“HALAW”
CHER PAULINE L. CRUZ
A thesis submitted to the
THE U.P. FILM INSTITUTE
COLLEGE OF MASS COMMUNICATION
University of the Philippines
Diliman, Quezon City
In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Bachelor of Arts in Film and Audiovisual Communication
First Semester
AY 2007-2008
October 2007
FILMMAKERS’ PROFILE
CHER PAULINE LORILLA CRUZ
Interests:
Film, Music, Visual Arts, Photography, Books, Creative Writing, Softball, Basketball, Wakeboarding, Travel
Favorite Movies:
Schindler’s List, Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy, Hotel Rwanda, Amelie, Finding Nemo, Requiem for A Dream, Kill Bill, Trainspotting, 21 Grams, The Soong Sisters, Hula Girls, Closer, City of God, Garden State, Insiang
Favorite Books:
Unbearable Lightness of Being, Stephen King Books, Ignorance, Veronika Decides to Die, Eleven Minutes, Einstein’s Dreams, Harry Potter, Catcher in the Rye, Angels and Demons, Kafka on the Shore, The Fountainhead, Neverwhere, The Picture of Dorian Gray
Favorite Musicians:
Lifehouse, Frou Frou, Imogen Heap, Garbage, Tori Amos, Regina Spektor, UpDharmaDown, Orange and Lemons, Incubus, Maroon 5, Linkin Park, Evanescence, Thievery Corporation, Death Cab for Cutie, Travis, Paramita, Matilda
Educational Background:
University of the Philippines, Diliman Film Institute
BA Film and AudioVisual Communication
(2000-2007)
Novaliches High School
TS Cruz Subd. Novaliches QC (1996-2000)
Saint Andrew School
Caloocan City (1993-1996)
Honors/ Awards Received :
Civil Service Sub-Professional exam Passer
College Scholar UP Diliman 2003
SYDP Scholar QC Hall 2000-2004
DSWD 2nd Place 2002 National Division Essay Writing Contest
NHS Essayist of the Year 2000
NHS Journalist of the Year 2000
Best in Production design UP Black beret Film Festival 2003
Organizations and Positions held:
UP Cineastes’ Studio
-Membership Committee Head 2003
UP communicators for Good Governance
-member 2003-2004
UP Pathfinders
-member 2003-2004
NHS Reservoir (English School Paper)
-Editor-in-Chief 1999-2000
NHS English Club
-President 1999-2000
Seminars Attended:
-Phil. Daily Inquirer’s Mediamorphosis: Developing Society Through Mass Media
July19, 2003
-ACLE Personality Development in front of the Camera
August 21, 2001
-Concerned Artists’ of the Philippines, Censorship Conference
-Talk on Independent Cinema
-UP JC “Crossover” a Symposium on the shift from Print to Broadcast Journalism
-I-Witness Documentary Series
-Sangandaan 2003:An International Conference on Arts and Media in Fil-Am Relations
Work Experience:
Etelecare Global Solutions
-Customer service Associate 2
(July 2004-present)
*promoted to level 2 upon regularization
-NASD Series 6 Licensed
-Recruiting specialist (December 2005-January 2006)
Industria Productions (on-the-job training)
-production Assistant (2003)
ClicktheCity.com
-film reviewer (2003-2005)
Halaw (narrative experimental)
– Director and Scriptwriter
Amniotic (experimental film)
– Director
Doktor (documentary about the life of an embalmer)
– Director
Atin-atin Lang ‘To (narrative film)
– Assistant Director
Conchita (narrative film)
– Assistant Director
Super Tonyo (animation)
– Dubber
Tilapia (narrative film)
– Production Designer
Cuatro Manos
– Production Assistant
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
9 Abstract and Synopsis
10 Chapter 1: Introduction
11 Chapter 2: Theoretical Framework
13 Chapter 3: Conceptual Framework
16 Chapter 4: Review of Related Literature and Films
17 Chapter 5: Methods and Procedures
A. Production
B. Post-Production
C. Budget
20 Chapter 6: The Script
36 Production Team and Cast of Characters
38 Appendices
Faculty Critique and Recommendations
Thesis Defense Evaluation Forms
Film 200 Thesis
1st Semester, AY 2007-2008
Title: “HALAW” (“Rooted”/ “Adapted”) experimental film
Name: Cher Pauline Cruz
TRT: 9 mins.
Language: Filipino with English subtitles
Shooting / Originating Format: Digital Video
SYNOPSIS:
This experimental film is a journey inside Norman’s imagination and creative motivations. Norman is a struggling artist who is stretched into opposite directions by his true passion and what is expected of him. He experiences “living” in different worlds [the real world and the graphic novel world] showcasing his different states of mind in succession with his dream graphic novel.
RATIONALE / ABSTRACT:
“Belief strengthens truth” is the central theme of this film. This film supports Gilles Deleuze’s idea of “Cinema of the seer and no longer the agent.” Coinciding with the main character’s decision-making, this film also elicits active participation from the audience. The viewers are given the chance to believe in what the actual story and time-frame of the film is. Nevertheless, the film still highlights the distinction between its objectivity in relation to its audience and its subjectivity to the main character as it is treated just like a brief peek inside Norman’s mind. This, therefore, gives respect due to each and every one’s truth—fictional or not.
I N T R O D U C T I O N
They say that a film, in one way or another, portrays a deeply personal part of the filmmaker that attaches the film to the filmmaker, audience to filmmaker and audience to film. This personal and subjective aspect of filmmaking is also the very thing that leads us to the understanding and sometimes, appreciation of the film—for the mere fact that we can connect with it.
This short film thesis is three years in-the-making. We could therefore deduce that the film has grown with us through those years of its completion. So many things have happened, so many experiences have contributed to the continuously budding interlayers of the film. Almost at the same time, we, the filmmakers and “Halaw” became mature beings who prodigiously searched for answers and finally, “found what we were looking for.”
