I had my first directing workshop last January 26 and 27, 2008, at the Co-AVR, with the resource speaker Mr. Guiterrez Mangansakan II, a Davao-based film director. The workshop was attended by BSIT and Masscom students taking Video production subjects, CS faculty, and special guests, Mr. Sheron Dayoc and Mr. Al Jacinto. During the two-day workshop, we had fruitful discussions on what and how a film is done and lessons on directing.

Before, film-making is a very expensive job. But today, with the variety of technology that we have, it is possible to make film with any medium. A film basically starts with an idea. Some starts with a question "what if?", and some may have an experience that may lead to an idea. With this idea, we start to make a story and soon, the plot. The script is written by a screenwriter or scriptwriter (some directors are witers at the same time). With the script, the director's job is to put into look the gaze of the story. He has a vision on what the film will look like, and it is his job to tell the story through directing.

Like cells to an organism, film is composed of shots. There are various types of shots. Close-up shots (CU) and Extreme Close-up shots (XCU) are used to focus on the emotions of a character. There are also midi shots that are different with medium shots. Midi is a shot of a character from knees to the space above head (like ones in weather reports), while medium is a shot from waist to head. Long and Extreme long shots are used to establish the setting and mood of the scene. Camera movements are also important, like panning, zooming, tiliting, and some use contraptions like cranes and dolly.

Today, many innovations are used by filmmakers to explore different techniques and styles. As long as they are creative, they could use different combination as possible. But one important point in directing is discipline. As a director, one should be disciplined enough to know the limitations of films.

Anyways, that's just some information that i learned about film language. We also learned to compose a shot. We did a little activity wherein we were asked to draw a shot in a paper. He requested some students to explain their shots and gave feedback and reactions. During the next activity, we grouped ourselves and tried to make a story out of our shots. Different groups had interesting scenes and plots. Some had tragic endings, some had funny scenes. Everyone was very creative.

We also watched some films which are relevant in our discussions. The film Isaak by Nick Deocampo is an interesting short film that started with a painting. The director told a story of a boy who wants to be loved by his father but does not get it. The story is basically an interpretation of the director's past. We also discussed about the film industry in the Philippines. They say it is very commercialized and is now dying, but I don't think so. It is, rather, evolving. Indie films are now very popular and it has been bringing honor in the country, as well as documentaries.

Mr. Sheron Dayoc, a product of Ateneo de Zamboanga, is now a director of films. He was with us during the workshop and we also saw his short film about the Yakans titled Angan-Angan (Dream). Truly, the film industry has been reaching its way to Mindanao. Our speaker, Mr. Gutierrez Mangansakan II, has the advocacy of making Mindanao a breeding ground for directors, who will soon bring the talents, stories, and beauty of Mindanao to the world.

Photos are now available at gallery.adzu.ph

With the fast development of technology, information is now accesible almost all ways possible. From radio, print and television, information technology has now gone to a new level. Gathering information could now accessed through the computers especially through the internet. Along with the progress, teaching has also developed using computer technology. The Computer-Aided Instruction or CAI is designed to create modules and make tutorials through multimedia. Examples of CAI's are tutorials, simulations, and interactive cd's.

According to Davis, (et al, licensee BioMed Central Ltd.) computer based teaching sessions have advantages over lectures: they are more flexible for doctors to fit into their work and learning programme; there is the ability to pause or revisit areas of the session; they have more learner led interaction; hyperlinks and additional materials can be provided instantly for the learner; they address the issue of standardizing the quality of teaching materials across a region; and they deal with the cost and logistical difficulties of specialist lecturers teaching large numbers of students in different locations. Existing studies of knowledge and attitudinal gain by computer based teaching have mainly been at undergraduate level. According to their study, they feel computer based teaching and learning is as effective as typical lecture based teaching sessions for educating postgraduates in EBM and systematic reviews.

CAI also allow teachers to provide computer technology for instructional
support and workplace simulation. They use computer assisted instruction as a supplement to, not a replacement for, traditional teacher-directed instruction. Through the use of computer and word processing software, they are able to foster the development of writing skills of the students. It also provide high-interest drill and practice programs to support learning, especially
for students requiring skill remediation. Teachers could also provide computer-assisted instructional activities for chronically misbehaving students and students with negative attitude toward traditional learning.

