DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – A Filipino filmmaker who was promised a well-paying job in Dubai but ended up taking passport pictures and photocopying books, turned things around to become a successful cinematographer running a production studio with big brand names, banks, and government entities in its portfolio. “‘Yun ang naging trabaho ko, from senior video editor sa Pilipinas, naging photocopier sa Dubai. Lahat ng pinag-aralan ko sa Pilipinas, lahat ng trainings, bagsak ko dito sa Dubai, photocopier,” recounted 43-year-old Patrick Fronda.
Fronda studied fine arts at the Philippine Women’s University (PWU), then went on to study cinematography at the Mowelfund Film Institute, paid for by a film industry businessman who saw a budding talent in him. At times, Fronda would also take passport pictures of customers at the Dubai company where he ended up working. “Grabe, nakaka-iyak.
.. kasi ‘yun yung trabaho ko, nagpa-passport photo lang ako,” Fronda told GMA News Online.
Reminiscing on the time he spent working in the Philippine film industry, Fronda said life was good then as he was working his dream job. “Editing videos was a rare skill back then in 2004,” he said. “I landed a job as a video editor, editing TV commercials and movies.
Life was good, and I loved that job! I had always dreamed of working in the movie industry and was content being an editor and working in the camera department.” Off course But his career journey veered off course when a f.