Coming from the inscrutable “Sqitz”, the title became “Halaw” which is a Filipino term for ‘adapted’ (synonymous to personalized, tailored or custom-made) or ‘rooted from’ (synonymous to entrenched, deep-seated or embedded). From something so broad, our story became so specified and close to home as we were actually making a film that’s more like a personal journey that anyone can have the liberty to relate to it. Because of the three-year-wait, there were also times we’ve asked ourselves, do we really have what it takes? Where are we really headed? And now that the dream and passion materialized in this film, we know (just like the main character) where we are headed…
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
“Something bizaare about the cinema struck me: its unexpected ability to show not only behavior, but spiritual life as well. Spiritual life isn’t dream or fantasy- which were always the cinema’s dead ends- but rather the domain of cold decision, of absolute obstinacy, of the choice of existence… Cinema not only puts movement in the image, it also puts movement in the mind.”
– Gilles Deleuze
(The Brain is the Screen: Deleuze and the Philosophy of Cinema, 2000)
The film is structured in a way that profoundly resembles the inner workings of the mind. Since the human mind is overflowing with uncalculated thoughts, rooting from the subconscious to the conscious without any distinct pattern or succession, the film appears as if it’s an inside tour to the main character’s artistic consciousness. And what better framework to support it but Gilles Deleuze’s philosophy significantly correlated with cinema.
Deleuze’s philosophy is somewhat self-explanatory and concentrates not on the “motion picture” itself but on the “sensory-motor image” which highlights the idea of “Cinema of the seer and no longer the agent”. Deleuze acknowledges that which plays an important part of cinema that most scientific theories fail to include—the sensory perception of its viewers. The whole film itself is like a create-your-own-adventure journey that covers a broad scope as that of the human imagination or the inner workings of the human mind and at the same time leaving the audience thinking and/or deciding what comes next or what happened before. According to Deleuze, “…it is in the mind where points of views superimpose themselves on one another… [like] a chessboard… [it] unfolds a possible set of moves that only memory can condense in the mind of the player.”
Deleuze overtly emphasizes the importance of the active participation of a film’s viewers by eliciting emotions either through the images on screen or to the actual time frame being followed by the film. This participation helps in understanding the film and/or having the viewers arrive at a conclusion even when a film is as open-ended as a broken hanging bridge. Deleuze even came up with a term for this “hanging bridge” which is the “any-space-whatever” or the “disconnected space”. “Any-space-whatever” refers to “the connection of nevertheless, absent, or as even disappeared, not simply out of frame, but passed into the void”, and due to this, we are left to think and formulate our own hypotheses therefore becoming a participant of the film itself.
“A space is born that is not reducible to exteriority; instead of condemning us to see things from the outside, it clarifies from within.” For Deleuze, a film spirals us down into its own space and time frame and once we get immersed into it, the film throws us back to our world with a better understanding of that different kind of experience. Deleuze treats each viewer as a thinking entity therefore, a filmmaker doesn’t need to translate everything literally into the big screen because a viewer is given a thinking faculty that they are able to deduce the relevance of the film in their own lives. This then, results to those more formal film theories formulated by equally competitive film enthusiasts and it does not, in any way, [as most people perceive] a deviation from those structured schools of thought in Film and Filmmaking.
Reference:
*1 The Brain is the Screen: Deleuze and the Philosophy of Cinema ed. By Gregory Flaxman Copyright 2000 University of Minnesota Press.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
“…the brain becomes world and the world invades the brain at the juncture of the canvas which is as much a material as a spiritual membrane, a psychophysical entity made of extension and thought, matter and memory, flesh and spirit.”
(The Brain is the Screen: Deleuze and the Philosophy of Cinema, 2000)
“Halaw” came from a narrative script that’s been perpetually revised over again because of so many external factors and constraints, not to mention the internal [mental] battles experienced by its creator. Although, the narration in the film provides a slight linearity to the film itself, “Halaw” ended up as an experimental film which highlights the main character’s state of mind.
The finalization of the film’s concept came about when we have shifted from a psychological framework to Gilles Deleuze’s film theory, both of which concentrates on the inner workings of the human mind.
Just like a painter with an empty canvas, the film materialized because the mind extended its magic into the medium that is the film. “…This membrane on which the brain enters the world at the same time as the world penetrates into the milieu of the brain” is the very same reason why the film ended up as experimental and why it became an inside journey inside Norman’s [main character] head or creative consciousness.
On the book by Gregory Flaxman, The Brain is the Screen: Deleuze and the Philosophy of Cinema, 2000, Flaxman correlates the conception of a film idea with the creation of a painting. Flaxman describes the process as: “The cerebral membrane de-subjectifies itself, turns itself into a painting, alters itself to become a canvas of the world while the texture of the painting makes itself cerebral- a painting inside the head for a head became painting. And this can only occur there where the ego absents itself and solitary, gets itself lost in giving way to the eye of things.” Norman, the main character, who is a struggling artist, along with the film itself, reached its completion when it started “fixing” itself from within instead of becoming affected and clogged by external factors. Still according to the book: “…an image cannot be reduced to the cold, objective reality of independent matter, but neither is it the simple survey of my mind as it exacts a look at the inaccessible back of things.” The film is an inside journey of Norman frantically searching for an answer amidst his personal battles and outside dynamics such as the creation of his graphic novel, Luna, pressures from his “actual” life and the “outside world” in general. The film becoming an inside-to-outside journey paved the way for realizations both from the film, filmmaker and its audience.
