Cinema Desire

According to philosopher and psychoanalyst Slavoj Zizek Cinema is the ultimate pervert art. It doesn’t give you what you desire, it tells you how to desire. The problem is not if our desires are satisfied but rather, what should we desire. And that's what cinema tells us. It controls our minds way of thinking and gives us ideas what we should desire and what we must believe.

There is nothing spontaneous, nothing natural,  about human desires. Our desires are artificial. We have to be taught to desire. Like for example, a lot of people owns an Iphone and as you discover more people buying it you are having a desire to own one, too. We need to have a basis on what we should desire. That's why cinema is can manipulate our way of thinking will we are stoked to its story.

Sometimes in films there are unrealistic scenes but you are still affected and that's what made you believe the scene can happen to real life because that's what you saw.

One good example is the film, Matrix. The film shows two very opposite worlds, the dream and reality world. It makes us want to have a real dream world.

Structuralism and Semiology in Film

Structuralist Film Theory is a theory rooted from structuralism itself based on structural linguistics. This theory is about how films conveys its meaning through codes and conventions, just like how we communicate to one another. A combination of shots even without dialogue can create an additional idea to the audience and the process of unraveling its meaning can become quite complex. Through its combinations of lights, sounds, juxtapositions, angle, shot duration, cultural context and other elements can actively reinforce and undermine a sequence's meaning.

The French (post)structuralist Jacques Lacan applied structuralism to psychoanalysis...

and, in a different way, Jean Piaget applied structuralism to the study of psychology. But Jean Piaget, who would better define himself as constructivist, considers structuralism as "a method and not a doctrine" because for him "there exists no structure without a construction, abstract or genetic".

Film Semiotics is the semiotics of film, that studies signs that pertain to film in a variety of levels. It is the meaning-making of films, focusing on non-linguistic things in a movie. This theory focuses more on signs and symbolism in a film. It makes us think of things that aren't even there in the signs, making us imagine and give a whole new meaning to the film based on our own interpretation of the sign.

Ricciotto Canudo  was an early Italian film theoretician who lived primarily in France. He saw cinema as "plastic art in motion". He gave cinema the label "the Seventh Art", which is still current in French.

Philippine Sex Melodrama

Based on an article written by Mr. Jamal Ashley Abbas, "Sex films are sites for power discourse".

 It is an article discussing how Sex Melodrama should be a film genre in the Philippines. It will be defined as a film with sex as its theme. Using a girls body as a focus, but not like porn. It says there that it goes beyond Mulvey's male gaze and voyeurism. The said genre is based on Weber's three dimensions of differences - class, status and power.

This genre will emphasize women's power on the society.

Apparatus Theory

During the 70s, Apparatus Theory was the most dominant theory in the field of cinema study. It was derived from three different, the Marxist film theory, semiotics and psychoanalysis. The theory states that ideology will always be a part of cinema's nature because its technique is ideological. Its mechanics uses camera and editing. And also the theory follows an instructional model of spectatorship.

Feminist Film Theory

Most movies back then stars a leading man with a lover, who’s always a sweetheart or a darling on the film. So, every movie the audience can easily predict what the female lead character would be. Because of that film theorist conduct a study to prevent it from happening. They formed a theory which elaborates the role of the female character and expands the possibility of what the role of the female character could.

Later on, female characters can show what they’re capable of in a film not just a simple lover or a cutie. They can be powerful, a villain or a master. And their role became unpredictable which gave gender equality to films.

Serbis

Serbis is an indie film directed by Brillante Mendoza in 2008. It is about a movie house that offers more than just movies. They offer sexual service but the difference is, it's a man-to-man intercourse.

Starring Gina Pareno, Jacklyn Jose, Coco Martin, Mercedes Cabral and more.

It has a unique way of telling that life is never simple. Life is full of complications.

It was declared as the most controversial film in 2008 which is their key to be invited to the prestige 61st Cannes Festival.

The film has a superb plot but it's quality is low and their audio is sometimes awful.

Movie Workers Welfare Foundation Inc.

As of one of the requirements for my Cinema Class, we are obliged to join the tour to Mowelfund. It is a museum which showcase the Philippine Cinema's oldest and fresh-est products.

For you to have an access you must pay P100 for one ticket and you can enjoy all the features inside the museum.

They also have international artists like Charlie Chaplin. The museum contains a horror room which has all the monster and other creatures used in some of the unforgettable films like 'Tiyanaks' and more. And it has an exclusive section just for 'The King of Phil. Cinema" Fernando Poe, Jr.

All in all, it was a great experience. Too bad we aren't able to watch the short film they've prepared for us but it was a blast.