He shared, “Nung invited ako to direct, sabi ko confident ako dahil sobrang attracted ako sa kwento. From different perspectives ikukuwento yung pangyayari at iba-iba yung kakalabasan. Ang intricate at delicate ng storytelling ng JRB Creative Production so pagkabasa ko excited ako at alam ko na kailangan nito ng matinghas na pag-aaral.”

Experimenting with male perspectives

Aside from showcasing female perspectives on the show, Direk FM also puts the spotlight on male protagonists to accommodate the changing habits of viewers. Evidently, JC and Tony who play Philip and Lucas respectively earned praise for their effective portrayal of masculine figures.

“Even before the pandemic nababago na ang point of view ng mga manonood. Mas marami dati ang nanay sa bahay and the statistics are showing that there are more househusbands now and so the flavor for theme hindi na lang naco-concentrate sa female centered stories kundi naghahanap na rin ng strong masculine stories. We are also taking the perspective of the male protagonists in the show. You might call it experimental kasi kung sanay na yung manonood na ganoon na ang sensibility kaya that is something quite new na we are offering,” said Direk FM.

Getting to the character’s core

He might be strict but Direk FM certainly knows how to encourage artists to be the best version of themselves when portraying their character.

He said, "Kapag binasa nila yung script and from what they have deduced out of it, I ask them, 'What do you think drives your character? What is the core?' Incidentally, ang lalim ng kwento, ang hirap ipaliwanag, hindi pwedeng hindi ka mag-aral, susuriin nila yung kalolooban nila kasi ang basehan ko lang palagi ay truth in performance and you get to see if the eyes are lying, if it’s not convincing enough. In that process, you’re not just a director para ka na rin psychologist, para ka rin retreat master."

Elevating the quality

The pandemic has greatly affected how viewers consume content, not to mention the numerous platforms offering various forms of entertainment in just a few clicks. Direk FM noted that these changes challenged them to produce a drama series that can elevate the quality of local TV shows.

"Watching shows has changed a lot during the pandemic. Nagiging mas mataas yung level of appreciation ng mga manonood so nagiging mahirap sa artists pati na rin sa mga nasa likod ng camera. We have to keep up with the time asking of us, the demand for making better shows," he said.

Direk FM’s words of wisdom truly manifested in the sizzling new series "Nag-aapoy na Damdamin" which airs Monday to Friday, 3:50pm on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, iWantTFC, TFC, A2Z, and TV5. For more information on the new series, follow JRB Creative Production on Facebook and Twitter (@JRBcreativeprod) and on Instagram (@JRBcreativeproduction).

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