The comic-book part of the story embodies the actual framework of how the human mind works- fragmented and hyperactive and yet, understandable and significant. It also shows how our lives significantly move in parallel to our passion which in Norman’s case, graphic novels. As Bergson claims, “Consciousness shows our body as one image among others and our understanding as a certain faculty of dissociating of distinguishing, of opposing logically, but not of creating or constructing.”
Moreover, the film shifting into an experimental film from a narrative emphasizes the “fatigue” that Deleuze refers to. According to him, it is “the nervous exhaustion that drives the author to collapse, to lose his grip, exhausted from having to walk upon a plane as virgin of traces as the sea” which resembles the emotional state of Norman. The film has a free rein as to where it will come from or where it will head to, same way that the audience can freely formulate conclusions or interpretations about the film. The loop and violent repetition of images were inspired by the “state-of-mind” montages- compulsion from “Requiem for a Dream” and “Trainspotting”; melancholy from “Amelie”; and novelty from “Kill Bill”.
Deleuze summarized the essence of cinema in his claim that “Cinema does not imitate normal perception; rather, it reveals the ‘mechanism’ of perception.” The “physical mechanism” pertaining to the camera and the “metaphysical means” being the human mind itself whether it’s the mind of the seer or the agent.
Reference:
*1 The Brain is the Screen: Deleuze and the Philosophy of Cinema ed. By Gregory Flaxman Copyright 2000 University of Minnesota Press.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND FILMS
The film “Halaw” is inspired mainly by graphic novels. For foreign publications, of course there are Vertigo, Marvel and DC. Among local selections, there are the works of Arnold Arre and Carlo Vergara such as “After Eden” and “Trip to Tagaytay”. It must be reiterated that there’s a fine line separating comics from graphic novels– “Comic works created and published as a single narrative, without prior appearance in magazines, comic books or newspapers, are called original graphic novels (OGN).” “A graphic novel is a type of comic book, usually with a lengthy and complex storyline similar to those of novels, and often aimed at mature audiences.” [from Wikipedia]
The film also follows the techniques, specifically the montages, used in the films “Requiem for a Dream”, “Trainspotting” and “Amelie”—all depicting specific states of mind. The comic book parts were inspired from comic book adaptations and pop-artsy films such as “Kill Bill” and “A Scanner Darkly”.
METHODS & PROCEDURES
Production
We shot the film at an empty apartment in Novaliches which was owned by my friend. We chose this location so that the Art Department would have the liberty to design the place any way they wanted. For as long as the coffee table where Norman and Luna meet is present. The comic alley was shot in our own apartment. We covered the walls with comic book pages to make it appear as an ordinary bedroom or personal room of someone who is passionate about graphic novels. In terms of lighting, we made use of bluish white lights for scenes of Norman while we used halogen lamps for the comic scenes as well as Luna’s scenes.
Post-Production
As we intended for the film to appear as if it is an overlap between Norman’s imagination and the completion of his graphic novel, scenes shift from real life action to comic book scenes. These comic book scenes were edited through Photoshop using the Cutout technique while the “rubber band scene” with the dancing ballerina was done using the Morphing method. All of the dialogues were dubbed as the film supposedly was a silent film.
BUDGET
Budget Summary:
Pre-Production: 3,000.00 php
Production: 25,000.00 php
Post-Production: 15,000.00 php
Pre-Production:
Fundraising / Prospectus ____________________________500.00
Tokens for Crew & Actors_____________________________1000.00
Transportation_______________________________________500.00
Photocopy__________________________________________ 300.00
Cellphone Load______________________________________ 200.00
Miscellaneous ______________________________________ 500.00
TOTAL: 3,000.00 php
Production:
Equipment Rental ____________________________________ 5,000.00
Lighting Equipment__________________________________ 5,000.00
Sound Equipment____________________________________ 500.00
Generator and Fuel___________________________________ 7,500.00
Food ______________________________________________ 3,500.00
Production supplies __________________________________ 1,500.00
Art Department ______________________________________ 2,000.00
TOTAL: 25,000.00 php
Post-Production:
Editing______________________________________________ 12,000.00
Packaging and Distribution____________________________ 1,000.00
Production Book_______________________________________ 2,000.00
TOTAL: 15,000.00 php
GRAND TOTAL: ________________________________________ 43,000.00 PHP
THE SCRIPT
“H A L A W”
original narrative script
Short film by: Cher Pauline Cruz
Running time: 11 mins.
SEQUENCE 1
+++++++
Scene 1. Ext. Day. Bookstore.
Video:
Long shot of bookstore. Dolly-in to a specific graphic novel but will have a hazy look that the cover is not identifiable.
Audio:
No sound at all, as if in a vacuum.
+++++++
Scene 2. Int. Day. Norman’s Pad.
Video:
Norman waking up. Camera pans from right to left showing Norman’s collection of books- a mix between medical books and graphic novel writing books. Shot will end at Norman’s baby picture.
Audio:
Ambient sound of early morning.
V.O. of Norman:
Katulad ng isang author ng libro, tayo ang lumilikha at nagpapatakbo ng ating buhay.
+++++++
Scene 3. Int. Day. Boy Character’s Bedroom.
Video:
Black and white. Boy Character also wakes up and looks outside his window. He starts another day without much enthusiasm.
Audio:
Musical score. Slow.
+++++++
Scene 4. Ext. Day. Alley way.
Video:
POV shot of Norman walking slowly in the alley way towards the busy, main street. At the end of the alley way, we could see people and vehicles passing by.
Audio:
Norman’s thoughts. Montage of overlapping dialogues coming from his family.
V.O. Montage:
[mom] Norman, you’re next in line in our family of doctors, I’m sure your dad will be proud of you wherever he is.
[older brother] Alam ba ni mommy na mas marami na yang units na tine-take mo sa literature kesa sa med requirements mo?
[kid sister] Kuya Norman, kelan mo ba ako gagawan ng fairy tale book?
