Hearts on Fire: My Music, My Detroit feat. LALA TRIPS from Thaad Sabolboro on Vimeo.

As promised, you'll be seeing a lot more of my work as a filmmaker here on Chic in the Tropics. This site has obviously become way more than just me posting outfit shots and brands I'm obsessed about, but rather, a place where I share my adventures here in America as an aspiring (and sometimes struggling? ha) filmmaker, business owner, and new mother. Who would've thought, me? A legit
"mompreneur"? I actually like how that sounds, haha!

Anyway, I've been slowly and steadily working on little shoots here and there and meeting a lot of new friends/potential clients, just bringing our camera and a bit of gear wherever I go to take videos of whatever tickles my fancy. I've never been a technical genius as I'm more of the producer and writer in our team- my husband, who takes my photos here, does all that us - but I've been slowly and steadily learning all the ins and outs of cinematography, editing, and sound design, just constantly trying to hone my skills better. After all, what kind of filmmaker would I be if I didn't have mastery of what it takes to make a good film, right?

Anyway, my eventual goals here in my personal blog is to balance both film and fashion related posts, and hopefully be able to upload at least one short film or video that I personally shot. That is a long shot (lol pun intended) considering my life as a mom to a pre-toddler, but I'm taking the necessary steps to make this happen! :)

One of the first videos that I shot and completely did everything myself is this post-event video of Detroit fashion blogger Leah V's birthday bash - it wasn't just a fun party, but it was also fun shooting it. Hope you check it out and like it! :)

Glad to be wrapping up this week on a higher note than usual. Just found out that "Going Home" the little indie me, the husband, and some trusted collaborators made last year (right before we left for the States) made it to the 3rd annual Young Michigan Filmmakers Festival, got selected as a finalist (among more than 70 submissions from the state of Michigan!), and won 1st PLACE under the Dramatic Narrative Category, as well as the Audience Choice Award! Beyond grateful for the city of Leland, MI for screening our film and deeming it worthy of those awards. Glad to know that our short is still making some impact in small but meaningful ways.


Check out what YMFF is all about and the 2015 winners here, and check out our film through our Vimeo channel here. 

As some of you guys may know, I've been grinding pretty hard every day juggling three things: being a full-time mom to Dallas, maintaining this blog (and trying to do new things with it if possible!), and trying to jumpstart and boost Reel Clever Films, the small video production business I started with my husband . It is still in the earliest stages and a lot of things need to be DONE.  Juggling my career goals and keeping my husband and baby boy happy, it's been a predictably slow start. I feel like we're still light years from that big "break" so to speak, but hey, I'm optimistic. #riseandgrind, right?

A million thanks to Asian film tastemakers Mell Navarro, Nikki Loke and the rest of the Viddsee team for inviting and encouraging me to put up my most important passion project to date, Padulong sa Pinuy-Anan (or Going Home, in English)! To sum it up, PSP tells the tale of a man duped and out of his luck in a foreign country, and how he finds spirituality and the true meaning of home and family with strangers he just met. I think it perfectly captures the kindness, hospitality and the generosity of the people of Cebu, and how you'll immediately feel at home even if you're there for just a brief period. I do miss the Philippines with a passion, and I feel like I get to save a slice of it through this film.

This project was very important to me because aside from the fact that this was the second festival film I directed, I made this film with a tight knit cast and crew that I consider family. This also happens to be the last film that me and my husband would create before leaving for the United States, so it definitely holds a special significance for us. And yes, we have an IMDB page here!

If you're looking to perk up your day with some visual inspiration, or just on the hunt for some incredible filmmaking talent, make sure to check out Viddsee-- they are currently the online home of some of the finest award-winning and critically-acclaimed shorts all over Asia.

Hope you guys enjoy it! :)