The Man Behind ‘Yanggaw’

More than a year ago, Tonton, Benjo and the Batalyon Pitbull became a rave after an Iloilo student posted an online parody of major film productions with the characters in ancient garb bringing Ilonggo humor to the YouTube viewers.

Today, the names you hear in local humor lines – in jeepneys, coffee shops and sidewalks -- have changed to “Junior”, “Inday” and “Amor”, this time after an original production, Yanggaw, and on the bigger screen – at the Robinsons Place cinema.

Yanggaw was actually produced last year and has been featured in a number of international film festivals months earlier before it gained popular following in the country.

For scriptwriter-director Richard Somes, a product of the elementary and high school departments of West Negros College and John B. Colleges Foundation in Bacolod City, Yanggaw is a composite story inspired by the aswang and other tales he heard as a small boy in Central Manapla, where he grew up, especially from his grandparents, aunts and uncles. The farm atmosphere added fuel to the development in the stream of the boy’s consciousness that, indeed, there were supernatural characters that lurk ed in dark places and human beings should always try to avoid crossing paths with them.

Almost two decades later, he put the ideas into paper and, last year, the scriptwriter, now 31, brought the seemingly real story into reel form – which has become a critical success among circles of cinema and folk tale lovers.

StarLife interviewed the director on Friday, shortly before he caught a glimpse of the local showing of his widely-acclaimed movie. The following is the summary of our Q&A session with Direk Richard over McDonald’s coffee and hash browns.

StarLife: How did your film industry career start?

Director Richard Somes: After I earned my nautical degree from John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation in 1996, while hanging around in Bacolod, I got invited by Erik Matti, my uncle, the half-brother of my father, to help him in his Scorpio Nights 2 directorial stint.

SL: What was your first job?

RS: I was told I’d be a props man and I was so nervous at the start because I didn’t have a formal training on production. I took care of all the cast members needed as props during the actual shoot.

SL: You mean you didn’t have any exposure on production activities during college days?

RS: No, but I was a movie buff since I was small as my mother, Luz, used to take me to the movies during weekends. I remember those enjoyable moments at Crown, Era and State.

I can still recall the first movie I saw, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger. But my mind was really blown by the Time Bandits, an early 1980 movie by Director Terry Gilliam.

Being a lover of movies made me believe that I can probably survive in the industry.

SL: How do you connect your maritime school training you to the visual arts industry job?

RS: Originally, I wanted to study Fine Arts at La Consolacion College but I settled for nautical training as my family did not have enough funds to send me to Fine Arts school. I thought I’d just find a maritime job first and, perhaps, later, pursue my Fine Arts dream when I have earned enough money.

SL: So the invitation from Erik came as a welcome thing for you. What happened after Scorpio Nights 2?

RS: It was the in realized that I wanted to do this kind of job despite what Erik told me that film making is not an easy job. All I wanted at that time was to be an expert props man. I realized then that it’s important for one to set a goal for himself. Working under production designer Adrian Torres, also an Ilonggo, I started to hone my craft even more.

SL: What happened next?

RS: Another opportunity came when Erik got another project, the well-acclaimed Ekis in 1999 which had its sequel in 2001. I became a set man. I thought it was a higher position but actually I was just taking care of the sets, instead of the props this time. But it was enjoyable. After I have proven myself as an efficient part of the production staff and I have shown responsibility in my work and craft, I became an art director.

SL: How were you taking these things then – the challenges, the new responsibilities?

RS: Looking back, I can say there was something romantic about the whole thing because when I thought I wanted to study Fine Arts, it was because I knew I could create concepts and ideas, which the film industry later provided me with immense opportunities.

From art directing, I also became part of the production design in Pedro Penduko, which was produced in 2000.

SL: You were headed for higher challenges...

RS: Yes, after Pedro Penduko, I had two move art directing jobs – in Dos Ekis and Sa Huling Paghihintay.

SL: And the challenge continued?

RS: Yes, later became the production designer of the action-comedy flick, Gagamboy, a 2004 film, also directed by Erik. That was truly my ‘baptism of fire’ because Direk Erik wanted to shoot the whole movie inside the studio and I had to create a subterranean squatter area setting to the tune of only P250,000.

SL: You managed to make perform very creditably despite the constraints…

RS: Looking back, I am thankful to Regal Production for that opportunity that made me realize that in film production one can get innovative while dealing with tight budgets and schedule of the stars and crew.

What is also nice was that Erik allowed me to work on my own after giving me the responsibility. Perhaps he saw that I was responsible enough and I deserved the position that he entrusted me with it. Gagamboy, visual wise, became a visual success not only in Manila and the country but also abroad.

SL: And after Gagamboy?

RS: A year later, another interesting project came, Exodus, Tales from the Enchanted Kingdom which starred Bong Revilla... This served as my break as I got the Best Product Design awards in the Metro Manila Film Festival and other award-giving bodies – it was very flattering because I got four of the five awards I was nominated for that year.

SL: You must have continued on the right and better track…

RS: Yes, that same year, I got my first-ever directorial stint, the third episode of Shake, Rattle & Roll 2k5. Later, in 2006, I co-directed with Erik the ABS-CBN television series, Rounin, which I took over after a few months as Erik had to fulfill earlier engagements set.

SL: How did you feel about directing Rounin by yourself you had to do it for about four months?

RS: At the start, I had apprehensions, off course, as I thought that others have to study for four to five years to get their hands into this kind of work and there I was working hands-on but eventually I overcame my fears after gaining more self-confidence that I can do things…and well. I am truly grateful to Erik for leaving me behind and giving me an opportunity to survive and do good in those kinds of working situations.

SL: Were there other creative pursuits you did?

