Director Lester Pimentel Ong takes 'Incognito' to new heights

As the hit series Incognito from ABS-CBN Studios, Star Creatives, and Studio 360 wraps up, director Lester Pimentel Ong celebrates another success in his career.

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"When we first conceptualized Incognito, it was nontraditional for us to tell this story. We don't want the scenes to look like a traditional TV series," said Lester during a media conference at Dean & DeLuca in Quezon City recently. "We were given the liberty to tell the story, mount it, shoot it, and present it the way we want to show it."

However, Lester acknowledged that the concept was risky because it was not a traditional series people would watch on TV. "But when people saw it, we were pleased that viewers accepted the series."

Lester wants to create a new kind of series, believing that it's time for Philippine entertainment to compete on a global scale.

"When it comes to the international level, we're just a thumbnail away. So for us to survive, we need to come up with something different," he said.

Lester also said the shoot in Marawi City in Mindanao was memorable, believing that it was the first time a big series like "Incognito" had been shot in the province.

"When we finished with the script of the series, we were thinking of the possible locations. Marawi is at the forefront of my mind. So we asked permission from our bosses to shoot in Marawi. When they agreed, our team reached out to the local government of Marawi for permission to shoot in the location," the director said.