+++++++
SEQUENCE 2
Scene 5. Int. Day. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
In black and white. Boy Character descends from the stairs and will look at someone with a slight surprise as if not expecting that the person would be there at all.
Audio:
Musical score. Rock, with or without lyrics. [prospect: “Hide” by Pao’s Band]
+++++++
Scene 6. Int. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
Long take of all the artists’ in the studio. [from long shot to dolly-in to each actor] A bare, small white room with windows in one corner is stuffed with people who call themselves artists- painter, ballerina, writer, singer, dancer, actor, etc. They are all concentrating on what they are doing not minding each other. At the far end of the room, Luna is drawing intently on her sketchpad. She will not look up.
Audio:
Musical score. Rock, with or without lyrics. [prospect: “Hide” by Pao’s Band] Music will suddenly “hang” when camera stops at Luna.
+++++++
Scene 7. Int. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
Norman arrives at the Artists’ Studio. He pulls a chair across Luna’s table and will seem agitated. [Cut to] Luna looks up at once but then immediately goes back to what she was drawing.
* subtitle of the dialogue will appear on the screen.
** Tagalog: O bakit ngayon ka lang? Ang tagal kitang hinintay ah?
*** English: How come you’re late? I’ve been waiting for you.
Audio:
Ambient sound with other people talking in the background.
V.O. Luna:
O bakit ngayon ka lang? Ang tagal kitang hinintay ah?
+++++++
Scene 8. Int. Comic Alley.
Video:
[Cut to] Girl Character looks briefly at someone who had just arrived. She is sketching in the comic alley. She, like Luna, is also consumed by her work but occasionally glances at Norman who is now starting to feel nervous and seem agitated.
* subtitle of the dialogue will appear on the screen.
** Tagalog: Hindi ko na alam, sobra na akong naguguluhan.
*** English: I don’t know, I’m pretty much confused right now.
Audio:
Ambient sound with other people talking in the background.
Musical score.
V.O. Norman:
Hindi ko na alam, sobra na akong naguguluhan.
+++++++
Scene 9. Int. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
Norman starts to seem rather agitated. He spills his coffee and nervously taps his finger on the table. He pulls out something from his pocket- a rubber band. He toys with it and stretches it repeatedly. Luna and Girl Character will occasionally look at him.
Audio:
Musical score. Music box-like theme fade-in.
V.O. Norman:
Have you ever felt like a rubber band?
+++++++
Scene 10. Int. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
Norman’s imagination. Norman remains static while a ballerina enters and does her stretching behind Norman. He is oblivious of her as she only exists in Norman’s mind. But it will seem as if Luna could see her.
[cut to] Reaction shot of Luna with a questioning look.
[cut to] Ballerina doing her routine encircling the oblivious Norman in the process.
[cut to] Girl Character looking at Norman with a puzzled look as well.
Audio:
Musical score. Music box-like theme fade-out to next sequence.
Louder background conversations.
Montage of dialogues.
V.O. Montage:
[mom] Norman, you’re next in line in our family of doctors, I’m sure your dad will be proud of you wherever he is.
[older brother] Alam ba ni mommy na mas marami na yang units na tine-take mo sa literature kesa sa med requirements mo?
[kid sister] Kuya Norman, kelan mo ba ako gagawan ng fairy tale book?
+++++++
SEQUENCE 3
Scene 11. Int. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
Long take of all the artists’ in the studio. [from long shot to dolly-in to each actor] the artists- painter, ballerina, writer, singer, dancer, actor, etc. are all beginning to be a bit more passionate in their respective activities. Luna begins to be more pressured now. She goes over her work one by one and is not satisfied with her progress yet.
Audio:
Louder version of ambient interior and exterior noise.
V.O. Norman:
I’ve realized that however we stretch our lives, we’ll still return to what we truly are. And if that time comes, mapapaisip tayo kung ano ba talaga ang kabuluhan ng buhay natin.
Video:
Luna stops looking at one of her drawings that closely resembles Norman, then she looks up at him again. Then she goes back to skimming through her works. [cut to] Comic book pages of Luna’s work in progress [as transition]
* subtitle of the dialogue will appear on the screen.
** Tagalog: … mapapaisip tayo kung ano ba talaga ang kabuluhan ng buhay natin.
*** English: … we will be left thinking, are we making any sense?
Audio:
Fade-in rock music.
+++++++
Scene 12. Int. Comic Alley.
Video:
Girl character, confined as she is to Luna’s imagination, becomes agitated as well. She paces around the now, abandoned comic alley and will seem as if she doesn’t know what to do with herself.
Audio:
Rock music. Sound of torn paper.
V.O. Luna:
Pero walang mangyayari sa atin kung mananatili tayong nakakahon sa idinidikta ng ibang tao.
Video:
[cut to] Luna will look directly at the camera with a smug look as if addressing the audience.
Girl Character tearing off the wall paper in the comic alley as if she had waited that cue from her creator who is Luna. [slow motion]
* subtitle of the dialogue will appear on the screen.
** Tagalog: Pero walang mangyayari sa atin kung mananatili tayong nakakahon sa idinidikta ng ibang tao.
*** English: Nothing will happen to us if we continue to be enclosed in other people’s expectations.
Audio:
Rock music to fade.
++++++++
SEQUENCE 4
Scene 13. Int. Hospital.
Video:
Norman in his white duty uniform, stares at the camera as if addressing the audience. He is trying to tell his mother that he won’t be taking up medicine anymore.
Audio:
V.O. Norman:
Ma, hindi ko na itutuloy ang medicine. Writing is where my heart belongs.
Video:
[cut to] Norman’s childhood memory of riding a roller coaster.
[cut to] Artists Studio with all artists.
