Poetry in Sign Language

We are sked to shoot the remnant shots for Project Rizal tomorrow. I need a lot of shots for the introduction. The showing is nearing and we are running out time. My tasks are overlapping these days. Good that my editing work on Kingpin Asiongwas over! It is not that easy to work on Project Rizal. Sign language is totally different from the spoken language, and what I am trying to do has made me realize that direct interpreting is completely different from expressive interpretations in signs. The nature of sign language has dictated it to be so. As such, I can already see a big difference in the usual film presentations using only spoken languages. Sign language poetry has taught me new ways of presenting what would normally be just an ordinary piece of work. I feel challenged. But I am confident that I can do what I envisioned to do, and on time.

Today, I have fixed and coordinated with a lot of people involved in the project — with Vim and Therese, our consultants; with Rem re the shoot tomorrow; with Janus re the script; with George re the voice over; with Fiona re edit  with them next week on FCP;  with Myra re music for the live performance of Ultimo Adios; with Febe and Raphy re the need for Deaf students for the intro segment; with Rex re the Ultimo cure or reshoot; with Dok Apo re Sa Filipinas; with Yuka re the chroma edit; with Arlene re project update… including research work for Rizal images on the internet, places where there could be Rizal streets and monuments, preparation of the facsimile of Noli and Fili from my brother’s library, etc. etc. Above all, I have finished editing the FSL and English version of The Philippine Youth sans captions.

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Group Pic with Vim Nadera and Manay Belen

Conversion of the Last Farewell [Rex Flores] from .mov to .avi is taking a lot of time. While waiting, I thought of just checking out the gallery of photos taken during our shoot. Below is our photo taken with Prof. Vim Nadera and Dr. Belen Calingacion, Chair of the UP Dept. of Speech Communication and Theater Arts. Both are friends from the UP College of Arts and Letters. I have asked Vim to read Huling Pahimakas [Andres Bonifacio version], and Belen to read To the Flowers of Heidelberg [Nick Joaquin version]. I have just finished reviewing the Spanish versions read by the professors from the UP Dept. of European Languages.

Kingpin Asiong_Last Three Shooting Days

Yesterday, I got the footage of the six sequences shot in Muntinlupa Bilibid Jail. I reached Scenema Concept at 4 p.m. but I managed to start only at 8 p.m. Yuka had the hard drive so I had to wait. The footage had to be transferred too for security reasons — we needed a backup copy of said footage. I finished editing them before 4 a.m. Waited for the sun to rise to catch LRT 2. Today, they are scheduled to shoot more scenes in Bagac, Bataan. I haven’t slept properly up to this minute [9.13 a.m.] because of coordination work re meet with Deaf consultants and production staff of Project Rizal for [this time mine] re the last two shooting days of the Project. Writer Apolonio “Dok” Chua of the UP KAL – Filipino Dept. has agreed to read Sa Filipinas on September 30. I am still looking for two more readers of Rizal’s poems in Spanish. As I aim with CSB-SDEAS to launch the film in November…  I am aiming at finishing Kingpin Asiong next week before I leave for the Visayas for the scheduled showings of my docu on autism in Tacloban City and Ormoc City. ASP informed me of Laguna’s interest to show it there in October as well.

Work with Fun it Was! The Shooting of Rizal’s Poems with UP KAL Professors

Last Friday, September 2, from 9 a.m. to 8 pm, we worked with fun. UP KAL Professors: Marot [Maria Crisanta Nelmida] Flores , Jannette Pinzon, Roselle Pineda, Vim [Victor Emmanuel], Belen Calingacion, and of course, the same team members of Project Rizal: Dennis Balan [Deaf], Rem Vocalan, Cathy Genovia, Nelson Demetillo, Aldrin Gabriel [Deaf], Rex Flores, and Jojo Sia, my side kick quite enjoyed the day. Even the weather cooperated because there were only drizzling rain unlike the heavy rain downfall last Thursday. Syempre, ang gagaling nila! I came to know them all through my friend Belen Calingancion two or three years ago except Marot whom I met only this year. I actually met Belen more than a decade ago at the UP Film Center where I used to work before going ‘indie’. We made a home video together about the Sillimanians for their Founder’s Day about three years ago when we went to Dumaguete City on the way to Siquijor Island. We did ambush interviews then. Silliman President was interviewed as well as Jerry [wast it?] Dadap [one of the Dadap musicians for sure] who was there for a concert at the Luce Auditorium, the same place where my film on  autism, Alyana was shown to more or less 700 nursing students.  [Belen, a Sillimanian is shown with us at the photo below. She is by the way, the Chair of the UP Speech Communication and Theater Arts Dept.]

