Everybody has a camera. Or at least everybody wants a camera. Ranging from the most high-tech digital single-lens reflex (yes, that is what dSLR stands for) cameras to the simplest one-megapixel camera phone, these photo-taking gadgets are some of the most beloved devices of the new millennium.
Expensive as they are, cameras are all over the place. In an era when it is really true that a picture is worth a thousand words, cameras and video cameras have become truly indispensable.
It serves as an artistic outlet, a way to show an individual’s perspective of the world. With a single click of a shutter, it enables us to capture the beauty of the environment, and of the people around us.
With the push of a button, a moment in history is forever preserved — capturing the good, the bad, and the ugly personal experiences and events of society.
Whether it is for creating artistic shots or chronicling moments for posterity’s sake, cameras have become part of modern life.
Can you imagine the newspaper without actual photographs, using artists’ sketches instead? Or perhaps the nightly news without video, just the smiling anchorperson reading the day’s headlines? Without readily available cameras, there would be barely any videos at all.
The sheer number of pictures and videos posted on the Internet is a testament to the amour people hold for the art and science of photography and film.
As a young, amateur camera enthusiast says, “Taking pictures is relaxing, and then it becomes exciting when the time comes to see how my shots turned out.”
Vain shots, art shots, friend shots, family shots — for many folks, photography is not just a hobby, it is a habit, an addiction even.
It’s no surprise then that so many students are going into film courses, or taking classes in professional photography. These are the passionate young people who are turning their interest in film into their main creative outlet.
The art of filmmaking is becoming so popular among the youth, and that’s a good thing. Many of the prettiest and most creative pictures I’ve seen were taken by friends and fellow students.
Intensifying interest in the field of film has also been good for Philippine cinema on the whole. Video and photography enthusiasts are a more diverse and critical audience who both support and devise improvements for Pinoy works.
“The best thing about being a film student is the shooting and getting to watch a lot of movies,” said a sophomore film student at the University of the Philippines.
It can be said that the more film scholars we have and the more trained filmmakers become, the more Filipino movies can get better, and they really have improved (although I know fluff like Wapakman, Panday, and yet another Shake, Rattle, and Roll makes that statement hard to believe).
With so many talented young artists adding fuel to the fire of filmmaking — artists who will be the Lino Brockas and Eric de Castros of the future — it is only right that there be venues for them to showcase their skill and artistic vision. There are numerous competitions and festivals for young filmmakers and photographers.
Many of the nation’s largest schools not only offer courses that teach students how to handle the camera; they also support them by hosting film festivals and photography galleries.
The University of the Philippines’ two biggest film organizations, the UP Cinema Arts Society and UP Cineaste Studios, have several yearly programs that cater to the auteurs-in-training of the Philippines. The De La Salle University’s Green Media Group also has an annual film contest in March.
This January, one such competition is being hosted by the Ateneo de Manila University’s premier film organization, the Loyola Film Circle. Aiming to highlight the effective use of aesthetically pleasing films as media for social discourse, the Ateneo Video Open, now on its 11th year, is an annual, nationwide film competition open to collegiate-level filmmakers.
There are four categories: short narrative, music video, documentary, and experimental.
Screenings of entries will take place on the weekends of February and March. No venues have been announced yet. The competition will end in an awards night where cash prizes will be awarded to the winners of each category, judged by renowned persons in the fields of film and art.
Amateur, pro, or pro-in-training — it seems that the Filipino youth is taking a step above simply documenting our changing world (okay, maybe there are more pictures of the many parties, school activities, and bonding moments than of the changing world). It is doing so with fervor and a lot of creativity.
So, despite the outrageously high cost of cameras and photographic and video equipment, people still buy and buy and buy. There is such an affinity for film that many aspire to become professionals in that field.
The bottom line is that we love to take pictures. We love to express ourselves. We love to see the beauty in the world through a camera lens.
A photography buff once told me that people rarely notice beauty until it is seen through a camera lens. It is the reason she takes pictures. It’s the reason she’s passionate, not just about her SLR or the subjects in her pictures, but also about the marvels of the world.
It’s passion, and every person with a camera has it. I just wish that the artist’s eye would be as widespread, too!
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For those interested in joining the Ateneo Video Open, please visit the official website: http://ateneovideoopen11.multiply.com to view the rules, regulations and mechanics. Application forms are also available at the website. Deadline of entries is on Jan. 22.
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For inquiries, contact the AVO Team at ateneovideoopen11@yahoo.com and at ateneovideoopen11@gmail.com.