Khene Rae G.
Paranga
Bachelor of Arts in
Digital Filmmaking
De La Salle-
College of Saint Benilde
Film Art 1 / DSLM2
A film of history and culture; a semblance of human
realism; a transcendental move of
presenting the condition of the society. The Barber’s Tale created an
interhuman revelation which characterized the significant role of individuals
especially the women and the youth. It enunciate a statement on how truth,
togetherness and the means of action can penetrate and circumvent the abuses and
cetain realities occurring in the society.
The story was set during the dictatorial period of
Marcos in the Philippines where there are rebellion and activist groups being
formed by a number of nationalistic students and awakened Filipinos. This
includes the involvement of the story’s main character,Marilou, who has been
awakened by the atrocities of the government though her god-son who has been a
witness of the government’s abuses who
is also a member of rebel groups prior to her membership.
The Barber’s Tale can be a basic device to bring back audience
on the history. It gives you the environment on how Filipinos experience during
the era of Marcos leadership. Some
youths nowadays were brainwashed by the social media and would even care and
love to bring back Marcos which is a total irony of what youths did on the
history ousting Marcos on the seat. This could be because that the youths of
today’s generation only experienced the benefit of the Marcos government where
they did not experience the atrocities done to Filipinos before such as
curfews, suspension of Habeas Corpus (where people are arrested and prisoned
without going through due process of law) and extreme government corruption.
The film is a counterpart to social media’s brain feed. It could help influence
and tell to the current generation on what really happened – and how suffering and sacrifices was made before.
The relay of the inside message of the “The Barber’s
Tale” became relevant and understandable even on the perspective of a layman.
It did not fail on delivering the insight to its audience despite the
complexity of the world presented inside the film. The mode of storytelling was
seamless for it was sequenced well without making any sort of confusion. The
selection of the elements perfectly compliment with each other. This includes
on how the design, sound and music, cinematography and editing suits the story
through the excellent means of Directing.
The posters, props, clothing and even the hairstyle
designed and made to physically exist upon the plane of events already helped
on telling that it happened during the Marcos Era without the use of title or
text through the plane of discourse.
When an audience watches the film it brings an
atmospheric condition, this includes the scenes right after the mayor was
killed by Marilou. The emotion of having the guilt exists; also exist on the
audience perspective. The audience can also feel that they are part of the film
where guilt creates a presence in their emotions. The achievement of the
occurrence was done through combination
of complimenting elements of sound and cinematography plus the immense
acting quality of Eugene Domingo. The mentioned sound created was a both mix of
Diagetic and Non-Diagetic sounds. However, The non-diagetic sound of an
empty-hollow space sound effect with the soft mix of the diagetic ambience
helped produce the atmospheric part of the mentioned sequence.
Most of the
sounds in the film were focused on the sound that has an onscreen source which
belongs to the world of film. Most of them were ambience sounds. The musical
soundtracks and scores are minimal as some only exist on certains parts where
there is the necessity to add gravity and create extension to the heightening
emotion of the drama. The use of the ambience on the film emphasize the change
of scenario where it also adds certain moods and feeling such as tension,
loneliness, relax moments and guilt. There were sound effects used like gun
shots. These gun shots creates another event even there are no existence of
visual element on the particular scenario. When Marilou heard some gunshots
over the mountains, it determined that there is a shooting encounter event
happening even it was not shown. The given sound effect gives the filmmaker an
alternative where instead of shooting the scene where they would spend another
time and budget, they’ll just present it on the film through the means of
sound. The gun shot sound-effect could not be just an alternative to a visual
scene, but it can also create jolt or hang an audience –making them say “what
happened?” or “what could it be? A narration on the story has been followed on
the point of view of Marilou’s friend portrayed by Gladys Reyes. It was done
through a voice over after the fall of the character. The narration was done by
her the story directly to the perception of the audience.
The rising and lowering of the volume was also
significant. When the mayor was giving sermon to the townsmen after the priest
of their town was killed, the volume was raised in order to clearly deliver the
speech and adds a tension since the said scene are on the peak of anger. The
mayor aims to scare the people from the government, thus it is effective if
delivered on a high volume rather than on a low soft volume of voice. Low
volumes were placed during the funerial and burial of Marilous husband since
the mood of the film’s world mourns and filled with sorrow and sadness.
Overall, there was a use of parallel sound on the entire timeline wherein the
sound and music fits the visuals.
The cinematography of the film contributed a lot on
shaping the story. Shots were artistically done and there were a lot of great
frame compositions. Filmmakers have the
freedom to choose on what shot they are going to use. But on the film , most
shots were carefully framed as what it was really meant to be. Examples are the
use of long shots on establishing scenes/location and the use of close-ups on
dramatic scenes which focused on the facial emotions of the characted.
