Theoretical Framework for Thesis

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.

Thesis Conceptual Framework

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.

Halaw: Short Narrative Script

“H A L A W”
original narrative script
Short film by: Cher Pauline Cruz
Running time: 11 mins.

SEQUENCE 1
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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?

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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===