Rizal’s A FILIPINAS is the only remaining poem that I am going to shoot for the Filipino-English version. Dok Apolonio Chua has already agreed to read the poem. It is my replacement to the poem SA AKING KABATA. All four others are done: HULING PAHIMAKAS [Salin ni Andres Bonifacio], MY LAST FAREWELL [Encarnacion Alzona and Abeto] read in two versions by Vim Nadera, FLOWERS OF HEIDELBERG [Nick Joaquin] read by  Belen Calingacion, SA BULAKLAK NG HEIDELBERG [Virgilio Almario] read by Marot Flores; A LA JUVENTUD FILIPINA [Nick Joaquin], SA KABATAANG FILIPINO [Virgilio Almario] read in both versions by Roselle Pineda, and SONG OF MARIA CLARA [Nick Joaquin] and AWIT NI MARIA CLARA [Guillermo Tolentino] read in two versions by Jannette Pinzon. They will be placed side by side with the Filipino Sign Language version when finalized. A third language will be captioned for the benefit of other readers or viewers.

Will try to find time to post more photos during the session

ASP Confirms Alyana_Autism Film September Show in Tacloban and Ormoc Cities

Autism Society of the Philippines confirmed the showings of my docu, Alyana—A Study of Autism Philippines in Tacloban and Ormoc cities in the Visayas. They are scheduled after the talk of ASP Chair Emeritus Dang Koe on September 17 and 18 respectively. My schedule is super hectic this September because of shooting for Project Rizal, that of translating some of Rizal’s poems — in Filipino Sign Language, English, Filipino and Spanish, and my involvement in the big production of Tikoy Aguiluz’s films: Kingpin Asiong and El Presidente as editor and member of creative writing team respectively.

Anyway, I have accepted the chance to go there because I have not been to Ormoc City. And also for a break — or a change! Because after my shoot this Friday, I will be doing Asiong again on Monday [or earlier on Sunday], then will take another break to shoot for the English version of my Project involving Kaibigan, Inc. — Belen Calingacion, Vim Nadera, Janet Pinzon and Roselle Pineda, all from UP College of Arts and Letters, tentatively set on September 2 next week.

Schedule Coordination Hell of a Problem

Being an independent filmmaker with no big budget makes you do even the littlest work as coordinating with your production staff members. Since last week I have been doing that. The absence of a member or unavailability of one affects the schedule. In our case now, Raphy, our FSL Consultant is working so he can only be available on certain days; Vim Nadera is a busy professor [we need one more session with him]; Febe, our interpreter has strict class schedule to follow; Rem, our hearing cameraman is going out of the country; Dennis has busy photo session schedule to follow too; I have film editing work and out of town fund-raising showings of my docus to earn additional funds for Project Rizal, so it is hell of a problem to coordinate our schedule these days. Anyway, I will call for a production meeting next week, August 10, when some, if not all of the production crew members are available. I intend to shoot on August 25 or 26.

Kingpin Edit Target for the Week

Target for the week: To finish minimum of 50 assembled, and first cut sequences of Kingpin Asiong…dere-derecho, which unfortunately is not possible because some of the sequences have not yet been shot [Typhoon Juaning caused the latest cancellation of the shooting sked]. Hopefully, all footage for the first 25 sequences are available. I will concentrate on them. I haven’t viewed all the rushes because most of the time the disks aren’t all with me. Besides, they are voluminous…over 150 cards are there by now. I work on what is only available so as not to lose time. What I normally do is to view what I have, and edit at once. No need for chronological editing of sequences. I want to finish this work asap so I can concentrate on Project Rizal. Time is of the essence.

Anyway, by the time NCCA’s second tranche is ready, my work on Asiong Salonga should be over. Rizal’s Flowers of Heidelberg with Romalito Mallari as Deaf interpreter follows.

Filmmaker interprets Rizal’s ‘Mi Ultimo Adios’ for the Deaf

MM relays direction re final movement to Myra Medrana, Deaf choreographer at the second floor of the Rizal Shrine in Fort Santiago where Mi Ultimo Adiós is displayed. On the extreme right can be seen the alcohol lamp where Dr. Rizal kept the poem. Aldrin waits for final instruction.

