MARQUEL Mclune hasn’t yet ascended the dizzying heights of flim-making but the 22-year-old Jamaican self-taught artist is already developing a reputation for thought-provoking content that shines light on the realities of mental illnesses.

Now, buoyed by public embrace of his short films on social media platforms, Mclune has set his sights on becoming Jamaica’s best practitioner of that art form — an accomplishment that, he hopes, will catapult him to the international level, paving a path for his ultimate dream of creating a movie that will be listed on global streaming sites such as Netflix.

Mclune, who shared that his passion for flim-making grew from his love of movies and cinematography, told the Jamaica Observer that he wet his feet in the industry in 2015 with a set of videos centred around comedy and inspired by Jamaican content creator Prince Pine, whose real name is K’Vonne Legore.

The young film-maker said that when he got his first million views he was over the moon with excitement.

“I didn’t know how to react to it. I [was] like, ‘Am I famous?’ I didn’t know that would happen, and I said, ‘I’m going to start taking this very seriously.’ The second video that I posted [was] also a comedy skit, and this one was like a little horror-comedy skit about buying a house close to a cemetery. That video got 200,000 views. I was still amazed,” he told the Sunday Observer.

However, the views soon saw a sharp decline, but he pressed on as he tried to grow his audience. Eventually, Mclune said, he decided to give up on comedy, thinking that he was not funny enough. He turned to music a few years later, but was eventually called back to his one true love of short film in December 2024, using his newly acquired iPhone 15 to create content.

After seeing a short film about long-distance relationships by film-maker Metronade, Mclune decided to make his spin on the video and step into cinematography.

“…It’s about long-distance relationships, and I watched a video about 100 times and I just said, ‘I really want to do something like this.’ It’s like a movie. I wanted to make something that grabs people’s attention and makes them want to sit down and watch it like a movie. I recreated that exact video, and it has 700,000 views on TikTok… that is the video that inspired me to make content again,” he explained.

With the help of his aunt, he said he traded in his iPhone 15 for a Sony A6700 camera in May 2025. That took the quality of his videos to another level, and the response from viewers, he said, was overwhelming.

“I couldn’t believe it, because I got a lot of love on the Internet and everybody’s saying that ‘You should make a movie.’ I get about 50,000 comments saying I should make a movie.

“I didn’t know I had this talent in me but I will put use to this talent that I have. I really want to be the biggest content creator, director, and actor in Jamaica,” he said, adding that a horror movie is definitely on the list of films he hopes to produce.

Now, with his own tools, he is reaching the screens of many, gathering 4.5 million views on Instagram alone for one of his latest mental health productions. His high-quality videos and editing skills have captured the hearts of many who praise him for showcasing the talent that resides in Jamaica.

Mclune shared that he doesn’t want to create content just for the sake of doing so, but wants to have a lasting impact on viewers as he appeals to their emotions through his work.

Using skills he learned through YouTube videos, Mclune said he writes, produces, directs, and edits all of his content, often turning to music and real-life experiences for inspiration.

With the help of his wife, Ayuana, and friends, he said his ideas often turn into ‘magic’.

“When I listen to the instrumentals, something magical happens in my brain… I listen to music and I just start writing and then I just come up with a bunch of videos. It’s just so amazing. I don’t know how I do it. It’s just the music [that] inspires me about what to write,” he shared.

“If it’s sad music, a lot of ideas come to my mind and I just start writing. There will be a lot of different ideas and I just jot them down to the side, and when I finish listening to music and finish doing all my stuff I try to put them together like a puzzle piece,” he told the Sunday Observer.

The young film-maker said some of his videos are also inspired by real-life experiences, especially those exploring mental illness, given his relationship with someone afflicted by the condition.

That has led him to appreciate that people who are mentally challenged see life differently and deserve more sympathy and compassion than they are often given.

“I do believe that we should stop shubbing [pushing] them to the side like they’re the reason why they’re [mentally ill]. People always say that they’re taking coke or they’re smoking too much, and that’s why they got mad, but sometimes it’s not that. Sometimes it’s genetics; sometimes it’s betrayal, like a friend did something to them. It could be something different [than what is often assumed]. You don’t know the background of the person so I don’t think you should, when you see them, always run them. Try to be nice. Try to be compassionate,” he urged.

Mclune said he tries to capture these realities in his videos, which he hopes give viewers a different perspective about individuals who are mentally ill and possibly a glimpse of what might be happening in their minds.

“My videos’ main message is to say, ‘Treat them nicely.’ They are seeing the world differently from others. They will be talking, and sometimes they’re talking to no one, and you don’t know what they’re seeing.’

“Probably they’re hallucinating, seeing something else that you’re not seeing, so I want [viewers] to understand that they’re sick and they can’t control what they’re doing. Sometimes they might be aggressive but be understanding,” the young film-maker encouraged.

He’s hoping to see more investment in the industry as he encourages aspiring cinematographers to believe in themselves and dream big.

“Write down your goals. Do what you love, [and] do not care about what people think about what you’re doing. They might think it is cringe[worthy] but if that is what you love, do what you love and do it to the best of your ability,” Mclune said.

MCLUNE… I really want to be the biggest content creator, director, and actor in Jamaica

Marquel Mclune (right) and friends during the production of a short horror film.