MEDIA BASED ARTS AND

DESIGN IN THE PHILIPPINES

LEVI N. SAN JOSE

NCSHS

INTRODUCTION
The previous quarter provided an overview of the
phenomenal capabilities and possibilities of the
electronic or digital media now available in
todays technology-driven world. These have
enabled amazingly innovative art forms to
evolve far beyond traditional painting, sculpture,
and architecture. As quickly as technology is
able to develop new devices, gadgets, and
techniques, modern artists and designers adapt
them to enhance their creative expression.

Modern Techniques &

Trends
Photography
Film
Print Media
Digital Media
Product and Industrial
Design

What is PHOTOGRAPHY?
In its early stages during the late 19th century, photography
was viewed as a purely technical process, that of
recording visible images by light action on light sensitive
materials. In fact, its very name from the Greek
photos (meaning light) and graphos (meaning writing)
states this process literally.
In comparison to the highly-regarded arts of painting and
sculpture, then, photography was not immediately
considered art. But it was not long before the artistry of
20th century photographers elevated this light writing to
an aesthetic form in its own right.

The Photographer as
Artist
Focusing a camera at a subject and clicking
the shutter is photography as process.
Discerning a significant moment or a unique
expression, framing it in the camera
viewfinder with an eye for composition, and
then clicking the shutter is photography as
art.

PHOTOGRAP
HY
Photography is the science, art
and practice of creating durable
images by recording light or other
electromagnetic radiation, either
electronically by means of an
image sensor, or chemically by
means of a light-sensitive material
such as photographic film.
-wikipedia.com

Is this an example of photography as

process or art?

How about this? Photography as process or art?

Noteworthy Philippine Photographers

GEORGE TAPPAN

George Tappan

He is an award-winning travel
photographer who has won two Pacific
Asia Tourism Association (PATA) Gold
awards, an ASEAN Tourism Association
award, and first place in the 2011
National Geographic Photo Contest. His
highly-acclaimed work has been
published in five travel photography
books.

Into the Green Zone

Tappans 1st place-winning image in the 2011 National
Geographic Photo Contest

Other photos by George Tappan

JOHN K. CHUA
Advertising
and
commercial
photographer extraordinaire, John is
best known for his technical
excellence
and
mastery
of
notoriously
challenging
photo
shoots to the delight of clients who
envision the seemingly impossible.
With more than forty years of
experience under his belt, John has
moved with ease from one genre of
photography to another, earning
local and international awards along
the way.

Snake Island, Palawan

Gulf of Davao

WHAT TO KNOW
What two Greek words are the origins of the
term photography? What makes them fitting
to this media-based art form?
2. How does technology contribute to the
development of an art like photography?
3. Why is photography truly a modern art form?
4. What special talents and skills does
photographer have that make him or her as an
artist?
1.

5. What qualities make photography such

a powerful communication tool?
6. Name some noteworthy Filipino
photographers presented above, plus
others you may have researched on.
Cite a distinctive achievement of each?
7. What type of subjects seems to be
among their favorites to photograph?

M
L
FI

Another art form which has risen to

tremendous heights within the last
century is film or cinema. As its early
name motion pictures declared, film
brought yet another dimension into
playthat of moving images. The
possibilities of this medium created a
new art form that was to become a
powerful social and economic force,
and a legacy of the 20th century world.

A Technology-driven Art
Cinema, just as all modern arts, has been greatly influenced by
technology. In the case of cinema, however, it is an art form that
came in the late 1800s with series photography and the invention
of celluloid strip film. This allowed successive still photos of a
moving subject to be compared on a strip of film advancing a single
camera.
The need to view these moving images led to the rise of the
Kinetoscope, a peepshow cabinet with an eyehole through which
these earliest movie could be viewed one person at a time. A
motor inside the cabinet moved the film strip along in a loop, with
an electric bulb providing one technological advancement after
another. The French developed the cinematographe, a
handcracked camera, printer, and projector all in one that
lightweight enough to bring outside the studio.

KINETOSCOPE

The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device.

