Long after everyone’s done talking about the speeches, the memes, the winners and losers (read: Leonardo di Caprio) and “selfies” of this year’s Academy Awards, film students all over the country will have to go back to their classes and learn more about the craft they’ve committed themselves into making as their profession.
Chloe Veloso (Photo Credits to Samantha Solidum)
One such aspiring filmmaker is Chloe Veloso, a BS Computer Science degree holder of UP-Cebu who is studying Masters in Cinema Studies in the University of San Carlos-Talamban campus.
The Tacloban-born Chloe specializes in film directing and cinematography.
As a child, she said she loved to tell stories. “I’ve always loved telling stories. As a kid, my father would tell me all kinds of stories from fairy tales to stories about mythology. He was also a photographer by hobby which influenced my eye for composition. We both loved to watch movies from the classics to the blockbusters. Eventually, I developed a knack for telling stories through film,” she said.
Chloe’s initial foray into creating an actual film or movie was in school. “At first, (making videos) just started out as a school requirement, which then turned into a hobby. Eventually, it turned into a way of life.”
BRANDO (2012)
Her interest was further fueled by her active involvement in theater in her grade school and high school days.
“The first school-related video project I was part of was when our film-slash-theater organization in UP dubbed as ‘Amateur Creative Thespians of UP’ (ACT-UP) was tasked to make the opening AVP for the Cookout last 2004. Originally, ACT-UP was supposed to focus only in theater. But after the AVP project, we found the experience fun and exciting. Since then, we decided to do both film and theater. Now the rest is history,” Chloe said.
Having said that, it was also Chloe who founded the much revolutionary ACT-UP.
DREAM PROJECT
With the long hours of shooting, set designing and carefully coaching actors on how to “attack” their scenes, how does Chloe manage her time?
“Back then when I worked full-time in my previous job, I would usually schedule our shoots during the weekends since the rest of my team are either studying or also working during the weekdays. I recently resigned from my previous job as a full-time Business Development Coordinator in SteadyTracker Inc. which manufactured film equipment like camera cranes, stabilizers, and dollies. Now that I’ve become their part-time consultant, I plan to pursue my dream to teach. I’m in between jobs now,” she tells Cebu Daily News.
With over 30 video projects under her belt, Chloe is showing no signs of stopping or backing down. Does she still remember her very first project?
URIEL (2012)
“The first video project I directed was entitled “Five Years” which was based on the song “Five Years” by the band Sugar Hiccup. It was an AVP-slash-short film.” she replied.
Despite being at it for a decade, Chloe shares that it was just last year when she and her friends decided to compete in an actual film festival.
“The first ever film festival I participated in was the 2013 Sinulog Short Film Competition for our film ‘Ang Gugmang Ti-unay ni Daniella.'” Chloe won fourth place and her film was nominated for Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Sound and Best Supporting Actor.
She said her film’s star, Badidi Labra, also bagged the best actor award. Chloe may be on Cloud Nine with her current success, but she is grounded enough to point out that she still has a long way to go to develop her skills and make her dream film, that “can transcend time and be appreciated by audiences in the future.”
MESSAGE
In working with actors, Chloe looks for versatility. “I wanna work with those who can easily understand my instructions and also those who have the creativity to improvise or give suggestions.”
ANG GUGMANG TI-UNAY NI DANIELLA (2013)
Asked what her dream project would be, Chloe said she wants to do “a period fantasy film of epic proportions.” While she already has a script, she doesn’t have a dream cast yet. Pressed on who she wants to cast, Chloe said “Johnny Depp…I can dream, can I?,” before exploding in laughter.
Depp may be a sought after Hollywood star, but the bubbly Chloe conceded that there are many local artists she looks up to. She cites as her favorite
Cebuano helmers are Remton Zuasola, Victor Villanueva, Keith Deligero, and Christian Linaban.
“I also look up to Ma’am Bambi Beltran of NCCA who is like the patroness of film and the arts here in Cebu,” she added. Chloe said a good director is one who had effectively communicated his or her film’s message to the audience.
“The best part of being a director is getting to work with amazing actors who have the talent and intuition to depict the characters you have envisioned. On the other hand, the biggest misconceptions about being an artist is that we don’t have to get paid for what we do and can just hire us to work for free… which sucks,” Chloe said.
INA-TAY (2013)
Chloe also shared that she values the experience and the camaraderie that she gained during film projects. Good films, she said, are those that “grips the heart and hang you by your emotions.”
“I appreciate all types of film genres, but my favorite would have to be fantasy. I guess you can say that I like the escapism aspect in cinema, which I try to apply in my works,” Chloe remarked.
LEARN FROM THE MASTERS
Despite being progressive, Chloe said there is a dearth of appreciation for independent films in Metro Cebu.
“Cebu still needs a lot of work in terms of local film exhibition. The public needs to be aware that there is a thriving film scene here. At the same time, local filmmakers should, at least for the time being, aim to create films that please both local audiences and critics, so as to raise awareness to the effort of reviving the Golden Age of Cebuano Cinema,” Chloe said.
Still, Chloe said she is “proud and happy” that the local film making scene is booming and that many aspiring film makers are “starting to make their mark.”
“I hope the Cebuano film community is united because it seems that there are too many factions not seeing eye to eye. To me, this is one way to even further develop the local film scene,” she said.
Being a director in Cebu doesn’t guarantee a steady employment and even with her being “in-between jobs,” she recommends hanging on to one’s day job.
DAG-UM (2014)
“You just need to know how to balance both. There are some people who choose to be full-time filmmakers and I respect and admire them for that. Maybe in the future, when I find someone who’s willing to partner with us and produce our films on a regular basis, I might consider being a full-time filmmaker,” she said.
For those determined to pursue a career in film making, Chloe said it’s unnecessary to own a high-end camera. It’s better, she said, to expand one’s “film literacy” by watching movies of different eras and genres.
“Learn from the master directors…It’s not the camera that makes a good movie, it’s the story. You can make a masterpiece in one minute with a camera phone as long as you have a powerful narrative. Lastly, practice and shoot like there’s no tomorrow.”
Watch her Sinulog 2013 film festival entry here!