Audio:
V.O. Montage:
[mom] How could you this do this to your father’s dreams? How could you just disregard everything we’ve put up for you?
[older brother] Dib a sabe ko naman sa’yo hindi magugustuhan ni mommy yan? If anything goes bad with her health, it’ll be your fault.
[kid sister] Kuya Norman, kelan mo ba ako gagawan ng fairy tale book?
Fade-in rock music to fade-out.
Video:
[cut to] A little girl trying to fit all the pieces of a puzzle.
[cut to] POV shot of Alley way.
Fade to black. Twenty seconds of black screen.
+++++++
SEQUENCE 4
Scene 14. Int. Day. Norman’s Pad.
Video:
Norman wakes up with more zest. Boy character, who’s also Norman’s main character wakes up and thinks for a moment before getting ready for the day.
* subtitle of the dialogue will appear on the screen.
** Tagalog: Lahat tayo ay may pag-asa pang kumawala. Tayo ang magpapatakbo ng sarili nating buhay, masundan ang ating paniniwala. Lalaya tayo sa pamamagitan ng pagsunod sa ating puso at di dapat pilit magpanggap na normal ang buhay, dahil, dahil tayo lang ang makapagsasabi kung ano ang katotohanan.
*** English: We could still free ourselves. We rule our lives, we follow our beliefs by following our heart. We can never pretend to be in someone else’s reality because our truth is our reality.
Audio:
Ambient sound of early morning, right after the voice-over, musical score will fade-in.
V.O. Luna:
Lahat tayo ay may pag-asa pang kumawala. Tayo ang magpapatakbo ng sarili nating buhay, masundan ang ating paniniwala. Lalaya tayo sa pamamagitan ng pagsunod sa ating puso at di dapat pilit magpanggap na normal ang buhay, dahil, dahil tayo lang ang makapagsasabi kung ano ang katotohanan.
Scene 15. Int. Comic Alley.
Video:
Boy Character finally meets Girl Character in Norman’s story.
Scene 15. Montage.
Video:
Alley way scene.
Little Girl with the puzzle.
Girl Character looking directly at the camera.
Luna inside a solitary room looking directly at the camera.
Scene 16.
Video:
Comic book pages turning to the front cover entitled HALAW.
===END===
CHARACTERS:
NORMAN: A mid-twenty med-student who is also a writer. He is pressured by his family to pursue medicine to complete the roster of doctors in their clan. He lives on his own in a small apartment and likes to hang-out at the Artists’ Studio.
LUNA: A free-spirited and laidback comicbook artist in her early-twenties who meets Norman in the Artists’ Studio. She is typically the artistic recluse who likes to keep things to herself to mind her own business.
BOY CHARACTER: He is a moving image of Norman’s story that is yet to be concluded. He resembles Norman’s initial boredom with life.
GIRL CHARACTER: She is originally a moving image of Luna’s comicbook. But as the story progresses, she becomes a part of Norman’s story until she had a life of her own when she decides to break free.
LITTLE GIRL
NORMAN’S FAMILY: Mom, Older Brother and Little Sister
They won’t be exposed in the screen as they are just resounding voice-overs in Norman’s head that recur everytime Norman gets agitated because of pressure.
“H A L A W”
experimental
Short film by: Cher Pauline Cruz
Running time: 9 mins.
SEQUENCE 1
+++++++
Scene 1. Int. Day. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
Little Girl trying to fit the pieces of a puzzle together. A hand sketching. Children playing in the streets.
Audio:
No sound at all, as if in a vacuum then shift to laughter of children.
+++++++
Scene 2. Int. Day. Norman’s Pad.
Video:
Norman waking up. Camera pans from right to left showing Norman’s collection of books- a mix between medical books and graphic novel writing books. Shot will end at Norman’s baby picture and Norman getting-up.
Audio:
Ambient sound of early morning.
V.O. of Norman:
Katulad ng isang may-akda, tayo ang lumilikha at nagpapatakbo ng ating buhay.
(Just like an author of a book, we create our own life stories…)
+++++++
Scene 3. Int. Day. ComicBoy’s Bedroom.
Video:
Black and white comic part. ComicBoy also wakes up and looks outside his window. He starts another day without much enthusiasm. He starts to write in his diary but changes his mind as he had nothing to write.
Audio:
Musical score. VO of Norman narrating how his main character ComicBoy, acts on the story inside his head.
V.O. of Norman:
Katulad ng lalaking ito.
Babangon at titingin sa bukas na bintana
Nag-iisip ng isusulat sa kanyang diary
Gusto nyang isulat ang lahat,
Mga bagay na dumaan sa kanya,
Mga bagay na makapagsasabi kung sino talaga siya
Pero,
Hindi niya alam kung saan at paano magsimula.
Maya-maya pa’y babangon na lang siya’t magpapasyang ‘wag na lang at lalabas ng kanyang silid para maligo.
+++++++
Scene 4. Ext. Day. Alley way.
Video:
POV shot of Norman walking slowly in the alley way towards the busy, main street. At the end of the alley way, we could see people and vehicles passing by.
Norman’s thoughts. Montage of the children playing outside, ComicBoy descending from the stairs
Audio:
Busy street and children’s laughter.
V.O. of Norman:
Ngayo’y tatahakin nya ang masikip na eskinita patungo sa babaeng matalik nyang kaibigan
Na maaring makapagsabi ng sagot sa mga tanong niya.
+++++++
SEQUENCE 2
Scene 5. Int. Day. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
In black and white. ComicBoy descends from the stairs and will look at someone with a slight surprise as if not expecting that the person would be there at all. Cut to ComicGirl looking in ComicBoy’s direction.
Luna will look at someone who has just arrived.
ComicGirl:
Ba’t ngayon ka lang dumating dumating?
