Secrets to creativity

Dominic Cu Unjieng Bekaert is a Filipino-Belgian audiovisual director and film preservationist who lives and works in Manila. He was previously based in Paris, France, where he studied film production at ESEC (Ecole Supérieure d’études Cinématographiques) and graduated with a master’s degree in Film Preservation at the French National Institute for Audiovisual (INA). While living in France, he directed several short films, ads and music videos.

When asked what got him interested in being an audiovisual director and film preservationist, he replied, “I was moved a lot as a young child from Manila to London and then Paris in a very short span of time. My friends would change every time but my VHS tapes would follow me everywhere and I became very connected with those visual worlds.”

He moved back to Manila in 2016 to head the National Film Archives of the Philippines, where he spearheaded the preservation and restoration of titles such as Insiang by Lino Brocka, Noli Me Tangere by Gerry De Leon and Batang Westside by Lav Diaz, among many others.

In 2019, he founded his own production company, Zoopraxi Studio, with his partner, Clementine Comoy. Through Zoopraxi Studio they conceptualized, produced, directed, shot and edited multiple, award-winning music videos (for talents such as FKJ featuring Carlos Santana, James Reid, Nadine Lustre, KZ Tandingan, Zack Tabudlo, Inigo Pascual, Claudia Barretto, Curtismith, Leila Alcasid, Miguel Odron, among others) ads (for companies like Bench, SM Woman, Frontrow, Rustan’s, and Ballet Philippines, among others) and an internationally acclaimed, 33-minute visual album for Nadine Lustre; as well as Dominic’s latest short film, Mabini (2021) shot entirely in Tagalog.

Ten years from now, he sees himself directing projects in the Philippines and doing his best to push the form into new areas.?His dreams for Philippine cinema? “That it may continue to grow, nurture its own talent, regain international recognition and keep on defining its own voice.”

Dominic shares with us 10 things that fuel his creativity.

1. Curiosity. It fuels a huge part of my creative process. Always being on the lookout for what’s happening around you, discovering new things and staying in touch with technical advancements in the field.

2. Open mind. Keeping an open mind and not judging when discovering new things allow me to access new ideas. Try to see them without prejudice.

3. Originality. I try to escape the notion of pegs and references to try and bring something new to the game. It helps me stay out of the comfort zone as I try to reinvent myself.

4. Digesting. All artists are inspired by what came before. I try to make sure I digest what I’ve absorbed in order to make it mine and try to bring it to a new place.

5. Mixing. My creativity is fueled by mixing things that shouldn’t go together to try and make something new. Bringing techniques from other art forms into my own is one way of doing it.

6. Surpassing yourself. I always thrive to surpass what I’ve already done and not rest on any laurels.

7. Divine accidents. I like to plan everything ahead of time but do my best to leave space for divine accidents. Things that weren’t planned but are better than the original idea.

8. Refining your voice. It’s good to refine what’s uniquely you in the treatment of your work. Create a personal style that can be instantly recognized by others instead of trying to do what you think people expect.

9. Adaptability. Things will never go as planned, so you have to learn to adapt in order to preserve your creativity. Be like water and find the simplest way to reach your concept.

10. Production value. Always strive to create the best quality out of every project you get.

Dominic at work.

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