Go in-depth with Filmmaker and Director Elena Virata as she talks about the vision and unique filmmaking process with the OPPO Reno5 in celebrating the mysteries and wonders of a modern woman
To “push people towards their self-reflection, growth, and higher selves” sounds like a tall order for any visual artist, but for Elena Virata, she proudly writes this in her “Who Am I” section on her website. As a filmmaker and director, Elena isn’t short of concepts that could tug on other people’s heartstrings or spark a sense of curiosity. Not only is this what she hopes to evoke, but is also the driving force behind her creative process. “Throughout my life, I’ve just experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Put simply, I’ve felt the whole spectrum of emotion ever since I was a kid… I feel so much purpose to share the things I’ve learned with all the things I’ve been through. If I could spark conversation, emotion, inspiration about important life matters, then I know I’ve done something right.” These conversations on human life and experience gives purpose to her work and fuels her creativity to make content.
In a short film (which she likes to label as “EV FILMS”) entitled She, Elena captured a nimble Issa Pressman tip toeing not in her Jordans, but in mismatched socks as narrations on what a woman is echoes in the background. It’s captivating, thought-provoking, and at times, reassuring. Aside from films, she also captures snapshots of life and fleeting thoughts through “EV LIFE”, long-form videos that get rather personal. But for more expressive content, she unleashes her creative prowess in quick creations called “EV SHORTS”. The latest one, entitled How To Spell Woman, was the result of creative experimentation and the powerful smart camera features of the OPPO Reno5 5G–with a sprinkle of women empowerment.
W-O-M-A-N
“I’ve said before that I take pride in the fact that I’m in a career that involves a male-dominant world. I believe that women can do anything and can do many things even better. I live by that.” You don’t just hear Elena communicating this in her How To Spell Woman video, but you feel it, too. Her narrations are a healthy mix of self-reflections, learnings from the past, and advice for her viewers. “I feel inspired to share the lessons I’ve learned so that other people don’t need to go through the mistakes or the hardships I’ve been through to know what to do.”
But amid the mesmerizing video effects, clever transitions, and background music you can definitely vibe to, Elena’s message in How To Spell Woman is rather clear-cut: “My friends and I are always doing things that aren’t considered to be activities for women but who cares about that anymore? Do whatever you want, be whoever you want, because the potential a woman has is endless and powerful.”
A Vision Realized
The video’s message echoes the sentiments Elena has been preaching for years, but when it came to the actual production, she felt that she needed to switch it up, not because of time or material restraints, but because of the potential lasting impact. “People have already seen my style and the films that I’ve done, so I felt like with this one, I wanted it to have a faster pace and a more upbeat and fresh score… I think that deviating from that same treatment, location, and vibe really brought more attention to this different kind of work. As a filmmaker, I think it is super important to experiment and discover other styles and tastes.”
When it comes to making an impact, others can get caught up with having elaborate studio set-ups and professional level equipment to produce stunning works of art. But as Elena showed, that’s far from the truth. Set on an eggshell-toned backdrop, with a chair, table, books, and a cup of tea in hand, Elena let the message and the film themselves do the talking. Finding this core message in every project and letting it shine through accessible equipment is vital for both young and experienced filmmakers alike. “We live in a world that has 960fps on a smartphone like the OPPO Reno5. We literally have it all in our hands to create good content… The fact that you just need one simple gadget to create a film is crazy to me.” With professional-level camera technologies made accessible in our hands through the OPPO Reno5 4G and OPPO Reno5 5G, every creative person can tell stories of their own–no excuses needed.
Picture Life Together with OPPO
With imaginative color processing, light processing, and post-processing technology, the OPPO Reno5 lets you take unique portrait videos and images with ease, helping you and your style to stand apart from the rest.
Its feature-rich camera system allows for any kind of filmmaker or creative. As seen used by Elena in the key segments of her video, features like the Timelapse and 960fps AI Slow-motion, to name a few, add an extra layer of dynamic visuals to your narrative, especially for one-woman shows. As Elena shared, “The 960fps AI Slow-motion is so smooth and looks so great, so I loved that feature most. You don’t even need a gimbal since the phone has an Ultra Steady Video stabilization feature built in, too. With this feature, you are able to shoot smooth dynamic shots directly from the phone itself. That eliminates the use of bigger equipment.”
For collaborative projects, the phone’s 64MP rear quadcam matrix and a 44MP ultra clear front camera make for amazing Dual-view Videos, enabling you to record videos from the front and rear camera simultaneously. Start filming your next podcast, or perform a duet with a friend in real-time.
Every filmmaker also needs proper lighting, and spot-on quality for the perfect shot. OPPO clears these worries away with an industry-first feature called AI Highlight Video. Using AI algorithms to detect light conditions in different scenarios, the phone optimizes video quality in the dark so nighttime shots look bright, sharp, and natural. When detecting backlit scenes, it uses the Live HDR Algorithms to capture perfectly exposed subjects and backgrounds with natural colors and fine details. And to ensure the star of the show is the prime focus even in low light settings, AI Highlight Video uses Live HDR Algorithm, allowing the phone to get perfectly exposed subjects and backgrounds that solve the problem of the content being too bright or too dark in high-contrast and backlit scenes.
“I would recommend that young filmmakers start with using the powerful resources they already have: a smartphone. Our smartphones have [the same] accessible features that professional cameras have. This is already a cheat and shortcut in itself! Practice with what is readily available to you, build your skills, and then when you are able to put in the capital for equipment and are serious enough to invest, go crazy,” expressed Elena. But whether you’re a newbie or an industry professional, having a smartphone built to express your vision on-the-go, no matter what the conditions are, is pretty exciting. “I absolutely loved my experience using the OPPO Reno5 in my EV SHORTS. I honestly haven’t produced anything recently with a phone so it was pretty refreshing for me to see how the output looked,” she added.
The OPPO Reno5 4G and Reno5 5G are now officially available in the Philippines via OPPO brand stores, partner dealers, and exclusive e-commerce partners Shopee and Lazada, and retails at PHP 18,999 and PHP 23,999 respectively. To stay updated on the latest OPPO news, follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