RS: I did cameo appearances when certain bit roles were needed, like those of ang kalastigohon o buang sa dalan. On the side I wrote scripts and in 2004, I submitted two sequence treatments to Cinemalaya – with one script, Only in the Philippines, getting its nod only they asked me to submit the full script in few weeks for possible inclusion in its future production projects. Unfortunately, I accepted a production designer’s job for a shoot in Pampanga and I failed to meet the Cinemalaya deadline. Director Laurice Gullen, apparently sensing the prospects of my script, called to give me a two-week extension but I was just deep in the shoot responsibility.

SL: What was the other script?

RS: It was Yanggaw, which took four years to produce. I finished the script – which took me three years, until 2007— not for a production really but to prove to myself that I can write and finish a script after what happened to Only in the Philippines. Dwight Gaston, who went over my final draft, served as my co-author.

SL: Looking back, what have you realized about being in the industry.

RS: Generally, those who work in it find themselves in both extremes – those who succeed and those who fail. But there are those who are in between and I call them the survivors.

SL: Are you on the success side, then?

RS: No, I consider myself a survivor. I don’t consider myself a success story because I know that while one is “in” today, tomorrow he may be “out” already. You have to be within the game plan of being creative and other demands of the industry.

SL: What other directorial jobs did you get?

RS: After Rounin, I didn’t pursue directing until a friend suggested that I submit Yanggaw to ABS-CBN’s Cinema One. I did as I thought in 2007, now that the script is here, is it something that can be produced?

As I was circulating with Ilonggos within the industry, I eventually met Ronnie Lazaro and Joel Torre, whom I casually mentioned with the prospects of casting them if ever I could film Yanggaw. Later, I had the chance to meet Techie Agbayani, when I worked with GMA for Super Twins”.

SL: How did you convince Techie to be part of Yanggaw?

RS: I was star struck with her aura and intelligence. And she was easy to talk with. I told her about Yanggaw and she liked it that eventually she told me, “I want to be in that boat when the time comes.”

SL: What happened to the Cinema One submission?

RS: Before I got word on it, I was offered by GMA to do the set for its First Survivor Philippines production, which would take about six months in Thailand and that the team would have to go right away. Hoping that I’d get word anytime from Cinema One and not wanting to lose my chance again, I refused the tempting offer. At the same time, I talked to my staff “to tighten their belts meantime” while hoping for a favorable word from the producers.

SL: What did you do to further survive?

RS: I was doing stage and set design for Eat Bulaga and Pinoy Henyo as a contractor. By mid-2007, I got a short call that Yanggaw was included in the short list of possible films to produce and in about a month’s time, I got an email that it was in the Top 8, meaning it will be finally produced.

SL: How did you feel then?

RS: That was my most defining moment, at last, after so many years of confusion and doubts on myself. The [production took, including pre-production and planning conferences, three months, from August to September last year. The production budget was P1 million and I had to talk to some of the cast to explain the funds we had and they understood.

SL: Where was it filmed?

RS: Contrary to some reports that it was filmed in Murcia, it was actually shot in Tanay, Rizal. I asked the production designer to recreate scenes something similar to Central Manapla, where I grew up, or, perhaps, Murcia, or any other community.

SL: What excited you about Yanggaw while you were directing it?

RS: I knew that when the production is done, I will be able to contribute to the industry by providing a new approach to the Pinoy horror film but I did not expect it will really create a buzz and even be noticed abroad.

SL: Abroad, meaning…

RS: It got a lot of good reviews in New York when it was included in the Indio Bravo Film Festival in June. Early this month, it was featured in the Pusan International Festival in Korea and last summer it was shown in the Hong Kong International Film Festival. It is schedule for exhibition in the Toronto Reel Asian festival starting Nov. 14 and I also got an invitation from the Granada Film Festival for a screen submission.

SL: Why Central Manapla?

RS: It’s an Ilonggo movie and it reflects many phases of my childhood. I spent my early childhood days – from 3 to 7 years old – in Central Manapla. Yanggaw is actually a composite picture of the aswang, bagat and other supernatural character stories I heard from my grandfather, grandmother, uncles and aunts there. These folk lores –including ang mga gintuyawan, bululakaw and the like – fascinated me.

Further whetting my appetite for these kind of stories at that age were radio dramas, like Tenyente Gimo. I felt that the farm atmosphere was indeed conducive for the existence of such characters. My aunts would always remind me not to go to dark areas alone at tonight because of the presence of the bagat.

SL: What happens after Yanggaw?

RS: I wrote another script – for a redemption movie, Ishmael, which essays a social drama on the life of a religious cult. I am looking forward to its production, too.

SL: Who are your ‘lucky charms’?

RS: I have many — my grandfathers, Enrique Matti, who passed on to me his love for knowledge and books and who made me appreciate mythology, renaissance and other historical facts, and Ernesto Villorosa, a charismatic man who taught me the beauty of storytelling and the pragmatic side of life; grandmothers Julieta, a very straightforward lady, and Lola Inday, who made me appreciate the beauty of a simple life; my mother, Luz Villarosa, for her enduring love and support, and father Oscar, to whom I share the tribute for whatever measure of success I have gained in life and who has expressed his pride for me; my stepmother, Maria Fe, for taking care of him; Nanay Angelita, cousin of Lola Juliet, for her continued support together with my Nanay; my fianceé, Riza, as well as aunt Mona Gail Matti, for helping me acquire my college education, Uncle Kenneth and wife Tita Arlene and the rest of my family and relatives for their concern, care and support.

Of course, I reiterate my thanks to Erik, for opening doors for me, and made me his partner in many of his industry initiatives. I also thank, those who have watched and appreciated Yanggaw, especially the Ilonggo film lovers. AVDC

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