Film festival organizers hone skills of student film makers
By Ana-Liza S. Macatangay NAGA CITY --- The Archdiocese of Caceres and the city government of Naga have opened the 4th Peñafrancia Short Film Festival (PSFF) to student artists. For the first time after three years of engaging professional film makers in propagating the devotion to Our Lady of Peñafrancia by crafting short films, PSFF now opens its door to Grades 7 to 12 students who readily took the challenge of delivering their own creativity and acting prowess. In preparation for the hefty production works that lay ahead, PSFF initiated a basic scriptwriting workshop, invited schools and requested the presence of no less than the creative director of the Jesuit Communications Foundation (JesCom) Pauline “Pol” Mangilog-Saltarin to serve as the topic’s resource speaker. Participants from Naga Parochial School, Philippine Science High School Bicol Region Campus, Camarines Sur National High School, Ligao National High School, Ateneo de Naga University, Universidad de Sta. Isabel, and the Holy Rosary Minor Seminary intently listened to the talk and took part in the discussion. One of the highlights of Saltarin’s talk was on how to generate story ideas that would appeal to the viewers. She also discussed the types of screenplays, the three-act dramatic structure, how to format script, and how to write dialogue that makes sense. The participants were also taught to build their story characters and its archetypes, as well as a hero/heroine, sidekick, comic relief, supporting characters, villains or kontabida, and character development. The final test was the scriptwriting exercise where the participants’ creative ideas were extracted, their imagination and resourcefulness tested. The 4th Peñafrancia Short Film Festival is open to all Grade 7 to Grade 12 students of DepEd in Bicol, particularly those coming from the provinces of Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte, Sorsogon, and Albay. Considering this year’s theme: “Bridging Communities through Christian Values and Ina,” the short film must also highlight the role and identity of every lay faithful and the essence of devotion to Our Lady of Penafrancia by portraying positive Christian values, promoting deep faith in God and inculcating Bicolano culture and identity.