Direk Joel: His worst critic is himself

Make no mistake about it. Director Joel Lamangan, true to the title of his new movie, Regal Entertainment’s I Will Survive, is one tough survivor. Else, how could he have fought–and won– the virulent heart attack that rudely sidelined all his activities in 1998?

The director may have won the battle in his body. But he’s still extra careful not to do anything to make a part two of that ugly battle flare up. The director is more careful with his words, more even-tempered. Yes, he can tell a hard-headed actor, "You better become a fashion model instead."

But patience is a virtue he has learned to appreciate more.

"I’m willing to wait for an actor who wants a better take on a scene," says Direk Joel. The theater actor in him (he just joined a Eugene O’Neill play in UP) makes the director give in to such requests. He knows a good actor is usually "insecure" about his work. And Direk Joel gladly allows his actor or actress this privilege that goes with talent.

"The good ones feel they need to give something more to their performance," reveals the director who has bestowed on the likes of Maricel Soriano, Nora Aunor, Elizabeth Oropesa, Assunta de Rossi, Alessandra de Rossi and Glydel Mercado Best Actress trophies.

"Eddie (Garcia) and Boyet (de Leon, who of whom won Best Actor awards in Lamangan films) ask for another take. So does Albert (Martinez)," reveals Direk Joel.

It is out of respect that he always asks his actors, "Are you happy with the take?" If they’re not, Direk Joel is flexible enough to adjust.

But this doesn’t mean he’s a pushover. Far from it.

On Day One of shooting, the director lays the rules. He gathers his actors and proclaims, "I don’t believe in the star system. No one is a star here. The star is the story."

Having set the proper attitude, he lays down more policies on the technical side of things.

"Extreme close-ups require minimal head movement. So I tell them not to move their heads too much."

He does a lot of trouble shooting. Take the case of an ensemble of good performers who argue endlessly about the merits and demerits of their acting after seeing it on VTR. It is then that Direk Joel puts his foot down as if to say, "Enough." Then, he proceeds to choose the shots he deems best suit the scene.

"I cannot go on taking up to 25 shots!" he declares.

Luckily, the maker of 37 films saw no need for this in I Will Survive.

"The cast (Maricel Soriano, Dina Bonnevie and Eric Quizon) grew up together. Judy Ann (Santos), the youngest in the main cast, presented no problem. They were cooperative," Direk Joel reports.

Getting an actor – even the best of the lot – to cooperate can sometimes be a triumph of applied psychology.

"Actors want to be reassured they’re doing a good job. They want to feel special," he explains.

So he tells the unsure ones, "I took you in as part of the cast because I believe in you." It works like magic. The actor gains self-confidence and gives the scene his best shot.

(Theater) acting and directing since way back 1991 has also taught Direk Joel another thing: an actor’s first impulse is usually right. So the director strives for spontaneity before the camera.

"I don’t go for performance level acting during rehearsals. Most Pinoy actors do. They’re out to impress. But this only takes away the spontaneity. And I tell them, `Don’t impress me.’ You see, come the actual take, they end up trying too hard to please the camera. Too bad the effort is wasted," Direk Joel observes.

The director of The Flor Contemplacion Story, Filipinas and other award winners is so self-effacing he tells you without batting an eyelash, "I don’t believe in press releases (about himself)."

What he believes in is that inner voice within him that tells him in no uncertain terms how he fared in his work - minus the gushing words and usual hype.

"When I see my film in the moviehouse, I tell myself it could have been like this or like that," he humbly admits.

That’s being overly self-critical. But Direk Joel himself will be the first to admit he is his worst critic. And he doesn’t get burned out being one.

"I don’t gauge the quality of my movies through awards. My first consideration is myself," says he.

Be that as it may, he does treasure some of his films that passed his personal standards with flyng colors. One of them is Bakit May Kahapon Pa starring Nora Aunor and Dawn Zulueta in 1996.

"It’s about the massacre of generals, and Mina del Rosario (the late producer of Viva Films) gave me freedom to do what I wanted to do," explains Direk Joel.

That alone will push this staunch anti-censorship advocate to make more movies that please not only an audience of one – himself – but a bigger audience that jumps with joy each time they see how far a Filipino director will go for his craft.