The Kinetoscope was designed for films to be viewed by one
individual at a time through a peephole viewer window at the
top of the device. The Kinetoscope was not a movie projector
but introduced the basic approach that would become the
standard for all cinematic projection before the advent of video,
by creating the illusion of movement by conveying a strip of
perforated film bearing sequential images over a light source
with a high-speed shutter. First described in conceptual terms
by U.S. inventor Thomas Edison in 1888, it was largely
developed by his employee William Kennedy Laurie Dickson
between 1889 and 1892.[1] Dickson and his team at the Edison
lab also devised theKinetograph, an innovative
motion picture camera with rapid
intermittent, or stop-and-go, film movement, to photograph
movies for in-house experiments and, eventually, commercial
Kinetoscope presentations

The Collaborative Art of

Filmmaking

What is filmmaking?
Who are involve in
filmmaking?

The Collaborative Art of

Filmmaking
Filmmaking, because of its technical
complexity, involves entire teams of
artists, writers, and production
experts, supported by technicians
taking charge of the cameras, lighting
equipment, sets, props, costumes,
and the like all under the supervision
of a film director.

Film directing it is the director, like the painter

and sculptor in traditional art, who envisions the
final effect of the film on its viewers, visually,
mentally, and emotionally. While the painter and
sculptor work with physical materials, the film
director works with ideas, images, sounds, and
other effects to create this unique piece of art.
He/she conceptualizes the scenes, directs the
acting, supervises the cinematography and
finally the editing and sound dubbing in much the
same way as a visual artist composes an
artwork. Clearly, however, the director does not
do all these alone.

Acting first and foremost, there was the art of

acting for film. With live theater as the only form
of acting at that time, film actors had to learn to
express themselves without the exaggerated
facial expressions and gestures used on stage.
With the addition of sound in the 1930s, they
then had to learn to deliver their lines naturally
and believably.
Cinematography behind the scenes, there was
cinematography or the art of film camera work.
This captured the directors vision of each scene
through camera placement and movement,
lighting, and other special techniques.

Editing this was joined by film editing, the art of

selecting the precise sections of film, then sequencing
and joining them to achieve the directors desired
visual and emotional effect. Sound editing was also
developed, as films began to include more ambitious
effects beyond the dialogue and background music.
Production/Set design this recreated in physical
terms through location, scenery, sets, lighting,
costumes, and props the mental image that the
director had of how each scene should look, what
period it should depict, and what atmosphere it should
convey. This included creating worlds that did not exist
as well as worlds that were long gone, designing each
production component down to the very last detail.

Film Genres
The public response to motion pictures was
immediate and enthusiastic. From
makeshift
nickelodeons (movie theaters charging a nickel for
entrance) in 1904 to luxurious dream palaces for
middle class moviegoers by 1914, public showings of
movies were a big hit. With World War I over and the
establishment of Hollywood as the center of American
filmmaking in 1915, the movie industry was on its way
to becoming one of the biggest and most influential of
the century. With financial success came the rush to
release more and more films, in an ever-wider variety
leading to the many film genres we know today.
first there were the silent films starring Charlie
Chaplin, and the slapstick comedy films of Buster
Keaton and later Laurel and Hardy. With sound still
unavailable, these films relied on purely visual
comedy that audiences found hilarious. Then, there
emerged the gangster movie genre as well as
horror and fantasy films that took advantage of the
sound technology that was newly available at that
time.

Philippine Filmmakers
In the Philippines film scene, the American
influence was evident in the pre-World War II
and Liberation years with song-and-dance
musicals, romantic dramas, and comedy
films. Beginning with the turbulent 1970s,
however, progressive Filipino directors
emerged to make movies dealing with
current social issues and examining the
Filipino character.

Philippine Filmmakers
Lino Brocka
Laurice Guillen
Marilou Diaz Abaya
Maryo J. delos Reyes
Brillante Mendoza

LINO BROCKA

Catalino Ortiz Brocka (April 3, 1939 May 21, 1991) is a

Filipino film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most
influential and significant Filipino filmmakers in Philippine
cinema history. In 1983, he founded the organization
Concerned Artists of the Philippines (CAP), dedicated to
helping artists address issues confronting the country.
Brocka was openly gay and he often incorporated LGBT
themes into his films. He has directed landmark films such
as Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang (1974), Maynila sa mga Kuko
ng Liwanag (1975), Insiang (1976), Bayan Ko: Kapit sa
Patalim (1984), andOrapronobis (1989). In 1997, he was
posthumously given the
National Artist of the Philippines for Film award for "having
made significant contributions to the development of
Philippine arts."

