I went to MOA yesterday for the Graphika Manila 09 seminar. I must say it was cool! The speakers were Stefan Sagmeister, Christian Alzmann from ILM (Industrial Light and Magic), Jens Gehlhaar from Brand New School. There were also local speakers from Adobo Magazine, Everywhere We Shoot and Springboard.

I was late in coming to this event. Damn traffic and stopping mrt. Anyway, I was also at the seminar last year, where I enjoyed listening and looking at the artworks of Tokidoki artist, and PIXAR! Last year was kinda flop, especially when Tim Yap went on stage. He gave this very boring talk that I couldn’t comprehend maybe because there was something wrong with the equipment. Actually, there were lots of technical problems during Graphika Manila 08. Anyway, this year, thank goodness there weren’t any problems like that. Good set-up, NICER theme (last year it was all circus like, and everybody knows I hate clowns), no boring talks, nice kit with a book! They were also gicing away past issues of a good magazine, but I didn’t have the chance to get 1 because I was late. Last year’s kit was awesome too; this year’s kit has 50% less stuff but the mini book itself would suffice.

So why did I go here? I actually don’t have any plans to go this event, the main reason being the ticket was so freaking expensive! I told my supervisor that I would not go, but viva! He bought me one. I was really ashamed, lol, I wanted to pay him but he won’t accept the money. Anyway, it was worth it. I just wish they would start providing us with food because listening to speakers from 11am – 6pm and with a P1,350(?) ticket is.. yeah, too much.
Springboard is composed of a trio of people specializing in tv commercial shoots and local MTVs. They were ok, I’m sometimes imagining myself doing a video shoot. I think it’s cool to be in the production process. I adore special effects, and I’m dying to learn how to do them.

Next was Everywhere We Shoot. And that’s what they do practically. They shoot everywhere. They don’t make it a hobby of editing their pieces, it seems like they’re angry with photoshop. They’re the average type of artists. They may think out of the box, they might have good pictures, but to be honest, I don’t really like their works. Nonetheless, I still think they’re good artists.
There were speakers from PGDA (I think it’s Philippine Graphic Design Awards?) before lunch time.

And yay! Lunch time.

After that, we went back to our seats. And I was disappointed to see that there were other guys in front of us, when it should be the Gosiengfiao sisters. Before lunch time, they were in front of us, Ms. Ashley was right in front of my seat. And yeah, just like that, some stupid guys took their seats. The nerve! I like the Gosiengfiao sisters, because they’re pretty, they are fellow artists, they are good photographers, and they are cosplayers! Something I wanna do for a long long time now, but I actually can’t because I don’t have the funds, and I don’t have any friends who want to cosplay with me. Actually, I know fellow college friends who cosplay, but we’re not that close. So just like that, their seats were taken. They must really be disappointed.

I saw them again on the cr, but I was too shy to ask for a pic together. I also saw at the cr, Ms. Tricia Gosingtian, their friend, and a photographer I adore. Why am I such a cowardly git? Anyway, I’m too ashamed to bring out my digital camera, it was already faulty, and my father won’t let me borrow his. Shit. I was really disappointed with not having a decent camera with me that day. So disappointed I wanted to cry. My chances were ruined!
Two women from Adobo Magazine were the next speakers. They showed us great ads, out of the box thinking, Stefan Sagmeister’s nude photo (kyaa!) international ad and commercial winners. It was great. Makes you want to squeeze the living daylights from your brain to come up with a superb idea and execute it to be a print ad or a commercial ad. Which by the way, I have to do tomorrow for a poster ad for the office.

And! After them was the start of foreign speakers! Yay! First was Jens Gehlhaar from Brand New School. He showed us these opening billboards of MTV. Funny because the actors they get were their own staff. He sure laughs a lot. They also made commercials which were worth hours of clapping, the effects were good, the ideas were nice. They are into this abstract way of doing shoots.

The next was Christian Alzmann from ILM. OMG! I love this speaker! Probably my most favorite from the set. It’s because I like special effects, and their company is responsible for those AWESOME movie effects. He worked with Transformers, Pirates of the Carribean, Spiderwick, Terminator, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and lots more. He showed some process, from rough sketches of character designs and places, to rough 3d, to the actual 3d and to the post production. It was REALLY REALLY AWESOME AND COOL. He showed the picture of their office, and man! I want to harbor everything that’s in there. There were lots of toys, 3d models they made themselves, and of course, artworks. It’s technically my dream workplace. Mr. Christian Alzmann also showed us how they shoot collapsing, burning buildings and cities. It’s not just simple graphic effects, they make models and destroy the whole set. And the funny thing is, they also have these bloopers of their effects.

The last speaker was Stefan Sagmeister. I’ve seen ads and book of him in fully booked, but this is the first time I actually ‘saw’ them. His style is of the humor type. Funny person, really. He’s Austrian and I think he’s gay. XD But I don’t care! He’s great and I envy his skills, his time, his effort and his ideas. He even made us all stand up and sing a song he composed himself, about companies who don’t pay you enough in exchange of a good quality work.


What did this seminar do to me? It slapped me once again from my artistic slumber. Last year’s seminar gave me high spirits to do my work. This year, it did the same, and I confess I’m disappointed in myself because up until now, I have not achieved what I want to achieve. God knows I’m tired of my work, I just can’t leave it because I need the thousands that they pay me. I want to have a good career. I’ve been trying my best not to be a mediocre person. I’m tired of my present self. I don’t want to be left behind. I don’t want to be a ‘ pwede na yan ’ artist. I don’t want to be like Carlo J. Caparas who don’t deserve honors. I don’t want to do artworks that rely on other’s skills. I want to be me. I want to be a great artist. I want to get out of my shell. I want to develop my skills. I want to learn more graphic stuff. I am in the process of changing.
/rant.

So, after the seminar, the foreign speakers went outside, and there was this autograph signing. I got the chance to take a pic near them, courtesy of Kuya Mark, thanks to his girlfriend, Ate Ermine’s DSLR (that I want to harbor). XD

I got the chance to get Christian Alzmann’s autograph! Whoopee! I lined for Stefan’s next, but the Graphika Manila staff were in a hurry and they keep on shooing us away. Bastards. They should’ve organized an autograph signing hour. Stupid shits.
And when the line was decreasing, I lined up for Jens’s next. But no. I was forcing my way, but, still, no. I managed to have Kuya Mark take a pic of me near the speakers. The closer that I can get. Ah.. well, I missed a lot of chances that day.

It was really a cool seminar. If they placed last year’s Tokidoki and Pixar speakers with this year’s speakers, no doubt it would totally be.. ONE HELLUVAH BLAST SEMINAR!