New BL vertical series goes beyond shocking plot twists, clickbait
MANILA, Philippines — Unlike other vertical series, the Boys’ Love (BL) microdrama “Got My Eyes on You” goes beyond shocking plot twists and cliffhangers. It hooks its viewers with its honest, real-life storytelling and relatable tropes, according to its director Dizelle Masilungan, executive producer Chris Cahilig and actor Mikoy Morales.
The Puregold TikTok series transports the viewers to S-Cape Haven Villa, a picture-perfect resort where ambition, friendship and romance collide. At its heart are two characters destined to clash, and maybe fall in love: Shawn, the mysterious guest relations manager (Esteban Mara), and Drew, the ambitious operations manager (Mikoy). Their enemies-to-lovers tension is already fueling comment wars between Team Shawn and Team Drew.
Mikoy and Esteban are joined by other cast members, Toniyuh as the balikbayan influencer guest, Victor Sy as Sir Trevor, Hannah Lee as Moira, Ady Cotoco and Darwin Yu as wealthy fashionista Kirk and events coordinator Wilfred, respectively.
Lloyd Garciano is the show’s director of photography, joined by assistant director Ram Tolentino and production designer Migo Morales.
“Kung dati television naging Betamax at kung ano man yan, now it’s really our mobile phones. And it will take a long time before that changes,” Chris stated, during a recent presscon at Rampa Club, on how the content consumption has changed over time. Puregold senior marketing manager Ivy Hayagan-Piedad was also present at the event.
Chris believed that vertical series “are here to stay.” “And mas magandang innovation na ang gawin natin.”
He also assured viewers that they can expect a “real series and not just clickbait and not just plot twists.” He was proud to say that “Got My Eyes on You” is replete with “real narratives” and that the audience will stay engaged as to what’s going to happen next because of the strength of the story.
“We didn’t really focus on the plot twist format of the vertical series. Bitin is actually the word. But we want to make sure that people will watch it because they have cravings for the story to be finished and not because gusto nilang magulat kung ano mang plot twist,” he explained on the difference of their series from other microdramas.
“This is really following the more reliable form of narrative and not the experimentation at mas may effect na verticals,” he added.
“Vertical series is on the go,” direk Dizelle declared. “We were also looking at the (other) vertical series filled with plot twists na bigla na lang (the character) anak pala siya ng may-ari ng kumpanya.”
But in “Got My Eyes on You,” the story remains faithful to the narratives of Drew and Shawn, direk Dizelle continued. “We wanted to be honest to the story because we wanted to reflect the story of the Filipino audience and that’s the goal of making the story come to life.”
During the look test and first day of filming, Mikoy asked direk Dizelle, “Is this like those stories where the billionaire’s son is the secret… the CEO, like those stories? Are we going to act like that too?’ Usually peak lahat.”
But the team made it a point that the series is anchored on its strong storytelling and the vertical format was just a structure they followed, Mikoy added. “Like what Sir Chris and direk said, it is still faithful to the narratives and storytelling that we want to deliver.”
More than just a BL series, “Got My Eyes on You” also explores the lives of everyday people, especially the breadwinners, specifically how love and career deeply intertwine in their lives, explained direk Dizelle.
Esteban shared that he could relate to Shawn as someone who tries to prove himself, as he also wants to show what he can offer as an actor and forge his own path in the showbiz industry.
Mikoy, meanwhile, pointed out the struggles of a breadwinner as experienced by Drew in the series. “Drew takes care of his family. Even though he has a job, his priority is still his family. I think it’s very common in our culture, more so, in a family-oriented one. It reached a point na lagi tayong sinasabihan na magulang mo pa rin yan or pamilya mo pa rin.”
“And then we have these obligations and we have these norms na ang dami nating kailangan maisatupad bago tayo tuluyang makakalas sa initial family natin,” added he.
It’s one of the struggles that the show wants to convey based on Drew’s point of view, Mikoy went on. “He is in that situation and then biglang ma-in love ba siya or hindi? Will it get in the way? What would he prioritize first — his career or love life? Work or family?”
“The main lesson that we could learn from this is, you will reach a point na no matter how you navigate… Kung kelan ka magsisimulang magsasabi na para sa akin naman at kelan ka magsasabi na ito para sa family ko pa rin or hanggang dito na lang, ako naman muna. At some point in our lives, we reached a point na kailangan nating magsabing ganun.”
(Catch new episodes of “Got My Eyes on You” every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at 7 p.m. on Puregold’s official TikTok page @puregoldph).
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