Isssue 02
April 2011
Welcome! The C!TE is an online term magazine of TEAMCOMMUNICATION. C!TE will feature happenings around the TeamComm family, fellow communication majors, and other issues relevant to the communication students. For comments and inquiries, please e-mail the C!TE Editorial Board at citeonline@yahoo.com
CONTRIBUTORS EDITOR RIELLE RAMOS ART EDITOR SIM VENTOSA CREATIVE DIRECTOR AJ GALAROZA CONTRIBUTING WRITERS LYKA CABATAY, MIKO SUPERBALE CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER LYKA CABATAY
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FILM REVIEW
AMIGO
Directed by John Sayles Starring Joel Torre, Garret Dillahunt, Chris Cooper
I have to admit, before this film I wasn’t even remotely aware of what went down during the Filipino-American war. It’s the vagueness of this chapter in history that adds more interest to John Sayles’ latest achievement “Amigo”. The film focuses on the psychological warfare that American troops employed to win the “hearts and minds” of a small barrio in Luzon and the bloody guerrilla war that threatened to erupt around them in any moment. We begin when a unit of American soldiers led by Lt. Compton (Garret Dillahunt) takes over a village headed by a man named Rafael Dacanay (Joel Torre), who the film also mainly refers to as the “amigo”. Rafael intends to maintain peaceful relations with the invaders in order to protect the residents of the baryo, but is often misinterpreted by a translator in the form of the village’s sanctimonious Spanish friar (Yul Servo) leading to potentially lethal complications for Rafael. His decision also proves to be unpopular with his brother, Simon (Ronnie Lazaro) who leads a group of guerrilla rebels hiding in the nearby hills, a resistance Rafael’s teenage son is also part of. Unlike most war films there is almost a complete lack of war “action” in this drama so that it’s the performances that really rule the film through and through. It’s no surprise that Joel Torre shines in his role, as characters similar to Rafael seem to be his specialty. However, the rest of the performances are either lukewarm or entirely forgettable and Sayles’ decision to cast locals who have no acting experience in small roles distract rather than integrate the audience more into the small world of the baryo.
The film also relies heavily from Sayles’ writing, which was able to provide a view of the subject in a very 360-degree angle and give an astonishing amount of historical detail through its characterization alone. What it was unable to do, however, was hold my attention for the rest of the screening, especially paired with a technical value that is far from appealing. With the cloud of Western neo-colonialism still hanging above us, “Amigo” is one of those films that don’t really cut it as a must-see but picked just the right subject to become an important enough film in our time.
C!TE PROFILE
Joel Ruiz
from arkeo films.
What's your ID number and what year did you graduate? ID 92. Graduated in 98. Tagal no. How has life been for you after graduating from La Salle? Pretty good, can't complain. When did you know you wanted to become a director? I've always loved movies but I decided to be a director when I started majoring in CAM, it was after watching Kieslowski's RED. And then I got addicted to foreign and independent film. I remember being excited to create, and to move people. Do you have any favorite movies or directors that inspire you and your works? I love Robert Altman, mostly his later work. His ability to show connection between humans is nothing short of spellbinding. And he brings out the best in his actors. I also love Ang Lee and his visual style, very formal and deliberate. Among the American independents I'm a huge fan of Jim Jarmusch and John Sayles, who I had the good fortune of meeting when he was shooting a movie here. Mike de Leon, Jeffrey Jeturian, ...ang dami.
Among the movies you've written, do you have any favorites? No. I love them all. Where do you see yourself 10 years from now? Haha! Come on Rielle you can ask better questions than that. Are you working on anything right now? a movie perhaps? Yep, I'm developing my 2nd feature film called Akyat-Baba, Paikot-Ikot which was intended to be my debut film. It should be going into production later this year if all goes to plan. It's been 3 years in the making. In the meantime I work as a director in advertising via our company Arkeofilms. Can you give some advice for Communication Arts majors? Always tell the truth in your work-your truth. And be disciplined-- bawal ang tamad.
LOMO LOCO By: LYKA CABATAY
You’ve seen these photos before. They’re the colorful and Lo-fi photos that has this charm and appeal to it that no digital camera can ever capture with just a click. They possess a nostalgic quality, the kind that makes you think of your childhood photos that your parents used to take of you that’s all stacked and printed out in photo albums. Some photos have burnt orange lines, some have ghostly figures that you just can’t put your finger on. It has this wonderfully grainy texture that only film can deliver. That’s what’s exciting about it I guess, It’s like what Forrest Gump says, It’s like a box of chocolates. You’ll never know what you’re gonna get. Basically, Lomography is the term for an approach to photography that emphasizes casual snapshots, sponteneity, ubiquity, randomness, and close-ups, rather than being concerned with the technicalities, aesthetics, and the conventional world of photography. The ‘attitude’ revolves around three key elements: the lomo camera, the lomographer, and the method of taking pictures. Lomography promotes a creative lifestyle that is both expressive and experimental. This new approach to photography has gained followers all over the world including the Philippines and reached the consciousness of some Filipinos in the early 2000s.
