Chefs and Filmmakers
Cooking is like filming, you have to have the right
ingredients, you have to know what comes first, what
comes later, you have to know the important items, you
have to have a presentation, it is necessary to taste the
product and add/remove proper seasoning, and most
importantly, you have to know the dish you want to
cook, either fried or sautéed or steamed or roasted; you
must be able to picture and imagine your recipe.
Filming today so powerful; we watch movies because we
want to experience a different world that is beyond
reality and our imagination. But what is a movie with
great actors and actress without the people behind the
success of movies? The element of cinema that we enjoy
the most is the narrative because it presents the emotions
and sentiments of the characters involve but what we do
not know is that, there are other elements of cinema that
is working day and night for box office result.
The other elements includes: First, the camera positions,
camera angles and camera movements. Secondly,
Mise-En-Scene that denotes the overall look which
constitutes lighting design, color design, production design
and performance style. Third, the editing which improves
and eliminates shots. And last, the sound design which adds
emotional meaning to the viewers. These elements for
cinema is universal, all movie undergoes each and every
category that is focus for the benefit of the viewers.
I cook and I love cooking because through cooking I can
share my talent and I love it when the people I am
serving appreciate my food. It is very heart warming
and fun when you enjoy doing something and people
around you recognizes your presentation. It is time
consuming to cook, it takes patience and perseverance
to perfect your meal, it takes artistic and creative mind
to combine not so related ingredients but the feeling
of satisfaction is enough to make my day excellent.
Creatively styled presentations
I focus on the Mise-En-Scene part of the chefs. It is
essential for chefs to have an outstanding presentation
for the people because it is their edge against the cooks.
The appearance of the food is far more important than
the flavor compare to the cooks. As of now, I can say
that I am more of a cook but I am learning to be a
chef someday. It is very delicate to beautify the food
that you will be serving, you need to know the right
combination, the right background, the right texture
and the right zest for each piece of the presented item.
Cooking and eating is an everyday part of any human
being. We need to eat to survive. Our body needs energy
to function and work effectively. It is important that we
enjoy the food that we are eating because we have the
choice. We can choose what we want, what we like; we
have the option. It is up to us whether we decide the right
way or the not so good way. We learn from the mistakes of
our past and experiences and knowing the different
elements of cooking, we appreciate the food we eat from
the moment we open our eyes until the moment we close it.
Quotable Quotes.....
Whenever you want to know how rich you are,
Do not count you money,
CRY.
Then count the number of hands that will reach out
to wipe your tears away.
Dance workshopAll the while I thought dancers are mere dancers who want
to entertain and amuse. They always listen to their respective
choreographers and graciously move their body. They show
their talents by practicing their moves and presenting it
towards the audience but my notion of dance lacks a
significant something, that significant something is the story
behind the steps. The routine performed had something to
say; it depicts reality through dance. They expose the
everyday living of the people by shaking, moving, slipping,
rolling, dancing for the benefit of the audience. As you can
see, dancing not only show a variety of movements, it also
showcase emotions and mysteries that people need to find out.
On their own or with the help of others? It does not matter.
I like the presentation in this dance workshop than the music
workshop we had before because primarily of the speaker.
The speaker is full of energy, funny and knows the topic very
well. He is not a trying hard copy cat, who thinks that he
knows everything; he is good when explaining the dances.
I like dancing, I used to dance but I am not biased against
the music workshop because that workshop is somewhat
boring. The actual dance was super, I just love it. You can
really see where they are coming, they do practice a lot and
the result is great. Their facial expressions were confident
although there are some flaws, they manage to create an
excellent number.
Flamenco dance from Spain (above), Mountain dance from Philippines (below).
I like the Flamenco dance, the Indian dance and Manlalatik.
Why do I like them? Very simple, these dances showed a
trademark of a cultural dance that is passed from generation
to generation. These dances were culturally important and to
experience such tradition, we need not go to these countries
namely, Spain, India and Philippines. We just need to see
them dance and through that, we actually can relate to the
people living in those years, what they do in a living, how
they made history that people today wants to experience
and gain knowledge. It is important to know information
from the past so that we will not commit their mistakes and
be prepared for the future. Only change is permanent, art
changes, dance changes, everything changes and we should
not be scared by it.
