Caught in the Scene

Redefining love one video at a time

      With foils of empty cigarette packs from their sari-sari store in Novaliches, he used to fight boredom from watching the store alone while doing what he had always loved to do: write. He was contented seeing his words transform into a little piece of poem on palara, his humble medium, and had never thought that those words will go a long way.
      Seven years later, he writes for digital media and no longer on palara. He writes not only for himself, but for millions of fans he continues to inspire.
Marcelo currently works at DepEd-CSCA
      Marcelo Santos III, now 21, has captured the hearts of Filipino youth through his Love Story on Video series in Youtube and Facebook. 
      With 500,000 Facebook fans and over 20,000,000 total upload views in Youtube, who would have thought that a small town boy would gain this level of popularity with his stories in a genre which is, to some extent, formulaic.
      What makes a good and compelling love story? The idea of love being written to a formula makes it harder for a writer to stand out and stay fresh in the romance genre.
Or maybe, there isn't any formula at all.
Marcelo explains why love stories never grow old, even without the tricks and formula.

     “You probably have never seen a ghost, so do I,” he begins. “You've never been in a gunfight, so do I. And I'm pretty sure you've never seen a fairy, so do I. But there's one thing left all of us have known and felt: love.” He wants to write something he and his reader could share—something both of them have already experienced.

     “Love is the common denominator of people. It is realistic, so people will easily relate to your stories,” Marcelo said. “The challenge is how to add a new flavor to any love story you create.”

      Indeed, his works revolve on universal themes of destiny, sacrifices, chances, and what-ifs. It can be the flash kind of love that happens in chance meetings, or when crisis opens the doors of two hearts. It can be the slow developing kind between two souls exploring each other with the most conservative signs, or a story of reunited exes. It's the generic plotline, the ordinary characters, and more.

      “Readers find it easier to connect with my stories because it's generic. But I think what really engages them with my stories is the out-of-the-box treatment I give to them—the twist and unexpected turns I give to the kind of love stories we're used to—and the medium that I use, videos.”

      His method is simple. He picks a famous ballad, listens to the song to set his mood, and when the story hits him, he fits into the music the words that tumble out from his mind as they are recreated into moving, poetic lines. The result: a viral video like his most viewed “DOTA vs. Girlfriend” with 1.5 million hits in Youtube.     
     M, as what his colleagues at the Department of Education Center for Students and Co-Curricular affairs call him, is usually shy and serious—at least initially. He rarely talks, and is the kind of boy who stays at the corner alone while he tests the waters. But after some time and he finally does talk, you better gear up for a seemingly endless talking.
 
      “Nagsasalita ako kapag naging palagay ako sa isang tao [I talk when I become comfortable with the person].” “Tahimik lang ako kaya naiipon yung daldal [I'm usually quiet, so I reserve the prattle],” he jokes. 
 
      Marcelo's quiet nature is the complete opposite of the energetic and stubborn little boy he was before.
He remembers how his family used to call him “JR Praning” when he was a child. 
 
      “Ako yung pinakamakulit at pinakasutil na bata sa pamilya [I was the naughtiest and most rebellious kid in the family],” he laughingly recalls. 
 
      Marcelo used to do crazy things as a child. He was often caught inserting coins in electric outlets. Once, he ignited a balloon with a lighter, and the explosion left a scar on his right hand. He still has the scar until now.
       He also shared that before, his only dream is to become a jeepney barker in Novaliches.
       Naughty, yes, but he was an achiever. 
 
     “When I entered school, I thought, one day I will be able to get to the stage and talk in front of people,” he reminisces. He was an honor student, PGMA Awardee for Exemplary Leadership, and has delivered his speech as salutatorian in high school. “That was all I wanted, to speak to the crowd. The honors are just bonuses.”

      He is a family man. He was very close with his 4 siblings, especially to the youngest, Macmac.
     “Dati nagbebenta ako ng mani at butong-pakwan sa school, tapos binibigay ko sa parents ko yung kita [I used to sell nuts and melon seeds at school, and then I give the profits to my parents],'' he shared.

