Director Brillante Mendoza supervises the TV broadcast of President Rodrigo Duterte's first SONA. Presidential Communications file photo

MANILA - Acclaimed film maker Brillante Mendoza revealed Monday the changes he will make in the TV direction of President Rodrigo Duterte's second State of the Nation Address.

Mendoza held a walk through at the Batasan Pambansa plenary hall today, a week before the President's speech.

"The whole day nag-ocular kami ngayon. Kasama ko yung mga taga-PCOO (Presidential Communications Operations Office). Iyung mga placement ng mga camera, diniscuss namin," Mendoza said as held a walk-through with reporters at the Batasan Pambansa, venue of the July 24 SONA.

"Iyung mga pwede ko pa i-add doon sa ginawa ko last year saka yung sa lighting din, pinag-usapan namin. We try to improve on what we did last year."

Mendoza said despite criticisms of last year's direction of the speech, which featured dramatic lighting and worm's eye view shots of the President, the country will be seeing more of the same plus a few changes.

"Hindi naman completely iiwasan. Siguro we will just try to improve kung ano yung mga magandang nagawa last year," the director said.

"But I always take criticisms naman in a positive way so wala akong problema doon for as long as alam kong 'di na siya nakakadistract, iyung directions ko sa SONA. Iyun ang importante."

Mendoza said the dramatic lighting will be reduced to give the Presidential Security Group a better view of the venue.

The use of low angles will also be lessened while more frontal shots will be used, he added.

An innovation this year, Mendoza said, is that the speech will be accompanied by black and white photographs of the President's accomplishments in his first year in office.

"Mayroon kaming ipapakita unlike before... May ipapakita kami na mga photographs, not exactly AVP (audio-visual presentation) but more or less accomplishments niya in photograph. I was suggesting black and white."

Mendoza said he is also prepared for anything since Duterte is known for going off script.

"I'll capture it kasi iyun siya. Capture natin kung ano yung nangyayari, yung sa totoong buhay ginagawa niya. I wouldn't deviate from what he used to do kasi 'yun siya," he said.

For Mendoza, what is important is that the people get the President's exact message without his direction being distracting.

Mendoza said a rehearsal is scheduled this week though he is unsure if the President will attend.

Mendoza added that he is working pro bono, just like last year.

"Hindi lang kasi sa naniniwala ako mga advocacy ng President, kundi para sa bayan iyun ang pinaka-importante. Basta gusto ko yung ginagawa ko, I will do it for the country," he said.

Mendoza, who openly supported Duterte's war on illegal drugs, is one of two Filipino directors who were recently included as members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the American organization that gives out the Oscars.

His award-winning movie "Ma' Rosa" was the country's official entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category of the 2017 Academy Awards.