Cathy Genovia texted to inform me that yahoo news carried an item about our Project Rizal launching. I was then going to SM Centris to meet Aldrin and Jun Sevilla, interpreter. We were bound for UP to attend Aldrin’s rehearsal in connection with the closing night presentation of the Rizal International Conference which started last June 22 and will end tonight. Typhoon Falcon was a big problem. Roads were flooded and traffic was heavy yesterday because of the heavy rains. It was good the rehearsals finished late—at around 10pm. Since a play is different from film acting some ways, Aldrin had a difficult time at first. He was getting confused because he said it was hard to physiologically coordinate actual FSL signing and acting of the hearing. Anyway, I am confident he can do it well this evening.

Re the yahoo news, it says in part:

MANILA CITY, METRO MANILA-  As part of her advocacy to teach Rizal’s ideals to the Deaf, filmmaker Mirana Medina unveiled the first-ever film to interpret the national hero’s Mi Ultimo Adios (My Last Farewell) in Filipino Sign Language (FSL) .

The film is part of Project Rizal, a collaborative project by Medina’s Miryad Vision, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde-School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies (SDEAS).

The project is also in line with Rizal’s 150th birth anniversary, 100 years of Lasallian Presence in the Philippines and the 20 years of Lasallian Deaf Education. [By KC Santos]

[To read the whole article, click to read: filmmaker-interprets-rizal-mi-ultimo-adios-deaf-075332302.html]

It was reported that I want “to finish all five films by November for all the films to coincide with the 4th D.C Deaf Film Festival held annually in Washington D.C…” I just want to make a correction… the film is targeted for the November DEAF FESTIVAL being held annually here in the Philippines, specifically for the Deaf Festival of SDEAS since they are my partner.

Thanks however Ms. KC Santos for sparing her time to be with us last June 21.

Great Grandchildren of Rizal Joined Us in Lauching Project Rizal

The launching of Project Rizal and the showing of Ultimo Adiós this afternoon were successful in so many ways:

1. Unexpected visitors, such as the descendants of Saturnina Rizal, Dr. Manolet Gonzales and Atty. Ramoncita Reyes [on the second row seated next to Dean Nicky Templo of SDEAS-in blue blouse] attended our showing;

[please click to watch Dr. Gonzales as he delivers his message to the students of SDEAS]

Great Grandson of Saturnina Rizal, Dr. Manolet Gonzales Gives Message to Viewers of ULTIMO ADIOS in Filipino Sign Language

2. Many, many more understood Rizal, and how much he loved the Philippines through the poem. Thanks to the explanation of Vim Nadera. I projected our session with him when he explained to Raphy and Myra the meaning of each line [taludtod] from stanza [saknong] one. The whole session lasted nearly an hour long so I just showed the first stanza for the viewers to know and have an idea how we came up with the final version.

3. Like in UP, many viewers — Deaf and hearing —held their tears back. They felt the sadness of the poem throughout.

4. To know that a hearing person understood Rizal’s Ultimo Adios better in sign language [I am referring to a friend, Noemi Pamintuan Jara who knows how to sign] was truly wonderful. She says of the film:

“Mi Ultimo Adiós in Filipino Sign Language made me understand the poem better perhaps because signed language communicates straight to your heart and soul. It was able to convey Rizal’s message in a more effective and soulful way. I was able to put myself in Rizal’s shoes — feeling how he felt during his last moments. He now lives in all of us.”

5. I am sure Aldrin Gabriel as “Rizal” has helped and has been an instrument to serve as an inspiration to other Deaf in the sector.

Nang sapian ni Rizal -- Aldrin Gabriel relates how he felt the spirit of Rizal as he practiced the interpretation of the poem

To see some excerpts from the film, please watch below

Ready to Show Ultimo!!!

Completed my list for tomorrow’s Project Rizal launching activity: two DVD copies of ULTIMO ADIOS-FSL Version, A BLIND ARCHITECT and SILENT ODYSSEY Trailer. The last two are meant to projected while waiting for the start of the show. A Blind Architect film has version in Filipino Sign Language. In connection with the film that we are to launch SESSION WITH VIM-Part I is something I would like the audience to see for them to know part of the actual process we did before we finally came up with the final film.

Session with Vim 1 - Explaining Dr. Jose Rizal's last poem, MI ULTIMO ADIOS / My Last Farewell

Vim is writer-poet and a UP prof. He was the former director of LIKHAAN: Institute of Creative Writing Center. Showing the session with him is also meant to give Deaf students some background about the poem itself, for them to understand Rizal better — his love for country above all.

I also prepared a copy of the poster and flylet design for future use re possible sale of DVD to help raise the additional funds needed to complete the film.