1. At 45, having discovered the joy of screenwriting, and embarking on my eight career for the first time in filmmaking, I can't afford to tell other writers' stories. Right now, I have too many stories in my head, but not enough time and resources to tell them all on the screen.
I find screenwriting (the process of giving birth to characters, breathing life in them and their world, putting dialogues in their mouths while expressing a full spectrum of emotions and creating situations and conflicts in their lives in order to produce compelling drama, suspense, comedy, etc.) to be the most creative aspect of filmmaking, followed by directing and editing. It's the closest thing to experiencing God's Act of Creation, albeit in virtual reality, which I find immensely gratifying.
2. Realistically, I probably have to produce my own films because they're not commercial enough by Hollywood standard-- which means, I have to bring my production costs down to keep my company viable and concentrate on good story lines and performances in order to come up with the best independent feature or short film possible.
3. I enjoy a variety of films, shot in different styles by a wide array of film directors worldwide because of my eclectic nature brought about by the Filipino, Spanish, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, and American imprints in my genes and upbringing, including the Tagalog-Manila, Pampango, Zambal, and Ilocano regional influences of my growing pains, which I'm sure will be reflected in the story, structure, substance, and style of my films.
For instance, my first feature which I hope to shoot in the Spring or 1999 has an unconventional mix of classical, minimalist, and anti-structure design, a genre combination of a love story & friendships, redemptive and educational plot, domestic and psycho drama with a religious backdrop and a lot of flashbacks, but will be shot and edited in the American classic style of the 1940's. My goal is to find a middle ground between the Hollywood and foreign art film in style and structure, and between East and West in substance.
4. For me, all knowledge passes through, from our senses to the mind, and ultimately to the spirit in all of us. My job as a filmmaker is to put together images in a coherent whole or story, whether it's linear or non-linear, that will awaken in my viewers their abillty to feel, think, and transcend what they're experiencing. Sex, reason, and religion (or lack of it) are intertwined in the sense that they're instinctive to man's self-preservation, and the driving forces which make our lives bearable, problematic, and always interesting. Every film of mine will certainly explore all of these areas as a whole because they elicit strong reactions from all walks of life, when their ideals or foundations are challenged, threatened, or violated.
For example, in my first feature and thesis film, the story is about the love and friendship of four people: eros and agape between husband & wife among 2 men, and 2 women which lead to adultery, divorce, and betrayal, brought about by one of the protagonists' repressed memory of childhood sexual abuse (SEX;) while the premise of the film is based on Aristotle's Philosophy of Friendship in his Nicomachean Ethics (REASON;) and the theme of forgiveness and unconditional love is deduced from the set-up subplot of "The Second Coming Of Christ" film shoot within the film (RELIGION.)
(To be Continued...)
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