Tuesday, June 24. 2008"Bitin yung episode:" Notes on a craftTrackbacks
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you can't everybody..it's hard really to make a documentary, knowing you could not cover all the issues. But really..you're take on matter is really good.
I remember our freshmen orientation when UP Mindanao Chancellor stood up in front of the mic, people all wearing red behind us unfurled the streamers and raised their fist. What a great welcome!  Welcome freshies! In UP, you either swim or sink. I hope you will able to swim or learn to find a life jacket..:d Thank you again Mr. Howie for bringing up this story. Sir Howie,
May I repost this at Multiply? As this blog entry's title says, andaming negative reactions agad. By the way, I heard there will be another docu video marathon on July 18. Hi KC, sure you may. The reviews are mixed, as expected. Where is this video docu marathon?
My classmates saw the announcement posted on a billboard in our college, CSWCD. They saw it last week.
Hi, Sir Howie!
Galing nung docu. Ang inosente (can't find other words to describe it, pero parang ganun) kasi nasa pananaw talaga sya ng isang UP freshman na magsisimula pa lang tahakin ang landas nya sa Unibersidad. I think yung sinasabing pagiging bitin nya ay nasa pananaw lang ng mga estudyante o tao na exposed na talaga sa UP. Maybe there were expecting more. Pero understandable naman kung marami ngang bagay o isyu na hindi na-tackle ang docu, given the length of time na ipapalabas ito at yung ginagamit na pananaw, that is of UP freshmen. More power! Astig! while i do understand the limitations of doing a docu for a commercial channel, pakiramdam ko kaya nabitin ang marami dahil may mataas na expectation ang mga UP-grad viewers kasi may high pa ng centennial celebrations. i'd be the first to plead guilty of that.
i did like the docu though. na-appreciate ko na kahit walang direct statement on frats, tinanong yung parents what they think of their children joining frats. hindi ako anti-frat. anti-hazing lang. pero the freshies need to be reminded that they are not allowed to join frats in their first year. hindi ako anti-frat, pero anti-hazing ako. kaya nga i wud have appreicated more, kung sinama din yung anti-hazing video na pinalabas nung orientation. pero that's just me. hazing in UP is another subject matter, which if im not mistaken howie has also done a docu on last year. I do share the same sentiment as other UP students/alumni might have taught about it: bitin. I just noticed that the commercial breaks were still too long even if its already late night and I somehow believe that it affected the documentary. Hmm. Anyways, I do commend the I-witness team for braving themselves to have a docu about UP esp for its 100th year.
Hmm.. Honestly, I was one of, if not the first, to comment on the UP Multiply Group that the documentary was "bitin". I somewhat like to apologize if it, in any way, hurt anyone's feelings.. But still, I have to admit that I'm kinda partial about my opinion and I would like to explain.
Well, it is quite timely, because if people are aware, submission of UPCAT forms were last week, so this documentary gives prospective freshmen a GLIMPSE on UP life. But then again, I am a freshman as well, and although every freshman had undergone different experiences for the first two weeks, it wasn't as easy as it looked like when it was shown on TV, not even close. Two weeks is a lot of time to know the basics and more about UP, and I'll attest to that.. Hence the "bitin" comments by University of the Philippines students. The documentary was a good try, though, although it didn't reach most UP-ians' expectations. May I suggest a documentary on other colleges, as well, for fairness' sake? To end this comment on a lighter note, let me say my favorite line from the show: "Baliw ka man o hindi, may karapatan kang magpahayag ng iyong opinyon." [ In case anyone's interested, this was the webpage where my comments were posted: http://yoopee.multiply.com/journal/item/3275 ] "Hey, let's go, let's fight!" BALITON, Jaimee Trinidad Bachelor of Secondary Education, Major in Physics University of the Philippines-Diliman, College of Education i must admit, i am one of those people that think that the documentary is bitin. But then, i think i should still commend you for the bravery that you showed on making the documentary. You risked to produce such flick even if you know that a lot of people (specifically those who are exposed to the UP way of living) will react (bot good and bad) on it. Kudos to the I-witness staff!
I'll wait for the next documentary that you'll make about UP. Salamat sa "iskolar ng bayan" dokyu. Sa kabila ng limitasyon ng isang dokyu para sa telebisyon, nagawa ninyo pa rin maipakita ang mga "nuances" na maaaring kakaharapin ng isang estudyante sa pagpasok niya sa UP (i.e., campus activism, pakikisalamuha sa iba't ibang klase ng estudyante, academics, atbp).
