Jerrold Tarog
Tarog on November 19, 2019
Born	Jerrold Viacrucis Tarog (1977-05-30)May 30, 1977 (age 47) Manila, Philippines
Nationality	Filipino
Other names	Ramon Ukit Pats R. Ranyo Roger "TJ" Ladro David Barril
Alma mater	University of the Philippines Los Baños(withdrew) University of the Philippines Diliman International Academy of Film and Television
Occupations	Film director screenwriter producer editor composer
Years active	2002–present
Website	jerroldtarog.com

Jerrold Viacrucis Tarog^[1] (/dʒɛˈrɒld/;^[2] born May 30, 1977) is aFilipino film director, screenwriter, producer, editor, and composer. He is best known for directingHeneral Luna (2015),Bliss (2017) andGoyo: The Boy General (2018). His first feature film was theindependently-producedConfessional (2007), followed byMangatyanan (2009) andSana Dati (2013). He directed segments for theShake, Rattle & Roll horror series.

Jerrold Tarog was born inManila on May 30, 1977, and grew up in Dapdap St. CERIS 1, Canlubang,Laguna. He is the only child of Jose, anOverseas Filipino Worker fromBicol, and Aurora, who hails fromLeyte. Tarog learned to play the drum at age six, and the piano at age seven.^[3][4]

Tarog went to elementary school at Mary Help of Christians School and for highschool was accepted and graduated from theUniversity of the Philippines Rural High School inLos Baños, Laguna for hisprimary education, and spent two years in theUniversity of the Philippines Los Baños studyingagribusiness management for his higher education. After flunking all subjects in the agribusiness course, he changed his major and transferred to theUniversity of the Philippines Diliman, where he was a scholar and graduated from the university's College of Music school with a degree inmusic composition.^[5] He briefly attended theInternational Academy of Film and Television inCebu City.^[6]

While a student at the UP Diliman, Tarog developed an interest in filmmaking and began taking film classes at the UP Film Center, which is located near the College of Music building. He recalled watching classic films that were directed byAkira Kurosawa,Martin Scorsese andWoody Allen.^[3] After graduation, Tarog played the drums for aheavy metal band.^[3][4]

In his early filmmaking career, Tarog assumeddifferent names on separate occasions. As a screenwriter he was Ramon Ukit,^[a] aFilipinized name of his favorite American fiction writerRaymond Carver.^[7] As an editor he was Pats R. Ranyo,^[a] ananagram of the character he played in his own filmConfessional, Ryan Pastor.^[7] As asound designer he was Roger "TJ" Ladro,^[b] an anagram of his complete name.^[7] He has called his filmmaking expertise "self-taught".^[8]

In 2002, he landed a job as a musical director of the filmAgimat starringBong Revilla Jr. Subsequently, he worked forindependent film directorDante Mendoza to compose thescore in his filmsMasahista (2005),Manoro (2006),Tirador andFoster Child (both in 2007).^[3] His score forMasahista earned him aYoung Critics Circle award forBest Achievement in Aural Orchestration in 2005.^[9]

In 2006 Tarog began hisdirectorial debut in ashort film entitledCarpool, which he also wrote and edited.^[4] The following year he directed his first feature film,Confessional, apolitical thrillermockumentary shot in Cebu City; he starred in it assuming the name David Barril.^[3][10] The film was the first installment in what Tarog has dubbed theCamera trilogy, explaining: "It's three films wherein the protagonist in each movie has a camera, and it's about the contrast of life and truth in front of the camera and behind it. The stories of the movies are different from each other, they're not related, and they just have common plot elements."^[11] It garnered a total of five awards at the 24th Star Awards for Movies, two of which were given to Tarog—Digital Movie Director (shared with co-directorRuel Antipuesto) and Digital Original Movie Screenplay.^[12] In 2009 he directed the drama filmMangatyanan (also known asThe Blood Trail), starringIrma Adlawan,^[13] and was the second installment in theCamera trilogy.^[11] The film was an entry to the2009 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival where it won the Best Production Design award.^[14]

