To be honest, I can’t count the number of times I’ve gone back to this shoot—revisiting the unmarked, looking for new gems, re-editing. The reality of the situation was that if it weren’t for Esquire Philippines and their reputation, shooting Paul Morales and three of his ballerinas around the Cultural Center of the Philippines would not be possible if it was simply a personal project of mine. To a well known magazine, this pull was normal; I was merely the freeloader with every intention of milking the opportunity.

This layout was shot in a long storage room of one of the dance studios. Working with Clifford Olanday and Paul Villariba for some time already, we were used to counting layouts for the shoot primarily based on the clothes that they could pull out—pegs prior to the shoot were less visual and more worded, using keyword inspirations from the clothing, the location, and the story. This approach relied on trust built over time, with an understanding of the aesthetics in which Esquire itself ran by. From the mood built in the first few layouts, this particular shot ran on a very specific theme: Birdman (2014).

I wanted to achieve the one point perspective in which Birdman brilliantly captured in their single take type movie. The use of a narrow space like a hallway required proper use of blocking based on perspective, with the use of fading elements in relation to the script. In an interview for Hollywood Reporter with Birdman’s cinematographer Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki on December 2014, he mentioned how filming the movie was like a ballet—with constant rehearsals for blocking, lighting, and camera movement; all to be able to create the illusion of a single take which was one of the key elements of the movie. My approach for this shoot was with that in mind and with the objective of making the image look like a still taken out from the movie.

Lighting was very simple: a single studio light with a softbox to replicate the same feel the fluorescent bulbs provided in the space. I couldn’t rely on the ambient light to highlight my subject, as the bulbs were not strong enough to illuminate. If I did, the entire shot would have to be brighter.

Back in 2013, I joined a movie screening + panel discussion for the movie On the Job, with director Eric Matti. I remember asking him about his methodology in lighting the movie, something that (back then) was very different from what the Philippines was used to. His answer was simple: “Light the location, not the subject.” I’ve carried this mindset ever since, lighting the location in relevance to what the location would look like with ideal lighting. My subjects would be placed where lighting fell best, not the other way around.

Photography by Artu Nepomuceno, assisted by Ignacio Gador
Styled by Clifford Olanday, assisted by Miguel Escobar
Direction by Paul Villariba
Hair and Makeup by Muriel Vega Perez, assisted by Jim Joseph
Musing by Paul Morales & Denise Parungao