Patrick Karlo D.

Cabañero

Eng. 10 X5 – A

Why boycott “formula-based” Filipino films

When we go out and spend some cash out of our pockets, we tend to apply the principle
“Quality over Quantity”. We always want the insides of our money bags to be traded with
something that is of high quality. But reality does not always allow this principle to be on our favor.
In fact, most of the time we spend too much on something but get less in return especially when we
are inexperienced consumers. Thus, quantity sits above quality and this principle can be witnessed in
today’s status of our own movie industry. Throughout the years, we have watched Filipino films
several times in our lives. But have we ever noticed that every other film is somehow similar to each
other? Formula based films are those that are predictable employing the same plots and the same
situations that are turned up over and over. Main movie stars, sidekicks, and villains are even
recycled in some films (Tordecilla). But not all film makers follow the same easy film formulating
procedures. Indie films, which are films mostly or completely produced outside of major film studio
systems, “provide fresh content which the studios are lacking in, and the studios provide advertising
and distribution machinery, which the indies don’t have.” says indie director Pepe Diokno (qtd. in
Enriquez). Other indie directors such as Brilliante Mendoza, and Jim Libiran have all proven that
Filipinos can be excellent movie makers by winning several awards in foreign film competitions.
However, even despite the success of these films overseas, which depict the current social issues in
our corrupted and impoverished society, it seems impossible for these films to achieve box office
success back in the homeland (France-Presse).

Cliché’s are very common in Filipino films. The scenic sing along scenes in 80’s and 90’s
movies are one of the most common types of Filipino movie clichés wherein during the ending
scene, the entire cast would travel to some resort or beach wearing summer outfits and together they
would lip synch the movie’s entire theme song and eventually create a music video that is supposed
to give a satisfactory happy ending (Godinez). Several past action movies have also followed a
certain formula plot wherein the bida heads into the bad guy’s lair or a warehouse and kills all of the
boss’s goons before killing him last. The police arrive after the bakbakan scene and they arrest the
remaining goons. They leading man and leading lady then kiss and walk away (Salanga). In today’s
generation of films, we can still see these clichés in Star Cinema romantic offerings wherein the title
of the movie is similar to the title of the theme song, which is commonly a revival (Enriquez). The
Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), which serves as an annual highlight for Philippine Cinema has
evolved from showcasing Philippine masterpieces during the 1970’s to a parade of mediocre and
trashy films (Fernandez). Secretary-general of the National Statistical Coordination Board Dr.
Romulo A. Virola, indicated that one of the factors that contribute to the decline in the country’s
movie industry in terms of movie quality is the rise of films that are “far from the quality of those
made during the golden years of Philippine cinema.” But the sad reality is that these low class films
are the ones that scoop up a lot more income than those award winning releases that are more
deserving to be classified as movies. Virola cited several award winning films that never became a
box office hit (earning at least 100 million pesos) such as 2011 MMFF Best Picture, Manila Kingpin:
The Asiong Salonga Story with P34.8 million, 2008 MMFF Best Picture, Baler with P35.8 million, and
2008 Famas Best Picture, Katas ng Saudi with only P3.2 million. He added that, “Unfortunately, good
local films do not necessarily make good money.” (qtd. in Bunoan). In 2012, Nora Aunor fans a.k.a.
Noranians were outraged when the MMFF entry Thy Womb, starring Nora Aunor and Bembol Roco
were pulled out from the cinemas due to its poor box office performance. The film has an indie
background and portrays the culture and traditions of a Muslim community in Tawi-Tawi. According
to Director Brilliante Mendoza, it does not matter if they win the popular audience’s approval since
it is not the movie’s concern (Javier).

