a laborer talks

it's a weird thing, but i find these three-times-a-week shoots for the current film equally as tiring as the everyday shoots that happened in saigon.

ba't kaya. siguro kasi hindi lang ito ang focus ko. sa saigon kasi yun lang talaga ang buhay e. aside from occasional trips to saigon square, gimiks at bars, kfc dinners, and cartoon network.

tonight's agenda:
1. meet yasmien kurdi for the new video project
2. possible dinner with the direk and co-workers from the f0ll0wing rosa project.

i'm gravely doubting if i'd be able to attend to #2. there's a shoot again tomorrow and i'd rather rest early tonight to reserve my energy. last night was particularly exhausting because there were talents to block, apart from the continuity work. pano ba hatiin ang utak into six thousand portions, each portion functioning equally well? mina-master ko pa.

ako kasi si bantay. yun ang trabaho ko. magbantay ng lines ng artista. magbantay kung tama ba ang continuity ng lahat ng elemento sa camera frame. magbantay kung mauubusan na ba ng negatibo ang camera (one roll of film is equivalent to 400 feet or 4 minutes. when it runs out and the take is cut, kasalanan mo). at kung may extras, hindi lang basta bantay ang dapat gawin, dapat ding i-block kung san ba dadaan/papasok/lalabas ang mga yan sa background. apart from the fact na syempre dapat bantayan ang continuity ng mga timing ng galaw nila. bantay din ako sa edit log, kung nakaka-ilang film rolls na ba kami at kung anong opening/lens etc ng camera. at syempre, pag kelangan ng stopping/blocking marks ang artista, ako ang magpo-provide non (anong gagamitin, Ma'am Cinematographer? chalk? T-mark? masking tape? sandbag? laway ko?)

hay. paulit-ulit na lang akong nagbibigay ng job description ko. minsan parang tunog reklamo, pero hindi naman. mahal ko ang trabaho ko. fulfilling sya lalo na pag lahat ng bagay na yon nagagawa mo. when you survive a day at peace with yourself, knowing that you did your job. maybe not impeccably for your standards, but well enough to be more of an asset to the team than an arbitrary appendage. or worse, a liability.

being part of the work force, money is not only thing you earn. hindi rin lang experience. you earn your own integrity, as a worker who knows what s/he is doing and where his/her place is in the machinery. importante yun sa kin. na alam ko kung ano ang dapat kong gawin, at nagagawa ko nang tama. at syempre, enjoy akong gawin in the process.

so shoot na naman bukas. masarap gumimik kaso kelangang ireserba ang energy. pati na rin kadatungan. hehe.