In 2010, Tarog directedSenior Year, acoming-of-age romantic drama film which tells the story of ten high school students during their final year in a private school in Manila. The film was partly inspired by Tarog's experience as a music student at the UP Diliman.^[15] The same year he was tapped byRegal Entertainment to direct a segment inShake, Rattle and Roll 12, the twelfth installment in theShake, Rattle & Roll horror anthology franchise, which marked Tarog's transition to mainstream Philippine cinema;^[3] his segment is entitled "Punerarya".^[16]

In 2011, Tarog directedAswang, aremake ofPeque Gallaga's 1992 horror film of the same name, which starsLovi Poe,Paulo Avelino, andAlbie Casiño among others.^[17] The same year he directed another segment in theShake, Rattle and Roll franchise in its thirteenth sequelShake, Rattle & Roll 13, entitled "Parola".^[16] The following year he served as composer in the fourteenth installmentShake, Rattle and Roll Fourteen: The Invasion, and returned to direct a segment in the fifteenth installmentShake, Rattle & Roll XV entitled "Ulam" the following year. In 2013, Tarog collaborated the second time with Lovi Poe inSana Dati (also known asIf Only), in which Poe starred opposite Paulo Avelino,^[18] who have also previously worked together inAswang. The romantic drama film (the last installment in theCamera trilogy^[11]) was an entry to the2013 Cinemalaya Film Festival where it garnered seven awards during the festival's Awards Night, of which Tarog won Best Director.^[19]

In 2015 Tarog co-wrote, directed, edited and scoredHeneral Luna, ahistoricalbiographical film which chronicled the leadership of GeneralAntonio Luna of thePhilippine Revolutionary Army during thePhilippine–American War. The film was a commercial success in the Philippines, having earned₱256 million nationwide (about three times its production costs).^[20] The film garnered praise for its cinematography, writing, acting and plot, as well as critical acclaim from Filipino professional critics and historians alike.^[21][22][23] It has since been regarded as the most expensive Philippine historicalepic film ever made.^[24] The Philippine edition ofEsquire consideredHeneral Luna as Tarog's breakthrough film due to its successful run.^[25]

In 2017, Tarog wrote, directed, edited and scoredBliss, apsychological thriller film starringIza Calzado.^[26] Tarogpitched the idea for the film right afterHeneral Luna's Philippine commercial release and was accepted. It took him roughly three to four months to write the screenplay, and three weeks to score it.^[27] The film competed inJapan at the 12th Osaka Asian Film Festival from March 3 to 12, 2017, and received critical acclaim during its run.^[28] Calzado received the festival's Yakushi Pearl Award for Best Performer.^[29]

In December 2016, Tarog announced that he and screenwriterJade Castro had been developing a screenplay for anadaptation ofArnold Arre'sThe Mythology Class,^[30] to which he said that "hopefully [it] materializes".^[5] Plans for an adaptation of thegraphic novel was first made by Tarog in October 2015 after a successfulpitch meeting to the producers ofHeneral Luna, and Castro was already onboard as co-writer. He has envisioned the film as being divided into two cinematic parts.^[30] Tarog has praisedThe Mythology Class, saying it "remains potent and exhilarating" since its first publication in 1999, as well as complimenting Arre as someone whose "imagination and creativity soar to dizzying heights."^[31] Owing to its success, he hired Arre and his wife to design the poster for his filmSenior Year.^[30]

In October 2018, Tarog was announced to replaceErik Matti as the director ofStar Cinema's film adaptation ofDarna, which is based on the eponymouscomic-book superheroine created byMars Ravelo.^[32] The film began principal photography on January 19, 2020.^[33]

Tarog has citedSe7en,Taxi Driver,The Silence of the Lambs, andBullets over Broadway as some of his favorite films,^[27] andThe Wire,Breaking Bad, andFreaks and Geeks as his favorite television shows.^[34] He credited Filipino filmsCrying Ladies andTanging Yaman as influences in filmmaking,^[34] although he had admitted not being a patron of Filipino films as a college student.^[3] Tarog is a fan offilm scores composed byAlfred Hitchcock's frequent collaboratorBernard Hermann.^[34]

Tarog isnonreligious, but has said that he does "trust evidence, reason and the broadening of knowledge".^[35] In regards to his civil status, he has said he is much more "overjoyed" stayingsingle.^[5]

• Cinema of the Philippines

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• 1977 births
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