Arts 10 Quarter III PDF

## ARTS - Quarter III ### Quarter III: Media-based Arts and Design in the Philippines #### Introduction The previous quarter provided an overview of the phenomenal capabilities and possibilities of the electronic or digital media available in today's technology-driven world. These have enabled am...

## ARTS - Quarter III ### Quarter III: Media-based Arts and Design in the Philippines #### Introduction The previous quarter provided an overview of the phenomenal capabilities and possibilities of the electronic or digital media available in today's technology-driven world. These have enabled amazingly innovative art forms to evolve far beyond traditional painting, sculpture, and architecture. As quickly as technology is able to develop new devices, gadgets, and techniques, modern artists and designers adopt them to enhance their creative expression. In this quarter, the modern techniques and trends in *photography*, *film*, *print media*, *digital media*, and *product and industrial design* will be explored. Most notably the talent, creativity, and quality workmanship of Filipino artists and designers in all these fields will be recognized and celebrated. Not only have these brought Philippine artistry to the world's attention; they have also opened up an entire range of opportunities for young Filipinos to develop and apply these talents and earn a living doing so. Technological advances continue to be a major driving force in the directions that each of these art forms has taken. Among the results have been exciting innovations in materials manipulation, coloring and embellishment techniques, and creation and production processes applied to all today’s media - whether physical and tangible, or virtual in cyber space. ### Photography as Communication Being a modern art form means that photography is now viewed as being more than just about the beautiful. It is also considered one of the most powerful means of communication. Next to the printed word, the photographic image is today's most important means of conveying information and ideas, expressing emotions, even championing causes. This power comes from two distinctive characteristics of photography: immediacy and detail. An image recorded by a camera has a sense of authenticity. Because the lens captures the image objectively, the resulting photograph is regarded as 'true to life' and 'of the moment.' At the same time, the camera takes in every detail of an image. Thus the photograph has a sense of completeness. For these reasons, photographs are vital tools in communication fields such as journalism, advertising, education, and even in courts of law. They have also been used to eloquently speak out against social and political issues. #### Noteworthy Philippine Photographers The Philippines has joined the rest of the world in applying the wonders of modern photography to every aspect of life - from personal to professional to national to global. And with our country's natural beauty, a number of local photographers have taken on the Philippines and our people as a major focus of their lenses. Among these are: * George Tapan * John K. Chua * Manny Librodo * Members of the Federation of Philippine Photographers Foundation (FPPF) ### Photography In its early stages during the late 19th century, photography was viewed as a purely technical process, that of recording visible images by light action on light-sensitive materials. In fact, its very name - from the Greek "photos" (meaning light) and "graphos" (meaning writing) - states this process literally. In comparison to the highly regarded arts of painting and sculpture, then, photography was not immediately considered an art. But it was not long before the artistry of 20th-century photographers elevated this "light writing" to an aesthetic form in its own right. #### The Photographer as Artist Focusing a camera at a subject and clicking the shutter is photography as process. Discerning a significant moment or a unique expression, framing it in the camera viewfinder with an eye for composition, and then clicking the shutter is photography as art. That discernment and that eye for composition are the factors that elevate a photographer from a mere recorder of images to an artist. In a pictorial shoot, the photographer may position lighting, modify the lens setting, or use filters to create an effect he or she has conceptualized beforehand. The tools and techniques may not be those of the traditional artist, but the aesthetic principles are the same. For today’s photographers, the process goes even further. They may take the exposed film into a dark room or subject the digital images to their photo editing software - and there manipulate the images with a myriad photo enhancement techniques and tools currently available. Whether left untouched from the instant the image was captured or was digitally or manually altered, the resulting photographs can be startlingly impactful. It becomes clear how the photographer has captured the elements of form, color, light and shadow, texture, and composition to create a true work of art. ### Film Another art form which has risen to tremendous heights within the last century is *film* or *cinema*. As its early name "motion