The Hollywood Factor

I met direk Yam Laranas for the first time in 1995 when Ryan Cayabyab and I shot for a Sharp commercial. Yam was then a dropout from the UP College of Fine Arts and he was the cinematographer in the shoot. The Davao City native took advantage of a MOWELFUND scholarship.

I met him again a few years later at the presscon for Viva Films’ Balahibong Pusa. He was already a director and the Rica Peralejo-Joyce Jimenez starrer was his directorial debut. The truth was that I had forgotten him and he had to remind me about the Sharp shoot.

When I met him recently, Yam already had one foot into Hollywood. What a big leap he has made! I’m happy for him.

After the recent airing of Asia’s Titanic (about the Doña Paz tragedy), his first (major) assignment for the National Geographic Channel, Yam has been on the road for the screening in different cities of The Echo (a remake of the Regal suspense-thriller Sigaw), his first made-in-Hollywood movie opening in Metro theaters on Wednesday, Oct. 7. After its premiere at the Montreal Film Festival last year, the movie was released in Europe and other Asian countries ahead of the US and Philippine markets.

He has just put to can his latest work, GMA Films’ Patient X which stars Richard Gutierrez (who also co-produces it under his own R Gutz Productions) as a doctor with Cristine Reyes as his patient. Like The Echo, Patient X is a spine-chiller, a genre in which Yam is making a name.

Were you disappointed that The Echo went straight to video in the US?

“Technically, kapag US market...yes, it’s straight to DVD. You see, when I talked to my producers, the market has changed after the recession. They don’t look at it that way anymore — you know, the way they used to regard ‘direct-to-DVD’ movies. If they have opportunities of marketing a movie in a lucrative way, they’ll go for that. Distribution by DVD is a lucrative market.”

So the DVD version came before the theatrical release?

“The DVD, which is in blu-ray high-definition format, will be released in November. After that, I think the producers will just show the movie in key cities. Technically, The Echo is a low-budget movie; it cost only $5 million (roughly P250 million, which is astronomical by local standard). It was produced by Vertigo Entertainment, the same company behind The Ring and The Grudge (both remakes of Japanese suspense-thrillers) and The Departed (starring Leonardo DiCaprio). My ultimate goal as a director is to make my producer(s) happy. I think they are happy with The Echo.”

It’s a good thing Jesse Bradford (Bring It On, King of the Hill, Happy Ending and Flags of Our Fathers) accepted the role (played by Richard Gutierrez in Sigaw, with Iza Calzado reprising her role as a battered wife).

“He’s the friend of one of the producers kaya we were able to ‘afford’ him. He liked the material. He saw Sigaw, gustung-gusto niya, especially Richard’s performance.”

To whom would you trace your love for the “horror” genre?

“I was influenced by Hollywood directors, especially Stanley Kubrick. I watched all his movies. My favorite is The Shining (with Jack Nicholson). With The Echo, the producers told me that what works dapat nandoon pa rin but for me to push it more. I think what makes The Echo different from other Asian horror films like The Ring and The Grudge is the domestic violence and realism. Some critics were telling me that they thought we couldn’t come up with a twist to the genre. They were surprised when they saw The Echo.” 

And you really fought for Iza, ‘no?

“Oh yes, I did. There were name actresses who auditioned for the role but so sorry, I can’t name them. Bawal sabihin, eh.”

Which was more demanding, The Echo or Asia’s Titanic?

“Iba ‘yung Asia’s Titanic because in it, you are talking to real people, people who have been affected by the tragedy, people who have lost family members and relatives. Iba ang tama sa puso, mas diretso sa puso. The Echo is pure fiction. I just want it to be a horror film na maaalala ng lahat.”

What’s the difference between directing Hollywood stars (The Echo also stars Amelia Warner, as the character played by Angel Locsin in Sigaw) and directing local stars? What did you learn from doing those two projects that you applied in the shoot of Patient X (his fifth local film, after Balahibong Pusa, Radyo, Hibla and Ikaw Lamang Hanggang Ngayon)?

“Discipline, I think. Hollywood stars usually concentrate on one project at a time, hindi pinagsasabay-sabay. They’re very strict with working for only 12 hours a day. I applied the same schedule for Patient X, 12 to 14 working hours per day, and we finished the shoot in 18 days. Pagdating sa set, shoot kaagad. In Hollywood, if you go beyond the 12-hour period and you go overtime without previous notice, pagpapatayan ka ng ilaw.”

How was it directing Richard then and now?

“He has changed a lot; he has matured considerably. Mas focused siya ngayon on his character. What’s funny is that when Sigaw was shown here, sabi nila cheesy daw ang acting ni Richard. But the American audience reacted differently. They were convinced by his acting. So in Patient X, I was telling people that Richard will cease to be a poster boy. Because Richard is so guapo, people overlook the fact that he can act. He’s a very good actor.”

How different naman is Patient X from Sigaw/The Echo?

“Ang tawag ko sa Patient X is The Echo in steroids. The suspense is more heart-pumping, heart-stopping. I won’t tell what the story is all about. It’s up for the audience to find out for themselves.”

At what point did you realize that you wanted to be a director?

“What I really wanted to be was a cinematographer; I loved kasi looking at beautiful paintings. If you noticed, I framed each scene in Ikaw Lamang Hanggang Ngayon (starring Richard Gomez and Regine Velasquez) like a framed painting. Then when I saw Citizen Kane (by Orson Welles), everything changed. I wanted to be a director na.”

Most Filipino directors (Brillante “Dante” Mendoza, 2009 Cannes Filmfest Best Director awardee, etc.) aim for awards abroad. What about you? Would you rather aim for the “commercial” than the “quality”?

“Whether my film is ‘commercial’ or ‘quality,’ I just want a bigger audience. I want everyone to see my films, whatever genre it is. The more people that watch my films, the more satisfied I am.”

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