DIRECTOR CARLO OBISPO first got noticed when he joined Cinemalaya in 2013 and got acclaim for his film “Purok 7” about two kids who are left on their own in their province by their OFW mom.
His next film, “1, 2, 3, Gasping for Air”, about child prostitutes, also got a lot of praise and was shown on Netflix.
This year, his third film, “The Baseball Player”, about the conflict in Mindanao and how it affects the lives of ordinary citizens, won best picture.
He now forays into sexy films territory directing “Showroom” for Vivamax. So how is the transition from doing socially relevant films to daring dramas?
“Kinakabahan ako at naiilang, lalo na ang tingin ko sa actors ko, parang babies ko sila,” he says.
“Wala akong ganitong ka-intense na experience before, but pinaghandaan ko ito.
'I embraced it and took the challenge to grow in other aspects of filmmaking. I felt I was ready to get out of my comfort zone to explore other kinds of film genres.”
So did he find the transition difficult?
“Surprisingly, hindi naman siya ganun kahirap, kasi every one is good and collaborative, from the crew to the stars.
"Sa una lang, nanibago ako, pero after a while nasanay na rin ako. I didn’t find it difficult to ask them to do the sex scenes kasi very cooperative silang lahat.
"I ask them muna kung hanggang saan sila pwede as I felt I have to respect them. Ang tendency ko is I want to indulge kung hanggang saan ko sila pwedeng i-push.
"Ang pakiramdam ko nga, sumobra pa ako kasi wala naman silang limit. Go agad sila kapag may ipinagagawa ako. Sa tingin ko nga, parang mas grabe pa ito kaysa sa ibang Vivamax films na napanood ko.”
So how is the acting of his cast?
“In my past movies, it took months to get my actors ready. But dito, walang time kasi shoot na kami agad.
"E, first time ko to work with all of them. So ang nangyari, I do on the spot analysis of their characters sa set and surprisingly, mabibilis silang mag-isip kaya hindi ako nahirapan.
"Si Rob, malawak ang range niya. Kahit anong ipagawa mo, madali niyang nakukuha. She has great potential.”
How about Quinn and Kit?
“Quinn wrote the script so she knows what to do with her character. I like Quinn’s writing kasi matapang siyang mag-expose and mag-explore sa subject matters na gusto niyang kalkalin.
"I’m sure marami pa siyang madidiscover about the realities of life and she has a wonderful journey ahead of her as a writer. Kay Kit ako nabitin, kasi kokonti lang ang shooting days niya.
"May problema sa schedule niya at nabawasan pa ng isang araw ang shooting days niya sa amin. May gusto pa kong ipagawa sa kanya, pero wala ng time .”
So is he ready to do more sexy films?
“Marami pa akong ibang kuwentong gustong gawin. But now that I’ve experienced doing sexy films, ibabalanse ko na lang siguro.
"Ang important sa akin is yung story muna. Kung dapat ba itong ikuwento. Is it worth it? If it is, then let’s do it.
"This film, I enjoyed doing it kasi I enjoyed the company of the people I’ve worked with and i won’t mind working with them again.”