pictures" declared, film brought yet another dimension into play - that of moving images. The possibilities of this medium created a new art form that was to become a powerful social and economic force, and a legacy of the 20th century to the world. ### John K. Chua John K. Chua is best known as an advertising and commercial photographer, with over 40 years of experience in this field and numerous local and international awards for his work. At the same time, he has applied his photo artistry to showcasing the beauty of the Philippines. ### George Tapan George Tapan is an award-winning travel photographer who has won two Pacific Asia Tourism Association (PATA) Gold awards, an ASEAN Tourism Association award, and first place in the 2011 National Geographic Photo Contest. His highly acclaimed work has been published in five travel photography books. ### Media-based Arts and Design in the Philippines #### A Technology-driven Art Cinema, just as all modern arts, has been greatly influenced by technology. In the case of cinema, however, it is an art form that came into being because of technological advances. The transition from still photography came in the late 1800s with "series photography" and the invention of *celluloid strip film*. This allowed successive still photos of a moving subject to be captured on a strip of film advancing through a single camera. This was the seed of the highly advanced film medium we enjoy today. The need to view these moving images led to the rise of the Kinetoscope, a peepshow cabinet with an eyehole through which these earliest “movies” could be viewed one person at a time. A motor inside the cabinet moved the film strip along in a loop, with an electric bulb providing illumination from beneath. In the meantime, European and American inventors were providing one technological advancement after another. The French developed the *cinematographe*, a hand-cranked camera, printer, and projector all in one that was lightweight enough to bring outside the studio. By 1901, the earliest motion pictures were rapidly progressing from one-scene, studio films to multiple-scene narratives filmed outdoors. Driven by these and many more advances, the art aspect of filmmaking was born. #### The Collaborative Art of Filmmaking Filmmaking, because of its technical complexity, involves entire teams of artists, writers, and production experts, supported by technicians taking charge of the cameras, lighting equipment, sets, props, costumes, and the like - all under the supervision of a film director. #### Film Genres The public response to motion pictures was immediate and enthusiastic. From makeshift nickelodeons (movie theaters charging a nickel for entrance) in 1904 to luxurious "dream palaces" for middle-class moviegoers by 1914, public showings of movies were a big hit. With World War I over and the establishment of Hollywood as the center of American filmmaking in 1915, the movie industry was on its way to becoming one of the biggest and most influential of the century. With financial success came the rush to release more and more films, in an ever-wider variety - leading to the many film genres we know today. First there were the silent films starring Charlie Chaplin, and the "slapstick comedy" films of Buster Keaton and later Laurel and Hardy. With sound still unavailable, these films relied on purely visual comedy that audiences found hilarious. Then, there emerged the gangster movie genre as well as horror and fantasy films that took advantage of the sound technology that was newly available at that time. Sound plus color then allowed for further development of animated feature films, as well as what became the major American genre of the 1930s - the *movie musical*. Here, the spectacle of theater productions was brought to the movie screen, incorporating singing, dancing, and elaborate production numbers enhanced by emerging film techniques. Further developments in cinematic and sound technology led to even more genres: war and disaster films, westerns or "cowboy movies," thrillers or suspense films, historical or biographical films, film epics, and film adaptations of literary classics. Similarly, the tremendous advances in computer technology in recent decades have fueled the rise of futuristic or science fiction films, as well as *special effects movies* featuring live actors, animated characters, or live actors and animated characters together. *Documentary films*, a nonfiction genre, were made using real-life footage as well as file materials, in many cases to present an issue. Finally, a special genre known as *art films* ("indie" or independent films) caters to a small group of viewers and critics, consciously concerned with the artistic merits of a motion picture. #### Film Directing It is the director, like the painter and sculptor in traditional art, who envisions the final effect of the film on its viewers, visually, mentally, and emotionally. While the painter and sculptor work with physical materials, the film director works with ideas, images, sounds, and other effects to create this unique piece of art. He or she conceptualizes the scenes, directs the acting, supervises the cinematography and finally the editing and sound dubbing in much the same way as