I started learning about Lomography through my friends and batch mates in high school. I’ve always thought that the pictures looked cool and effortless and I developed my fascination for it over time. I started researching about it and discovering different types of cameras which has its own effects and capabilities. I bought my first toy camera that uses a 35mm film which takes 4 pictures in one frame in a span of a second when I was a frosh. It’s called the quad cam.
The day I got it, I didn’t stop shooting since. I’m still a beginner at this and I’m planning on expanding my camera collection so I can take more photos and experiment further. For now, I borrow cameras from friends and shoot to my heart’s content. . One of the things that attracted me to it was it was its simplicity. You didn’t have to worry about technical jargon, whatever lens you’ll use or the aperture, shutter speed and adjusting the iso, everything’s completely low brow
and all you have to do is be in the moment and capture it. After all, one of Lomography’s motto is Don’t think! Just shoot! Plus, the toy camera’s are light weight that you can take them anywhere and shoot in any way you can possibly imagine, you can jump, bend, run, there are no rules! Not to mention, the cameras look adorable and they come in different colors and shapes and sizes, it’s a common collector’s item nowadays.
So, If you want to get started here are Golden rules brought to you by Lomography.com! 1. Take your camera everywhere you go. 2. Use it any time – day and night. 3. Lomography is not an interference in your life, but part of it. 4. Try to shoot from the hip 5. Approach the objects of your Lomographic desire as close as possible. 6. Don’t think. 7. Be fast 8. You don’t have to know beforehand what you captured on film. 9. Afterwards either. 10. Don’t worry about any rules
Shooting photos using a film camera taught me patience, simply because you had to wait for the entire film roll to be done before you can actually develop it and developing can often times take hours, Lomography can also be a waiting game. It also taught me selective shooting, A limited amount of slides ( pictures) per roll is one of the things you have to take into account when shooting. Film can have a maximum of 36 slides each so you have to be aware of how much you’re shooting especially if you have only limited rolls available. But of course, It’s all about fun and looking at things in a different persepective!
Be Fearless. Be Swift. by. Jan Miko DR. Superable
Born and raised in a small town called Wyomissing in Pennsylvania, little Taylor Swift did not expect what would happen 21 years later. With over 19 million albums sold worldwide and 4 Grammy awards under her belt, it’s clear that she’s been destined for superstardom ever since she picked up that guitar! And definitely, selling out the Araneta Colliseum last Feb. 19 showed just that and a whole lot more! When the sparks first flew “Love Story” was the first Taylor Swift song I admired. It came out a little over 2 years ago, and I automatically fell in love with it. From the relatable lyrics to the catchy melody, everything about that song made everyone want to fall in love! Even the music video made people giggle. Eventually, Love Story hit number 1 in local music channels, and it charted pretty high on radio, but still, it wasn’t enough to sustain Miss Taylor Swifts stardom in the Philippines. Of course, a lot of Filipino’s already knew who Taylor Swift was—she was the cute country girl who sang about boys, and she was also the girl who dated the then infamous Joe Jonas, but in terms of her music? She wasn’t known. And this I partly blame to the ever growing popularity of Disney Teen Stars Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez. Going against those two, others just seemed obsolete, boring and irrelevant. However, standing at 6 feet, you would know that this “real life” Barbie doll would eventually catch up, and indeed she did. With the release of her sophomore album Fearless, Taylor Swift quickly reached her wellearned superstar status with five singles off this record reaching certification success worldwide in the first three years its been out, and no doubt, that it was because of this feat that earned her the respect of both fans and critics alike. Her lyrics undeniably spoke true to teen hearts everywhere, and with songs that mix both angst and sophistication, everyone could tell that this country beauty would break borders, and relate to a much wider audience, not just her typical American spectra. And with the release of her latest record “Speak Now” last year, it is unquestionable that she still has that magic to touch the hearts of boys and girls alike. Taylor-mania in Manila 8 months ago, the rumor broke out that Taylor Swift would be holding a concert at the Araneta Colliseum on October 22, 2010. 7-11 stores endorsed early raffle promos to give away tickets, and the Araneta coliseum advertised the show at an Ateneo-La Salle game, which consequently were enough to send fans in frenzy. However, a few days later, Taylor Swifts management themselves confirmed through facebook that the rumor wasn’t true and that the Taylor Swift show here in Manila was still in negotiations. But to the fans’ absolute delight, news was confirmed that Taylor would actually be coming here, but on a later date. Eventually, Ovation Productions (who sponsored the concert) announced that the concert would indeed be happening on February 19, 2011. Tickets were soldout within 2 weeks after they were made available to the public. It automatically became the hottest Christmas gift in town! Most of the people I knew were looking and scouring the net for tickets and from that point on, it was obvious that this particular concert would go down as one of the most indemand ever in the country.