The AICG, with the help of ITMM instructors, Romeo Rabajante and Ryann Elumba, conducted the first Blogging seminar in Ateneo de Zamboanga University. The seminar, titled BLOGGING 101, was participated by ITMM105 and ITMM211 students, with Mr Elumba as the resource speaker. He discussed the basics of Blogging and on how to make it a profession. Blogging does not only give you the ability to share your thoughts, views, experiences, opinions, knowledge and resources, it also gives you the opportunity to gain revenue from posting interesting articles, videos and images. During the seminar, the students learned how to create and manipulate blogs, post articles, and tips on how to maintain it.

For more information, visit seedinteractive.blogspot.com.

It has been an odd season for me, i think. There have been lots of things that has greatly changed and it has been bothering me lately. My December was just weird. During the Atfest, i had lots of fun, but i had more headaches and burdens. I was not focused in my studies and i screwed up in some of my subjects, i can’t even remember the last lessons i had before the break. I really hope i can put my head back to it. Christmas celebrations were also fun. I had three, actually. The first one was the CSIT Christmas/Victory party. Next was the Zabala family reunion, and last, the Safety/Unique Thanksgiving party. I enjoyed all parties but still, something’s missing, or lacking, i suppose. I am really disappointed with myself because I didn’t join the year-end training of our church. I’m really a procrastinator. Well i have my reasons too why i didn’t showed up, but because of this my sibling didn’t also joined the event. All the burden was just on me. It doesn’t mean that i don’t want to have time with Him, it’s just that i have to deal with my relations to the people there.

Anyways, i think my Christmas was just bitin. I haven’t spent my time with my friends and family fully and i was so lazy. There were also deviations in this year’s New Year celebration. There were no games, it means no money and prizes.hehe i think i was just being childish those times. There were less fireworks. Wala ba namang sparklers, ano ba yan. I only had one stick of roman candle and the others was enjoyed by our bunso and dad. Bitin talaga, hindi nga mausok and loob ng bahay. And that was just odd. I missed the aroma of burning gunpowder and the smokes in my room. but its ok, next year I’ll make sure that there will be tons of fireworks.haha. The time was just running fast. Upon arriving home, we prepared our homemade nicker bucker and the next thing i knew, the people were having the final countdown. Anyways the dessert was just delicious. Next year we should have more. I also enjoyed the whole night singing karaoke and dancing with my siblings and cousins. I rested after the fourth hour and woke up during lunch time. We went to La vista and enjoyed the beach. I enjoyed having time with my family.

They say that the way we start the year will tell how we will be throughout the year. For the first time in my life, I’ll be havin’ my new year’s resolution, and it will one single one word: FOCUS. This year I have to focus in my relationships, to my family, friends and most importantly to God. I have to focus in my studies over affiliations and do my best to have excellent grades. The past year, i was just not satisfied with my grades (tons of 85’s). I have to perform my best this year just to make sure that the Chinese people are wrong in saying that the people born in the year of the horse will be unlucky this year.haha I also include blogging in my list. I realized that blogging will help me in honing my skills in writing and it will be an instrument to express my views and opinions.

Before saying goodbye to oh seven, i like to thank everyone, people that i knew throughout my life and the ones that came lately. All of you are just great. You were very supportive and you believed in me, you know who you are. In case I had any shortcomings to you guys, I’m sorry. I would also like to forgive all people who made mistakes and leave all of these along with the year. Twenty o seven was just great. I hope Oh eight will be one too. I have so much to say but i don’t want to bore you guys. To cut it short, i want to bid goodbye to oh seven and hello oh eight. yeah!

