Millennials and the generation after them prefer subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) streaming for their entertainment. No wonder, due to accessibility and affordability of high- speed Internet and streaming video technology, web series is now called the future of entertainment and a better alternative to “traditional” series.
Web series production is many things. It is an outlet for independent producers with brilliant and innovative ideas, it is an avenue for actors to find opportunities denied by traditional media, and it’s a platform that can give audiences options and better choices and make decisions without the influence of advertisers.
There’s an unlimited supply of brilliant entertainment you can find on YouTube, Vimeo, and SVOD apps, but while the entire world is hooked on South Korean drama and Netflix produced contents, whose popularity mainly relies on built-in audience and hype through word-of-mouth, we can hardly find locally produced series with content completely relatable because of their local humor and sensibilities.
If you were diligent enough though, sifting through Filipino contents online, specifically on YouTube, you would stumble upon a few local contents like the ones produced by D5 Studio.
According to its About page, the studio is ran by a team of communicators and creators who are “storytellers, wordsmiths, artists, tech mavens and strategists.” The site is a multi-discipline and multi-channel creative network offering a full suite of digital-first products and services, and is a proud part of the TV5 Network.
After debuting with a vampire romance last year, these guys came out with Sabagay Life, a romantic comedy that hits a little too close to home. It talks about six friends namely Jinno (played by Brian Sy), Jackie (Joyce Pring), Bryan (Dino Pastrano), Timi (Gabby Padilla), Gail (Pocholo Barretto) and Din (Kat Argao) who are in the process of figuring out what the real world has in store for them.
Discovering Sabagay Life was just an accident. It suddenly appeared on my Facebook feed and the next thing I know, I was already watching its last episode.
There are four things that will easily attract you to this web series: it’s made for the millennials but the story appeals to all generations; the scenes are too familiar, not to mention the script is so natural, as if the conversation between actors are the same conversation you always have with your friends; the actors are virtually unknown, loving the characters they play solely depends on their acting skills; and each episode runs roughly around 10 minutes it won’t take much of your time.
If you are familiar with the popular US TV series Friends that starred Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry, then it’s safe to say that Sabagay Life is its local version.
The main protagonist is Jinno, who for the longest has been trying to find the courage to reveal his true feelings to Jackie, an independent, outgoing and adventurous young woman. Their friends play pivotal roles in the story and each character can take you to the time when you have graduated college and started working yet still unsure on what path to take.
Like a normal “barkada,” the cast features a jerk, an on-and-off couple, an alpha male, a drama queen, and a nerd. Meanwhile, the story touches on the romantic and professional struggles of each character making the series even more relatable.
And if D5 Studio would come up with second season, or anything similar to this series, for sure, netizens will welcome it with open arms.
D5 Studio is also the creator of Forever Sucks, a web series launched in February 2016 starring Jasmine Curtis-Smith and JC Santos. The series, which story revolves around a 170-year-old female vampire pretending to be a normal 20-year-old, was popular among netizens it was renewed for a second season with Felix Roco on board. Its first episode garnered more than a million views on YouTube since it was uploaded on the video sharing site in October last year.