We can see that most blockbuster producers today are more concerned with income rather
than the plot quality. The film casting overshadows the story of the movie and film makers from the
top movie producers in our country such as Star Cinema treat the story writing as a lesser priority.
Star Cinema continues to rake millions of pesos due in their romantic offerings due to the popular
demands of the loveteams they produce from “Kimerald” to “Kathniel” who pushed their way to
stardom due to constant television exposure. In an article by Don Jaucian of The Philippine Star, he
points out that “Audiences know what exactly they’re paying for: a regurgitated version of the last
romcom (romantic comedy) that they saw. Yet, they still continue to give it a try enticed by the
actors starring in the film…” The 2011 MMFF entry, Enteng ng Ina Mo, was the top grosser of its
batch garnering up to 183,213,717.35 pesos (Rañoa-Bismark). The film was a box office hit but
became a total failure in terms of storyline. The main goal of the film was to mix up the two MMFF
behemoths, Ai Ai delas Alas and Vic Sotto, and then come up with a plot that would satisfy both the
roles of Ai-Ai as Ina from Tanging Ina Mo and Vic as Enteng from the famous movie series franchise
Enteng Kabisote. The result was a total disaster and it became obvious that the producers were just
desperately trying to “milk” both Tanging Ina Mo and Enteng Kabisote franchises until nothing comes
out. The recent MMFF box office My Little Bossings has broke the record for the highest opening day
grosser of all time. Sad to say, the box office income is all that they could ever brag for. The movie
has been reviewed as “tedious and wasteful, it is a train wreck of a film that uses its screen time to
steal its audience’s money and peddle its advertisers.” (Marasigan). The “Bimby-Ryzza” tandem and
the rampant movie promotion lured the people into lining up at the cinemas to waste their money
into some ill-plotted second-rate film. What’s even worse is that the film itself serves as a disguise to
advertise certain products such as detergents and noodles which are some of the movie’s sponsors.
The movie neglects the true essence of film and hides its true color, which is a huge advertisement
that secretly steals us our money by corrupting our minds that advertising in a movie is a form of
entertainment as long as our beloved idols are the ones endorsing. As Marasigan pointed out, “It’s
all part of the business, unfortunately, and it’s the audience that has to pay.”

Even if the current movie industry is currently suffering from its lack of “substance”, the
high earnings prove that the Philippine movie industry continues to flourish despite of tough foreign
competition. Dr. Virola said that on the average, local films “earn about twice as much as foreign
films” (Bunoan). The MMFF generates an average of 500 million pesos in just two weeks and it
amounts near 10% of the total movie revenues annually. Furthermore, proceeds from the tax of
local government units of Metro Manila during the MMFF will be donated to the Movie Workers
Welfares Fund, Film Academy of the Philippines, Motion Picture Anti-film Piracy Council, Film
Development Council of the Philippines and Optical Media Board (Tan). The MMFF even donated
P767 million of its profits to Typhoon Pablo victims and P500 million to Typhoon Yolanda victims
(Calleja). Virola further adds that the film industry contributes to the growth of employment (based
on the 2008 Annual Survey of Philippine Business Industry) since those who are hired in motion
picture and video production, animated film and cartoons production, and motion picture audio and
video projection comprise 0.10% of the country’s total employment (Bunoan). The Philippine movie
industry imposes protectionism, especially during MMFF season, from foreign film as it is able to
boost the economy and somehow promote a sense of nationalism by choosing Philippine films over
foreign ones.

Still, the protectionism that is developed here is a false one. The movie industry protects the
viewers by displaying the most mediocre and shallow plotted films that are pretty much
embarrassing to be proud of. Films should be tools for communicating ideas that remind people
who they are and enlightening them with the issues in society at the same time serving as an
instrument that would depict the Philippine culture. This is essence of film making and it is nowhere
to be observed in today’s cinema and these filmmakers are just using films to gain easy money.
Instead of providing inspiration and motivation for people to aspire for greatness in their lives, these
movie producers do not make them think and they provide the same product quality over and over
again (Zafra). Thus, they are unworthy of the called filmmakers. Sad to say, these films illustrate that
we Filipinos are shallow and superficial. The absence of artistry in our films should be considered
and those who cannot abide should not be allowed to compete in the market (Fernandez).