There are some scenerios that high angle shots were
taken such as the time when the military raided the barbershop for inspection
wherein the militant student (the
godson) hides on the comfort room and pointed his gun on the door, likewise the
military pointed on the same direction wherein they were divided by the comfort
room’s door covering their identity. The high angle there was not only
creatively done with the best choreography o and composition but also best-ly
speaks that the character involved on the shot is inferior and getting weak. The
camera movements are not disturbing where there are no annoying shakes and
wobbles like the some of the international award-winning Filipino films has.
The smooth movement of the cameras create a pleasing sensation to the eyes
where there creates only minimal eye movements unlike to those who ends up with
the some feeling of soreness to its film viewers .
Every camera movement has a different emotional effect
on the film. It became an eye for the audience. The placing and setup of the
camera was done well as what they want
the audience to perceive. Their placement and movement the camera greatly
affects us on how we see and interpret a particular scene or character; the
figure of their style especially on when and how they will break the
rules. The cinematography involved
steadicam shots which gives endless possibilities of movements (and some adds an atmospheric mood).The
steadicam shots has been best used on maintaining the space, fluidity of
movement and integrity of time which
makes another meaningful affection to the story. Scenes on the Barber’s
Tale wherein they used a steadicam than combination of shots helps the viewer
and makes them move “with” the character. It also creates a form of
movement and sense of proximity. It makes the viewer that they are physically
present. If the shot was made static or stationary, they would lose some
tension and less attachment to the scene. Steadicams shots are mostly at
continuous and long takes of the film.
The color grading adds to the mood and
setting up the time of the story. The colors are slightly desaturated and was
complimented with a brownish-warm look which establish that the story of the
film happened before. It also adds emotion and makes another compliment to the
genre and mood of the story wherein it is characterized by a non-vivid events
as being filled by the continuous dilemma happening on the sequence of events.
Same wise with the lighting where it was carried and balanced properly. It lit
properly the subjects and even the
non-subjects of the film through the different techniques which makes a spice
on the screen. Some served to emphasize symbolisms and film language ; and on
adding extra enhancement on the physical ambience of the location. The
barbershop on the film’s world has existence of light that uses electricity,
wherein their source of lighting could have be only from the gas lamp or
candles. These source are low light producers wherein it would we be dark if
views on a camera because there are only less light to enter inside. The filmmaker
made great use of artificial lighting wherein they used it to increase the
lighting of the environment in order to properly see the characters and the
event. The increase of light inside the house through the means of artificial
lighting was presented as like it was coming from the lamp-even though it’s
not. They used a soft warm light and have it diffused on a particular spot
where the lamp light also hits. It is also similar to the night exterior shot
wherein they used an artificial light as it was coming from the moon.
There was an instance that they used a
style in editing that creates a time-lapse effect. When Marilou welcomed the
activists to do their plans on her barbershop an editing technique was used to
emphasize moving time. It was presented through a single sequence but of composed
of different time. The location of the
scene were the same but the editing used series of cuts and on every changing
of shot the clothes of the character changes same with the continuity of the
set which includes the arrangement of props and choreography of the characters.
Thus it emphasized a format of changing and moving time. The phasing of the
scenes between a certain sequence to another was appropriate since it didn’t
take too long nor too short- which would make the audience bore or confuse. When
the Marilou saw the Mayor’s wife crying at the chapel there was a slow cutting
of speed allowing to build drama and emotions. If it was fast, the drama
wouldn’t be appreciated. Fast cuts happened on the film when the military
inspected the house. The speed cuts and the music compliment with each other.
The music is fast and the cut speed was fast also- this heightens the event’s
tension.
The story are composed of both simple
and complexity given that is a story of a woman who changed her life by being a
barber after the death of her husband ;and same wise as a story of society’s
struggle and sacrifices towards the atrocities done by the government. On film
literacy, It also has a big play on how it could change the world. From the
existing world that happened before during the Marcos Era vision a story or a
script which was made into a medium of
film wherein this film would also affect
or vision the world. It’s a cycle. The story was able to keep the interest of
the audience until the end and also controlled their different emotions by
making them laugh, annoyed and feel the pain. On the beginning of film , It
could been on the perspective that the husband is the main character of the
film and it never crossed thy mind that it would be the wife who will roll the
entire story.
The “The Barber’s Tale” Directed by Jun
Lana became another breakthrough on the Philippine Cinema. It did not only expose
realities but also showcased the culture, people and especially the ability of
Filipinos on creating worth and valuable films. The directing approach was
excellent for it was able to bring and let the audience feel of what is to be
there; the use of elements were appropriate and complemented unto the over-all
aspect of the film.
To mention, The
Barber’s Tale was dedicated to a significant Filipino Director who also made a
big contribution on shaping Philippine Cinema, Marilou Diaz- Abaya, It is where
the main character’s “Marilou” name came from.