      He discovered his passion for writing during high school, when he served as the Editor-in-Chief of their Filipino campus paper. From then on, he never let go of the passion.
      It was December 20, 2009. Marcelo was alone in his room, in front of his computer, searching for a particular song on Youtube. It was when he stumbled upon videos of songs with lyrics that the idea dawned to him: What if I make videos of songs with stories instead?
Photo from his official FB page

     Then his debut video, Bag at Folder, was made. Using his talent in writing and editing videos, he created a love story set in a classroom—of a boy who was secretly inlove with a classmate who eventually fell for him, too—which was caught in the games of fate. Every day, the boy reserves the seat beside him using the bag and folder for the girl she loves. And that's where the “spark” began. 
 
      “The story was inspired by the lack of chairs in PUP, “ he said as he recalls his college days at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, where he studied Advertising. “Having that situation is hard for us, students, so I thought making a love story out of it would catch the viewers.” 

      He decided to post the video on his Facebook account. His friends liked it, and to his awe, the video spread like wildfire. Bag at Folder became a three-part series. 


      “A lot of people were messaging me in Facebook. The number of my friend requests was unbelievable,” he recalls.
 
     With the overwhelming number of shares, comments, and friend requests on Facebook, Marcelo thought that it would be better to post the videos on Youtube. He also created a fan page to post teasers and announcements about his videos.
       What seems to be a hobby at first became his full-time career. 
      With almost 200 videos made, Marcelo is surprised at how he was able to do it, as he admits one of his weaknesses as a writer.
      “Tamad ako magsulat[I'm a lazy writer],“ Marcelo confessed. His fans give the greatest motivation for him to continue writing his love stories. Without them, he wouldn't be as prolific as he is now.

      “Masarap sa pakiramdam sa tuwing may nagsasabi sakin ng 'Thank you, nasabi ko sa crush ko yung nararamdaman ko', ''Thank you, nagkabati kami ng gf ko', 'Thank you, nalaman ko ang lessons about love', 'Thank you, kahit wala kami sa Pilipinas ay parang andyan din kami dahil sa mga stories mo.' [It feels good to receive thank-yous from people who've confessed their love, have reunited with their girlfriends, learned the lessons of love, and felt connected again to Filipino culture because of my stories],“ he said.

      But just when people start to think that this young man had mastered the art of love because he'd been there, Marcelo confessed that not so much has happened in his own love life. 
 
      “I was broken-hearted several times,” he admits. “Now, I chose not to have a love life. Because once I get one, I may pattern the stories I produce to my own love story,” he continues. “Tsaka walang dumarating eh [And no one really comes],” he said as he smiled.

      Although his works are in no way parallel to his own love life, he sometimes had this secret wish, “Minsan naisip ko, sana yung lovelife ko kaya kong isulat, para kung ano man ang ending na gusto ko matutupad [Sometimes I thought, I hope I can write my own love story, so I can have whatever ending I wanted].” “Pero hindi naman tayo writers ng sarili nating lovelife [But we are not writers of our own love life].”
      Just like any other writer, the biggest challenge for Marcelo is to write his own love story, both in real life, and in the LSOV world he created.

      “I'm working on it. Marcelo in the world of love stories is what the fans will have to watch out,” he teases. He also plans to publish a book of love stories.

      The boy's poetic words on palara have really gone a long way. But whatever his medium may be, he'll continue to create inspiring stories that will move people, as long as he knows by heart what love means for him and his readers.

      “Love is a sacred thing that we shouldn't waste. It must be treated with the respect it deserves. Love should never be treated as a game, because when you do, it will surely get back at you,” Marcelo believes.#

By Mariejo Ramos with 1 comment

1 comments:

Marcelo was just three classrooms away from ours and it's a shame on me for that knowing him early!
I am sharing the same wish of creating the best ending of my love story, yet I know that it would just turn out delusive. LOL

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