Although some will agree that movie makers should get the blame, it is a fact that they are
also victims of the industry downfall. In the 1990’s, local films were imposed with 30% tax on gross
revenues. Film producers were paying a total of 42% tax rate due to a 12% value-added tax. This
incident initiated the decline of the movie industry. As film director Pepe Diokno recalls, “The tax
killed innovation and killed the chance that producers would take risks with narratives and unknown
stars.” He added that “Producers went with formula, with melodrama and slapstick, because they
had to be sure it would sell.” (qtd. in Whaley). Until today, many filmmakers still adapt the principle
that was born due to the heavy taxation in the 90’s.

However, movie taxes were already lowered up to a 10% in 2009 (Whaley). The rise of
affordable modern equipment also caused a huge progress in the Philippine’s indie productions.
Moreover, upon the creation of the Cinema Evaluation Board (CEB) under the Film Development
Council of the Philippines (FDCP) in 2002, a 100% tax rebate would be given to those films that are
graded “A”, the highest in terms of movie quality (Francisco). In 2014, Buhay party-list Rep. Lito
Atienza passed a bill that seeks a five-year tax holiday for the film industry. This bill aims for a 100%
tax exemption on equipment rental, and editing and marketing fees with regards to the production
and post-production events for promoting local films. Atienza says that lowering production costs
will reduce the burden upon local movie producers and would give a huge opportunity for the
creation of more world class movies (Arcangel). Furthermore, it will boost creativity in the show
business and empower movie makers to produce more content and to facilitate more jobs (Pizarro).
Digital film making also makes it easier for aspiring movie makers to produce their own work. The
easy availability of modern tools such as cellphones, tablets, and DSLR’s makes film making less
expensive (Donato). Thus, movie makers are actually given more incentive today and they should
use that incentive to harness their true potential as filmmakers.

Filmmakers should first put into mind, What type of film am I creating? What should I
consider when making a film? Is profit my only priority or should I more be concerned with my
legacy as a filmmaker in the Philippine movie industry? Perhaps what these movie creators should
first prioritize is the story. According to indie producer and director Paul Soriano, “One cannot
discount the powers of a well-written script.” (qtd. in Donato). A fresh movie concept should also
play a significant role in determining a movie’s success. Films such as “Zombadings” and “On the
Job” have proven this to be true. Second, a very brilliant move to attract an audience especially for
indie movies is to acquire popular actors and actresses to act for the film. Award winning writer
Ricky Lo reports that “More and more mainstream actors are crossing over to independent movies.
Hence, TV studios are supporting more indie projects too.” (qtd. in Cruz). Films are now being
backed up by major television networks of the country which gives them a whole lot more exposure.
Lo adds that, “Another interesting aspect here is the budget. The finalists needed a counterpart
financing plan to make their films. Again, if they hire an actor managed by these studios, they get
some form of financial support as well.” Lastly, less budget films that are unable to compete in the
mainstream market should utilize the power of social networking in promoting their material since
the Philippines have a growing number of “netizens”. In addition, the Film Development Council of
the Philippines shall consider giving an extra “push” on those films, especially indie, that would be
graded “A” by the CEB. Additional funds for theatrical advertising and promotions should be given
especially to those that are low budget grade “A’s” to help them step into major movie cinemas of
the country in order to be given more viewership and exposure which they rightfully deserve.

In conclusion, the country’s movie industry is not dying. It is just misguided. As cheaper and
better tools for film making become more available, and more incentives are given to filmmakers, a
huge opportunity to harness the true potential of these movie makers is under way. It is never an
easy task to create a film especially one’s with a fresh concept and a well-crafted plot. However, if
filmmakers do not take the challenge, our films would not evolve, we as an audience would not
evolve. But if our movie makers step up and take the challenge, they are able to prove that Filipino
films are creative, original, and world class. This is something that we could be all proud of.

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