The Flamenco dance was awesome, I like the stomping of
the feet but I do not like the dancers, they are not sensual
enough. The Indian dance was a revelation for me because
before I thought, this dance is easy, anyone can dance to it
possibly because of the influence of Bollywood but after
seeing the Indian dance, it was really complicated. The head
movement was delicate, the muscles were functioning very
well and the constant smiling is hard. The projection of the
upper body must be practiced and I just love it. The
Manlalatik dance is quite hard because you have to dance,
you have make contact, you have to express sound, all at
the same time. It is hard plus you must be confident when
dancing because you not only memorized the steps, you
dance half naked in front of a wide audience. It takes
courage and determination to perfect such production.
This workshop made me realized a new perspective in
dancing. I do appreciate the dances we have right now,
hip hop, street and break dancing. They are fast, exciting,
and new but one thing that I never considered is that,
they have patterns, they have variations but the roots is
still the same. Watching Folk dance made me appreciate
art even better. Dance evolve through time with the
help of art. It is a must for choreographers to be creative,
sensitive and stylish to execute a good dance number
and without the prior knowledge of art, it is impossible
to make dance as lively and electrifying as today.
Different people do have different interpretation but the
concepts and ideas were portrayed for people to simply
understand and realize that dance is like a book, you
read cover to cover to fully appreciate its meaning.
Quotable Quotes.....
Strong people make just as many mistakes as weak ones do,
But the difference is this:
The strong ones admit their mistakes, laugh about them
and learn from them.
Music Workshop
Never had I imagine that music has a variety that
exudes so many genre. I always thought that music is the
same across culture and races. Melody, rhythms, lyrics that
jives together forms a good music but I was wrong with
that notion. Different individuals with different backgrounds
have different music yet they can appreciate, relate and
understand music, they never heard before.
I was given a chance to attend a music workshop with the
DLSU chamber ensemble presenting music from a
perspective that really taught us, students a lot. What I like
about music is the rightful combination of the music and
lyrics with the participation of art; editing the tunes and
creating a new horizons, making a standard for people to
know what music has to offer.
I like the presentation of Filipino ethnic musical instruments,
because it is fascinating to know that there are real “Filipino”
instruments. I want the Devil’s water chime because its
uniqueness is undoubtedly killing me; I want to own one.
I thought of the normal chimes at home but this one is surreal,
The sound is like real water coming from a falls. It is
amazingly different, and it get stuck in my head. Other ethnic
instruments that I like are Bungkaka, a bamboo buzzer and
Hegalong, a guitar-like instrument.
I never appreciated these instruments before because I
thought they were just fancy Ethnic crafts that people may
select and collect but now, I understand their importance to
the tribes and traditions of people passed down from
generation to generation. It has a substance for a culture
that we do not know, only records that can be featured by
the people. I am really amazed to see such creations that
exercises my imagination of their lives before, and how they
enjoy music, as I enjoy music now.
I know something new from this workshop and I was surprise
for knowing it. Classical music is so powerful and helpful in
our daily living. We do not know this but majority of
individuals listening to classical music are intelligent or
sensible than people listening to other type of music. What
surprise me is that there are songs, modern songs that have
classical background and tune. One example is Eric
Carmen’s Love is all that matters because it is taken from
5th symphony, 2nd movement by Tchaikovsky. Another
example is Eric Carmen/Celine Dion’s All by myself which
is taken from piano concerto no. 2 by Rachmaninoff. I am
really surprise hearing the same tune from a classical
viewpoint to a modern viewpoint, very awesome indeed.
It is pointed out that proper intonation, tempo, dynamics
and showmanship make a good music possible. The
organization of these four must complement each other
making a harmonious communication and delivering a
great performance for people to hear. They showed us
the proper/improper ways of using these four and it is
quite obvious and lousy yet nonetheless very helpful.
The workshop was excellent but the choice of songs were
not. Actually, there are parts (songs) that I considered
boring. I know that they just followed what the syllabus
had required but I do suggest that they add other
interesting and exciting classical music so that we, as
listeners may appreciate more. It truly lacks something
that normal people are searching for. And I wonder why
they chose those musicians and their music? Come to think
of it, maybe it is time for other music to emerge. Maybe?
