DOGMAN2001’s
THE 12 BOWOWOWS OF IMPURITY
The making of the indie digital full-length “The Twelve"
according to a bastardized version of Dogme95’s “Vow of Chastity”
by Khavn Dela Cruz
"...Dogeaters (a
slang term for Filipinos)..." blurb from Jessica Hagedorn's novel
“God spelled
backwards is dog, & vice versa.” Linda Goodman
“2001: A Space
Odyssey." Stanley Kubrick & Arthur C. Clarke
“Toward an impure
poetry.” Pablo Neruda
"Ang <fill-in
the blank>, bow.” Aiza Seguerra
"I swear to submit to
the following set of rules drawn up and confirmed by DOGMAN2001:
1. Shooting can be
done anywhere.
Props & sets can be brought in (if a particular
prop is necessary for the story, isn’t it easier to bring the prop to the
location than the other way around?).
Make the most of what
you have. If you can shoot it here, why shoot it there. 90% of “The Twelve”
was shot in Kamias Road, from Metrobank to 7/11, with our house in the
middle. The production design was half us (built, bought, brought), half the
universe (already there). RIDDLE: The film waiting to be filmed. ANSWER: The
Philippines.
2. The sound can be
produced apart from or together with the images. (Music can be used whether
or not it occurs where the scene is being shot.)
Half of the film is
pure, unadulterated live-sound. You hear what the shotgun mic heard. The
other half is impure, adulterated music. You hear the songs playing in my
head.
3. The camera can be
hand-held. Any movement or immobility attainable in the hand is permitted.
(The film can take place where the camera is standing; shooting can take
place where the film takes place).
Everything was shot
hand-held. Except for that moment when I threw the camera from a skyscraper
to the sea, capturing the sun’s death in all its mysteries.
4. The film can be in
color. Special lighting is acceptable. (If there is too little light for
exposure, the scene can be cut, or use whatever is needed.)
The film is in color,
black&white, 50s color, monochrome, psychedelic, & x-ray. Lights used:
candles, torches, bulbs, japanese lantern, halogen. Often though, the sun
single-handedly did the job.
5. Optical work &
filters are allowed.
Half of the film was
shot with a basic filter but left untouched during post-production. The
other half was shot virgin but devirginized in post-production with multiple
screens, fastforward, slow motion, rewind, fish-eye, ghosting, etc.
6. The film can
contain superficial action. (Murders, weapons, etc. can occur.)
Lights...Camera....Action is action is action. The superficial & the
profound are merely labels that are subjective & interchangeable, thus
negligible. In other words, expect realism, magic realism, surrealism,
hyperrealism, et al.
7. Temporal &
geographical alienation are allowed. (That is to say that the film takes
place here & now, there & then, everywhere & forever.)
Time & place are at
your disposal to play with, juggle, ride, negate, ignore, subvert,
deconstruct. You can do whatever with them once you’ve recognized their
existence.
8. Genre movies are
acceptable.
Genre movies (from
the Melodrama to the Western) are like cliches. They have a ring of truth in
them, yet needs to be reinvented from time to time. Genre movies are also
like the archetypes. Each serves a purpose in balancing the human psyche.
9. The film format is
trivial.
The good thing about
digital filmmaking is it’s a whole lot cheaper than shooting in 16mm or
35mm, you can shoot as many footages as you want, & it’s broadcast quality.
And if you still want to blow it up, the transfer still costs less than
shooting a tightly budgeted 16mm.
10. Everyone must be
credited.
Everyone is a
filmmaker, from the passer-by extra to the boy who held the cable for a
couple of seconds. Why, even the Indian who sold you the computer is a
filmmaker. No rebel is without a crew. No filmmaker is an island.
ADDENDUM:
11. Just do it, now.
With the
democratization of filmmaking, you can shoot your opus in any format:
video8, hi8, vhs, whatever. Your passion is your energy is your life is your
art. No more excuses, alibis, delaying tactics, cynicism. Just make your
film, now.
12. This is not the
time for short films in the Philippines.
Due to too many good
shorts collecting dust in forgotten shelves, & too many bad full-lengths
that shouldn’t have been made in the first place, I prescribe: For 1 year.
All full-length filmmakers make at least 12 shorts not exceeding 10 minutes.
And all short filmmakers make at least 3 full-lengths not less than 70
minutes.
Furthermore, I swear
as a filmmaker to be myself, whoever that self is, with personal taste &
all. I am forever an artist. I swear to continue creating works, as I regard
the part as important as the whole. My supreme goal is to let my characters
& settings be. I swear to do so by all the means available & at no cost of
any good taste & any aesthetic considerations.
Thus I make my 12
BOWOWOWS OF IMPURITY.”
Kamias, Monday, May
7, 2001
On behalf of
DOGMAN2001,
Khavn Dela Cruz
Published in
Localvibe.com
|