Director on ‘Encantadia: Sang’gre’ comeback: 'We’re not Hollywood, but we gave our all'

MANILA, Philippines — “Encantadia Chronicles: Sang’gre” is just minutes from returning to Philippine primetime TV, and director Enzo Williams asked fans to enjoy their hard work of two years shooting scenes on locations and laboring over good CGI for viewers to enjoy on free TV. 

It was not an easy ride for Williams, who along with Rico Gutierrez, helms the project that was originally assigned to Mark Reyes. 

Reyes, who directed both the original 2005 show and its 2016 requel, handed over the directorial duties to pursue other projects late last year. 

Williams was only able to watch the 2016 version since he was not based here in the Philippines when the  original 2005 show was shown. He returned to the Philippines in 2013. 

As a “Star Wars” fanboy, he was already fascinated by the 2016 show, and this year, he gets to see his own creativity put a spin to a beloved show that has been loved by two generations and counting for 20 years. 

“When we started doing it, ang importante talaga sa ginawa namin is to keep the spirit ng 2005. Keep the spirit ng ‘Sang’gre,’” he told Philstar.com in an exclusive interview right after the show’s press conference last June 8 in GMA-7. 

Respecting the origin story is any fans’ golden rule, and Williams said he and his co-director Rico observed it to the best of their abilities. 

“Gusto ko talaga ‘yung respect from the original. So ‘yun ‘yung talagang sobra naming dinetalye. 2005 and 2016 and how can we make this one bigger and move forward with the story but andoon pa rin ‘yung core,” Williams said. 

He took care of location shoots, which he said were days and nights of 16 hours of shooting for seven to eight months. His lead star, Bianca Umali, who plays Terra, confirmed that they shot the show for two years. 

Rico, on the other hand, is the show’s overall visual director. His work continues as the show progresses, taking full note of its visual aspects, including the CGI (computer-generated effects) and visual effects (VFX). 

Tempered expectations. “Trailers of the show have been generally well-received by both casual viewers and even its loyal fans who call themselves Encantadiks. But Williams said that more than the nitty-gritty of the CGI and VFX, he appealed to fans and viewers to manage expectations if they wanted to think that their work is at par with the world’s biggest movie and TV industry, Hollywood. 

“Sana ma-appreciate nila ‘yung hard work kasi binuhos namin lahat. Although we cannot do it perfectly because siyempre nasa TV network pa rin tayo. 

We’re not Hollywood, but sana mag-enjoy na lang kasi minsan nakakasama ng loob… Even Hollywood has their own mistakes here and there. May nag-screenshot, butingting. May gumawa noon kanina. Luckily, ang daming fans that are protective. [They say], ‘Wag naman ganyan.’ Bottom line, we did this to entertain you, so doon na lang siguro tayo mag-focus. Mahirap siyang gawin. Hindi lang kami naglalaro. 

He added, "Keep in mind hindi pa naman talaga tayo Hollywood studio but iba pa rin. 'Wag naman nila i-compare. We’re a fraction of the budget of Marvel. Buti nga GMA sumusugal sa ganitong kalalaking projects dahil siguro talaga for the fans. So, we’re grateful GMA is doing this kind of a big project."

“Encantadia Chronicles: Sang’gre” premieres tonight on GMA-7 right after "24 Oras." 

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