Making his own indelible Mark

Director Mark Reyes is one of our fastest working directors. His Eternity is yet to be shown, but he has already finished Till I Met You with Robin Padilla and Regine Velasquez in 13 days. Now, he has started taping GMA 7’s new telefantasya Atlantica starring Dingdong Dantes and Iza Calzado who also star in the movie. No wonder Mother Lily Monteverde likes him so much.

"He’s producer-friendly," she says. "For Eternity‚ I gave him everything he asked for as I believe in the project, kahit lumaki ang budget, which is inevitable as this is partly a period movie. The love story of Dingdong and Iza is set in the Spanish time and it required elaborate costumes and sets."

Born on March 28, 1969, Marciano Reyes V graduated from La Salle in 1991 with a degree in Mass Communications. Even before he finished college, he already started working with ABS-CBN as a segment writer for Tatak Pilipino, hosted by Jim Paredes and Gel Santos-Relos.

"From there, ABC 5 got me to produce their youth oriented show, Kada‚ and I helped develop Music Bureau‚ with G Tongi and Jao Mapa. It was Boy Abunda who introduced me to Boss Vic del Rosario of Viva who asked me to direct the youth oriented show, T.G.I.S. on GMA 7 that launched the love teams of Angelu de Leon and Bobby Andrews, Kim de los Santos and Dino Guevarra. It was a hit and I directed its movie version, T.G.I.S., The Movie, one of 1997’s biggest hits."

Mark’s dad, Marciano III, died of diabetes and was the eldest brother of writer-director Joey Reyes. "I have an older brother who’s Marciano IV. Our mom remarried and lived in the US. So my brother and I lived with Uncle Joey. As a young boy, I’d go with him to his shootings. He was the one who advised me to take up MassCom."

When the popularity of the T.G.I.S. young stars waned, Mark concentrated on megging soaps for GMA 7 and he hit it big with the top-rating telefantasya, Encantadia, which also starred Dingdong and Iza.

"Bilib ako sa chemistry nina Dingdong and Iza on screen," he says. "Even if people know they’re not really on in real life, their love team is widely accepted. After our Moments of Love became a big hit for GMA Films, producers recognized they’re a goldmine. I have a feeling Eternity will be an even bigger hit as they co-star with the Mark Herras-Jennylyn Mercado loveteam that’s also very strong at the box-office."

Is it true they moved the playdate of Eternity to Sept. 6 since they got scared of You Are The One that opened on Aug. 30? "No, okay lang sa’kin sumabay sa kanila as I’m confident our film will stand on its own merits. But its film processing was done in Thailand yet to make sure it’s polished, so it really took time to finish it. I’m thankful to Mother Lily for her all-out support to the movie. To enhance the cinematography, there are scenes that we refined on the computer to make them more glossy, like external scenes where we need clouds pero wala, so we added the clouds on to make them more romantic on screen."

What exactly is Eternity all about? "It’s two love stories that toy with time and the idea of love being eternal and timeless. They develop simultaneously on screen, but one is set in the past and the other, in the present. Dingdong and Iza play Crisanto and Milagros, ill-starred lovers in the 1800s who come from warring families. We shot their scenes in Vigan. Mark and Jen play Cholo and Meagan. Mark is about to migrate to Spain with his family when he meets Jen in a museum by chance and there’s an instant connection between them. Eternity shows that true love will last through the ages. It’s Mark and Jen who break the curse on the love affair of Dingdong and Iza and the twist in the film shows that even the past can still be changed by the present. I won’t explain how so as not to spoil the viewing pleasure of those who’d watch it."

He’s very happy with the performances of his four main stars. "They’re all good. This is Dingdong’s most mature role so far and he even has a bed scene with Iza. Mark and Jen are two of the best young actors we have today. They’re all very cooperative not only in the shooting but also in the promo."

He’s also proud that playing the roles of the mothers of Dingdong and Iza are recent winners in the Urian Awards. Jaclyn Jose, Dingdong’s mom who puts an evil curse on the lovers, won as Best Actress for Sarung Banggi while Hilda Koronel, Iza’s mom, won as Best Supporting Actress for Nasaan Ka Man. "It’s a delight to watch them act together on screen," says direk Mark. "Ang husay nila pareho sa eksenang nagtarayan sila. It’s up to the viewers to judge who’s the better actress between the two because they’re both multi-awarded."

Elaine Carriedo, Mark’s line producer who was mistaken by a writer as the wife of Robin Padilla at the Urian rites, adds that the film is of superior quality. "It can compete in international festivals," she gushes. "Even foreign viewers will be affected by the sweep of the love stories. This is also more superior technically than Moments of Love, especially the musical score by Alan Feliciano who used a choir headed by Bayang Barrios for the most touching moments. The cinematography by Jay Ilao is so polished and those who’ve seen the final cut agree this is the cleanest local film they’ve seen on screen."

Eternity will have its premiere at SM Megamall tonight and opens on Sept. 6 in theaters nationwide.