MANILA, Philippines?The recent Cinemalaya Film Fest revealed some surprising discoveries in the field of cinematography. Meet two promising cinematographers?Cinemalaya winner, Pao Orendain (?24K?), is 32, while Mackie Galvez (?Mangatyanan?) is 24.
It was a natural transition for Orendain, having been a photographer for many years. He shares: ?I apprenticed for Nap Jamir and took workshops at Mowelfund and in Prague.? For his part, Galvez was with the production team of Jerrold Tarog?s ?Confessional.? He recalled: ?When Jerrold needed a DP, he got me.?
Importance
Orendain stresses the importance of his job. He explains, ?Cinematography is one of the tools of the director. We have to execute his vision. Without us, you won?t see anything onscreen.?
During flashbacks in ?Mangatyanan,? Galvez teamed up with production designer Benjamin Padero to use water as inspiration for those scenes? ?reflective? look. He adds: ?I also toyed with flares and distortions,? which magnified Che Ramos? inner suffering as an incest victim.
Orendain is happy with his Balanghai trophy, though he wasn?t around to accept it at the awards ceremony. He enthuses, ?Cinemalaya is a good place for first-timers. My advantage was that I was able to do indies first before mainstream projects. The former is more liberating than working on studio films, which usually dictate and prioritize ?beauty? shots.? Galvez concurs, ?We?re done with gloss. Lighting a Cinemalaya film was a breath of fresh air.?
Tips
Any tips for aspiring cinematographers? Orendain was quick to answer: ?Be open, because there are a lot of new things to be learned from every shoot. Grow creatively and master your craft.?
Galvez wishes to work in commercials. ?Some people only want to keep doing feature films, but I?m not one of them. I want to do TV commercials, because that?s where you make money,? he jests.
Galvez and Orendain have one thing in common. ?We take our job seriously,? stresses Galvez. Orendain adds: ?I?ll continue doing cinematography even with students and non-paying filmmakers if the project is exciting!?
