Portraits of a Filmmaker

Editing a Film is Difficult…

That’s Why I’m Writing a Blog Instead.

Allo, Hi, Mabuhay!

If you’re reading this then I’d like to first and foremost say thank you for your time, I’ll try my best not to waste it. I’m starting this newsletter/blog/thingy-majig because the one question I get asked most by people I’m catching up with is: 

“How’s the movie coming along?” 

And I can only ever reply with a coy,

“Slowly, but surely,” type of line. 

This space will serve (mostly) as a platform to give closer to real time and more in depth updates on the status of my film, Portraits of a Family, as well as some photography work and recommendations sprinkled in. 

So I hope you don’t mind seeing my name in your inbox every few weeks!

FILM UPDATE

I’ve heard somewhere before that the last 10% is always the most difficult to complete. I think I mostly agree with that as I’m in the last 10% (or 20%) of the fine cut stage.

Basically what fine cut means, for anyone who doesn’t know, is exactly what it sounds like. It’s when you already have roughly what you want edited down and you need to make the finer, more precise cuts to make sure that everything is finessed and feels right, down to the last frame. 

Now I don’t want to be making many excuses, but as a family man with a day job as a video editor, it’s not exactly the easiest season of life to find time to finish. But I think I’m doing this writing thing as a way to keep myself accountable as well. Not only to me, but to the countless people who have spent so much time, money and effort working on this huge passion project of mine. 

I almost made this image my background on my phone to remind me of the people counting on me to make this movie the best it could be. But it made me feel too much pressure… so I nixed that idea. Point is, I have a whole village cheering me to the finish line and it feels so humbling to know that. Just gotta put my head down and keep going.

WATCH, LISTEN, READ

WATCH:

Now that the Oscars are finally wrapped up. I feel like I have permission to get a little bit more eccentric with my watching habits. But with that being said, I’ll recommend a 2023 film that I absolutely loved and don’t think got enough attention (at the Oscars or otherwise). Fallen Leaves by Aki Kaurismaki.

It’s basically a deadpan romance between two working class folks in modern day Helsinki. Although the film, it’s production design, music and wardrobe feel like it could be straight out many different eras (70s, 80s or even 90s lol). It’s a rather quiet, reserved and small film, but the vibes (as the kids say) are immaculate. I’ll need to dig more into Kaurismaki’s filmography after loving this one so much!

LISTEN:

Song - May Ninth by Khruangbin. I just want this song on a loop all spring long. Although I’m sure it feels good in any season.

Album - Blue Lips by Schoolboy Q. While some artists in the same genre are aging like Peter Pan, I feel like Schoolboy delivered a mature and experimental album that still has the all out bangers people have grown to love and expect from him.

READ:

I picked up the book Annie Leibovitz at Work at one of my local libraries and it’s phenomenal. It reads like the photography version of Forest Gump in the sense that it’s just a roadmap through the history of all things from rock and roll (she photographed John Lennon the day before he was killed), to celebrity culture through the eyes and words of one of the most famous living photographers.