Mike de Leon

Mike de Leon

Ishmael Bernal

LAURICE GUILLEN

Laurice Guillen
Guillen studied at St. Theresa's College, Cebu City, earned an AB
English degree before finishing an MA in Communication at
Ateneo de Manila University, followed by a television production
course under Nestor Torre, in 1967. She then began work as an
actress, starring in productions of Mrs. Warren's Profession,
before crossing over to film and television work, playing a
seductress in Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, and Corazon Aquino
in the drama A Dangerous Life, In 2009 she accepted a role in
the indie filmKarera, her first role in an independent production.
Other credits include in the film Sister Stella
L and Moral. However, it was on television that she became a
household name when she joined the cast of "Flor de Luna" in
1978 as Jo Alicante, Flor de Luna's temperamental step mother.
She went on to portray the role until the mid-80s when the show
folded.

Laurice Guillen

Salome, 1981

Tanging Yaman, 2001

Marilou Daz-Abaya
(March 30, 1955 October 8, 2012)

was a multi-awarded film

director from the
Philippines. She was the
founder and president of
the Marilou Daz-Abaya
Film Institute and Arts
Center, a film school based
inAntipolo City,
Philippines. She was the
director of the 1998 film
Jos Rizal, a
biographical filmon the
Philippines' national hero.

1998:Jos Rizal, written by Ricky

Lee, Jun Lana, produced by GMA
Films; starring Cesar Montano,
Jaime Fabregas, Gina Alajar,
Jhong Hilario, Gloria Diaz, Pen
Medina; multi-awarded by the
Metro Manila Film Festival(1998),
Gawad Urian, Star Awards,
FAMAS; commercially released at
the Iwanami Hall, Tokyo (2000);
exhibited at the film festivals of
Berlin, Munich, Dsseldorf,
Madrid, Paris, Singapore,
Fukuoka, Tokyo, Pusan, Montreal,
Vancouver, Guggenheim Museum
of New York, Chicago, San
Francisco, Los Angeles, San
Diego, Hawaii, and others.

Jose Rizal, 1998

1999: Muro Ami (Reef

Hunters), written by
Ricky Lee, Jun Lana,
produced by GMA Films;
starring Cesar Montano,
Amy Austria, Pen
Medina, Jhong Hilario;
multi-awarded by the
Metro Manila Film Festiva
l
(1999), FAMAS, Star
Awards; exhibited in the
film festivals in Fukuoka,
Tokyo, Los Angeles,
Hawaii, and others.
Muro-ami, 1999

Maryo J. de los Reyes

Maryo J. de los
Reyes is
a film and television
director from
the Philippines. He
began his career in
the 1970s.

Magnificois a2003
FilipinoFAMAS Awardwinningdrama film
directed byMaryo
J. De los Reyes, written by
Michiko Yamamoto, and
starringJiro Manio,Lorna
Tolentino,Albert Martinez,
Gloria Romero. The film
was shot in the province of
Lagunaand is based on
the grand prize-winning
piece from a 2001 national
screenplay writing contest
sponsored by theFilm
Development Council of th
e Philippines
.

Brillante Mendoza
Brillante Mendoza is a
Filipino film director. He
was born and raised in
San Fernando,
Pampanga. He took
Advertising Arts of the
then College of
Architecture and Fine
Arts at the University of
Santo Tomas. He has
directed sixteen films
since 2005.

Kinatay (the Execution of P), 2009

ANIMATION

Animation is the process of creating motion and shape

change illusion by means of the rapid display of a
sequence of static images that minimally differ from each
other. The illusionas in motion pictures in generalis
thought to rely on the phi phenomenon. Animators are
artists who specialize in the creation of animation.
Animations can be recorded on either analogue media,
such as a flip book, motion picture film, video tape, or on
digital media, including formats such as animated GIF,
Flash animation or digital video. To display animation, a
digital camera, computer, or projector are used along
with new technologies that are produced.

Animation creation methods include the

traditional animation creation method
and those involving stop motion
animation of two and three-dimensional
objects, such as paper cutouts, puppets
and clay figures. Images are displayed
in a rapid succession, usually 24, 25, 30,
or 60 frames per second.
Many TV shows today use animation
and animation gives them that more of a
unique look, allowing them to do more
than what they could do with actors.