15 things that I liked most about this year:

1. CSIT bagged over-all champion for Contests during the atfest
2. Atfest 07 Logo and Pictograms (made part of adzu history (at least))..
3. Rotaract District Conference at Ilo-ilo City (March 28-April 2)
4. Grafika Manila (August 9-12) it's actually my first time to go to Manila
5. Ossei Journalism Workshop at Baguio (September 12-16)
6. Summer Class! humanities + itmm211 = fun
7. Joined Synergy, 1st place at the Hola Zamboanga Cheerdance Competition
8. Ateneo Fiesta: amazing race, float, booth, food and rides...unforgettable
9. Airplanes!!! first time ulet...
10. Animation Lab: second home..hehe
11. Had Animo friends during the ASSP, choreographed modern dance
12. Marejada 07 and Beacon pressworks..
13. Skolars gatherings
14. AICG :D
15. ITMM subjects...learned a lot

December 19, 2006. Jeasa, Berms and all the globe zarapips. Guys! gus2 daw ni daniel mag-reunion. Tau daw bhla kung saan. Pwde sa golf, culianan, lavista, monteverde, o sa ebz (ebenezer). Saan man? Sa monteverde, malayo. Si quekay sawa na sa ebenezer. saan man? La Vista na lang. cge na, nah ngaun, kailan? pwede december 21, 22 or 23. Si jelan uwi dito sa 21. Gusto niya tlga tau makita guys. 21 n lang. Nah, si Al, wala pa dito sa 21, 23 pa daw siya uwi galing baguio. Si Eden may party pa pati mga ADZU pipol. Wait lang guys ha. … guys! final na to: la vista, 9:30 am december 23, dala kayo ng fud, dapt marami, pwede sa lahat. sino nde mgdala, nde kakain (courtesy of jeasa)..Guys! meri christmas. excited na tlga ako makita kau mga tao. Sama ka? ilist ko na sino mgsama. wow. marami-rami na pala tayo! yehey! gudnyt guys see you 2morow. December 23. (take note!) 10:00 am, cedz to cleden at la vista g8, nah, san na sila?, cledz: nah walang pinagbago mga tao. text mo n lng saan na sila. send to many: jeasa..guys! nde ako makakpunta, nde ako pinayagan ng parents ko. umiiyak na talaga ako dito! : ( … *lols*..nah, si farhana, nwalan ng celfone, wla na gana pumunta, tnwagan niya ako pit mom ko kinausap na xa {petay}..mga pumunta in order(not sure): cledz, cedz, davy, berms, f8, roma, arch, mimi, janu, marvs and tryx, tats, l8 comers: sai, eden and kuya kakay, nica, ajhay and flor.. wow, andami! usap-usap! tawanan, kwento about alumni na 4 lang ang pumunta sa batch namin. pictorials. laro ng UNO na si berms at mimi lang ang nanalo. kain ng pansit, lechon manok, cake, buttered chicken, bread, walang kanin..inom coke at sprite. naligo, naglaro ng 21 at umakyat agad. hehe.. dumating mga l8 comers..usap-usap about katangahan ni daniel courtesy of grande. pictorial ulet! kwenthan ulet, laro ulet. prepare to go home. sabay labas. nag-jip ang iba. nag-tricy mga taga-southcom.. haaaay. mga zarapips tlga..walang katulad!Ü

The Bee movie is a 3D-animated Film by DreamWorks Animation, directed by Simon J. Smith and voiced by famous artists Jerry Seignfeld and Renee Zellweger. The film introduced the character of a bee who just finished his days as a students and to be introduced in the world of Honey-making. As a bee, Barry B Benson and his colleagues has to make the decision of their life, to choose a job for eternity. When he heard about this, Barry was surprised and dismayed. He learned how to be a nectar collector and discovered the outside world. At the middle of their trip, Barry's life is saved by Vanessa, a florist in New York City. As their relationship blossoms, he discovers humans actually eat honey, and subsequently decides to sue the human race.

Movies, films and TV programs will never be successful without a certain group of people who plays specific roles to come up with one. They are the film crew or the "crew and cast" of a certain project. From the tiniest detail of the props, up to the most complicated scenes that were choreographed by the director, the team works together and dependently with one another. Here is a list of the people behind the cameras and their specific functions.

Production Unit is the team of the director, camera crew, lighting department, sound crew, electrician and everyone else who works on the shoot.

Director controls the action and dialogue in front of the camera. He translates the written word into visuals and dialogue.

