The Pinoy Show!

This past weekend was full of work towards the documentary and talent show. Currently I am now editing a small preview of the film with the footage I have thus far to post on the upcoming website. Hopefully it can help gain the film some exposure and much needed funding. “That Asian Thing” would like blog readers to remember that these are the filming production notes. It’s sort of like an insider’s journal to seeing what goes into making a personally budgeted, independent film. So here are the important parts that can easily be overlooked:

-film releases. Whenever you’re filming anything, you need to watch your back in terms of having the permission of people you’re taping. You can’t just go and tape any ol’person and then feature them in a movie without them knowing. Doesn’t work out legally and you never know when you’ll be filming a wanted criminal.

-production company. Continuing with the legal mumbo jumbo – having a secure company name to be the entity that produces the film is better than Joe Schmoe taking the fall if things don’t go right. Again, having this will watch your back in terms of money, footage, and professionalism.

-legal and financial advice. If you can, try to get advice on both aspects because making a film is as much of a business as it is an entertainment. You need to know the ins and outs of what is legal to do and what isn’t. Then you need to know financial matters considering how much it will take to make the film, what can be taxed, and how to handle a budget.

I believe these are very important aspects to making a personal, professional type company. And for any info on any of these things, don’t forget that the internet is at your fingertips. Google has become a part of the English language and I’m not talking about the number 1 with a bunch of zeroes after it. I recommend:

Lawyers for the Creative Arts

Moving right along....

On Sunday, we were fortunate enough to attend Northwestern University’s Kaibigan event – the 4th annual Filipino cultural show known as The Pinoy Show (2006). This had a more sincere feel as I’m a Filipino and it dealt with my culture for “That Asian Thing.” Since the inception of the film, I’ve always been very open to all Asian classes and have been (and continue) to get a vast array of them on film. However, as most people can relate, when it has to deal with the race you know so well because it’s yours…well, that’s just some hardy pride. However, I was happy to find some non-Filipinos attend the event. Hopefully we can get a good turnout for “That Asian Thing” Talent Showcase.



I would like to thank Lesley Arca and Jon Maloto for being so helpful with my project. We appreciate their generosity and support! As for the show, I was very surprised how long it felt as opposed to how long it was. Personally, I felt as if time flew by so quick – which usually means a good time. The Pinoy Show featured mostly dance numbers that derive from the Philippines. Better known ones are Pandanggo Sa Ilaw, which is a dance with lit candles being balanced on the head and arms, and then the Tanikling, which is a dance done with rhythmically closing bamboo sticks.

I’d like to applaud Kaibigan on putting up a good show to present to people that aren’t very familiar to the Filipino culture. It was also a good way to teach heritage to some Filipino’s that might not know better. The running theme of the show was the hunt for their image created friend, Paolo Pinoy, thus making the other title of the show, “Case of the Missing Identity.” That Paolo taught us all about Filipinos! THANKS PAOLO! And thanks Kaibigan!