Maybe not? But I do want to give credit to the mastermind(s)
of this event, thank you. A job very well done.
It is easy to learn new things in life but to remember it
always is hard. An everyday practice must be challenged.
Music is like art; the more you practice, the better the
outcome. It is ok to fail, as long as, you know where to
stand and start all over. It is after all a continuous process
that human nature is presented to but it is up to us, whether
we want to go for it or let others do their trick.
Quotable Quotes.....
One of the saddest truths in life:
People will adore and love you for all the things you have
done for them but will hate you for a single mistake.
Nuovo Cinema Paradiso
The whole week we watched this movie; it is a long movie
about two hours, we do used the whole MWF class for
this but apart from it, the movie was very interesting and
inspiring that anyone simply can relate to. The movie was
all about movies and how people before appreciate and
give importance to movies shown to the public. This was
my first time seeing a film with this genre and I am really
amazed. I do want to watch it again and again.
The movie revolves with the character of Salvatore, Toto
for short, how he manage to learn being a projectionist at
a very young age with of course the help of Alfredo. From
flammable films to fireproof ones, from a small town to a
big city, from nothing to almost everything; Toto best
describes the people whom with patience, perseverance and
obedience became successful in life. It does not matter when
you love, when you sacrifice, when you fight; what matters
is that you learn from the mistakes made before and whole-
heartedly go on with life. Celebrating what the world can
offer, and embracing every opportunity that comes.
Scenes taken from the movie, Nuovo cinema Paradiso, when
young Toto was taught how to be a projectionist(above) andwhen young Toto view the film he projected(below). 
I just realized the importance of change in our daily lives
because it is evident in the movie and I actually saw the
changes that occur for the good and the bad of the people.
We change, our environment changes, our friends, family
changes; everything changes for reasons that we certainly
understand. It is not always for us to benefit but sometimes
it is essential for certain phenomenon to change such that
there will be an equilibrium. We change not only because
of society and ourselves but because we care for the people
and surrounding that we have. Change is permanent,
nevertheless, change gives us hope and despair.
One thing Ms. Castro pointed out is the importance of the
person off-cam. After the movie, the credit was shown and
we were all confuse because why will Ms. Castro show
that, it is not important but then I suddenly stop. The actors
from the movie are mere actors who portray someone, they
are just role-playing. There are scripts, there are dialogues
that other people off-cam are doing. These are the creative
thinkers who made the movie possible. These are the people
who rewrites, deletes, reorganizes necessary script for the
actors. Also the director, they must be complemented for a
job well done. Without this individual, the supervision of a
good materials is impossible. Let us not forget the other
people behind like my favorites, the cinematographers,
musical score and the artistic community.
I am a certified movie addict, when I like a particular movie;
I will search it over the internet, obviously, I will click on
the stars and read their profile. Read some reviews about the
movie and praise the actors who played their role. I do
not care who the director is nor who wrote the script,
when I like the movie, I will automatically check who
starred the film and associate it with the success of the film.
But now, realizing the off-cam people, I am assertive that
I will give equal treatment. As a matter of fact, I think,
it does not guaranteed that if you have great actors, you will
have a box office success nor having a good story with not so
good actor will guarantee a success. I believe that what a
great movie has is teamwork, determination, and
cooperation from the on-cam people to the off-cam people.
The movie is considered a classic and seriously, this is one
of the best movie that I saw. The combination of drama,
comedy and romance was very effective. You will laugh,
you will cry; you will certainly have a whirlwind of
emotions and it is not regretful because today, it is very
hard to achieve and watch movies like this. The setting, the
location was fantastic; they know what the people wants. I
also like the ending because it is really touching. I must
say, only people whom have stone-like hearts will not be
move by the scene when Toto is watching the film that
Alfredo left after he died. One thing that I notice is there
are some noticeable CUTS because in the credit part of
the film, there are some scenes that were not shown. But
I don’t take it against the movie, maybe it is a must.
Quotable Quotes.....
Some people never get over their
past accomplishments.
Even worse are the people who exaggerate
what they have done.
For years I kept a sign on my desk that
helped me maintain the right perspective
concerning yesterday.
It simply said,
“Yesterday, Ended Last Night.”
It reminded me that no matter how badly
I might have failed in the past, it is done,
and today is a new day.
