Vispop wants new talents
Competition. There’s a new songwriting competition that aspiring composers should be happy about and can participate in. As an advocate of the Cebuano/Visayan music industry, this writer is glad that this new competition is here so that our homegrown songwriters will be encouraged to develop their talent and eventually become professional composers. With the birth of the first Visayan Popular Music Festival (Vispop), it is hoped that even Filipinos based abroad will be able to hone their songwriting skill and submit their original compositions to the organizers.
Organizers. Competitions need credible organizers for them to succeed. I’m glad to know that the first Vispop has an array of artists with unquestioned credibility, aside from the fact that they are highly respected professionals. These individuals are tasked to launch the new songwriting contest and sustain it as a yearly undertaking. Take note that the festival is a brainchild of Artists and Musicians Marketing Cooperative a.k.a. Artist Ko in cooperation with the Filipino Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (Filscap). The core group is composed of songwriters Ian Zafra, Cattski Espina, Jude Gitamondoc and Lorenzo Niñal.
Rules. The competition is open to all Filipino citizens who may submit as many entries as they can and each entry must not exceed four minutes and thirty seconds, inclusive of intro and extro of the song. The lyrics must be in Cebuano, however, English or Filipino terms may be used, provided that they add to the total effect of the composition. Colloquial expressions and other made-up terms are also allowed. All entries must be submitted online. They must be e-mailed to vispop@artistko. com with the scanned duly accomplished entry form in jpeg format, lyric sheet in doc format, 2x2 photos in jpeg format and mp3 file of the entry. Entry forms are now available online at www. artistko.com/vispop.
Finalists. I also gathered that a screening committee will choose six finalists that shall be performed on the finals night on March 16 next year and that these six entries will be contained in the Vispop compilation album titled Bisayaa Uy! Deadline for the submission of entries is 12 midnight of Saturday, Dec. 29, and songs submitted beyond this deadline will no longer be accepted.
Challenge. Zafra, Espina, Gitamondoc and Niñal now have a tough challenge to face and that is how to sustain the songwriting festival as a yearly project. They should expect some “birth pains” as they start working on the first Vispop but these obstacles should not discourage them from pursuing what needs to be done. But I believe that with the full support of Artist Ko and Filscap, the four of them will be able to accomplish everything.
Movie. I have it from Manila-based actress Suzette Ranillo that she and some filmmakers are joining hands in producing a movie on the life and martyrdom of San Pedro Calungsod, the first Visayan saint. She told me that filming will soon start but she did not reveal yet who the stars are.
Confusion. Will this not confuse the moviegoing public, considering that another San Pedro Calungsod flick is being produced by another movie outfit named She Productions? The confusion might be in the storyline or plot of the two films although they will not be necessarily screened simultaneously. Let’s see.