Working on TV dramas, according to one actor, isn't about acting. Good for him; he was honest to say the obvious. Of course, TV dramas are all about making money, and not exactly about flaunting your Meryl Streep or Daniel Day-Lewis acting skills.
I have lived in Seoul for more than a decade, exposed to Korean movies and dramas. But as I recently spent a lot of time in front of the television with my mom here in the Philippines, I got to compare the dramas from both countries.
And now, I know the reasons why Korean dramas are way more interesting, more creative, and more popular than Filipino dramas. And I was able to come up with four, which I probably share with the millions of Korean drama fans.
1. Horrible Filipino actors and actresses (not all, only some!😀)
Though there are dependable performers, veterans and young alike, there a bunch who are obviously untalented. If you watch them, you'd think they're in a school play. While some don't know how to act, others overact, probably to grab attention, or to compensate for the absence of real talent.
Unlike the Christopher de Leons, the Nora Aunors, the Cherie Gils, the Mylene Dizons, or Angel Aquinos of Philippine TV dramas👍, most of these actors either don't know how to act or just want to grab more screen time from their co-stars. I noticed that some Filipino TV dramas exaggerate the simple in order to create hype but the people behind it don't seem to realize that they instead successfully turn the drama into comedy.
Some lead actors look like a miscast when their roles demand heavy acting and they seemed lost. Put them in a confrontation scene with very effective contrabidas like Eula Valdez and they disappear. At times, I asked why a lead actor or actress was cast when it was obvious he or she couldn't act. Just because someone won a reality TV show doesn't mean there was talent. And just because one has telegenic looks doesn't also mean he or she can express emotions with a range from A to Z. Most of the time, the range just hovers between A and B. Ha-ha-ha!😆
And while not all Philippine TV dramas suck, some comedy shows are full of corny jokes and plots. The satire-comedy show 'Abangan Ang Susunod na Kabanata' which starred the talented Tessie Tomas, Anjo Yllana, Nova Villa, and Roderick Paulate was the best I could remember. The script was well-written and the delivery perfect. I wish they bring back that kind of satire; we badly need it.
Korean dramas, however, have this nature of not exactly pressing the characters into heavy wailing or screaming like a cat died or something. Although Koreans are not emotional by nature (only drunk Korean men and Korean CEOs are violent, and only Korean ajummas are noisy!), they are stingy when it comes to facial expressions and yet you get to like the scene. Song Hye-kyo and Kim Yoo-jung could deliver a sad scene with a couple of sentences paired with a look. In Philippine TV, the same scene would require five minutes of wailing without tears interrupted by ten minutes of commercials.😂
2. Interesting and mostly original storyline
A famous name and good acting alone won't make a drama popular. Take Bae Yong-joon. He became a superstar after Winter Sonata became a super hit in Asia. He even became godlike among his Japanese fans. That drama single-handedly started hallyu, or the Korean Wave that swept Asia.
That drama's storyline was very original and well-written that its message wasn't just Korean. It was universal, understood not just by the Korean audience but by an international audience as well. Of course, it also helped that both Bae Yong-joon and Choi Ji-woo were good-looking and had impeccable make-up. Both deserved their superstar fame and the billions of Korean won and Japanese yen that went with it.
Philippine TV dramas, on the other hand, always have these common denominators: guns, a crooked politician, an angry ex-girlfriend, and an even angrier ex-wife. You bring all these together and you got a TV drama. Or you can also copy stories from Twilight the movie series. And not to mention, a lead actor who just couldn't die no matter how many battalions of enemies are sent to kill him. Right, Ang Probinsyano fans? 😆
Even though some Korean dramas are fantasy, the immortal or ghostly characters always manifest some human frailties and character that make them interesting to the viewers. Take Goblin and Black. My mom loved watching these.😍
3. Well-financed production
Korean productions don't scrimp on costs. From CGIs to location shoots in Europe or other continents, the Korean dramas never look cheap. Even the wardrobe of the lead actors and actresses get their own screentime. Since Korea has four seasons, you won't wonder why the characters are wearing boots and coats.
In Philippine dramas like Ang Probinsyano, I always wondered which province is the setting because he always wore a jacket on top of a shirt! His province must be cold, or perhaps, he has a fever every day?😜 Or do they just want to show that they have a lot of budget for his jackets?
I guess technology and the Korean passport also make the difference. In case of an overseas location shoot, Korean production staff has no problem traveling to Europe or the Americas as their passport would usually give them easy access to other countries without visas. For Philippine TV production staff, however, this may require them to apply for a visa first before getting over there. And that's a lot of hassle.
You need not be a film expert but you can easily tell if it's a good TV production or not. From the wardrobe to costumes, to the set and the location. These will tell you if the producers are scrimping or not.
4. Korean productions know when to end
Unlike this walang-kamatayang Ang Probinsiyano, Korean dramas, even before they started shooting, the plot, the script, and the schedules are already finalized.
Ang Probinsyano's plot has been stretched to maximize profit while they still can. Old enemies are resurrected and when they ran out of enemies, they turned friends into one.
Korean dramas, on the other hand, get respected because they know when it's time to end the series. That's why the storyline isn't muddled because the producers stay true to the story they originally planned to tell.
In Philippine dramas, they always stretch the story by inserting scenes that they think would hype up the drama's attraction again when the ratings drop. Most of the time, they introduce new characters to do just that. For example, in that Wildflower drama, they introduced Zsazsa Padilla as a new, sinister character. Her role, her acting, and her hairdo that resembled that of Gary Oldman's in Bram Stoker's Dracula turned her into a comedy character.😂
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So, there. My thoughts on why Korean dramas lord it over, not just Philippine TV series, but probably most of the dramas from other Asian countries. I don't really wonder why the fans of Korean dramas are always excited if there's a new drama coming out. Lucky them! 😊
In the meantime, a shout-out to my dear Korean drama fans Fay, Cielo, Marlu, Itchay and Jenny!😄
Happy watching!😊