Natutuwa ako na naipakita sa dokyu kung ANO para kina Rovir, Andrew at Jennifer, mga estudyanteng nanggaling sa hindi mayayamang pamilya, ang makapasok at makapag-aral sa isang unibersidad na tulad ng UP. Sana nga mas maraming makapasok na mga bata sa UP na tulad nila! (maganda rin siguro gawan ng dokyu kung ilang mga estudyante na galing sa public school ang nakakapasa ng UPCAT na mukha yatang mas pumapabor sa mga nanggagaling sa private school. Dapat lang kasi! pera ni Juan dela Cruz ang pinangtutustos sa mga iskolar ng bayan). Salamat sa dokyu sa pagbibigay ng mukha sa isang iskolar ng bayan! Jodi, salamat sa pagpupuyat, at sa pagpansin ng mga "nuances". Magandang idea yung imbestigahan kung ilang taga public school ang nakapasa sa UPCAT.
Baliton, no need to apologize for your brutally frank opinion. I appreciate any feedback. You're right, an outsider like me will never be able to fully know and show the complexity of a real freshy's experience. Notsolady and tin: Thanks for appreciating that our audience is composed of more than just UP grads. A more detailed treatment of campus issues might make the docu appear like it was produced with just viewers from UP in mind. Reg, Yes the commercial breaks were too long. Watch the youtube version: no ads! And it didn't take any bravery to do this episode, just the need to do a back-to-school topic. Cheng, this was the second docu my team and I did on UP. We did one on frats last year in the wake of the death of Cris Mendez. I wonder why the reactions weren't as heated about that one, which allegedly involved killing by some of your own schoolmates. ako po ay dakilang panatiko ng mga documentaries lalo na ng istasyon nyo at ng malaman ko na may ilalabas ka tungkol sa aming mga taga-UP ay agad kong itinala ito sa aking schedule book sa gitna ng nag-uumapaw na babasahin para sa aking pag-aaral para sa papalapit ko ng boards. Kaso dahil sa buwiset na bagyong Frank at hindi pa kinukumpuni ng buwiset na Meralco ang ilaw namin sa probinsya ay hindi ko tuloy napanood ng "live" sa i-witness. Pero ano nga ba naman ang ginagawa ng dakilang YouTube?
Isang magandang panimulain ang iyong ginawa. Sabihin man nilang bitin, pero kahit papaano may nag-abalang gumawa ng feature tungkol sa mga taga-UP. Kulang man ang isang oras para sa lahat ng isyu ng mga Iskolar, para sa akin, napakita mo naman ang surface ng lahat at simula na ito para sa iba pang mga interesadong mga documentary makers na gumawa pa ng iba pang kwento. Pati ikaw sir, pwede mo pang sundan - para bang the Iskolar ng Bayan series na tipong makakabuo ka ng isang DVD set. Sa mga laman ng iyong dokumentaryo, gusto ko yung mga isyu na: 1. Maraming mahihirap ang gustong pumasok sa UP. At kulang na lang ay itaya ang buhay sa demonyo para makapasa sa UPCAT. (Ako man ay nagsumikap na pumasok na agad sa isang UP High School para kunwaring may assurance na makapasok sa UP). 2. Marami na ang mayamang nakakapasok sa UP. At lalo na sir dito sa aking kolehiyo sa UP Manila kung saan parang car show ang parking lot ng BMW, Mercedez atbp. Ako man galing sa middle class na pamilya at kaming 3 magkakapatid ay pumasok sa UP dahil hindi kakayanin ng aming mga magulang na sabay-sabay kaming pumasok sa kolehiyo na makakuha ng High Class na edukasyon maliban lang kung UP kami papasok. Ako malaki na ang pasasalamat ko sa UP at natapos ko ang 7-taon na kurso ko na 60+ pesos lang ang binabayaran ko kada semester. Ito na rin ang rason ko na para di ko iwan ang Pilipinas. 3. Marami talagang baliw sa Unibersidad. DApat kasi intindihin ang dokyu sa konteksto at framework nito - ang pagkamangha ng bagong estudyante sa UP. Lahat bago, lahat kakaiba.
Huwag natin kalimutan na hindi lang naman tayo ang nanood ng Iwitness. May mas malaking populasyon ng mga tao na hindi taga-UP na nanood nito. Sa palagay ko, parang pasilip ito sa mga kababayan nating hindi kasing palad natin na makarating ng UP. Hindi maiintindihan ng 99% ng manonood ang mga personal sentiments at natin sa sobrang varied ng lived experiences natin sa UP. Natutuwa ako na may docu na tulad nito na nangahas ipaabot ang panimulang kwento ng UP sa apat na kanto ng bansa. Higit sa lahat, magandang ang emphasis sa pagkamahal ng tuition. Malungkot ang UP ngayon. Nagcecelebrate man siya ng centennial, andami namang napakatalinong estudyante ang nawalan ng pagkakataong makapasok dito. Hi Sir Howie! I hope you still remember me. I got no chance to watch your documentary because as you know, it was shown (so) late at night and I had to sleep early for my work the following morning. But thanks to youtube, I could watch it.