a visual artist composes an artwork. Clearly, however, the director does not do all these alone. Through the years, the complexity of filmmaking gave rise to numerous allied arts that did not previously exist. **Acting** First and foremost, there was the art of acting for film. With live theater as the only form of acting at that time, film actors had to learn to express themselves without the exaggerated facial expressions and gestures used on stage. With the addition of sound in the 1930s, they then had to learn to deliver their lines naturally and believably. **Cinematography** Behind the scenes, there was cinematography or the art of film camera work. This captured the director’s vision of each scene through camera placement and movement, lighting, and other special techniques. **Editing** This was joined by film editing, the art of selecting the precise sections of film, then sequencing and joining them to achieve the director’s desired visual and emotional effect. Sound editing was also developed, as films began to include more ambitious effects beyond the dialogue and background music. **Production/Set Design** Underlying all these was the art of production and set design. This recreated in physical terms - through location, scenery, sets, lighting, costumes, and props - the mental image that the director had of how each scene should look, what period it should depict, and what atmosphere it should convey. This included creating worlds that did not exist as well as worlds that were long gone, designing each production component down to the very last detail. Again, all these allied arts were made possible through the advances of modern technology. From cumbersome machines that could barely be moved, today’s highly sophisticated cameras and accessories can handle even the most demanding camera work. From the era of silent films, today’s films incorporate a vast range of voice, music, and sound effects to suit an ever-widening array of film genres. From manual rendering, today’s animated films use the awesome capabilities of computers to amaze moviegoers of all ages. ### Philippine Filmmakers In the Philippine film scene, the American influence was evident in the pre-World War II and Liberation years with song-and-dance musicals, romantic dramas, and comedy films. Beginning with the turbulent 1970s, however, progressive Filipino directors emerged to make movies dealing with current social issues and examining the Filipino character. Among them were: * Lino Brocka (Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, 1974; Maynila, Sa Mga Kuko ng Liwanag, 1975) * Mike de Leon (Itim, 1976; Sister Stella L, 1984; Bayaning 3rd World, 1999) * Ishmael Bernal (Himala, 1982) * Peque Gallaga (Oro, Plata, Mata, 1983) Outstanding female directors have likewise made their mark in Philippine cinema. Among them are Laurice Guillen and Marilou Diaz Abaya. ### Maryo J. delos Reyes Crossing over easily between projects for television and for the big screen is veteran film director Maryo J. delos Reyes. The heartwarming drama film *Magnifico* won for him the Best Director distinction at the 2003 FAMAS Awards and garnered other local and international film awards as well. Delos Reyes continues to be active in both film and television media, having become known for well-loved teleseryes (television drama series). ### Brillante Mendoza Another Filipino film director who has brought the country to the cinema world's attention is Brillante Mendoza. Mendoza was originally a production designer for films, commercials, and music videos, and started directing films in 2005. In just four years, his film *Kinatay (The Execution of P)* won him the Best Director award at the highly prestigious Cannes Film Festival of 2009. ### Laurice Guillen Laurice Guillen’s *Salome* (1981) earned international acclaim at the Toronto International Film Festival. Her more recent films, such as *Tanging Yaman* (2001), which won Best Picture in the Metro Manila Film Festival, *American Adobo* (2002), *Santa Santita* (2004), and *Sa 'Yo Lamang* (2010), all gained her recognition among the current generation of Filipino moviegoers. ### Marilou Diaz Abaya Marilou Diaz Abaya captured the attention and respect of the viewing public with powerful films such as *Jose Rizal* (1998), perfectly timed for the centennial celebration of Philippine independence; *Muro-ami* (1999), which bravely exposed the deadly practice of using child-divers to pound for fish in the Philippines' coral reefs; and *Bagong Buwan* (2001), which dealt with the human cost of the Muslim-Christian conflict in Mindanao. ### Animation In recent decades, a whole new career opportunity has emerged for creative Filipinos in the field of animation. In fact, Filipino animators have been involved in the creation of some of the best-loved and technically challenging - animated feature films produced in the last few years. Among these are *Toy Story*, *Up*, *The Incredibles*, *Monsters University*, *Cars*, *Finding Nemo*, *Planes*, *Brave*, *Shrek*, *Kung Fu Panda*, and more. Such recognition of Philippine talent abroad has spurred the development of the local animation industry as well. #### Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. The Animation Council of the