Direk Cyril’s Kamo

He is one of the few filmmakers who did not have to enroll at the school of hard knocks to learn the ropes of filmmaking. Rather, he prides himself of being schooled, having studied Sequential Program in Motion Picture, TV and Cinema at the University of California in Los Angeles and at the Los Angeles City College.

Cyril Lorenzana is a neophyte in the local film scene. He came to the country after having stayed abroad for many years to film a movie, Kamo, which will be exhibited at the San Diego Asian Film Festival.

Cyril who has worked as a gaffer/production assistant, script, document and film courier for certain production companies in the US, director and assistant director of several movies, tries his hand at local filmmaking.

Kamo, which stars Raymond Bagatsing and Rita Avila, was originally meant for a Los Angeles school project. It was titled Daisy Chain but after rewriting the script, Kamo was born.

Kamo is a term, according to Cyril, that refers to manloloko or a scammer. The movie is about a small time scammer trying to outwit the biggest thug in town. He needs the money for the medical treatment of his brother. Cyril has hired local crew who he says are an industrious lot. "The local crew is unbelievably hard working. Never at a time did we have a problem with them. The staff we got was very cooperative. We had a five-week pre-production and a 15-day shooting schedule and we finished in 14 days."

Movies according to Cyril should be an emotional experience and not an intellectual one. "A movie lives and dies in pre-production. And the cheapest way to correct a movie is in its script form. All you need is a paper and a pen."

Cyril auditioned local actors for Kamo. The lead roles of Benici and Cassandra went to Raymond and Rita.

With Raymond, Cyril says, "We wanted a credible and versatile actor who was willing to take chances with a new, independent filmmaker. An actor whose image was malleable and who had a reputation for professionalism. Rita on the other hand, was a dark horse during the casting. We were hesitant about her bold image. We thought the audience backlash might be detrimental to the movie. However, after she auditioned, we got the contract out and we did not let her out of the room until she signed it."

Limited on budget, Cyril sought the help of local production house Optima, LVN, Cineforce, All Scope and Digital One. "They know we did not have the kind of money that studios pay for their services and equipment. What they wanted to do was basically get new players in the industry and develop long term relationships."

As an independent filmmaker, Cyril says, that making movies is all about time and money. And for independent filmmakers, an additional budget is a no-no. "Either you shoot your story within the days allotted or suffer the consequences."

As somebody used to working Hollywood style where majority of the workers are professionals Cyril says that his experience dictates that these principles, if followed closely, every single minute will make the movie making cost-effective and very efficient given any cinematic landscape.

Asked why people should watch his movie, Kamo, Cyril replies, "Kakaiba. It is a very interesting story of characters trying to achieve their goals. I think it is very refreshing."

Cyril who had to convince his brothers to finance the project after being rejected by several studios and other capitalists, has several memorable experiences working on the project. His Greek director of photography, Peter Salapatac, suffered severe diarrhea while filming, and a thief was caught sneaking into the production design van and was beaten up black and blue.

Well, Cyril, welcome to the world of hard knocks!