THE REEL DEAL ON AIDX PAREDES

It has been seven years since I graduated from the UP Film Institute and I have been feeling a bit idle for not having gotten any hands on experience in film production right after college. While I still revisit my love affair with photography through various outlets and projects, I have yet to finish my full length script and experience the “reel” deal.

Despite my time off from film production, I continue to get inspiration from young and independent film makers who show a lot of promise in the art of storytelling.

A few more years before he steps out of college, Aidx Paredes, photographer / graphic artist, is now making his debut as a filmmaker. He has made a huge transition with his newly completed short film, “Somnolence.”

 

 

The 14-minute silent film, written and directed by Aidx, tells of a girl and a boy who fall in love and are faced with the challenges of their own dreams and desires.  Love does not encompass all in between bizarre realities that surround the couple. Just when love is supposed to find them, it opens doors to their own self defiance which leads to further complications.

 

Aidx draws inspiration from sad movies and sentimental songs. The styling, the treatment, and the rest of the elements of are vividly inspired by the hipster culture Tumblr has created. He even gives him film a touch of nostalgia with digitalized film burns and vintage color application.

 

JM Santillan, the director of photography, is also the first “litratista” of the year of the prestigious school award, the Foto Modelo Ateneo. He recently won an award in an Asian photography contest. Aidx finds harmony with JM’s treatment, having worked with him for almost a year through collaborations and magazine shoots. Together, they have come up with a mutual idea of how they want the film to look, branding it with their own style and vision.

 

 

The cast, LA Subido and Michael Lu, are two of Aidx’s favorite muses whom he has worked with the ad campaigns for Pickled and Peppered. Aidx also had a hand in styling his artists with help from Davao-born clothing brands, SOUL Lifestyle and Pickled and Peppered.

 

 

The musical score was done by two independent artists from Manila, namely Idris Vicuña from the Bee Eyes band and Francis Regalado from the group Love in Athens. These artists are quite known in Manila's underground music scene.

“Somnolence” will be shown on December 6 at the Cinema 5 of Gaisano Mall. Movie starts at 8pm.

Discover what a young blood like Aidx Paredes can do, and let’s support the next generation of Filipino filmmakers.
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Story published on my newspaper column, Metro Mom.
A1, INdulge section, Edge Davao, Vol 5 Issue 197, 05 Dec 2012.