Thoughts and Bites

When I actually don't know enough.

I thought I knew enough. I thought the inner independent and strong-willed woman in me prevails more than the partnership that we have, aww we had. To be honest, I had a second thought to stay away. I was afraid to leave not of fear that it was the end for the both of us but because I was afraid I'd easily fall out of love. I thought that moving on was just always fast-paced. My notion was that putting my self to bed in tears is way off better than swallowing my pride. I thought life is not just all about you and me. Indeed, it wasn't just about you and me but yet you are right, neither life is just all about me. I just thought I knew enough.

"Handurawan" short film: memories and dreams over oblivion

“Ang kagahapon, maayo man o dili, angay natong bisitahon. Bisitahon pinaagi sa paghinumodom sa sa mga butang nga adunay kalabutan sa unsa ug si kinsa kita karon.”

“Yesterdays are meant to be revisited. Revisiting through remembering the things that led us to who and what we have become.”

                  
              Link :  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkHEvcfvl5c  Boholano language is used in the short film.

We look back to our most wonderful memories so that they are carried on over change of time rather than fade. Most human beings give too much value to memories that we tag it as priceless and something we wish to cherish for a lifetime. This March, allow me to recollect one of the most treasured moments my team and I have had prior to our college graduation.  

It was March last year when our inner artists had been tested. The Silak Film Festival 2014 held at Holy Name University (HNU) Main Gymnasium, Tagbilaran City, Bohol brought out our best as amateur filmmakers. The said annual event, organized by the Mass Communicators' Guild (MCG) of HNU in partnership with the Central Student Government, showcased short films of different genres collated from different departments of HNU as well as from the neighboring universities in Bohol. It has been a tradition of MCG to display outputs of young talents as a vehicle to develop the creative side of the students. As expected, another batch of young filmmakers  will unleash their creativity this March 20, 2015 at the same venue.  With so much luck, Femme Productions’ entry, which happened to be my team, entitled “Handurawan (Memories)” grabbed some of the major awards  in last year's Silak Film Fest. These included Best in Screenplay ( Linford Christie Bayron), Best Actress (Floridale Dal), and the most coveted award, Best Film.

Handurawan is a short film about a man who is searching for his childhood best friend/sweetheart.  He have chosen to leave his hometown and the woman she cared for and loved  ten years ago to pursue his dreams. Instead of a blissful recollection, he finds out that the person he is looking for is lost on her thoughts due to psychological trauma. 

Femme Productions  came up with such story because we wanted the film to  be very Boholano. From locations, language used, wardrobes to cultures and traditions. Boholanos are adventurous and risk-taker.  Bol-anons are very pioneering, determined, and will take so much more for  dreams. Migrating to other places for work or for good, within or outside the Philippines, is also a known activity for a typical Boholano. However,  wherever we go, whoever we have become, we still make it  to a point to visit our native land once in a while. Bol-anons are known to be very attached with our hometown and families.  Bohol Island has always been and will always be a home for us. The memories, euphoric or challenging, linger in our thoughts without timeline.

Femme Productions with their supportive classmates and their adviser, Mrs. Shiryl Gatal, during the awarding ceremony on March 2014.

Truth be told, coming up with such entry needed patient, dedicated and innately creative production crew. I must admit that the final output of the film has still a lot of angles to work on considering the scarcity of equipment, time and of course, budget. However, it wasn't bad for beginners like us. That is all I could say. It wasn't our first time to work with cameras and scripts though for our professors had bombarded us with projects of the same kind, but it was our first to refine such genre. We were used to documentaries, news segments, but not with melodramatic films. 

Actually, “Handurawan” was not purposely made for the Silak Film Festival. It was a final requirement for our Film Production class under Direk Maryo J. Delos Reyes, multi-awarded director of Philippine movies and television series. Direk Maryo contributed a lot to the creation of the short film.  He is best noted for his film “Magnifico”, awarded as Best Feature Film at the 2004 Berlin International Film Festival.  The film "Lamat" directed by my classmate Pete Arthur Shafer, the entry of HNU to the Cinema Rehiyon 2014, was also under Direk Maryo's supervision. 

Fourth year and third year Masscommunication majors of Holy Name University taking pose with Direk Maryo J. Delos Reyes, Mr. Aloy Adlawan, Creative  Writer of some GMA-7 shows, and Dr. Ramon Boloron, Chairman of the Languages Department of HNU.
photo credits: Charmaine Lou Claros and Larah de Jesus

Aside from Direk Maryo taught us a lot of techniques in filmmaking, he also brought along with him, during our class, several luminaries from the different aspects of film production to discuss a bit about how they do the work. They were: Aloy Adlawan, Creative Writer; Jun Gonzales, Director of Cinematography, Lutgardo Labad, Musical Director, Condrado(Mother Bing) Santos, Production Designer. Most of these film experts are currently under contract with GMA-7. Direk Maryo was a very good mentor. He never put a pressure to us rather encouraged us to let loose our hidden potentials. Nobody could have cultivated our inner artists deeply but Direk Maryo. Had it not been because of Direk Maryo, we would not have ventured into a short film of such genre. 

