The trouble with language...

Last Thursday I went out of the house to meet up with Xarra and to sign up for my union: the Screenwriter's Guild of the Philippines.

After paying the requisite fee, I stayed for awhile at the office talking to the Guild secretary. I was trying to explain why my script--which I copied onto an open source scriptwriting program--didn't have page numbers.

I was apologizing and explaining the dilemma that I ran into when I decided to transfer this to another scriptwriting program after the old one I used (a beta) had somehow crashed. I was telling him that the new, open source one didn't print page numbers, nor did it print a production/shoot script. Or maybe it did--never did have much time reading the manual.

He was 80 or something and just didn't get it. I kept explaining what a scriptwriting program was and why I ran into some problems and couldn't produce a shoot script because I ran out of time and paper just printing.

"It's called TrademarkedScriptwritingProgram. It's kind of like MS Word, but for scriptwriters...it auto formats your script...I know that's the format, the problem with this one was that I didn't know that it didn't print a production script...yes, I know it's supposed to have page numbers. It even has to have scene numbers, and that's a production script, but the program...I understand the format, I've seen it. The program does....Yes, I work out of a computer, and I know what a script looks like, but the problem was....Yes, I was wrong. I didn't know it was supposed to look that way. Next time, I will put numbers there. I was stupid because I didn't know a script was supposed to have page numbers."

Isn't arguing with old people fun?

We also had a nice debate on language.

I think there's a problem with some filipino writers in that the way they write is just so...old school. Which is nice and pretty and phonetic, but the thing is no one talks like that. Not even politicians talk like that. I've heard a few activists talk like that to make it seem more "masa", but the deep technical words only come out because there was simply no way to translate it.

But I don't agree with writers who want to translate to formal filipino because that's what they claim the masses understand.

First of all, old school filipino language isn't easy. It's pretty complex, and just the fact that no one speaks it makes it damn hard to understand.

Second of all, the masses aren't stupid. My grandparents generation are all well educated. My parents generation bred activists. The 80's...well, they're a stretch. But with the internet, my generation and those that followed suddenly got pushed.

Knowledge is cheap nowadays, and the kids show it. There's an edge there that wasn't even present when I was their age.

So it frustrates me that some writers and producers think that they should baby the filipino movie going public.

About twenty years ago, we were the third largest movie industry, right next to India and the United States. We had quality movies because the people who wrote and made movies didn't treat the audiences with kid gloves.

Deep issues were hashed, without thinking that the publuc might not get it. They weren't worried about offending anybody, but instead told what needed to be said.

Granted, it was a difficult time. The economic and political atmosphere of the country was tensioned at best, and you didn't need to look very far for inspiraton. Movies were an outlet and a reflection to what was happening.

When things settled, we joined the American media in becoming PC.

Let's be politically correct and not say anything to offend the masses, who will hate us anyway for the simple fact that they're poor.

Bad words, I know. But it's the truth. Just like it's the truth that any poor person living in a thrid world country hates their government. Or even in a first world country.

It sucks being poor and they rant. Fuck, i'm not even poor and I rant.

But the fact of the matter is, they are poor, not stupid. Some are misinformed, many are desperate, but they aren't dumb. They can go beyond the cliche drama's and improbable action and kitschy romantic comedies.

People wonder why we can't produce more quality movies, and the reason is expectation. For a short while, that was the trend: a break from the politically ridden movies of the Marcos era. Enter the days of 80's excess.

But those times are over. And thus the industry should change.

I say stop insulting the public by sugarcoating it all. Get some balls, say what you mean, then accept the results. Who knows? We might get to like it.