Philippines Inc. (ACPI) is a nonstock, nonprofit organization that aims to create an identity for the Philippines within the animation industry, making it one of the preferred sources for animation services worldwide. The organization works hand in hand with participating colleges and universities, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and other government agencies, and local government units to develop animation as a promising career option for Filipinos. In 2013, TESDA and ACPI began offering 2D and 3D Animation Scholarships to interested high school graduates, between the ages of 18 and 45. The showpiece of the ACPI is *Animahensayon*, an annual festival and competition featuring the works of Filipino animators. Apart from this major project, the ACPI grants the annual "Outstanding Emerging Artist in Animation Award" for outstanding young and fast-rising cartoonists and animators in the country. It also confers the Animahenasyon’s "Lifetime Achievement Award" on notable animators and other contributors to the Philippine animation industry. #### Philippine Animation Studio Inc. The Philippine Animation Studio Inc. (PASI) was established in 1991 and has since collaborated on numerous animation projects and series with foreign partners. Among these have been *Captain Flamingo*, *Producing Parker*, *Groove High*, and *Space Heroes Universe*. For this last cartoon, PASI was tapped by a children’s entertainment company based in Sydney, Australia and went on to win the Best Animation Category in the 2012 Pixel Awards. ### Digital Media All the artistic skills and techniques that go into producing books like those just presented, of course have their counterpart in the ever-growing world of *digital media*. This means that books that were originally available only in print are being gradually converted to digital format, while new books are now conceptualized, written, designed, and illustrated precisely for these online media. This also means that the manner by which today’s readers can find, access, and enjoy these electronic books (or "ebooks") is via digital media tablets, ebook readers, and other handheld reading devices. One such device that is available locally is the ebook reader called Kobo, which features international as well as Philippine titles. Likewise gaining in popularity are social media-based publishing sites, like Wattpad, that serve as communities for millions of budding writers to share their original stories online. This phenomenon, along with the rise of electronic distribution platforms, such as Flipreads, which provide access to the works of Filipino authors and publishers, is also opening up exciting new opportunities for young artists to do the digital design and illustrations for all these upcoming titles. #### What to Know 1. In the book publishing industry in the Philippines, how has the profession of book design evolved? 2. What trends or styles do you notice in the examples of book design presented? 3. What is the digital counterpart of print media now available to authors and publishers? Briefly explain this. 4. Describe how this affects the publishing and printing industry. #### What to Process ##### Book Illustration Group Project: "Creating a Story Book" 1. The group members will decide upon a subject matter and characters for a simple 10-page storybook that they will create. 2. The members will volunteer to take on different aspects of producing the book: * conceptualizing and writing the storyline * encoding the text of the story into a word processing or book layout program * rendering the artwork for the book cover using an illustration software 4. Why or why not? Would you consider animation as a possible career option in the future? #### What to Perform ##### Preparing for the Quarter III "Exhibit on Media-based Arts and Design" Note: This is to be done simultaneously with the artworks from the projects for advertising, comics illustration, and book design and illustration. Prepare your artworks for the culminating exhibit at the end of the quarter. All the finished artworks should be labeled with original titles, your group members' names, the date, and the technique used. ### Print Media Alongside the digital media forms discussed above, there remains the more conventional form known as *print media*. Included here are large-scale publications such as newspapers, magazines, journals, books of all kinds, as well as smaller-scale posters, brochures, flyers, menus, and the like. Of course, all of these now have their digital counterparts that may be accessed and read on the Internet. However, there continues to be a demand and a purpose for the actual printed forms of these materials. And whether printed on paper or viewed on the web, these materials once again involve and showcase Filipino artistry. ### Advertising One major field that still relies heavily on print media is advertising. Despite the soaring popularity and seemingly limitless possibilities of online advertising and social media, Philippine artists are still called upon to create advertisements that will be physically printed. These appear in newspapers, magazines, posters, brochures, and flyers - each with their specific target readerships and markets, and highly