Karsel (Prison)

About the Film

35mm, dark melodrama, 20 mins., 2003

"Karsel" delves into a young adult woman's submission to a traditional home and her struggle for her liberation.

The overprotected Angela has been kept inside a grand, yet constricting mansion since childhood. Her obsessive-compulsive mother takes care of her long hair — yielding to the family tradition that a woman should always grow her hair long and beautiful. As Angela's 18th birthday draws nearer, her hair becoming bars of cage on her face exemplifies her imprisonment.

Trailer

Abstract

The enriching of the film’s mood and temperament utilizes magic realism to show how Angela struggles to live her day to day. The family's mansion becomes her grand, yet constricting cage. In compliance with the family’s legacy, her hair symbolizes her mother’s complete authority over her — with the strands of her hair becoming bars of cage on her face vindicating her being captive by her own upbringing. The visuals gradually becomes more and more dynamic as Angela’s liberation draws near.

Film

Production Team

Angela Salientes		Summer Sumera
Sonia Salientes		Gigi Pirote
Aling Belay		Ermie Concepcion
Child Angela		Chum-chum Aquino
Ildefonso		Dingdong Rosales
Elira		Pam Sto. Domingo
Betsy		Roma Regala
Maida		Suzette Navarette
Ancestral mother		Ellen Estrada
Ancestral child		Bekah Mata
Ferdi		Rico del Rosario
Michael		Pao Pangan
Mang Caloy		Mang Fred

Director/Writer/Producer		Rianne Hill Soriano
Directors of Photography		Eli Balce
		Rianne Hill Soriano
Production Designer		Chrisel Galeno
1st Assistant Director		Joy Puntawe
2nd Assistant Director		Herbert Navasca
Editor		Rianne Hill Soriano
Musical Scorer		Kiko Ortega
Audio Engineers		Jason Galindez
		Noel Bruan
Production Managers		Kiel Sandico
		Madz Mandia
		Joselle Acuna
		Janice Atencio

Production Stills

Behind-the-scene Photos

Production Notes

"Karsel" (Prison) is Rianne's first film, her thesis film at the University of the Philippines Film Institute (UPFI). It received the Kodak Film Award for Best Film Thesis during her college graduation.

Seiko Films offered the outfit's camera and lighting equipment for the shoot. After aiming to shoot her film in 16mm, she was grateful for the opportunity to shoot her thesis in 35mm instead. The production houses Filmex and Production Village provided their 35mm short ends (partly used film stocks from advertising projects) and she used these additional stocks for her thesis. LVN Pictures Inc. granted her request to process, print, and edit her film in their post-production facility. The positive film stocks also came from LVN's generosity.

With this project becoming her first-ever venture into the 35mm film format, it was a baptism of fire for her taking charge of the camera work as the film's co-cinematographer. The project was shot using Arri 2-C and Arri BL-4 cameras without the aid of any video assist. It was primarily shot with Kodak Vision 500T with the rest filmed using Kodak Vision 320T. With most of the magic realism and debut scenes, she wanted to really saturate the colors. These film stocks allowed her to bring her vision come to life. She also shot some scenes that were intended to be push-processed at the laboratory.

Rianne edited the film using the Moviola. It was her first time to edit a 35mm film and her first time to use this conventional editing machine. Prior to this project, she edited some 16mm film projects at the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) using the Steenbeck Flatbed Editing Machine. With waived fees, the telecine transfer and colorgrading of the video-finish work was done courtesy of Optima Digital.