The Media-based Arts and Design in the Philippines

     The Media-based Arts and Design in the Philippines  

    Media-based art developed through time, some parts of the world may have embraced its advantages earlier compared to others, but nonetheless, it is evident how changes in medium and forms of art dependent upon it have allowed the creative minds of Filipino filmmakers, animators and cartoonist to realize that there is no boundary in their field of art because it grows, develops and changes as time progress.

            Independent films, animation, and cartoons are some of the art that are based on media. Thus, they are executed through a medium which may vary depending on the form of art.  It is an unrecognized fact that films made form specific countries inevitably portray the social and/or economic status of the country of origin. Such a statement can be supported by how in 1999, the Philippines was the fourth-largest film producer in the world, but it decreased dramatically to 89 in 2001, and lowered since. Despite the struggles the film industry in the Philippines undergone, revival was found through the role of technology. Technology paved the way to allow Filipino filmmakers to invent and create stories far from the normal plot by having great accessibility in terms of film production. It made filmmaking easier and affordable whereas even first-time directors are able to make and produce their own films without the fear of the film being unrecognized from other films of known directors since the technology did not just make filmmaking easier, but also allowed distribution and duplication of any film made. Due to the development from celluloid to digital, new generation filmmakers are able to excel outside the mainstream or commercially appealing films. Such films are known as independent (“indie”) or alternative films. Different independent films made a remark on the history of film in the Philippines, some of which are Mababangong Bangungot, directed by Eric De Guia, also known as Kidlat Tahimik. Maryo Delos Reyes who received 50 awards with the film, Magnifico which was presented to the public in 2003, is continuously touching hearts and lives up to the current generation.

                 

       Print media is an umbrella term for any publication in the form of magazines, newspapers, brochures, comic books and many more. The content of such forms is informative, documentary and entertaining. Advertising is another form of print media that is highly utilized today. It is an important part of the business industry with the goal of their product to be recognizable to the masses so that they can gather permanent or local customers who will trust their product. Behind any product produced are people who work to produce such quality outputs. Two roles are found in an advertising firm and an integral part of the process of making an advertisement, the art director and the copywriter. The art director and copywriter work collaboratively to create a plan and concept that would lead to a unique advertisement.

Kenkoy by
Romualdo Ramos and Antonio Velazquez

             

          It is an undeniable fact that comic books are a big part of the childhood of Filipinos born before children were nourished with gadgets as young as they are undergoing maturity from a baby to a teen. In the Philippines, comic began with the publication of Komiks in 1920s. They presented serialized stories in a wide variety of genres. Romualdo Ramos, a Filipino writer, and Antonio Velazquez, a visual artist were the pioneers of the art of comic books in the Philippines. Kenkoy is a prominent comic character that was created collaboratively by the two artists mentioned above. The character of Kenkoy is introduced as a character that embodies the traditional and common Filipino attributes. Comic Book artists must not only be good at drawing but also in storytelling since it is a big part of comic books. Characters in comic books are produced from the artists’ perspective and vision for the story. There are different stages that are performed by the different and important roles of artists in the production of comic books. The formation of ideas or inception is the usual beginnings for the foundation of the entirety of the comic book. The scriptwriter is the one who chooses the appropriate words in order to tell the intention of each character effectively. They describe the action, dialogue, and sound effects. The layout renderer or pencil renderer sketches and draws the layout on the table. Soft, light pencils and smooth paper are usually used by layout renderer. Ink renderer takes the penciled paper into their final form. The colorist is concerned with the work’s clarity and coloring in order to portray the proper ambiance and emotion in the story. The letter reader performs the last step in comic book creation. They compose all the elements of each panel of the comic book.

By Kenneth Cobonpue

     Throughout time, innovations in product and industrial design grew and developed along with accessibility through technology. Designers refer to challenging problems without current obvious solutions as wicked problems. Such wicked problems are what drives designers to innovate and create and make it as a basis for the benefits and purpose of their product. By their want to answer insolvable problems, they are able to create visions of the future that were unimaginable and unexpectedly purposeful. Aze Ong is a designer known for her Filipino inspired crochet turned and change into wider purposes such as clothing, handbags, hand-made jewelry, and other decorative objects. Another designer is Dita Sandico-Ong known as the “Wrap Artist” of the Philippines. She is well-known in the fashion world for promoting creative usage of the local fabric, inabel from Ilocos Sur and also for using pinalino or pineapple fibers with Irish linen for clothes and various accessories. Kenneth Cobonpue is known not merely nationally, but also internationally for using natural fibers and materials such as rattan, buri, bamboo, and abaca. He is an industrial design based on Cebu. Tom Cruise and Oprah area international Hollywood celebrities that recognize his design and innovation and are clients of him as well, giving testament to how creative our own artists are and how their innovations can also influence other cultures and countries the way other countries had influenced us in the past.

            Technology is truly an integral part in the development, progress, and growth of media-based art such as print media, comics, and film in the Philippines as well as the innovation in the products and industrial designs of artists in the country. Through it, our artists are able to find the limitless opportunity and motivation they need by having sufficing access with the equipment and acknowledgment they ought to have in order to continue their art as it is not just for them, but also for those who will see and be influenced by it. Having witnessed such exemplary creation by Filipino artists that did nothing, but improved over time would make us wonder what more will come and what should we expect in the future from our beloved artists as we know that as time pass by and technology becomes more improved and upgraded, quality of the produced product will also improve along with it.