Philippine Animation
Studio, Inc.
The Philippine Animation Studio, Inc.
(PASI) was established in 1991 and has
since
collaborated
on
numerous
animation projects and series with
foreign partners. Among these have
been Captain Flamingo, Producing
Parker, Groove High, and Space
Heroes Universe.

Among the other exciting milestones

in
the
fast-emerging
Philippine
animation industry was the creation in
2008 of Urduja, an animated film
adaptation of the legend of the warrior
princess of Pangasinan. Produced by
APT Entertainment, Seventoon, and
Imaginary
friends,
Urduja
is
recognized as the first fully-animated
Filipino film, created by an all-Filipino
group of animators using the
traditional (hand-drawn) animation
process with some 3D effects.

Another released in 2008 was Dayo: Sa

Mundo ng Elementalia, said to be the
countrys first all-digital full-length
animated feature film. Produced by
Cutting Edge Productions, the film
presents Philippine mythical creatures as
heartwarming characters in a young
boys adventure.

Dayo: Sa Mundo ng
Elementalia

Another
breakthrough was
the first Filipino full
3D animated film,
RPG Metanola, coproduced by
Ambient Media,
Thaumatrope
Animation, and Star
Cinema in 2010.

Print Media
Alongside the digital media forms discussed
above, there remains to more conventional
form known as print media. Include here are
large-scale publications such as newspapers,
magazines, journal, books of all kinds, as well
as smaller-scale posters, brochures, flyers,
menus, and the like. Of course, all of these
now have their digital counterparts that may be
accessed and read on the internet.

Advertising

One major field that still relies heavily on print

media is advertising. Despite the soaring
popularity and seemingly limitless possibilities
of online advertising and social media,
Philippine artists are still called upon to create
advertisements that will be physically printed.
These appear in newspapers, magazines,
posters, brochures, and flyerseach with their
specific target readerships and markets, and
highly-specialized approaches for reaching
these target groups.

Activity 4
Presenting Products/Services with a Cause
1. The group members will decide on original products or
services can be presented as supporting or
advocating.
2. Using image capture and manipulation programs
discussed in Quarter II, the group members will create
their choice of posters, banners/streamers, brochures,
or print advertisements to present these
products/services with a cause.
3. The finished print advertisements will be turned over to
the Arts teacher for safekeeping until they will
presented as part of the culminating exhibit.

Comic Books
Another field of print media that highlights the
artistic gifts of Filipinos is that of comic books,
or komiks as they are locally referred to. The
popularity of Philippine comics began in the
1920s when Liwayway magazine started
featuring comic strips, such as Mga Kabalbalan
ni Kenkoy (The Misadventures of Kenkoy)
created by Tony Velasquez went on to be
recognized as the Father of Filipino Comics.

Mga Kabalbalan ni Kenkoy

With the coming of the Americans to the country, local

comics were clearly influenced by popular U.S. comics with
superheroes as the main characters --- resulting in local
counterparts such as Darna and Captain Barbell.

Even decades before, however, komiks creators had already introduced characters,
themes, and story lines from Philippine folklore, mythology, and history. With books
and libraries not yet readily accessible to a majority of the Filipino public, comics
became a major form of reading material around the country, avidly read and shared
by young and old alike.

Innovation in Product
and Industrial Design
Yet another breakthrough arena for Filipino
imagination, ingenuity, and innovativeness in
recent decades has been that of design.
Specifically, this encompasses product and
industrial design as applied to furniture, lighting,
and interior accessories, as well as fashion
from haute couture to bridal ensembles to
casual wear. As a result, a number of Filipino
designers have risen to superstardom both
locally and internationally.

Kenneth Cobonpue
Kenneth Cobonpue is a multi-awarded furniture
designer and manufacturer from Cebu. He graduated in
Industrial Design from Pratt Institute in New York with
highest honors and subsequently worked in Italy and
Germany. Integrating locally sourced materials with
innovative handmade production processes, Cobonpue's
brand is known around the world for its unique designs
and roster of clientele that include Hollywood celebrities
like Brad Pitt and members of royalty.
Awards to his credit include 5 Japan Good Design
Awards, the grand prize at the Singapore International
Design Competition, the Design for Asia Award of Hong
Kong, the American Society of Interior Design Top Pick
selection and the French Coup de Coeur award. Several
of his designs were selected for several editions of the
International Design Yearbook published in London and
New York. Phaidons book entitled "& FORK" underscores
Kenneth's position as a leader of a new movement
incorporating new technologies with crafts. Recently,
Kenneth was named the Designer of the Year in the first
edition of Maison et Objet Asia held last March 11, 2014 in
Singapore. He has appeared on European television,
countless international magazines and newspapers
around the world.