Anyway, I have read the blog that you wrote and a few comments and it simply boils down to what your story really is about. True, it was hard to choose which angle you'd like to focus on in your docu especially that it was about UP, you knew it's risky. You can really never please everybody. Well, there's still a lot of stories that you can make. But for this one, I congratulate you for the courage and the effort to at least show the public what it is like (now) to be a UP freshie. Hope to see you again soon. More power! Magandang Araw Mr. Howie Severino! Salamat po at tinanggap niyo ang isang malaking challenge upang maipakita sa sambayanan ang mga unang hakbang ng isang iskolar ng bayan sa kanyang pag-yapak sa Unibersidad ng Pilipinas. Kahit na maraming nagsasabi na medyo bitin o kulang ay sa tingin ko naman ay kahit papano ay nabigyan ng preview ang mga tao sa buhay ng isang baguhang isko at iska. Atsaka, di pa naman huli upang gumawa ng isang follow-up na dokumentaryo eh. hehe. Keep up the good work!
It's weird that the docu was shot in Diliman. The real campus that is celebrating a centennial is UP Manila.
Way to go for stating the obvious. UP is celebrating the centennial, but the only real campus that has been around for 100 years is UP Manila. I dunno how someone from UP can have a hard time understanding such a simple statement.
-- The oldest UP Unit celebrated its centennial in 1905- THE UP COLLEGE OF MEDICINE. I am a UP graduate, so in the spirit of objectivity, I will try to explain why most people think that the documentary is bitin.
It is undeniable that most UP students and graduates think of themselves a level higher than others. "UP and others", right? It can be concluded then that an isko or iska would want to hear more about their alma mater, particularly if it's about something good or something that puts them in a good light, or at least neutral grounds. I wonder if any isko or iska raised so much as a finger and yell "Bitin!" when the documentary about the frats aired. God help me as I know this post is inviting chaos, but just an interesting insight. Great episode, Howie! Keep us hooked! Benj and Aga -- The docu was not really about the centennial, although that was the backdrop. The three freshies and how they adjust to their first days on campus was our main subject.
Ellaine, I can appreciate other reasons as well for the bitin comments- too many ads for a fairly short docu, about 25 minutes. So much more could have been said, we could have followed the freshies longer. Each commenter has his or her own point of view to push. That's normal. But you're right, no one cried bitin after aired our docu on UP frats was aired. Partly I think that was because it was really a more complete docu and less ambitious. Sir Howie, though I earlier commented here seeking your permission to repost this at Multiply, I only had a chance to watch the said dokyu this evening at the Film Institute.
You were really affected by all these negative reactions from UP students, themselves, that you even raised that during the open forum. But in all fairness, I did not find the dokyu as "bitin" - this coming also from a UP student. And I dare say it's not because I knew of the negative reactions beforehand. I was just thinking that maybe those upset students were looking for a topic that was "in" by then, something that creates news - or related to one. Just like when the fratwar dokyu aired, an incident regarding frats just happened. Besides, as very much cited, UP has a very diverse population, so don't let all those comments get into you, Sir Howie. Hehe. ---------------------------- Btw, we heard there is a docu-filmmaking competition. We do hope to come up with an entry despite our killer schedule. Hi KC, Thanks for attending the docfest despite the storm. Don't worry, the comments don't get to me. If they did, I wouldn't invite critiques of my own work. I just always wish I had more time to work on important subjects.
Storm? As we always commented in our field, it's "So what kung holiday?" or "So what kung suspended ang class?" We always have plenty of things to do. (but still managed to include the docufest, or maybe even the docufilmmaking)
As I said, hindi po "hilaw" ang dokyu. It just so happened that it might not take a few I-Witness episodes but an entire show to cover the face of UP. |
QuicksearchAbout SidetripMISSION
This blog will attempt to find relevance in the exotic and the commonplace, value the undervalued, and satisfy my personal curiosity about all things that have anything to do with being Filipino. Howie Severino is a journalist, documentary maker, mentor, father, husband, patriot and pilgrim. He does two main gigs on television: I-Witness, GMA Network's pioneering documentary program, and Sine Totoo, a showcase for some of GMA's best non-fiction public affairs programming. For four years, Howie also reported on culture and travel in the quirky Sidetrip sa Saksi stories on the late night news. He has also worked at, in reverse chronological order, The Probe Team (reporter), Phil. Center for Investigative Journalism (staff), The Manila Chronicle (reporter), The Journal Weekender (editor), Department of Health (speechwriter), Ateneo de Manila High School (teacher), the Philippine Embassy in Wash. D.C. (writer), the Boston Common (pretzel vendor), McDonald's (grill cook), newspaper delivery boy, choirboy. In the mid 1990s, Howie wrote a column in the Manila Times called Moving Mountains, which explored environmental issues and trends. His email: howieseverino@gmail.com  Shotlisting in Aceh after a day of covering the aftermath of the Asian tsunami, January 2005. (Photo by Aye Navarro) Top banner photo of Howie in Culion, Palawan by Ella Evangelista Calendar
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