Taking the 'direk' approach

Author: Phillip Cu-Unjieng

To see the name of Jose "Dingdong" Dantes III in the list of nominees for the upcoming 24th PMPC Star Awards for Movies may not cause much eyebrow-raising. After all, Dingdong already has tucked under his belt a number of stellar years in the movie and TV industry, having starred in several movies, and rating high on the public radar right now, thanks to leading man roles on the smash teleseryes MariMar and Dyesebel. But if one were to scrutinize carefully the category under which Jose Dantes III is included, one's eyebrows may shoot beyond one's hairline, because Dingdong is listed under Movie Director of the Year -- for his work on Daddy's Angel, the second episode of the trilogy movie Angels, an Eagle Eye Entertainment Production. Released last year, this is the indie film that was created by a production team spearheaded by Angel Locsion and Becky Aguila, a film that received a lot of fanfare in the press but as is the case with most indie films, probably didn't get all that many eyeballs.

With sobering reality, Dingdong comments, "Of course, it's a great honor to be nominated for this, my first directorial work in a feature film. I only hope that this nomination will make people curious and go look for the film, as I'm fully aware that there are people out there who may have not seen the film. " Approached by the producers initially to star in the film, when talk of utilizing Dingdong as a director for one of the episodes took a serious turn, Dingdong saw it as a wonderful opportunity to show what he's capable of creating from a directorial position. Prior to Daddy's Angel, Dingdong's directorial work consisted of TV, the GMA 7 Saturday evening Horror/Youth series, Kakaba-Kaba. Evidently, PMPC's Nominating Committee saw the merits of Dingdong's insistence on staying behind the camera.

While Dingdong has not yet completed his Communication & Management double major Interdisciplinary Studies degree at the Ateneo, the Film and TV Production courses he did fulfill prepared him for the incursion into the directing side of the industry. He was also third unit director for Atlantika, doing treble duty as actor, director and stunt coordinator -- something he joked he would definitely avoid in the future. "While I know Clint Eastwood, Woody Allen and Mel Gibson have done this wearing of two hats on the set, it's something I wouldn't recommend. When an actor, I go into automatic shut-off; but as director, all the details also have to be part of my involvement on the set, and it's just not easy for me to compromise any one function. If directing, I'd want that to be my only focus -- and similarly, when acting, that should also be the sole focus. "

The edgy thriller, The Professional starring Jean Reno, is the film Dingdong mentions as the one that really influenced him into wanting to direct. I note how that film had an ex-con/professional killer and child relationship at the core of the film, which his Angels episode also has -- Marvin Agustin and Nash Aguas -- and Dingdong laughs at the coincidence. "The dynamics of the bonding and relationship between hard-edged adult and a child has always been interesting to me. You have the innocence and openness of the child's emotions and manner, running up against the guarded emotions and cold-heartedness of this particular adult. It's from this juxtaposition and conflict that one creates the drama, and if successful, bring about a satisfactory resolution, that the audience will relate to. "

Egged on to mention what he'd like his next directorial project to be, and who among the actors and actresses around he'd like to work with as a director, Dingdong had this to say, "It would be a Suspense Drama project. I don't think I would do justice to a Comedy -- I'm not ready for that yet. Paolo Contis is an actor that immediately comes to mind, I'd love to direct him as he gives so much to each character he has to portray. Among the actresses, Valerie Concepcion and Empress Schuck are two who, if given the right project, I think would really shine acting-wise, and surprise a lot of people.

"When I first started out, it was the visual side of things, the eye-candy shots, that would preoccupy my attack to directing. As time passed, I believed I matured, and it was more the dynamics between the actors that became my primary focus. That shift helped me a lot when I was given the Angels project. Between being someone noticed for his camera angles and set-ups, and one noticed for what he has drawn out from his cast, I'd eventually want to be known more for being an Actor's Director. That will take a lot of time yet to accomplish, but given that things go as planned, this directing is something I never want to lose touch with. It's part of how I express my fascination and love for the industry. I know there are people out there who disparage the local film industry, calling it 'babaw'. I'd like to challenge that view, and work both as an actor and director, to show that yes, there may be that 'babaw' element, but there are also people in the industry trying to make a substantive difference. "

This nomination should make people realize that Dingdong Dantes is more than just a leading man. George Clooney, Clint Eastwood, Ron Howard, Mel Gibson -- they've all shown how moving from in front of the camera to behind it, can produce wonderful results. If this one episode of Angels is a portent of things that Dingdong can achieve, then we should all hope that the next directing assignment is just around the corner.

Source: The Philippine Star