MONIQUE LHUILLIER

She first rose to prominence for her exquisite

wedding gowns. But she has since become
one of the darlings of the Hollywood celebrity
set, with several A-list stars having worn her
couture creations to gala events and award
shows, as well as to their own weddings
Lhuillier studied at the Fashion Institute of
Design & Merchandising in Los Angeles, and
now has her own retail boutiques in that city
and in New York. Her collections include bridal
and bridesmaids dresses, ready-to-wear,
evening gowns, linens, tableware, stationery,
and home fragrances.

Monique Lhuillier
is a fashion designer most
prominently known for bridal
wear. She owns a couture
fashion house based in Los
Angeles, California, as well as
another store on Manhattan's
Upper East Side.

Josie Natori

Josie Natori, (born Josefina Almeda Cruz)

is a Filipino-American fashion designer and
the CEO and founder of The Natori Company.
Natori served as a commissioner on
the White House Conference on Small
Business. In March 2007 she was awarded
the Order of Lakandula, one of the highest
civilian awards in the Philippines. In April,
2007, Natori received the "Peopling of
America" Award from the Statue of
Liberty - Ellis Island Foundation.

Rajo Laurel

Raymund Joseph "Rajo" Teves

Laurel (born May 19, 1971) is a fashion
designer in Manila, Philippines. He began his
professional career in 1993, holding his first
international exhibition the following year. In
2000 Rajo Laurel founded House of Laurel
with his sister. A winner of a number of
national and international awards over the
course of his career, Laurel is best known as
a television personality as a judge on Project
Runway Philippines.

Lulu Tan Gan

Lulu TanGans name has been synonymous with beautifully

crafted knitwear fashion since 1985. Hailed the Queen of
Knitwear, Lulu continues her design evolution with her extended
handwoven line, Indigenous Couture merging the old-world
sophistication of Philippine artisan craft with contemporary
design. The result is a mastery of construction, current yet
ingenious lifestyle dressing, and a distinctive feminine sensibility.
The first two decades of Lulus career is marked by her iconic
knitwear, which redefined the versatility of knits for the local
fashion industry. A favorite of expatriates, tourists, and the jetset
crowd, Lulus knits continue to receive praise and accolades for
its sleek lines, custom-dyed threads, and fluid, flattering forms.
A fine arts graduate, Lulu has always been driven to find aesthetic
design solutions for material challenges. In what she considers
the second phase of her career, she takes on the challenge of
integrating native fabrics such as pia and silk into her knits
collection.

Lulus clever play on fashion and function is evident in

these signature knit variations, which evolve the use of
indigenous fabrics as native costumes to become
fashionable, wearable collectibles. The indigenous
pias golden patina deepens over the years, creating
modern heirloom pieces that become even more beautiful
with time. Reaffirming her mastery of materials, the
modern heirloom collectibles are feats of color,
construction, texture, and fall.
Lulus vision is to encourage the use of stylized
indigenous and traditional wear, and in so doing, promote
distinctly Filipino fabrics, traditional crafts, and design.
The designer draws inspiration from the rich textile and
embroidery traditions of the Philippines from the
geometric patterns of traditional tribal woven cloths to the
exquisite embroidery and beadwork and interprets
these on her modern silhouettes

Dita SandicoOng

Another Philippine designer who has been advocating the

use of local weaving techniques and natural fibers is Dita
Sandico-ong. Known as the Wrap Artiste of the
Philippines for her famous bold-colored wraps, SandicoOng first experimented with the local weave of Ilocos Sur,
known as Inabel, as well as with pineapple fibers blended
with Irish linen, dubbed pialino.
From there, she tried other local fibers, particularly abaca
which she was introduced to by weaver and entrepreneur
Virgilio Apanti. Sandico-Ong has since been working with
a multipurpose cooperative in Catanduanes, training them
in natural dye extraction and advanced weaving
techniques for abaca.
Today, her collection includes wraps or panuelos, as well as boleros,
jackets, and long tunics of banana fiber and abaca. Her designs are
presented in fashion shows around the world and are sold in high-end
shops major international cities.