Every book ever written about writing has always said this, but Wanggo Gallaga wants you to take it to heart: You cannot create in a vacuum.
And this applies especially to those seeking to write for a medium that breathes art into life. Movies are all about capturing and depicting the complexities of the characters within its world -- and at the heart of this is the rich screenplay where all films are born from. How, then, do you even begin learning the art?
Enter Wanggo Gallaga: screenwriter, film critic, and teacher. Just like you, he started just watching films, but soon enough, he started translating his own stories into the medium. He’s written Sonata (2013), T’yanak (2014), and co-written Open (2019) with Dwein Baltazar and Katherin Labayen. He’s also behind the hit web series Hanging Out (2017) and After Life (2020). And now, he’s joining the faculty for Artkipelago’s creative courses.
While he’s no stranger to playing the role of professor, his teaching style is not for those who prefer sticking their heads in the books. No, Wanggo will be taking his own personal mantras about writing and sharing his experiences in writing for various formats of the cinematic medium -- which is to say he won’t just be teaching you about the fundamentals of writing for the screen, but also telling you to go outside the confines of the page, the frame, and your own head.
More than anything, he believes that as an artist, you need to live a life. You must explore your surroundings, get lost in it every now and then, and ultimately, take these with you when you go back home to write about it, no matter how messy. Quoting his dear friend Dwein Baltazar, “The first draft is not perfect, the first draft just has to be finished.”
So, what else are you waiting for? Class is in session, and screenwriting is the topic.
