He just came from a one-month directing workshop in Bacolod with Peque Gallaga. And what a difference that one-month immersion in directing can do! It can turn the usually reticent Zoren into a virtual talking machine. Never before has he become so eager, so effusive than now.
"I waited for the right time," he says. "And that time is now. I’ve acquired maturity, discipline and responsibility, essential qualities of a director."
And direk Peque happened to be the bow that launched a string of arrows pointing towards directing for Zoren.
The seed has always been there. When he was 10 and staying in Chicago with dad Lito and the rest of the family, Zoren helped his father in their audio-visual business. The weekend job entailed shooting photos for weddings, baptisms and other special occasions while Lito did the video. Zoren developed his eye for drama and the visually-stunning scenes in those five years the family stayed in the US and ran their business.
The family had to close the business when they returned to the Philippines. But Zoren never forgot his dream of turning director. Bit by bit, he built up a collection of director’s paraphernalia - sophisticated cameras he bought from his earnings in acting.
By the time he and Carmina got to live under one roof, she knew her partner’s heart belonged to directing. So Carmina encouraged him, to the point of saying she’s willing to sponsor his directorial training in the US. That, however, would mean staying away from his twins, no matter how short a time it is. And that’s the last thing Zoren will do.
Besides, he told himself, given the more advanced filmmaking technology in the US, Zoren cannot apply whatever he’ll learn there. It may even leave him frustrated. With Carmina’s blessings, he went to Bacolod last month to study directing in the La Salle branch there.
Zoren knew he had to make a sacrifice. And he was prepared to turn down offers during the one month he was in Bacolod. Carmina had to take over as breadwinner.
"I accepted the situation and apologized to Carmina about it," Zoren admits. But he has no regrets. That one month proved to be one of the most fulfilling in his life.
"We made short films, the longest of which was 10 minutes," reports Zoren. The beauty of it all was that he had to make do with limited resources. Only the basic equipment was there. Far from getting discouraged, Zoren used the situation to stretch his creativity to the max.
The first film he did focused only on the hand for 10 minutes. Zoren made his brother Kier’s hand execute twists and turns, much like a ballerina. At first, the mood was light and happy. Lilting music played in the background as the hand conveyed joy. But later, the mood changed into sadness and the music shifted to dark and foreboding.
"Kier felt cramps in his hand after that," Zoren relates.
His second short film, Kawangis, shows the father in Zoren. He got Kier again, took a shot of him smoking in a dark corner of the hospital. Then, Zoren, who went to Manila just to visit his twins, asked his driver to block EDSA at 3 a.m. The effect was a feeling of desolateness and loneliness. Then it was back to the hospital where Kier is sitting on a chair again, brooding. The camera didn’t show it, but the viewer knew right then and there that Kier’s character was agonizing over his child’s sickness.
Zoren’s third short film, Aria, is a love story that spans two generations: the past and the present. It tells of two lovers so passionate about each other, their feelings out live them. Zoren brought his message across in three minutes. The camera first focuses on the two lovers in the past, then shifts to their reincarnations in the present. A classical love song heightens the romantic mood.
The result, Zoren relates, won direk Peque’s approval.
That Bacolod workshop made Zoren realize you don’t need a huge budget to make a good film.
"Bigger budget means more cameras, more staff. I believe in exercising my creativity more," he reasons out.
Acting, however, will not take a backseat to directing. Zoren is looking forward to reprising his Bagwis character on Mulawin in future episodes of Encantadia.
"I don’t want people to think directing is my fallback job. That’s why I’d like to act and direct at the same time," says Zoren.
He also wants to write the script of projects he is directing and is eyeing a workshop on scriptwriting. The story, Zoren echoes what he learned form direk Peque, is the soul of a film.
"Even if my first full-length directorial project doesn’t earn, I’ll be happy thinking people will at least remember it for its story," says Zoren. His target are independent producers willing to invest in a digital film.
This early, Zoren already has three MTV projects lined up. He is directing two for Jenine Desiderio and another for BMG Records’ reggae band.
His dream project, though, is an action film starring himself no less. That would mean less headaches, less people to deal with, and total control over everything else.
He also wants to direct Carmina because "directors haven’t explored everything about her artistry yet." Like, she can do a Nicole Kidman in a project ala Moulin Rouge? Zoren shows assent by keeping to himself. After all, who knows Carmina more than Zoren himself?
They are now building their dream house, with marriage soon to follow after work on the house is through next year. It’s Zoren’s gift to Carmina, whom he knows would like to walk down the aisle just like any typical woman someday.
"The wedding will just be a formality. We treat each other like husband and wife already anyway. When Mina is out working, she can be rest assured that I am a good boy. I behave," he says.
No other guy can be happier.