2024 | PRODUCTION & ART DIRECTION
Giliw ni Paul Marney
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We planned, shot, and edited the music video in collaboration with the artist and his team.
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We also helped create additional assets for marketing the track launch.
The super-talented Paul Marney has been in the local blues scene for years as the frontman of The Bleu Rascals. His creative exploration led him to launch a solo career — simply as Paul Marney — in 2024, starting with the song Giliw.
The concept, old-school harana with a twist, is entirely Paul’s brainchild. He approached our team with this idea, and together, we fleshed it out with a concrete plan and a sensible storyboard.
Synopsis Spoiler Alert
It is the mid-1950s. Paul is courting the girl of his dreams, whom we shall call Giliw. She lives, mysteriously alone, in a big house in Manila. But simple, guitar-wielding Paul has a rival — the fresh, motorcycle-riding Joberto.
Despite Giliw’s marked preference for Joberto, she allows Paul to continue his attentions. Paul becomes desperate, and decides to visit her one night — a breach of the usual, unspoken courting protocol — with a letter and a bunch of roses.
[Spoiler coming up. You better watch the video now.] There, Paul discovers a horrible secret: Giliw is a monster, and Joberto is her chosen victim. Giliw turns on Paul, screaming that Joberto is the one she loves — but she advances on Paul murderously, too.
Luckily, a passing mambabalut (played by the talented Ian Lofamia, harmonica solo) hears the commotion and rushes in to the rescue. With his help, Paul makes a narrow escape, stumbling into the dark alley beyond.
It’s the 21st century. Paul wakes up with a start and receives a message from his crush Gina, who has decided to make things official with Joberto but still wants to keep Paul as a friend.
Official lyric video
We also created the official lyric video/visualizer with guitar chords provided by the artist himself.
A glossary (for non-Tagalog speakers)
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Gíliw (you'll hear it pronounced in the song): an old-fashioned noun that usually refers to someone you have a crush on, commonly used by a boy for a girl. It's no longer in everyday use, hence the old-school visuals of the song Giliw.
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Harána, a noun, refers to the act of courtship in which a boy sings with a guitar outside a girl's house. Sometimes alone, but often accompanied with a group of supportive friends (which is great because someone else can play. the guitar).
It's one of the initial activities of "panlilígaw" or courtship. The goal of the harana is to be permitted inside the house to "akyat ng lígaw" (literally, to take the courtship "upstairs" in the living room), to be able to engage in (chaperoned) conversation with the girl and her family. Under the unspoken rules of Filipino courtship, the boy will then be given the high honor of being bossed around by the girl's family for a while.
If all goes well, this could lead to the ultimate goal — exclusive dating (no other suitors) and marriage.
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A mambabalút is a balut vendor (also spelled and pronounced balót — steamed, fertilized duck or chicken eggs).
In the style of old-school, mid-20th century Pinoy movies, the street vendor is a handy plot device. They are characters who are literally just walking around on the streets, so they can jump into action at any time.
The mambabalút is great for horror movie scenes because they also roam around at night, as opposed to tahó vendors who are usually around at breakfast time.
The balut vendor's significance as a manananggal's mortal enemy is quite interesting — check out the manananggal description to find out more.
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Mánananggal (literally meaning "remover") is a mythical Filipino monster. She (usually it's a woman) is disguised as a normal human being by day. At night, she sprouts huge bat wings and leaves her lower body on the ground.
The upper body, wings and all, would fly around town looking for prey, usually unborn infants. The manananggal would crouch on rooftops and extend their long, sharp tongues into bedroom windows to eat the babies out of sleeping pregnant women.
To avoid this, pregnant women slept with their windows closed, or hung a stingray's tail on their windows to deter the manananggal.
One could also defeat the manananggal by finding its hidden, but vulnerable, lower half and destroying it with salt and fire.
This is why the mambabalut is a significant symbolic vanquisher of this particular monster: the balut, a fertilized egg with almost fully-formed steamed bird embryos, strikes a parallel to the manananggal's preferred victim. Also, the mambabalut carries salt all the time.
Fun fact: the first-ever Filipino horror movie was José Nepomuceno's Manananggal (1927).
The grading goal — to recreate a remastered vintage movie look.
For the video’s grading, the rough goal was to recreate a remastered vintage movie look. This means simple and classy, but not too punchy and trendy.
The result is indeed reminiscent of mid-century Filipino films. Our team’s personal favorites include Paul and Giliw’s dancing dream scene and the harmonica solo scene in which Ian Lofamia, playing the mambabalut, walks and plays in the street.
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Paul Marney
AS HIMSELF
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Jezze Gibaga
AS “GILIW”
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Jake Cuevas
AS “JOBERTO”
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Ian Lofamia
AS “MAMBABALUT”
Official Launch Posters
Unapproved poster studies — replaced in favor of a more movie-poster, less gardeny look. But we’re sharing them here because we do like these jazzy elements!
The Concepts
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The pain of being unlabelled
The most relatable concept: the pain and angst of being played with by a desired potential partner. The worst part is not getting a clear “no” until you’re already emotionally invested.
Giliw begins with Paul’s seemingly healthy, normal yearning for the love of a girl. But as the vocals and instrumentals intensify, and the visuals grow dark, it becomes evident that Paul’s pursuit simply doesn’t have a happy ending.
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The toxic pick-me girl
She’s not like other girls, and it’s a toxic trait. Because of patriarchy in the modern world, certain Gen X and millennial women grew up thinking they could be attractive by being “not like other girls.”
In the 2020s, this attitude is now being rejected as women more wholeheartedly embrace individual power, whatever it looks like — outside of the male gaze.
Giliw is low-key intended to exhibit this toxic “pick-me” trait. The entire video also pokes questions at the romantic courtship traditions of previous decades. It may be pretty and, in some ways, look ideal. But perhaps there are good reasons why we don’t do that anymore.
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The immaturity of the chase
Giliw is not the only one who’s in the wrong. Why is Paul’s character so infatuated by a girl he may not know that well? Sure, she may be playing with his feelings on purpose. But for sharper observers, it’s clear that he should have given up long ago. If the woman’s ego is in play in this scenario, then so is the man’s.
It seems Paul himself is hooked on the superficial. Even Giliw’s morphing into a monster is questionable — is she really that horrible, or is Paul’s reaction a product of his own misplaced illusions?
Luckily for him, Giliw ends up being a learning experience — not a tragedy. He will be given the chance to wake up, move on, make better choices, and ultimately, grow up.
Directed by Mao Del Rosario
Executive Producer — Lightning Kid Productions
Paul Marney & Beatriz Paragas
Production Team — TBC Manila Design House
Mao Del Rosario & Camille Del Rosario
Cast
Paul Marney as himself
Jezze Gibaga as “Giliw”
Jake Cuevas as “Joberto”
Ian Lofamia as “Mamba”
Band
Paul Marney on Guitars/Vocals
Ian Lofamia on Harmonica
Spencer Carlyle on Bass
J.J. Garcia on Drums
Sai Apolinario on Guitars
Matthew Purugganan on Keyboards