Sa short film na Living In the Dead of Night naipakita ni David Olson kung ano talaga ang kaya niyang gawin bilang isang filmmaker.
“In terms of the production roles I took on as producer, writer, director, cinematographer, editor, colorist, sound design,” pahayag ni David.
Itinodo na raw ni David ang kanyang kakayahan at kaalaman sa Living In the Dead of Night.
“Yeah, it was the most challenging film for me but definitely most fulfilling.”
Ano ang nasa isipan niya habang binubuo ang nabanggit na short film na pinagbibidahan ni Andrew Ramsay, kapatid ng aktor na si Derek Ramsay?
Read: Bunsong kapatid ni Derek Ramsay na si Andrew Ramsay, pinasok na rin ang pag-aartista
“It was my own coming-of-age story," pagbabahagi ni David.
“Growing up, I was very secluded as well. When I finally got to go out into the world, I was shocked because it really wasn’t what I expected to be.
“I kinda had culture shock, and I kinda had to adapt through the years, I kinda had to immerse myself in society.”
Ang mga sarili raw niyang karanasan sa buhay ang nagsilbing inspirasyon niya para magawa ang Living In the Dead of Night.
“What if I tell a story about a kid who really experiences society or the world as it is but in the worst way possible? And through the eyes of a drug trip.”
Pero hindi naman daw tungkol kay David mismo ang pelikula.
“It’s more of a coming-of-age story,” sabi niya.
Ilang porsiyento ng pelikula ang ibinase niya sa kanyang buhay?
“In terms of character, I couldn’t really base it on because as a writer, you write characters based on people you interact with, your own story, you draw from a lot of people.
“There are some elements there, especially in the psychological aspect of it where I drew heavily from my own experience, but I couldn’t really narrow it down because it’s an amalgation of everyone I’ve interacted with as a teenager, the ones I’ve interacted now,” paliwanag ni David.
Bilang screenwriter ay pinagsama-sama raw ni David ang lahat ng kanyang mga karanasan at interaction sa iba-ibang klase ng tao.
Bukod kay Andrew ay nasa Living In the Dead of Night din sina Andre Miguel at Anne Gauthier Nieves.
Nakausap ng Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP.ph) si David sa screening ng director’s cut ng Living in the Dead of Night sa Cinema 76 sa Anonas, Quezon City, noong July 29, 2022.
Kasabay ng screening ng Living In the Dead of Night ang media launch ng CUTAWAY Productions, isang full-service production company na siyang producer ng short film ni David.
Si David ang isa sa mga founder ng CUTAWAY at current head of operations ng kumpanya. Apat silang namumuno ng CUTAWAY: si David, si Andrew, at sina Michael Stamati at Warren Carman.
(From left) Warren Carman, Michael Stamati, Andrew Ramsay, and David Olsen
DAVID'S JOURNEY AS A FILMMAKER
Maituturing na baguhan pa lamang sa industriya ng film directing si David.
Aniya, “I started out in the industry as an editor about ten years ago, I was an editor for films that were done by a Hawaiian production company.”
Iyon daw ang naging daan para makapasok siya sa mundo ng filmmaking.
“Filmmaking has always been my dream since I was eleven years old! And it hasn’t changed since I’ve decided to go on this path of filmmaking,” sabi pa ni David.
Nagsimula raw ang kanyang pangarap pasukin ang mundo ng paggawa ng pelikula nang mapanood niya ang Hollywood film na Star Wars. Doon daw niya napagdesisyunang wala na siyang ibang nais kundi ang maging isang filmmaker.
“And nothing’s gonna stop me," pakli niya.
"I didn’t care that I had a very disadvantaged upbringing. I didn’t care that I didn’t know anything about it. I know my parents couldn’t put me to school to study film but I just know that I wanted to do it.
“And, you know, that was enough.
“And when I was fifteen, I left high school. I dropped out of high school, second year high school.
"And I realized, you know, this isn’t really doing much for me, I gotta start working. I have a dream. I wanna build towards it.
“So all I knew was how to draw, it’s the only skill I had from since I was a kid. I knew how to draw. And so I started doing graphic design for a bunch of companies.
“I would spend ten hours a day applying to job postings online because they couldn’t ask your age, I was fifteen years old. But I can always lie online so I spent eight, ten hours a day applying, applying, applying nonstop.
“Slowly but surely I would get a couple and I would teach myself how to use Photoshop, make logos.”
DID HE EVER CONSIDER TO BE AN ACTOR?
Ipinanganak at lumaki sa Pilipinas si David. Mag-asawang mixed American missionaries ang kanyang mga magulang kaya may American accent siya kung magsalita.
“My dad has Filipino-American blood, my mom has Filipino-Spanish blood.
“But I’m Filipino, my citizenship is Filipino,” sabi ng 27-year-old filmmaker.
Habang lumalaki si David ay mga Amerikano karamihan ang nakakahalubilo niya dahil sa missionary activities ng kanyang mga magulang.
Dumating ang break ni David sa filmmaking bilang isang sound recordist o boom guy sa isang pelikula.
“I would take anything, I don’t care what it is.”
Naging parte rin daw si David ng casting team ng Goyo, ang pelikulang pinagbidahan ni Paulo Avelino noong 2018. At ngayon nga ay isa na siyang ganap na direktor.
May plano rin ba si David na maging artista?
“No, I’m a bad actor!” at tumawa si David.
“Ever since I was a teenager, you know how a Filipino family, they’ll push you, like, if you’re a little bit mestizo, they’ll push you, ‘You should be an actor!’
“But to me, I actually spent a lot of time thinking about it.
“And to me, if I spent a lot of effort trying to be into acting, I know I could be a decent actor. I know I could probably be a good actor but I’ll never be a great actor.
“And why put that much time and effort if I’m not gonna be great?
“But I know I’m gonna be a great director, I know I can be.”