+++++++
Scene 6. Int. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
Long take of all the artists’ in the studio. [from long shot to dolly-in to each actor] A bare, small white room with windows in one corner is stuffed with people who call themselves artists- painter, ballerina, writer, singer, dancer, actor, etc. They are all concentrating on what they are doing not minding each other. At the far end of the room, Luna is drawing intently on her sketchpad. She will not look up.
Audio:
Musical score.
+++++++
Scene 7. Int. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
Norman arrives at the Artists’ Studio. He pulls a chair across Luna’s table and will seem agitated. [Cut to] Luna looks up at once but then immediately goes back to what she was drawing.
Audio:
Ambient sound with other people talking in the background.
V.O. Luna:
O bakit ngayon ka lang? Ang tagal kitang hinintay ah?
+++++++
Scene 8. Int. Comic Alley.
Video:
[Cut to] ComicGirl looks briefly at someone who had just arrived. She is sketching in the comic alley. She, like Luna, is also consumed by her work but occasionally glances at Norman who is now starting to feel nervous and seem agitated.
Audio:
Ambient sound with other people talking in the background.
Musical score.
V.O. Norman:
Bakit nga ba ngayon lang siya dumating? Bakit?
Cut to Luna looking at Norman’s works.
V.O. Luna:
O maganda naman tong mga bago mo a? Ba’t ayaw mo pa kasing seryosohin ang fine arts?
Diba ito naman talaga ang gusto mo?
Video: Child playing and a painter concentrating on his work.
V.O. Norman:
Sana nga ganun lang kadali gawin ang desisyon na iyan.
Parang batang malayang naglalaro
O kaya nama’y isang pintor na malayang nagpipinta ng kahit anong gusting gawin nya
Pero pano kung nagkamali ako ng piliin?
Sana ganon lang kadali burahin ang lahat.
Anong gagawin ko ngayon?
Ngayong, sakal na sakal na ako sa lahat ng idinidikta ng mga tao?
Alam mo ba ang sagot Luna?
Anong gagawin ko?
+++++++
Scene 9. Int. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
Norman starts to seem rather agitated. He spills his coffee and nervously taps his finger on the table. He pulls out something from his pocket- a rubber band. He toys with it and stretches it repeatedly. Luna and ComicGirl will occasionally look at him.
Audio:
Musical score. Music box-like theme fade-in.
V.O. Norman:
Naramdaman mo na bang maging tila isang gomang binabatak?
Ano mang uri ng pag-unat ang gawin natin sa buhay natin
Tayo’y babalik at babalik din sa kung sino talaga tayo.
+++++++
Scene 10. Int. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
Norman’s imagination. Norman remains static while a ballerina enters and does her stretching behind Norman. He is oblivious of her as she only exists in Norman’s mind. But it will seem as if Luna could see her.
[cut to] Reaction shot of Luna with a questioning look.
[cut to] Ballerina doing her routine encircling the oblivious Norman in the process.
[cut to] ComicGirl looking at Norman with a puzzled look as well.
Audio:
Musical score. Music box-like theme fade-out to next sequence.
Louder background conversations.
Montage of dialogues.
+++++++
SEQUENCE 3
Scene 11. Int. Artists’ Studio.
Video:
Long take of all the artists’ in the studio. [from long shot to dolly-in to each actor] the artists- painter, ballerina, writer, singer, dancer, actor, etc. are all beginning to be a bit more passionate in their respective activities. Luna begins to be more pressured now. She goes over her work one by one and is not satisfied with her progress yet.
Audio:
Louder version of ambient interior and exterior noise.
V.O. Norman:
Kailangan matigil na ang lahat!
Kailangan nang baklasin ang mga alinlangan animoy huwad na larawan na gumugulo sa pader n gating isipan!
Video:
ComicGirl, confined as she is to Luna’s imagination, becomes agitated as well. She paces around the now, abandoned comic alley and will seem as if she doesn’t know what to do with herself. Comic Girl tears of the pages of comics on the wall.
Audio:
Rock music. Sound of torn paper.
+++++++
Scene 12. Int. Comic Alley.
Video: Norman waking up. Camera pans from right to left showing Norman’s collection of books- a mix between medical books and graphic novel writing books. Shot will end at Norman’s baby picture and Norman getting-up. Comicboy descends from the stairs.
V.O. Norman:
Katulad ng isang may-akda, tayo ang lumilikha at nagpapatakbo ng ating buhay.
Ngayon, alam ko na kung saan ako tutungo…
===END===
CHARACTERS:
NORMAN: A mid-twenty med-student who is also a writer. He is pressured by his family to pursue medicine to complete the roster of doctors in their clan. He lives on his own in a small apartment and likes to hang-out at the Artists’ Studio.
LUNA: A free-spirited and laidback comicbook artist in her early-twenties who meets Norman in the Artists’ Studio. She is typically the artistic recluse who likes to keep things to herself to mind her own business.
COMICBOY: He is a moving image of Norman’s story that is yet to be concluded. He resembles Norman’s initial boredom with life.
COMICGIRL: She is originally a moving image of Luna’s comicbook. But as the story progresses, she becomes a part of Norman’s story until she had a life of her own when she decides to break free.
