[[ THE EXPERIENCE OF MAKING A "MINI MOVIE" FOR A SHORT FILM COMPETITION ]]

I did blog about me joining this prestigious film fest--the Sineng Pambansa Lanao del Sur Film Development Council of the Philippines Short Film Competition. So now, what I want to talk about is the experience of making a short film. It took me up to cloud nine down to the fuel of hell. (yeah, yeah, I', a bit exaggerating :D )

It all started when my best friend Rashid came up with the idea of us working on a project and this time, it's joining a film fest. We actually believe, and I still do, that when we plan and execute "crimes", expect not just a murder but a massacre. It was May 8 when we submitted on the last minute our forms declaring our intent to join. The deadline is like three weeks after the submission of the forms and that time, we were busy doing the ad campaign for the school where my bestie works as a college secretary--the RC-Alkhwarizmi International College.So the production did not start early on. Days before the deadline, I met up with bestie and we decided not to join because we super to the nth degree lacked the time it takes to make a decent film.

However, Ate Princess Pacasum who works for the FDCP called me and I told her we are backing out. What did she do? She talked her way into making me turn 180 degrees. Her kind words work magic, really. I did join. That's an "I", which is supposed to be a WE but because of some unfortunate events, I had to do it all by myself without my bestie. Which is the part that made me plunge without a parachute into the grounds of hell.

You see, I didn't know where to start. I didn't have a cast. I didn't have a crew. I don't own a decent camera. I didn't know what to do! All I had was a vision and a script that I wrote. So for what seemed like an eternity, I subjected myself to that level of stress that exhausted me mentally, physically, and emotionally.

You know what I did, I threw tantrums at home for them to support me in a seemingly impossible feat. So I had actors. Next, they do not know how to act. So whenever we shoot, I had to direct them by acting for them, exactly what to do, even the action scenes! And have I mentioned that I was also the one behind the video camera? And have I mentioned that I was the one who did the set? Like in the hospital scene, I improvised the dextrose using old tubes. I improvised a LOT. I won't enumerate because it's the secret of my craft(weh!)

I'm really excited because in two weeks, that's on the 29th, the film fest will officially take off. I have just learned that there will three social events: the Opening Night, the Pagana Maranao (it's a feast--Maranao style), and the Awarding and Recognition. There will also be a workshop, which I really can't wait to go to, with Mr. Sherad Anthony Sanchez. The icing on the cake is that big filmmaker are coming too. Does Brillante Mendoza ring a bell? I can't stand still. The anxiety within wrestles with anticipation.

Whenever I watch my movie, I just laugh. (I always have this thought that if I did the movie with Rashid, we'll do wonders. I told you he is the smartest person I've met, haven't I?) It may not reach the level of expectation that I set for myself but I am happy because I took a risk, I did something I don't have any clue about, and I started from scratch but made something that hopefully will carry my heart with it because I did it with a passion that I didn't have for a long time. Beating a deadline with only Google as a "crew member" is no joke. But I had a story to tell. Wish me luck that my message, my point of view come across the short film. An yes, wish me luck that I win. :)