By John Maxwell
Water-MELON?
Just wonder if there exists a hybrid of watermelon and melon in
this very advance world? Because technology is changing constantly
and we must always be updated almost everyday. The answer to
my question is YES, I do not know what they call it, I do not know
where it came from. My mom just bought it; I have seen them and
tasted one. And it is good, the combination was right.
All the while, I thought it was a melon because the color speaks for
itself but I wondered why such seeds are inside every slice.
Generally speaking, a melon had seeds in the middle of the fruit,
and it is easy to get rid off it. A watermelon, on the other hand, had
seeds scattered around the fruit. When I tasted it, it is a melon,
sweet and juicy but it crunchy in a way and very watery. And I
guess it is a hybrid. A good one because it is like eating two totally
different fruits at the same time, amazing!!
I consider this a work of technology yet I also consider this an art.
Why? Simply because it created another form, from two different
fruits. It has a substance because it benefits just like any fruit
around the market. But why am I convinced that this is art?
Because it is made for artistic purposes. I am not setting aside
technology but the end product is good, it is way better than their
original fruits; it is more original. The color, the taste, the fruit
itself makes it appreciated more and because the structure makes
the people believe that anything is possible, anything can be
creative as long as you work hard on it. It is for art’s sake because
not only did the scientist experiment on it, they also check the
aesthetic value of it.
Quotable Quotes.....
““When I feel like studying, I just lie down,
Until the feeling goes away…””
I know for a fact that we will have an introduction with films,
I was expecting that we will watch a movie, like the usual then
we will explore, learn and understand its elements. Because I
saw the DVD player and I think that’s the purpose of it but
I was wrong; because Ms. Castro presented us with the
different comic strips. All the while, I was thinking, why are
we wasting our time with the comic strips? Yet I was amazed
with the presentation.
The first strip was just a simple template with simple setting
and simple characters. But one after another of different strips
was also presented and guess what? They have the same plot
as the first template yet it has so many perspectives which
really surprised me. Different perspective from the camera's
point, to the neighbor's point, to the reversed point, to the
director's point and to the life span point.
I never thought that it will be interpreted in such ways
that it is not expected; I was actually slow in analyzing
what perspective was used but after knowing it, I figure it
myself and I’m just happy to experience this kind of
treatment. Now I know why Ms. Castro presented it
before the actual introduction because she wants us to
know that there are different viewpoint from different
people, culture and surroundings. What I view may not be
the same with others and what others view may not be
the same with me. Ms. Castro really is doing a great job,
an excellent job, I must say, hands down. I just expected
but I was astonished.
In connection with the film, each comic strip and film
has a number of frames but the only difference is that in
the comic strips, the frames are still but in the film the
frames are moving. So basically that’s the main differences,
there are other differences but it is easy to figure out.
I had had a number of movies watched before and I just
loved them because I do have the freedom to choose what
I want, what I like and what I want others to see. Watching
movies for me is something normal for everybody; to
loosen up a beat, to get away with life for just two
hours of excitement, drama and laughter, and to enjoy the
world’s offering for mankind.
But I never expected that there are camera tricks. I do
know that the close-up shots were important because
the emotions of the actors were expressed. From the
movies that I saw, these are usually the kissing part,
the faces with tears on their eyes part, the confrontation
part; there are many actually yet they depicts the central
attraction for viewers to feel and experience what the
actors wants to convey to reality.
I also know the long shot thing because it established
the captured moment. It emphasized the scene or the
frame, though you see so many stuff, the significant
ones naturally comes out. The background is big yet
the combination and organization of the subject with
the surrounding is clear; what is emphasize is usually
the stand out. I like long shots because it will make you
think of the detailed part of it; I like it because you will
assume something that will turn out to be different in
close up shot, and that’s what I like.
I never thought of the medium shot because I thought
it’s not important but one thing I realized today is that
this shot is more or less 70% of the shot in movies.
I can’t believe it but from what I've watched before,
you will see the upper body of the actors more often
than their close up moments and the long shot scene.
I was very satisfied with the lesson for today, and I
think this will be one of my favorite subjects.
Quotable Quotes.....
""All emotional pain lasts for 12 minutes, anything
longer than that is self inflicted.""