Behind-the-Scenes     

Working in a group was not easy. Aside from the fact that we had to budget our time as much as we could and flex with everyone of the team’s availability, we had to deal with our different personalities and varying control of patience. We were doing our print and radio internship in the morning while taking the film class in the afternoon. That’s why it was too difficult to make all ends meet.  We had to argue even with the tiniest details during our brainstorming. Simple delegation of tasks was also an issue. However, those conflicts made us very good friends thus established a one wonderful team.

photo credit: Charmaine Lou Claros

Since we chose a scenic location of most of the scenes in the film, we had to travel four hours from Tagbilaran City to the actual filming area. Most of our shot locations where at Aguipo View Park, Aguipo, Mabini Bohol, Mabini Public Market and Camerong Hill. I exactly remembered the moment when we had to board at the top-load of a jeepney from Aguipo to Poblacion, Mabini. Those were also the time when financial matters became an issue.  Aside from we had to pay for ourselves, we also had to chip in for our actors. Good thing, they were good friends of ours and they were to kind to say no for a compensation. More than these little ordeals, we had to deal with the scorching heat of the sun for most of the scenes were filmed during daylight. We had to hike from one mountain to another carrying camera, tripod, costumes, and a bucket full of cold water. However, those things never hindered our will to finish the project. Our skin may had extracted all the sweat but it was all worth it. Aguipo View  Park was also a very breathtaking place which made our everyday shot fulfilling and refreshing. It took us almost a week to finally wrap   up excluding the editing and voice-overs.  

Too many things happened behind the scenes that a page wouldn't be enough if all of those have to be mentioned. Indeed, it was not an easy experience. However, it was an experience I'll forever treasure. 

Those moments were truly priceless. Something I could share to my children if I would be blessed to have some in the future. Those moments made us cry, made us sick, made us drained, but had we not taken those risks, we would not have discovered who and what we possibly can be.   Above anything else, those unusual hypes have built a very strong foundation of friendship and sisterhood. 

(L-R) Charmaine Claros taking the stairs to the top of the hill; Vanya and Lin-c relaxing under a pavilion  at the base of the hill.  Location : Mabini Bohol 

Behind-the-scene photos c/o Charmaine Claros

The Cast and Crew

The characters' names are very boholano. The male  lead character Francisco comes from Franscisco Dagohoy, a legendary Boholano hero, the female lead character’s name is from the beautiful town of Bohol,  Sierra-Bullones and Alona is from the infamous Alona Beach in Panglao, Bohol. 

Alexis Julius Somosot – Francisco

Floridale Dal- Sierra

Primo Valerio Jr. – Young Francisco

Faye Van Dongen- Young Sierra

Lady Fatima Sarabia – Alona

Linford Christie Bayron - Woman in the market 

Femme Crew with C2G girls

Produced by Femme Productions

-          Femme Productions is an all female group mostly Mass Communication Students of Holy Name University creating short films and documentaries. 

Director: Myrna Joy Japos

Screenplay: Linford Christie Bayron

Story by: Myrna Joy Japos and Linford Christie Bayron

Editor:  Floridale Dal

Cinematographer: Charmaine Lou Claros and Floridale Dal

Musical Scorers: Floridale Dal, Charmaine Lou Claros

 and Marya Vanya Salamanca

Production Designers: 

Lady Fatima Sarabia

Angelyn Suello

Voice of Francisco - Alexis Julius Somosot

Voice of Young Sierra – Myrna Joy Japos

Shoot on Location:  

View Park, Aguipo, Mabini. Bohol

Camerong, Mabini, Bohol

Mabini, Bohol Public Market

With the brain, memories are formed allowing us to maintain lasting recollection.  However, letting our system  do all the reminiscing does not  guarantee that all those strong and eventful memories are stored forever. We, sometimes, have to remember these by heart, share those old times, and re-create those moments  by simply talking about it, revisiting old places and taking a glimpse of whatever taken photos once again. Memories, may it be good or bad, connect us to who and what we are today. Thus, I don't need to explain further why my heart is very close to this film. :)

Photos by Charmaine Claros,

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It's time to break free.
https://mjoyya.wordpress.com/2015/02/07/something-id-love-to-tell/

 “There’s definitely no easy way out from all the sh*ts of life. There’s always a journey that you have to travel and a process that you have to follow. Either way, you can’t take a leap of fate. You really have to go through it all; or else, living doesn’t make any sense. ”