Silver Screens and Gold Means

by Aina Robeniol

Art is subjective. This of course pertains to one’s personal liking and taste being no better or worse than another’s. It doesn’t matter how much you love or hate one thing, someone out there feels the complete opposite. Who’s to say whose opinion is right?

Enter methods, styles, theories—all the things you need to pick up and are eventually graded on if you’re learning them in a school. Art has mistakes. Brushing aside preferences, something can be objectively pleasing or not. There’s a criteria we refer to if we want to measure quality.

I take up Film and I’m guilty of basing my work’s worth on the numerical equivalent given to it. The grades suddenly determine what makes a good or a bad film. I’ve been spending semesters surrounded by classmates required to do the same things I am. I get to watch their submissions, seeing the differences in our treatments and approaches. We present our own unique ideas and are graded with the same criteria. And of course, we recognize those that satisfy the criteria.

Now I’ll be happy with positive feedback in class, ecstatic with a rare 1.00, but that’s no award I can claim onstage. Black Beret is a film competition that showcases the short films of those taking Film 158 (Directing) and gives out awards for several categories. It’s quite a big deal in UPFI, with how students are competing and at the same time getting a chance to screen at Cine Adarna. I personally get inspired by my coursemates’ works, making me both nervous but excited for when my own film is projected up on that same big screen—maybe even up for an award, if I’m hopeful. Who wouldn’t want the recognition?

Best Editing, Sound, Cinematography, and the list goes on. Black Beret awards a Best Director among students in a Directing class. These awards are usually for the technical aspect of film. Subjective as film and art can be, creating competitions that are based on these elements justifies the objectivity behind the process, or what we’ve been learning about in Film. It becomes a skill-based race when the technicalities of film become the basis of its quality, as some competitions might make it seem. These elements that are judged and reviewed become points for comparison.

Perhaps it’s the satisfaction of grabbing a title that implies your work as best in a certain aspect, attesting what you’ve learned and the skills you’ve honed. Or perhaps it’s your work itself that gets the validation. We give such high praise for award-winning films. We see awards and nominations listed in promotional materials because it’s good publicity. Because we’ve got something to vouch for these films, we are more interested in watching them. They get an audience, something not every film gets a chance to have.

A screening at Cine Adarna for Black Beret is accessible and focused on the students. Major cinemas, however, are a different case. We go to malls and see Hollywood films dominating their theaters. Micro cinemas are not that different. While they showcase a lot of local films, they are still driven in part by commercial interest. More often than not, profit is the priority. We rarely see documentaries, independent films, student productions, etc. screened in theaters. Filmmakers can’t find the support and recognition from an audience when they fail to reach them in the first place.

We all want to make good films and be recognized for them. We crave the validation that will serve as payoff for the hard work done. Perhaps it’s more possible to compete with other films based on technicalities for awards than with large companies for an audience. Film festival entrees, competition awards, or international screenings are what give filmmakers that sense of credibility they can’t get with how the industry works here.

I can’t always rely on subjectivity to defend my work, not when there are standards I was taught and therefore expected to meet. I find it difficult to not consider the technicalities and the corresponding grade dependent on them. Three years into BA Film —being confined in spaces with creatives, aspiring filmmakers, and dignified lecturers—got me used to being surrounded by an audience who knows exactly how to critique my every work. Unfortunately, it’s not forever that I won’t need to compete for the attention and recognition.

Here’s to all my class prod exercises, my Black Beret Festival entry, and my future films. All the best.