specialized approaches for reaching these target groups. ### Kenneth Cobonpue Cebu-based Kenneth Cobonpue is a multi-awarded designer and the creative director of Hive, a design and manufacturing facility for designers of interior accessories and lighting. Cobonpue’s fresh and exciting concepts and excellent craftsmanship have earned him the acclaim and the patronage of discerning clientele the world over - including prominent Hollywood celebrities. ### Rajo Laurel Probably best known to the general public as a judge on the television series *Project Runway Philippines*, Rajo Laurel is a much-admired Filipino fashion designer with a number of national and inter ### Monique Lhuillier Also hailing from Cebu City, Filipina fashion designer Monique Lhuillier first rose to prominence for her exquisite wedding gowns. But she has since become one of the darlings of the Hollywood celebrity set, with several A-list stars having worn her couture creations to gala events and award shows, as well as to their own weddings. Lhuillier studied at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, and now has her own retail boutiques in that city and in New York. Her collections include *bridal and bridesmaids dresses*, *ready-to-wear*, *evening gowns*, *linens*, *tableware*, *stationery*, and *home fragrances*. ### Josie Natori Another name that has a prestigious place in the New York fashion industry is that of Josie Natori. Born Josephina Almeda Cruz in Manila, this Filipino-American fashion designer began her career as an investment banker before she made the dramatic shift to creating her own lines of *lingerie*, *resort and lounge wear*, as well as *semiformal and casual attire*. ### Lulu Tan Gan Known for her fashionable knitwear lines since 1985, Lulu Tan-Gan had been dubbed “The Queen of Knitwear” in the country. That specialty has since evolved into a new hand-woven line, called *Indigenous Couture*, that blends Philippine artisan crafts, fabrics, fibers, and other local materials with Tan-Gan’s signature contemporary lifestyle dressing. The designer's vision is to encourage the use of stylized indigenous and traditional wear, as she draws inspiration from the rich textile and embroidery traditions of the Philippines and interprets these in modern styles and silhouettes. Further, each Tan-Gan creation is 95 percent hand-made - hand-loomed (knitted and woven) by Philippine artisans. ### Innovation in Product and Industrial Design Yet another breakthrough arena for Filipino imagination, ingenuity, and innovativeness in recent decades has been that of design. Specifically, this encompasses *product and industrial design* as applied to furniture, lighting, and interior accessories, as well as *fashion* from haute couture to bridal ensembles to casual wear. As a result, a number of Filipino designers have risen to superstardom both locally and internationally. ### Dita Sandico-Ong Another Philippine designer who has been advocating the use of local weaving techniques and natural fibers is Dita Sandico-Ong. Known as the “Wrap Artiste” of the Philippines for her famous bold-colored wraps, Sandico-Ong first experimented with the local weave of Ilocos Sur, known as *inabel*, as well as pineapple fibers blended with Irish linen, dubbed *piñalino*. From there, she tried other local fibers, particularly abaca which she was introduced to by weaver and entrepreneur Virgilio Apanti. Sandico-Ong has since been working with a multipurpose cooperative in Catanduanes, training them in natural dye extraction and advanced weaving techniques for abaca. Today, her collection includes wraps or *panuelos*, as well as boleros, jackets, and long tunics of banana fiber and abaca. Her designs are presented in fashion shows around the world and are sold in *high-end shops* in major international cities. ### Urduja Among the other exciting milestones in the fast-emerging Philippine animation industry was the creation in 2008 of *Urduja*, an animated film adaptation of the legend of the warrior princess of Pangasinan. Produced by APT Entertainment, Seventoon, and Imaginary Friends, Urduja is recognized as the *first fully animated Filipino film*, created by an all-Filipino group of animators using the traditional (hand-drawn) animation process with some 3D effects. The characters were voiced by an all-star cast of actors from Philippine cinema and television, with the screenplay written in Filipino. ### Dayo: Sa Mundo ng Elementalia Also released in 2008 was *Dayo: Sa Mundo ng Elementalia*, said to be the country’s *first all-digital full-length animated feature film*. Produced by Cutting Edge Productions, the film presents Philippine mythical creatures as heartwarming characters in a young boy’s adventure. The production involved over 500 local animators and featured a "tra-digital animation" technique. Its characters were rendered in 2D animation, while the backdrops were created using 3D animation. Dayo was also the first-ever animated movie to be screened during the Metro Manila Film Festival, as it was entered in the 34th MMFF in December 2008. ### RPG Metanoia Another breakthrough was the *first Filipino full 3D-animated film*, *RPG Metanoia*, co-produced by Ambient Media, Thaumatrope Animation, and Star Cinema in 2010.