Assistant Director (A.D.) is an assistant to the director, the first A.D. runs the set, plans the cost-efficient scheduling of locations and talent, schedules the days’ shooting and is responsible for carrying out the director’s instructions. The second A.D. signs actors in and out, handles paperwork relating to the number of hours worked, and is usually the person in charge of production assistants.

Production Assistant (P.A.) are the runners, ‘gophers’ on the set. The job can include holding back onlookers, getting coffee, answering phones in the production office, escorting actors to locations, acting as a stand-in while a short is worked out, or performing any other tasks required to make the production run more smoothly.

Art Director designs and constructs sets for the production designer.

Production Designer is responsible for sets, props and costumes. He/she works closely with the director to determine the overall ‘look’ of the film.

Production Manager (P.M.) makes the business deals, including hotel/housing, crew hiring, equipment rental and budget management. The P.M. works with the A.D. on scheduling and review production reports. The P.M. signs checks.

Producer brings a specific production together and chooses the screenplay, arranges financing, hires a director, helps in the casting process, and is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the shoot. He/she is involved with the editing and all post-production and may also consult on marketing and distribution.

Associate Producer is the top assistant to the producer, usually the intermediary between the Producer and the shooting crew.

Executive Producer arranges financing, but may not be directly involved with the day-to-day productions of the film. This is sometimes conferred upon a studio executive who works with several projects simultaneously.

Line Producer is responsible for keeping the film’s costs down. He/she approves expenses, including locations, actors, and crew.

Director of Photography (D.P.) is responsible for the “look” of the film; works with the lighting director to set-up shots and camera moves. The D.P. has the ultimate responsibility for ensuring that each scene is properly recorded on film (sometimes called the cinematographer.)

Camera Operator runs the camera during shooting. On low-budget films, the D.P. may also serve as the Operator.

Assistant Camera (A.C.) is responsible for the care and maintenance of the camera and all of its associated pieces and parts. The first A.C. works closely with the camera operator and the director of photography at the cameras, while the second A.C. loads the film and runs the slate.

Slate is a board (usually black and white) placed in front of the cameras at the beginning or end of each take of each scene, identifying the scene and take numbers.

Dolly Grip prepares the camera dolly and associated hardware, and operates the dolly during the shoot.

Video Assist operates a small video system called a video tap that records everything the camera is recording. This allows the director to see what the camera operator sees thus assuring that the shot looks the way it was planned to.

Casting Director is responsible for supplying actors for the film and works with the producer and director.

Editor cuts the film and splices it together. There is usually more than one editor on a large project.

Gaffer works with the D.P. and the lighting director to light the scene and handles the equipment.

Best Boy is the head electrician responsible for getting power to the set. He reports to the gaffer.

Electrician is a member of the electrical department and reports directly to the Best Boy.

Craft Services provides snacks, soft drinks, coffee, etc.

Mixer takes care of all sound levels in a studio, on location and in post-production. Head of the sound department.

Foley Artist is a sound effects artist who works on a special “Foley” stage where sound effects are recorded to match visuals such as doors closing, feet walking, and window breaking.

Special Effects can be either mechanical (breakaway chairs), or optical (in-camera effects like speeding up the film), computer graphics, or a combination.

Grip works with the lighting and camera departments. The backbone of the film shoot, grips are responsible for moving equipment and generally assisting the production team. The key grip is the head of the grip department.

Talent Agent represents actors, models and extras and tries to get them work on film, television, video or still-print projects.

Screenwriter writes a script, either from an original idea or from an existing book or story.

Script Supervisor keeps track of how many takes are made of each shot and scene, how long they ran and who was in them, and makes detailed notes about what took place, such as; was her hat on or off? Was the glass half full or empty? This is important so scenes can be recreated if they need to be re-shot (Also referred to as continuity)

Stand-in is a member of the production team who takes the place of the actor while the director, D.P. and camera operator set up the shot (usually a P.A.)

Stunt Coordinators stages the stunts and works with the stunt players. Responsible for the safety of all involved in the filming of a stunt.

Unit Manager/Unit Production Manager (U.P.M.) assists the production manager or the company’s business manager with the day-to-day financial operations of the shoot. Sometimes also functions as a location scout.