PRODUCTION TEAM
Directed & Written by: Cher Pauline Cruz
Directors of Photography: Anna Cecilia Monzon
Ruthlynne Medina
Editing & Sound: Nani Naguit
Assistant Director for Actors: Joseph Angelo Santos
Assistant Director for Set: Ma. Monica Valdes
Production Manager: Rory Rebustes
Script Supervisor: Crystal Anne Salonga
Assistant Script Supervisor: Ryan Nikolai Dino
Art Director: Jennie Jo Platon
Production Designers: Joanna Lou Velarde
Tanya Grace Jamon
Wardrobe and Make-up: Jocelyn Herrera
Continuity: Julian Paolo Quinto
Production Assistants: Hermann Hilario Claravall
Diana Christina Evangelista
Carlos Miguel Locsin
Franz Josef Barcelona
James Amparo
Original Musical Scoring:
Matilda Band:
Jovi Reyes – drums
Charms Tianzon – vocals
Meryl Antonio -guitars
Yvette Tunguia – bass
Maricor Reyes – violin
Nani Naguit
Cast of Characters
NORMAN: Alfred Simbulan
LUNA: Mich Rama
COMICBOY: Carlo Paolo Cruz
COMICGIRL: Chrisseth Maghirang
CHILD: Arianne Jeune Gianelli Tan
PAINTER: Bidz dela Cruz
WRITER: Franz Josef Barcelona
SINGER: Marian Soledad Macapanpan
BALLERINA: Carla Tanchoco
STREETDANCER: Ryan Nikolai Dino
APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Original Film 199 Approved Concept:
STUDY FRAMEWORK
Since my thesis story is character-oriented, it is but natural to study theories on psychology, more specifically, on personality. In Hilgard’s Introduction to Psychology, personality is defined as “the distinctive and characteristic patterns of thought, emotion and behavior that define an individual’s personal style of interacting with the physical and social environments”.
In my thesis story, the central character Luna, is a struggling comic book artist who draws inspiration from a boy she dreams of. She then, starts to create a graphic novel about him. The course of the comic book’s progression also served as a journey towards self-actualization for Luna who was able to complete the graphic novel only after she was classified as schizophrenic.
I wanted my main character to become someone unique, “artistically weird” and someone whom the audience can empathize with despite her eccentricities. But I realized that to label her as someone with schizoid personality would probably elicit negative response from the viewers. This is due to the fact that schizophrenics here in the Philippines refer to the shabby, almost naked people muttering to themselves in the streets, the “taong grasa’ to be exact. So there is a possibility that my character might be stereotyped and even the story for that matter. But I cannot completely veer away from the topic of schizophrenia because the personality I created for Luna possessed all the symptoms of a schizophrenic.
It is a good thing though that recent studies have related schizophrenia to modern ways of thinking which are also considered as “artful expressions”. According to Klaus Conrad, a German psychiatrist, “generally, the (schizophrenic) person has a sense of having lost contact with things or of everything having undergone some subtle, all-encompassing change. Reality seems to be unveiled as never before and the visual world looks peculiar and eerie- weirdly beautiful, tantalizingly significant or perhaps horrifying in some insidious but ineffable way.” Studies nowadays also see schizophrenia not as a progressive disease but a “development”. According to Karl Jaspers, schizophrenia “is something that one is, something that in a profound sense, develops out of or expresses one’s basic character or personal mode of being.”
In line with this modern view of schizophrenia, the fact that this type of ‘abnormal psychology’ can be surpassed brought me to the assumption that undergoing schizophrenia and being able to overcome it would be the ultimate path towards self-actualization.
In psychology, the study of personality is rooted on three major theories: 1) Freud’s Psychoanalytic Approach 2) the Behavioristic Approach and 3) the Phenomenological Approach. I am anchoring my story more on the third theory, the Phenomenological Approach. This theory focuses more on the individual’s subjective experience- his or her personal view of the world.” Phenomenological theory deals with Humanistic psychology wherein a “human’s personality or being is given the highest regard. A person must be described and understood in terms of their own subjective views of the world, their perceptions of the self and their feelings of self-worth.” (Hilgard)
According to Abraham Maslow, a pioneer in Humanistic psychology, all people are driven by the need for self-actualization. The need for self-actualization ranked highest in Maslow’s heirarchy of needs of a human being and is characterized by a peak experience. A peak experience, still according to him, is “an experience of being characterized by happiness and fulfillment- a temporary, non-striving, non-self-centered state of perfection of goal attainment.” The phenomenological theory differed from the two other theories because it based the criteria of psychological health in self-actualization and not in ego-control (as with the Psychoanalytic theory) or adjustment to the environment (as with the Behavioristic approach). Furthermore, Carl Rogers explained that “the best vantage point for understanding behavior is from the internal frame of reference of the individual himself.” Rogers’ central concept in his theory is the self and self-concept. But Rogers also emphasized that the self-concept does not necessarily reflect reality. It means that self realization, being the ultimate motivation of human, can be achieved in whatever state we are in.
CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
“Belief strengthens truth” is the main concept of this thesis. I believe that the truthfulness of something is very hard to test or prove. It is like separating an atom from a molecule. But the search for truth becomes easier if one firmly believes in that truth one is seeking no matter what circumstances they’re in. Usually, these truths have great effect on one’s happiness or goal attainment- both leading to the path towards self-actualization. In the story, Luna will appear to be the more normal one instead of being the one with schizophrenia because her life is driven by something in which she believes- her recurring dream. Norman, on the other hand, gives the impression that there’s always something wrong with him. He is always confused and tensed because he denies the truth that he feels something else for Luna who is actually his schizophrenic patient. Both characters will seem as if they possess the weirdest and most unique personality that instead of focusing on them, viewers will concentrate more on the story. But there is no actual “story” because no truth is actually revealed or disclosed. It will then be up to the viewers to fill in the blanks- they would have to create their own story. The story may offer the supposed frame of mind of the individual characters but not the events that took place before the “confrontation”. It happens mainly to compare insanity from insanity and to point out the alarming similarities between what is considered as normal from “insanity”.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Schizophrenia, personal relationships, conflict, magic realism and the plural self- these are the basic concepts of my story, all included under one umbrella topic which is the SELF. Although it may not be difficult to find resources for such a topic, the vastness, complexity and delicacy of it have made me be more cautious on the references I will choose to study.
