Group 4

A struggling actor dreams of performing as a Tanghalang Pilipino in the Cultural Center of the Philippines. When offered the role of a lifetime, he pours his entire soul into his audition. Faced with familial pressure, self-doubt, and failure, he must persevere in order to achieve his dreams.

Hello, viewers! We are CPOR, group 4 of STEM 11-J, and we invite you to watch our short film: “An Artist’s Dream.” We put a lot of effort into this project, and we hope that you enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it. ♥️ 

         What the eyes can see or what the ears can hear is just one piece of the puzzle to unlocking an artwork’s deeper meaning. Juan Luna’s Spoliarium isn’t just pleasing to the eye, it symbolizes the Philippines under the Spanish’s cruel regime. Shostakovich’s String Quartet no. 8 isn’t just a piece, it was dedicated to the victims of the war in World War 2. In our group’s film, we utilized information obtained from research and personal interviews made with people from the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), but we didn’t plainly show our observations and reflections. We used original characters to depict different kinds of people when it comes to art. Aside from this, we also created an original piece of music to accompany the film.

          The film starts with an aspiring actor given a once-in-a-lifetime chance to achieve his dream; as this occurs the music starts with its main theme, a sweet yet somber melody. Despite this opportunity, his father discourages and belittles his dream, which is notably depicted by the fugue section of the music. The fugue starts with one subject from one voice, and another voice imitates it as the melody builds up. This was used to symbolize the back and forth arguments of the dad and his son. Regardless of his father’s criticisms, he continued to pursue his dream of becoming an actor by joining the audition at the CCP. But once his turn came to play the part he auditioned for, he started to stutter and mix up the lines, leading to his rejection; similarly, the music in this part also reflect this, as the unstable harmonies and rhythmic tapping of the guitar symbolizes a heartbeat getting faster and faster until it flatlines. Following that he feels disappointed in himself, and after his father hears about this they get into a fight, which is why the music has a darker melody and aggressive chromatic octaves. After some time, an audition popped up once again, but after the first mess-up, he started to hesitate and doubt himself, but his sister is there to encourage him. The music in that section is meant to simulate the actor and his sister since that part of the music is like a canon where a melody is playing and the same melody is simultaneously played while the starting melody is still playing, symbolizing a dialogue between the two instruments. With his sister's support, he mustered the courage to try it once more. As the music builds up and modulates, he practices more and more, trying his hardest to fulfill his dream, and as the music finally returns to its main theme transformed with brilliance, he has successfully passed his audition. Finally as the music’s main theme gradually softens, the actor is interviewed and he opens up about his experiences, concluding the film with a heartwarming farewell. 

           The intention behind the film is to encourage people to pursue their dreams, while also showcasing what it takes to be an artist, rather than the common belief that getting into art is relatively easy and holds no value. The film also showcases the CCP's intent to keep the arts and culture alive. The father in the film can be depicted as the people who believe that the CCP is a luxury rather than a necessity and that it poses no real value to the country, while the sister can be perceived as the CCP supporting all aspiring artists (the brother wanting to be an actor) in pursuing their dreams and eventually having their pieces of art preserved, and serving as a tether in keeping our culture alive. 

          The film made reference to Tanghalang Pilipino, a company that frequently performs in CCP. Tanghalang Pilipino is an organization known for its theater dramas. They are also among the many groups or organizations that have utilized the CCP to continue their endeavors in the arts, to entertain the masses, and to plant deep roots in Filipino culture. The overall theme of the film revolves around the goal the CCP seeks to achieve: to help art shine while also preserving Filipino art and culture. This is depicted in the film's multiple characters: the supportive sister, the serious one, the main character who strives to be an actor, and the father who continuously discourages and belittles his son for wanting to be an actor. Each of them plays a role in portraying the different challenges the CCP faces and in showing how seriously the CCP takes art.

          We found creating the artwork to be both challenging and rewarding. While we struggled with some time constraints, overall, we are proud of our output, particularly the musical portion of the film. Despite the challenges we faced whilst creating this project, we are glad we were able to showcase the CCP and our group members' talents! Because of this cultural mapping project, we have come to appreciate the significance of art, recognize the value and purpose of our chosen cultural property, and we all had a great learning experience. Finally, we would like to reiterate that the arts are a necessity for the existence of humanity. The path to becoming an artist will always be a difficult one, but our group is certain that the rewards are no match for the hardships faced. To flourish is to persevere.