Fearless ang palagay ni Charo Santos sa mga baguhang direktor na kagaya ni Mikhail Red, ang direktor nila ni Bea Alonzo sa horror movie na Eerie.
"They want to get out of their comfort zone,” nakangiting sambit ni Ma’am Charo sa mediacon ng pelikula nitong Marso 2, Sabado ng gabi sa ABS-CBN Studio Experience, Trinoma, QC.
"They’re not afraid to experiment, and to try new things. Actually... these are exciting times for cinema, e.
“Di ba? Or for content, for that matter. Because iba-iba na'ng platforms, you know. And there are no more barriers.
"So, ahmm, I think the challenge for the filmmakers now is to come up with compelling stories.
"I mean, this is the opportunity for them to really think of what they want to say, how to engage their audience, ‘no?
“Ahh, wala na, e... lawak na... nandiyan na! Nasa kanila nang mga kamay! Na magawa nila lahat ng kanilang pinapangarap.
"So, the audience now is open to a lot more different ways of telling a story.”
Indeed, these are “interesting” times for Philippine cinema.
Matapos rumatsada ang Valentine movie ng LizQuen na Alone/Together, malakas ang kutob ko na magiging blockbuster din ang Eerie.
Kesehodang marami ang nagsasabing palubog o naghihingalo na ang local movie industry dahil sa sunud-sunod na pagsemplang ng Pinoy films...
“Hindi naman. Dumadaan lang... may mga challenges lang,” seryosong pakli ni Ma’am Charo.
“Di ba? With the digital technology, may disruption talaga with a lot of streaming services available, and content that is available at the palm of your hand.
“Pero... no. In fact, these are exciting times nga for the creators. Di ba? Madali na...
“Diyos ko! Noon, ang hirap-hirap gumawa ng pelikula, di ba? E, ngayon, mas accesible na. Mas accessible na yung mga gamit, gano’n.
"Tapos, kailangan lang talaga, marunong kang magkuwento. And it’s not just a matter of, you know, picking up a premise and having it written.
"You have to... kailangan, alam mo yung vision, medium, e. Hindi lang naman ‘yan paglalahad lang ng kuwento, na meron kang magandang kuwento.
“Kailangan, tama ang paglalahad mo. Alam mo yung mga elemento that make up a great film, di ba?
"Ahmm, andami... andaming nadi-discover, andaming bata na pumapasok sa larangan ng pelikula.”
Dagdag ni Direk Mikhail, “Iyon nga, interesting nga na they say cinema is dying because of all these platforms.
“Pero yun nga ang challenge sa amin, sa mga filmmaker. Ngayon, napo-force kami to disrupt the system, di ba?
"To go wide. Kaya ngayon, we’re trying to export films, di ba? To find a larger audience. To make different genres.
"And I think, yun ang maganda rito. Napo-force kami to adapt. And this is the start.
“Itong Eerie pa nga is like the first film of a six-picture deal with an international company [Cre8 Productions].
“So, imagine with the partnership of international companies and Star Cinema, and the Star Cinema roster, and the actors kung saan pamilyar ang mass audience dito.
“Pero adding that, you know, mga international genre projects, may make-create tayong new kind of cinema.
“And that forces us to be on our toes, and basically challenge the medium, make new stories, make more interesting stories, try different structures.
"Even like, long form. Di ba, may mga mini-series na. So, it’s actually exciting times para sa akin, even though may challenges, may konting slump.
“Pero mapo-force kami to disrupt the system. At least, hindi magiging stale, di ba? Hindi na paulit-ulit.”
Gaano katagal ang pagbuo ng Eerie, mula sa konsepto nito?
Pahayag ni Direk Mikhail, “Pinitch namin ‘to, 2017. Early 2017. And then we’re shooting early 2018. And then, nag-world premiere kami, late 2018.
"Almost a year and a half. And I think, dapat naman talaga, gano’n. May process kang kailangang sundan if you want a certain standard.
"Dapat, hindi minamadali. Hindi pinipilit. If it’s not ready, di ba, don’t release it. Dapat, may enough time to shoot.
“Enough time to develop the script, to prepare, pre-prod, workshops. To polish...color, sound.
"Huwag ipilit kung hindi pa ready."
Sa March 27 ipapalabas ang Eerie, malayung-malayo sa March 6 playdate ng Captain Marvel at April 24 playdate ng Avengers: Endgame.