Semi-intelligent Thinking... I think

Days come and go, and school year 2009-2010 creeps ever closer along with deadlines on our story ideas for next year's films. I am going to make a documentary or true film. As I have began to explore ideas and take into account the resources I have available, it seems that two very possible ideas to focus on could be 'love in the face of poverty' or 'inaccessible public education'. I have recently came across a person whose degree in the Education Issues of the Philippines, and I believe that she will be an invaluable source.

In my research, I have found that there are 3 major types of films: observational, expository, and participatory. According to my style, I want to make an expository documentary where the characters and interviews drive the storyline. An expository documentary is a biographical telling a story with the help of a narrator or host and traditional voice-over-visual. It is a shoot-to-edit type of film which goes right along with what I normally do. The most common problem in making documentaries is the access to locations, however I should not have a problem with this since I am very close with the whole village in which I am filming. Another problem that can really be a challenge when making a documentary is what I believe to also be the most invigorating and fun thing: the unpredictability of it all. When I go out onto the field, I do not know what the people are going to say. I can't hand them a script - I am supposed to document reality! I do not know if they will prove or disprove, agree with or disagree with what I am trying to say. It is a challenge that makes making documentaries all the more exciting and fun. And, as I am a lousy planner - all right, all right... I don't even plan at all - so this genre suits me beautifully as it has very minimalistic planning. It is based on seeing the big picture, and shooting toward that goal.

I will be the director of my film, and as of right now, I will be working in beautiful solace. I think that, due to where I am filming and the people I am filming with, it is much better that I work alone. The only challenge with working alone is carrying and working all the equipment simultaneously. It is very challenging, as I saw last time, but I think that if I grab somebody who speaks Tagalog (our common language) and can have them hold the mic or bounce board, things will work like a charm. The only other challenge that I can foresee is making something so simple, like making a film, stretch out over an entire yeeeeaaar. For all the films that I have done, it has been in a space of 3 days or less. I guess that for me, the less I think about things, the better they tend to work. Now, I understand that making a real film with a script requires reserving people and places and tickets and equipment, but when I try to plan things, I usually over think and screw stuff up across the board whether in my art work, music, or films. I think that I will do all the technical work and then just get the film over with right away. Then, I can pump out a bunch of other films during the year, as I can only see a film taking a maximum of a week to do. Frankly, I am excited to have, at my fingertips, the equipment that I need to carry out my passion for film making.

My dream and passion is to be the voice of the people and let their voices be heard. So many people are too poor or inaccessible for their voices and opinions to ever be voiced to the rest of the world. I am going to be their voice. I am going to put the truth as I see it out on the table for the rest of the world to ponder. I am driven to represent the people. I am the vox populi. Vox Populi Productions.