True love in its realest and rawest form is the theme of this year’s much-anticipated Kwentong Jollibee Valentine Series. The three episodes – “#CoupleGoals”, “Space”, and “Apart” – showcased how love can survive harsh rejections, busy schedules, and unrealistic expectations set by social media.
But what does it take to truly capture love in these modern times? We sat down with the talents and directors of this year’s Kwentong Jollibee to get some answers and insights behind the making of the viral Valentine ad hit.
Watch our interview here:
Removing the filter on love
Running for almost five years, Kwentong Jollibee has never failed to produce romantic short films that bring out laughter and tears from its viewers. However, this year’s series took on a different tone of real stories, and this was not lost in the Kwentong Jollibee fans. While the new episodes were not as heavy or tear-jerking, the creators still delivered on giving stories that were true to home for every viewer.
“People think that it gets easier by the year because we’ve been doing the Kwentong Jollibee series for four years. But it actually gets tougher and there’s more expectations from the public,” shared Xzenia Cruz, Creative Director of McCann Worldgroup Philippines. “But this year, we noticed that we haven’t touched on the effect of social media on love.”
It was from this insight that the Kwentong Jollibee Valentine Series 2020 was born. Cruz shares that the team wanted to bring back the real definition of true love and shed light at the downsides of seeking perfection from the crazy world of social media and online apps and how couples can conquer all.
Assembling the team of Kwentong Jollibee Valentine Series 2020
The episodes for this year’s Valentine Series saw two returning directors, Ianco dela Cruz and Pepe Diokno, together with screenwriter and filmmaker Sigrid Bernardo who joins the Kwentong Jollibee team for the first time.
Known for her blockbuster hits Kita Kita and Mr. and Mrs. Cruz, Bernardo lent her filmmaking expertise to direct and set the lighthearted tone for “Space” which follows the story of Dan and how he realizes that true love is more than just finding the one.
“I’m very hands-on from the script development until post-production even with the music and sound design. But what I really liked and enjoyed about working Jollibee, the team of McCann and everyone else in the shoot is that there was collaboration during the project,” said Bernardo.
Meanwhile, for four-time Kwentong Jollibee director Pepe Diokno, it was always exciting to work with Jollibee and McCann. “Every year, we are just excited to showcase these stories that are inspired by real people so there’s always something new to look forward to. This year, we want to see the realness of relationships reflected on screen.”
The new episodes also featured hero characters that were far from perfect. And for the stars of this year’s series, preparing and getting into character seemed easy as they could relate to each of the stories.
“The story is very real for me,” confessed James Marco who portrayed Dan in “Space”. Aside from being in the same situation as his character, he agrees about how social media affects relationships, “ang dami mong makikitang maganda at gwapo, mas better sa partner mo. Kaya kailangan makita mo talaga yung best-kung sino yung partner mo ngayon.”
The lead actress in “#CoupleGoals”, Geng Maderazo also admits her similarities to her character Lisa. For one, Maderazo shares that “sobrang ma-social media din ako. I like taking photos everywhere and sharing them online.”
More than just a commercial
Since its first Valentines installment in 2017, Kwentong Jollibee has become more than just a record-breaking ad but a platform that showcases real people and the real stories of love and joy that they share with the brand.
“We’re always looking forward to Valentine’s Day because there is an opportunity to bring more than just joy to the Filipinos. We share our successes with the people by reflecting true-to-life stories that give them faith and bring back hope that true love can conquer all, especially in these modern times full of challenges and problems,” shared Francis Flores, Jollibee Global Brand CMO and JFC PH Country Business Group Marketing Head.
The love stories not only left important lessons for the viewers but also to the team behind Kwentong Jollibee Valentine Series 2020. For first-timer Bernardo, she learned about love while working on her episode. And probably the most important takeaway of all, she shares, “Hindi lang dapat sa social media perfect. Mas importante satin yung maging masaya in real life rather than what we make it seem online.
See how true love conquers all and watch the episodes on Jollibee Studios and on Jollibee’s official Facebook page.
