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Steve Gan: Return of the Guardian

MEET STEVE GAN -- Co-creator of Star-Lord/Peter Quill, from Marvel's upcoming film, "Guardians of the Galaxy"

Saturday, July 26, 2014
Kapow! Universe Manila
2/F Glorietta 5

Philippine films, gone to the drain

First of all, forgive me for I have grown up in the times when Philippine cinema means Bernal, Broca, Himala, Koronel… it was a time when Filipino filmmakers are more interested in the art of making a good film and not about how much money will a crap get from witless fans. It was the time where movies are created by artist and not by… Er, I just don’t know what to call them... These business-minded individuals being paid by giant TV networks to give their floating “actors” and “actresses” a “movie” so their fanatic admirers can see them in large movie screens. Yeah, that’s what I think.

So? What happened? What happened to cinematography? To the art of directing, script making? Obviously, they just went down the drain.

One of the reasons they say why Philippine movie is so crappy these days is that no one watch quality films. What? So what happened? Do intelligent movie goers all died and became extinct? We all have crappy shows in TV now a days making the “idiot box” more idiotic, so why are we bringing these garbage on the silver screen? Does these hungry giant TV networks still haven’t had enough of making the Filipinos dumb?

Again, we tend to blame the economy for the situation. They say that if you make quality films, only those UP students will watch it. Lugi ang mga producers (Producers will be losing profit). Ah, so again, it’s all about profit. Create crap and you earn lots of money, quality films and you lose money. So, why create films in the first place? Gagawa nga kayo ng pelikula, eh gagawin nyo rin mga bobo ang mga manonood? (You're going to crate films in the expense of making Filipino movie-goers stupid)... and strange that there are quality foreign films being shown in malls here in Metro Manila. Now, why are people watching these films? I thought you guys just said that only those studying in UP watch quality films?

Also, I just like to remind you that...
The term "Indie Film" (or Independent film) means a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. It doesn't mean "soft gay porn," Ok?

Keep feeding people movie crap and sooner or later we get generations of idiots and zombies walking inside movie houses. This vicious cycle just goes on and on and on… until we re-introduced the public to good, quality films again.

Nice cap...

Look what I got for my birthday. Thanks for the cap @ Philip Reyes. :)

[Nerd cap by Penshoppe]

#BOOM PH - Socia Media Day

"We are all part of this social media. We are the reporters, the writers, the activists and  what is best with Social Media Day… it is our day, because social media is us."

I just attended BoomPH Social Media Day 2014, and the reason… to explore more about social media. Social media… hmmm… I think it’s really a new phenomena, only emerging with the advent of social networks like Facebook and Twitter. 

Social media? What’s that?

While walking around and looking at different booths inside SM Samsung Hall, I asked myself the same question – What is “social media?” Ok so, I’ve noticed the booths were talking about activism, like secularism, abolishing pork barrels, education for everyone… Yeah! Things like that. So, is social media about activism in the Internet? Hmmm, confusing eh? 

Social media is defined as sites, websites or platforms that makes it easier for people to interact online. This includes blogs, wikis, forums , YouTube and social networks like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Here, we can easily exchange information, ideas, even pictures with someone… and mind me, this exchange is very fast. Not only by using laptops and desktops, we can also use cellphones and tables, which makes social media more instant compare to TV and newspapers.

Just imagine walking in a street with your cellphone, then BOOM! An accident happened just in front of you. Now, today what people automatically do is to get their phone and capture it on photo or video then uplode them in Facebook or Instagram. Within second, your friends are reading it and looking at those pictures. They even share it to their friends and the picture goes viral. All of that may happen just for a few hours ot even minutes after the accident. Fast huh?

So, what’s the impact?

Just like my example, social media is faster compare to conventional TV, radio or even print news. Now let see… Remember that typhoon and the flood that devastated Marikina? Uh… Typhoon Ondoy. Most of the rescuers were involved in social media. Calls for rescue boats, relief operations, warnings and announcements were done in Facebook and Twitter. The advantage is fast action. How about the issue involving that girl and the lady guard? The AMALAYER issue, remember that? Just one video from a cellphone created a controversy that sweep the whole country.

Another good thing about social media is it so down right honest. Products are now tapping blogs to endorse their product because bloggers are more honest. No body paid a blogger to indorce a certain product – let say a restaurant. Unlike paid commercial, the blogger will tell you exactly what he/she feels on a certain restaurant, whether he have a good or a bad service, the taste of the food, the ambiance and so on and the reason: Since he wasn’t paid anything for his endorcement, he has the freedom to say what he really wants.

A lot of new sensational stars, singers were discovered because of social media. We now have YouTube sensations who became real stars like Justin Beiber, Charice Pompengo, Cody Simpson and Grayson Chance.

And what best way to rant about issues in politics other than social media. Angry outbursts about the government and even the church can be found all over Facebook and Twitter. Just upload a picture of government spendings, unfinished road works or even police doing bad jobs – place it on Facebook and VIOLA! TV and radio are now even tapping this fast resource. TV stations and radio now have Internet sites and network accounts were you can interact with them on real time. 

Now here’s a good case. RH Bill. Yeah! Now the issue about the RH Bill become very visible because of social media. From Carlos Celdran’s DAMASO to the voting in the Senate – we all follow the drama using Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Going back…

#BOOM PH Social Media Day in not just here in Manila. It’s the 5th year that the whole world celebrated Social Media Day. Bloggers, Instagrammers, Facebook uses – you name it- we are all there to celebrate and to know more on what social media have done to our lives. We even have free ice cream! 

There we concerts and some speeches from professional bloggers , internet activists and tips on internet activism. There are even some raffles where you can win a Windows Phone 8.1 ( I just won an umbrella, but that’s OK). Globe was there and they were again looking for votes for the Tatt Awards. 

All in all, the event was a success. 

Now, I just can’t even imagine life without social media. It is our modern daily routine. We post our breakfast – on how delisious it was in our Facebook wall or we Tweet the latest news of the morning. We take our selfie pictures and place it on Instagram. We get our news in other public forums, we look at todays  latest traffic situation update and before the end of the day, before we sleep, we again visit our Facebook and post what happened the whole day.

We are all part of this social media. We are the reporters, the writers, the activist and what is best with Social Media Day… it is our day, because social media is us.

The Filipino Freethinker's booth @ BOOM PH.

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