Finally, February 19 arrived and everyone was just on a high. Traffic around the metro tightened as flocks of people, from friends to ‘barkadas’, rushed to fall in line early for the concert. By 4 pm, lines were already long enough to surround the whole area! Some people could not even find the spot where the line started. Eventually, everyone was able to get inside and after 3 or so hours, the pre-show started. Sam Concepcion was the local artist Taylor Swift reportedly ‘handpicked’ to open for her in some of her shows in Asia, and personally, his performance that night actually exceeded expectations. Known for having a husky and pubescent voice, he evidently grew out of that singing his songs quite admirably for someone who’s constantly compared to Justin Bieber. He sang 4 songs, two of which were covers of Chris Browns “Yeah3x” and
Katy Perry’s “Firework”. The audience was going wild for him, singing along to his songs and exercising their vocal chords for the actual show, but, eventually they grew tired and started demanding for Taylor to come out. After 15 minutes, his set was over and it was another half-hour wait for the audience until the main show starts. As the audience whipped their hair to Taylor’s pre-show playlist, the lights finally dimmed down and everyone was literally going crazy. The whole crowd was breathtaking with people waving their glow sticks uncontrollably and chanting Taylor’s name. After a short intro, her silhouette appeared behind a silk cover, and after a while, the band started playing. The cover dropped and the show began. She opened her set with “Sparks Fly”, track no.2 off of her latest record. She pranced around her fairly elaborate 2 platform stage singing the song in front of a large digital screen showing moving pictures. She danced to the screaming audience towards the end of “Sparks Fly”, and even paused for a moment right after to show how genuinely surprised she was of the amount of people present at the big dome. Her eyes sparkled as she soaked in every single shriek she heard off the crowd, then she ran back to her spot grabbing her guitar to accompany her in playing her first single off of “Speak Now”, Mine. The audience literally knew every single lyric to all of the songs on her set and it was magical to hear. It was evident throughout the show how wonderfully connected all the people were to Taylor and her romance-driven lyrics. She belted her ballads “Dear John” and “Back to December” with so much passion; it was clear how she grew from being that innocent 16 yr old girl singing about boys to a beautiful lady mature enough to tackle the hardships of love. She proclaims how most of her songs speak about three things: love, life and heartbreak. And that in itself is a testament to how those particular themes can gain you such a following, especially if you write about it on a younger, more relatable perspective. She ran through her set smoothly with nothing but a mere mic flaw to make her laugh during the middle of one of her spiels. Taylor serenaded the crowd with mash ups of her songs “Back to December” and “Fearless”, with the latter being a commendable one mashing up Train’s “Hey, Soul Sister” and Jason Mraz’s “I’m Yours”. She also sang album favorites like “The Story of Us” and “Better than Revenge”, as well as my personal favorite “Enchanted” where everyone just fawned over her amazing dress. Moreover, the crowd absolutely went wild when Taylor started to sing her signature songs “Fifteen” and “You Belong with Me”. The crowd catered themselves to singing along to every line in those two songs, with matching emotions. This caused Taylor to stop for a moment after being struck by how loudly we sang with her (which she personally took to tweet about after the show). The show continued with most of her songs from her latest album, and surprisingly, none from her first, which I greatly detested considering how much I greatly admire her earlier songs. Eventually, the show ended on a high note with her anthem’s “Long Live” and “Love Story”, where the people secretly kept on wishing it wont be the nights last two songs, but, like all good things, the show came to an end, and everyone, feeling a little dissatisfied, screamed and stood on their feet for a standing ovation, that which marks the end of one of the loudest concerts I have ever been to. What really is it that people like about Taylor Swift; her lyrics, her personality, or, her looks? All of which are definitely valid reasons following her success. She mirrors a whole generation of love struck shy girls who yearn for a happy ending. Living in a country where family and friends are valued, her lyrics regarding hardships and struggles with that speaks true to every teenage Filipino, and with a concert as energetic as that to go to? Taylor Swift’s performance, like all of her songs, knocked me of my feet, and I’m sure I speak for everyone when I say that Filipino fans are fearless, and that we cannot wait for her to come back and enchant us once again.
MONDAYS - THURSDAYS Green Giant Hitlist (8-9am) Morning Habit (9-11am) Lunch Box (11am-1pm) Free Cut (1-3pm) Radio Rumble (3-5pm) Car Pool (5-7pm) Green Light District (7-9pm)
FRIDAYS 90s Throwback (9-10:30am) Asia Mania (10:30-12nn) Musika Lokal (12-3pm) Alternate Attack (3-5pm) DLSU Live! Encore (5-7pm) Green Giant Weekly Countdown (7-9pm)
SATURDAYS OST: Act 1 (9-10:30am) Unsigned (10:30-12nn) Campus Day (12-3pm) The Locker Room (3-5pm) DLSU Live! (5-7pm) Green Giant Rave (7-9pm)