Of course, the Social Sciences section of the UP Main Library offers a lot of good and helpful books especially those concerning the self and personality of both the sane and insane. There are actually a whole lot more of collections that anatomized the concept of the self into several other subtopics. Among these numerous references, I’ve trimmed my options down to the more recent ones, those published from 1995 up to the present. Usually these books contained revised and updated editions of past studies already so I won’t have to research on the background of everything else. Like for example, recent studies about schizophrenia have a more humanistic approach than the earlier studies which lean more on the scientific. It is really helpful to find books written during our generation especially on a topic like this because one can relate to it more because we live in this generation and we are more aware of what is happening.
I have found this really great book relating schizophrenia to modern ways of thinking. Its title is Madness and Modernism: Insanity in the Light of Modern Art, Literature and Thought by Louis A. Sass. This book has been very helpful from the start. It includes several accounts from actual schizophrenics and other clinical reports. From these dialogues with schizophrenics, they have related it to the personalities of artists and great thinkers in history known to have schizophrenia. It is a very refreshing book as schizophrenia was brought under a new light that instead of being looked at as an abnormality, it was considered as a development I ways of thinking.
Other noteworthy references are: Hilgard’s Introduction to Psychology, the bible of all Psych majors; Carl Jung’s Symbol of Transformation: An Analysis of a Prelude to a Case of Schizophrenia; The Plural Self: Multiplicity in Everyday Life by Rowan John and; Theories of Personality: Understanding Persons by Susan Cloninger. These psychology books helped a lot in developing the character I’ve created for Luna, the schizoid in the story. The novel The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde on one hand, brought added inspiration to the creation of my story.
And because the aim of the story is bordering in the comparison of sanity and insanity, I also have to research on what type of relationship Luna will have with the other characters. The books Interpersonal Conflict by William Wilmot and the Social Psychology of Personal Relationships by William Ickes came in handy with regards to this topic of concern.
Aside from books, there are a whole lot more resources that are within our reach. The technology, the fashion trends, mass communication and media- these are just some of the things that a lot about people. Even my daily observations of people and the conversations I engage myself in would contribute a lot to the development of my story.
As I said earlier, the topic of the self can be very complex and simple at the same time. One can make a wonderful story out of their lives. But more often than not, we all have some issues that needs resolutions or questions that need answers that can’t be found within ourselves. And this is where the importance of research and the need to socialize come in. and oftentimes, we choose those who believe in the same things that we believe in, those who voiced out the answers that have been with us all along. And what would the sources be for a person like me? Of course, there’s all the books I’ve read since I have learned how to read. Resources can be everything that concerns a human’s way of thinking like novels, graphic novels, diaries, etc. plus our daily observations of the people around us.
It’s a good thing that the mass media today offer easier ways to acquire knowledge- from the great collections of the UP main Library to the Internet and even our daily interactions with other people. Sometimes, we really do just need to open our eyes and be more aware of what’s happening around us because we’ll never know when wisdom and enlightenment will dawn on us.
A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S
I would like to acknowledge the support, first and foremost, by the Lord Almighty—that after three years of wait for a dream come true, He never left my side.
I, Cher or “Pao” to most of my loved ones, heartfully and with all humility dedicate this thesis to my parents, Peter Paul and Charlotte Cruz and brothers: Carlo Paolo, Charles Paul, Cayl Patrick and Carlos Pacey, whose support and love never waned all through my laughs and cries during the completion of one of my greatest dreams. To my four younger brothers, I hope somehow, I have led you to make the correct decisions in life.
To my best friends who never ceased to believe in me, this one’s for all of you guys. I just hope it will send out a message that will help you out same way it helped me during times of hopelessness. I am forever grateful and indebted to my cast-ironed besties: Aileen, Melanie, Nik, Jamby, Shannon, Iona, Carla, Yna, Jayson, Ian, Monching and you-know-who-must-not-be-named.
Thanks also to the following who inspired me during the film:
My UP Friends: Nani, Jjo, Joey, Edan, Ruth, Anne, Ace, Tanya, Tey, Franz, Myles, Hermann, Julo, Marianne, DNA, Crystal, JL, Lai, Denise, Ryan, Kaligay, Caloi, Liberty, Ate Ninai, Kuya Caloy and Sir Patrick Campos.
To Mang CV, Mang Rick and Ate Fortune thanks for helping me to finally graduate after waiting for so long, for assisting me with everything I needed during my seven year stay in the Institute and for sometimes pacifying my fears may be it with a subject or a professor.
My Xmen Friends- Shielvy, Lovelynn, Rain, Rhoni, Analyn, Asher, Arianne, Mark, Meredith, Sheelee, Ben, Brew, Cheng, Jera, Anne and Bro Hair.
My M&M friends: Tins, Penoy, Balot, Mohon, Katie, Jeannie, Ayan, Kiriring, Karen, Leah, Thor, Mac, Carlo, Olga and Tiano.
My Rolex friends: Enan, Cielo, Chiqui, Lesley, Errol, and Florence.
My Housemates: Chryss and Cam.
To my relatives, especially to my cousins- the Charmed Ones, Ate Ana and Me-an, thanks for the endless support and encouragement. We may seem like drunken comrades most of the times but I know that this is just to conceal our mushy concern for each other, I greatly appreciate it.
To my past loves, thank you all for the lessons taught and for the strength that made me whole today, without you guys, I will never realize that I could do away with my life without men!
To the love of my life who is yet to come, the optimism and hopefulness portrayed in this film is solely for you, I just hope you are worth the wait.
To Ican, my baby brother and to all those kids in City Gates Academy, I will forever be indebted to the innocent happiness you continuously nourish my soul, because of these kids, I will forever be hopeful…
“HALAW”
All Rights Reserved 2007
chermione16 