Location Manager scouts locations and negotiates use agreements with property owners. He/she works with the transportation captain to make sure there is enough parking at the location; works with local officials to coordinate shooting schedules, and is responsible for the condition of the locations after shooting is finished.

Location Scout searches for the perfect locations, both in terms of artistic and logistic considerations and often becomes the location manager once production has begun.

Transportation Captain makes sure everyone gets to the location. Responsible for all vehicle movement and parking. All drivers report to the transportation captain.

Not to be confused with the costume designer, the wardrobe department handles the costumes on the set. Usually there is one department for men and one for women.

For big movies, additional crew members are needed but for simple projects, only few people are need. Some may also take the role of the other and some can do multitasking to be able to save money and cost-cut their budget as possible. Movies, tv shows or whatever film they produce, without the help of a crew, the project would be harder to do and the time will only be wasted. The most essential thing here is that no matter what the role of a person is, great or small, in one way or the other, he or she became a great help in the success of the team.

references: http://afronord.tripod.com and http://www.britannica.com

Everyday, we incorporate multimedia in our life. From the music in our radios and iPods, clips from pirated cd's, interactive games in our 3G phones, up to the techno or scifi films that we watch in the cinemas. People always indulge in this technology to inform and entertain themselves.

Way back in mid-50's, a new form of entertainment was introduced. This is a technology that paved the way to videos. Led by Mr. Charles P. Ginsburg, the research team at Ampex Corporation developed the first practical videotape recorder (VTR) that captured live images from television cameras by converting the information into electrical impulses and saving the information onto magnetic tape. Ampex sold the first VTR for $50,000 in 1956. The first VCassetteR or VCR were sold by Sony in 1971.

Later on in the 70's, manufacturers of professional video broadcast equipment, such as Bosch (through their Fernseh division), RCA , and Ampex developed prototype digital videotape recorders in their research and development labs. Bosch's machine used a modified 1" Type B transport, and recorded an early form of CCIR 601 digital video. None of these machines from these manufacturers were ever marketed commercially, however.

Digital video was first introduced commercially in 1986 with the Sony D-1 format, which recorded an uncompressed standard definition component video signal in digital form instead of the high-band analog forms that had been commonplace until then. Due to the expense, D-1 was used primarily by large television networks. It would eventually be replaced by cheaper systems using compressed data, most notably Sony's Digital Betacam, still heavily used as a field recording format by professional television producers.

Consumer digital video first appeared in the form of QuickTime, Apple Computer's architecture for time-based and streaming data formats, which appeared in crude form around 1990. Initial consumer-level content creation tools were crude, requiring an analog video source to be digitized to a computer-readable format. While low-quality at first, consumer digital video increased rapidly in quality, first with the introduction of playback standards such as MPEG-1 and MPEG-2 (adopted for use in television transmission and DVD media), and then the introduction of the DV tape format allowing recording direct to digital data and simplifying the editing process, allowing non-linear editing systems to be deployed wholly on desktop computers.

today i remain silent here in this room.
the four corners seems to strangle me as my emotions stir

i remember you again, those days that i share with you
those hours that i cherish being with you, now just a memory
you stared just like a hawk in the sky and i’m your prey
your a predator that caught my heart in a split second…

i remember that day that i never take off my eyes on you
cause you make me feel happy though i’m tired of being me
tired of not knowing myself very well like you do
i’m not sure.. not so sure of who you are and who am i
these is just vague.

are these feelings deep or just infatuation?
because it doesn’t seem right to have you by my side
i guess i just don’t like being with you because of what other people might think
does it matter now? i guess no…

i kept this for a long long time. this feeling is just confusing
i saw your profile and started browsing every content.
good thing were not stable, because i just don’t want to be close to you
even though it’s hard to accept, that i might lose a friend

i can see that you have somebody now and i’m happy for you
You need not to remember me, just be free to be yourself
and ill be here always at your back to catch you when you stumble
whenever your peers starts to leave you…

and again, i’m here in this room. this room filled with emptiness
hoping that someday someone will care to knock the doors
because your just a room apart, and i hope you’ll remember me to.
only you can fill my emptiness…

-o-

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