Korean and Filipino TV drama experts exchange K-Drama knowledge and industry techniques in “Rediscover” webinar
A fruitful gathering and discussion of great and passionate minds behind drama production from Korea and the Philippines happened last June 30. The Embassy of the Republic of Korea and the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines event titled “Rediscover the Korean Creative Industry: A webinar on K-Drama Scriptwriting and Marketing” saw almost 500 live viewers on YouTube and hundreds of comments about the packed event.
Four experts in TV drama scriptwriting, production, and marketing, namely Rona Co, Joey Reyes, PARK Ji Hyun and LEE Hyo Young roused the viewers with their insights, facts, recommendations and tips about the ins-and-outs and the future of local and Korean drama scriptwriting, marketing, and exportation.
In partnership with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts and APOP Books, together with media partners, Inquirer.net, POP and KDrama Pal, the event was hosted by former media practitioner and University of the Philippines’ K-Drama Analysis professor, Ms. Amor Aljibe.
“Hello, Love, Goodbye” scriptwriter Ms. Rona Co opened the webinar with her talk on the current efforts that aid the creativity and expertise of scriptwriters. She highlighted that most of the efforts are privately-initiated, among them the ABS-CBN University, wherein creatives can learn from educators from top universities, while the others are individually-established scriptwriting workshops. She likewise pointed out the need for the establishment of a writer's guild in order to protect the interest and empower TV and movie scriptwriters.
“We believe an empowered writer is a better storyteller,” Ms. Co highlighted.
Seasoned Korean scriptwriter and now a lecturer at the Broadcasting Writers Education Center of the Korea TV and Radio Writers Association, Ms. Park Ji Hyun, who’s behind the locally-adapted K-Drama “All About Eve,” meanwhile discussed the scriptwriting education system in Korea. She shared the rigorous training that she went through before she was able to make her debut as a K-Drama scriptwriter, and, just like her, how most well-known writers these days have also experienced being an assistant or even intern writers once in their lives. Apart from that, she briefly discussed how K-Drama production has evolved over the years and she also gave advice to potential storytellers about the importance of knowing the difference between what you want to write and where you are good at.
“Do not binge-watch. Watch it per episode. Because you will miss the point of why the Writer made that ending per episode. Learn to wait and imagine what story you would write for the next episode,” she ended.
After talking about the creation of K-Drama came notes on how they are put out there for the world to watch and appreciate. Mr. LEE Hyo Young, president of Young & Contents Co., Ltd covered the topic of marketing and exportation of K-Drama based on his 25 years of combined experience in being part of KBS Media and from being a former consultant at the Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA). Having distributed “Boys Over Flowers” in the Philippines, he shared that there has been a 1600% growth rate in Korean drama exportation from 2002 to 2019, which he attributes to the local Korean networks’ quick response to go global because they have a small market locally. Starting from the South East Asian market, they eventually breached other areas, with the biggest success happening in Japan thanks to “Winter Sonata.” According to him, the creative exportation was not affected by the pandemic at all as they have managed to establish no-contact approaches and that OTT (Over The Top Media Service) has paved the way for the audience’s range to widen despite the limitation of the current situation. He also noted that the government’s support played a significant role with the exportation of the Korean creative industry, as it also promoted competitiveness in the form of rewards and compensation for successful creators and provided funding and other forms of support for the producers and creators.
“We have to open the channels for many Philippine channels here in Korea. It's a win-win strategy. Korea and the Philippines should work together and encourage more cultural exchange,” Mr. Lee noted regarding the future of content distribution.
Educator, film producer, and director, Direk Joey Reyes wrapped up the event with his vibrant lecture centering on the aspect of the patronage of K-Drama during the pandemic and the specific elements that made it appeal to the Filipinos. Aside from the world-class production value, according to Direk Joey, it’s K-Drama’s core principles and values that the audience appreciates the most. He also lauded that the universality in the choices of stories allows the shows to be relatable regardless of one’s race.
"K-Drama does not merely entertain, it sells and promotes a culture,” he said. “Make good original stories and the world is your audience. Do not impersonate our Korean brothers, we should learn from them.”
Aside from the lessons, lucky viewers who commented their questions via the live chat were also selected to take home a special goodie bag from KCC and some items from its partners.
In the end, it was an afternoon of learning, realization, and aspiration as the audience and the speakers all learned from each other. On top of that, the potential and more so, the necessity of a future partnership between the two country’s TV drama experts and other agencies is something that all speakers emphasized. This was made possible all thanks to their shared love and appreciation for K-Dramas that transcend boundaries and ethnicity.
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