 69^th Venice Film Festival from 29 August to September 8, 2012:

“AS a filmmaker, my overriding concern is to realize and deliver what the writer and I are trying to say in the film.  In Thy Womb (Sa Iyong Sinapupunan), the contradiction between beauty and violence is a recurring motif and their opposing realities must be shown in, and through, space, time and people, as they affect them.

         “Ideally, each scene should yield to the demands of the moment and the place, as provided by the perspective and dynamics of the script, pursuant to my narrative voice.  Meaning to say, every scene, contrasting or otherwise, must be relevant to the philosophy or statement of the film in general.

         “For instance, in the opening scene, an aging village midwife, assisted by her husband, administers the birth of a baby of a young mother.  Ironically, the same elder midwife is unable to bear a child of her own, and has remained childless through the years.  The binary opposition of fertility and sterility is at play here, and charges the scene with mixed, if conflicting, emotions.

         “The same contrast is played out in the final scene of the film, as it reiterates the point made in the opening scene.  But a more powerful metaphor counterpoints life and the birth of a baby by the incidence of a sweeping fish kill on the sea beneath their house, representing a great loss.

         “In terms of performance, I require that a more naturalistic approach to acting should be employed.  The film itself may be identified with a poetic treatment, but the actors’ delivery, with minimal dialogue, must be as natural as possible.  Besides, the actors shall be given enough freedom for them to explore their emotions and space for a more effective interpretation of their respective roles.

         “This, too, goes well with the Bajaus’ means of livelihood, as demonstrated in their skillful mat weaving.  Characteristically, they quietly proceed with their work, alone or together, without a definite pattern to guide them, relying solely on their artistic instincts and inner senses to carry them through the whole process of creating a native and distinct mat.  This is also signified by their way of life as sea-dwellers, as they silently go with the flow, and wherever the currents take them.

         “With regard to production design, the pervading color of the film should reflect the vibrant character of the people and their culture.  The film’s total look should mirror the dominant happy feelings of the characters, as seen in the wedding scene and other colorful rituals, the traditional houseboats (lepa-lepa) and the whole landscape, as it were.

         “In short, the film’s visual design must be fully realized in terms of colors, as they symbolize people, places and events.  Actually, colors define and describe certain states of being—from cosmic to mundane affairs, where everything, in their basic element, moves and probably lives.

         “The cinematography of the film must capture the panoramic view of the location, both in its natural and artificial conditions.  The beauty of the island merely outlines each scene, as the camera gradually closes in to a claustrophobic place or moment, by focusing on the emotions of the characters or the details that are characteristic of an event or environment.

         “For example, at a wide angle, the place looks great and beautiful; but as the camera tightens its shot, we see the dirt and the various imperfections, systemic or not, of a place already ravaged by time and turmoil, thus exposing a beguiling beauty and its deceitful charm.

         “The editing of the film should correspond with the narrative’s leisurely pace, arranging shots/scenes in such a lingering manner so as to capture the prevailing feeling of the moment.  Also, the film’s unhurried tempo must be skillfully matched by a deliberate sound editing to enhance its statement.

         “As for the film’s music, I shall utilize Tawi-tawi’s and the region’s native songs preferably live and unrecorded, as yet, using their very own singers, individually or as a group.  Some music must be composed exclusively for the film, their notes of a nativist beat but with a contemporary sound, and not necessarily ‘ethnic’ or with a ‘deliberate cultural bent.’

         “Overall, Thy Womb is a modern-day tale about a certain people, as they reflect life and living in a damaged culture and history that obstruct their development—past, present or future.”