I’m currently taking my CONCEPT class under Jose Javier Reyes aka Direk Joey who happens to be one of the Philippines’ most influential and talented directors and screenwriters. Months before my first encounter with him (which was last Wednesday), I recognized him only through media interviews, the smoke-filled streets of Agno, and from fellow Comm Arts students who were under his elective classes. Imagine my surprise when he first walked into the classroom on our first meeting in his usual outfit: a polo, khaki-colored boardshorts, and a pair of Daddy loafers. He first asked us to fill out our personal information in a green 3x5 index card before calling us one by one by our nicknames.
When it was my turn to be called, it went like this:
Direk Joey: Leodarco, Candice?
Me: (raises hand and grins) Sir, it’s Leocadio!
***The bottomline is: my last name offers the same complexity as Dostoevsky.
When the introductions came to a close, he started ranting about how the most recent edition of the Metro Manila Film Festival sucked butt complete with ravenous disses out of his mouth which was complemented by our simultaneous laughter. He also voiced out his displeasure for the upcoming 100000th remake of Dyesebel (*cough* Anne Curtis *cough*), the recurring illegitimate child plots in today’s teleseryes, and the never-ending remakes to signify the lack of originality present today. He then proceeded to present a number of photos then asked us to come up with possible concepts. Right before our class ended, Direk Joey handed out our first assignment - a two-page, double-spaced essay about the happiest day of our life.
Direk Joey is a terrific professor who combines wit and humor perfectly while teaching us to master the art of conceptualization especially in our degree program. However, like he just said, the class itself requires a lot of creativity, originality, and guts to get a good grade. He also made his two pet peeves known to us: tardiness and online submissions. So to all of his future students: come to his class on the dot or you’ll experience the walk of shame out of the classroom.
Therefore I conclude that I am now looking forward to CONCEPT class on Wednesdays.
On the other hand, It’s hard to choose the happiest of my 7000+ days here on Earth, isn’t it?
