By MARIEJO RAMOS
WITH foils of empty cigaret packs, he used to fight boredom from tending their sari-sari store in Novaliches, Quezon City doing what he has always loved to do: write. He was contented seeing words transform into poetry on palara.
Seven years later, Marcelo Santos III, now 21, writes—no longer on the humble medium but for digital media. And he writes no longer for himself, but for his legion of fans enthralled by his “Love Story on Video” (LSOV) series: Half a million followers on Facebook and more than 20,000,000 total upload views on YouTube.
What makes a good and compelling love story?
Santos’ discovery: “You probably have never seen a ghost, so haven’t I. You’ve never been in a gunfight, so haven’t I. And I’m pretty sure you’ve never seen a fairy, so haven’t I. But there’s one thing left all of us have known and felt: love.”
“Love is the common denominator of people. It is realistic, so people will easily relate to your stories,” he said. “The challenge is how to add a new flavor to any love story you create.”
Santos’ 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.
“Readers find it easier to connect with my stories because they’re generic. But I think what reallyengages them … is the out-of-the-box treatment—the twists and unexpected turns—I give to the kind of love stories we’re used to, and the medium that I use: video,” the young writer said.
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 moving, poetic words that tumble out of his mind. The result: A viral video like his most viewed “DOTA vs. Girlfriend” with 1.5 million hits on YouTube.
M, as his colleagues at the Department of Education Center for Students and Co-Curricular affairs call him, is usually shy and serious—at least initially. But when he finally does talk, better brace for a seemingly endless chatter.
His quiet nature is the complete opposite of the energetic and stubborn little boy he was before. In fact, his family used to call him “JR Praning” when he was a child. “I was the naughtiest and most rebellious kid in the family,” he laughingly recalled.
Santos 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; the explosion left a scar on his right hand.
As a child, his only dream was to become a jeepney barker in Novaliches. But he discovered his passion for writing during high school at Capitol Institute in Novaliches when he served as editor in chief of their Filipino campus paper. From then on, he never let go of the passion.
It was Dec. 20, 2009. Santos was alone in his room in front of his computer searching YouTube for a particular song. When he stumbled upon videos of songs with lyrics, the idea dawned on him: What if I make videos of songs with stories instead?
His debut video, “Bag at Folder,” was born. Combining his talents in writing and video editing, he created a love story set in a classroom: A boy is secretly in love with a classmate. Every day, he reserves the seat beside him using the bag and folder for the girl. And that’s where the “spark” begins. The girl eventually falls for him.
“The story was inspired by the lack of chairs in PUP,” he said, remembering his college days at the state-run Polytechnic University of the Philippines where he studied Advertising.
He posted 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 said.
With the overwhelming number of shares, comments and friend requests on Facebook, Santos thought it better to post the videos on YouTube. He also created a fan page to post teasers and announcements about his videos. What started out as a hobby soon has turned into a full-time career.
Santos has released almost 200 videos, but remains amazed at how he was able to do it. “I’m a lazy writer,” Marcelo confessed.
It is his fans that provide him the greatest motivation to continue writing. “It feels good to receive thank-you’s 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 Santos himself doesn’t have much of a love story to tell.
“I was broken-hearted several times. Now, I choose not to have a love life because once I get one, I might pattern the stories I produce after my own love story,” he said. “Besides, the right person hasn’t come along.”
He does harbor one wish: “Sometimes I hope I can write my own love story, so I can have whatever ending I wanted.”
In the same breath, though, he said, “We are not writers of our own love life.”
Indeed, the biggest challenge for Santos is to write his own love story, both in real life and in the LSOV world he has created.
“I’m working on it. Marcelo in the world of love stories is what the fans will have to watch out for,” he said teasingly.
(The writer is a journalism student at the University of the Philippines-Diliman who submitted a version of this story to her Journ 101 class under VERA Files trustee Yvonne T. Chua.)