BYUH students minoring in theater and film discuss their perspectives on a Korean dramas
KC Ann Tadia, a senior from the Philippines minoring in theater ,said, “Actors' acting is what's most important to me. I appreciate more expressive actors with their faces and bodies. I want to feel happy or sad with the characters while watching the dramas.” She explained Korean dramas helps people to empathize with others. Making audiences believe the characters' emotions is the magic of film and theater, she said.
Why do you love Korean dramas?
Today Korean dramas have become a more frequent topic of discussion in intercultural courses.
Mutia Parasduhita Sadiyono, a sophomore from Indonesia minoring in theater, explained how every detail in Korean dramas has a purpose and a reason. She said they really embody the emotion into the characters.
Tadia, who grew up watching Korean dramas, said, “Korean dramas have many scenes that [make] you want to put yourself in the story. You're living through these characters in these dreams. That's why people want to watch more, especially nowadays in this pandemic.”
She added, "Every single, tiny movement shows emotions or lessons directors or producers are trying to share with the audience. It takes intelligence.”
She said through the dramas, she has learned how to portray different types of emotions and actions, such as how to fall in love with someone. “I’m able to see different perspectives and learn from each character in Korean dramas because I can see their actions are caused by their feelings or some situations or how they have grown up. Watching [actors portray] characters makes me a more human being.”
Acting and filming skills students want to adopt
Joshua Castro Sanchez, an alumnus from the Philippines majoring in film, said Korean dramas are especially good at cinematography. He explained he likes how Korean dramas are often moody and gloomy, unlike Hollywood that is so colorful.
“Korean dramas do different kinds of shots to give more depth to the scene itself, so that the audience will really feel what Korean dramas want to portray in that scene. If they want their actors or actresses to cry more, the camera will focus on the eyes, and the audience will really feel that it is a sad moment. Then those films will transition it to a wide angle shot where the audience can see the whole perspective of the place, which is also sad,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez explained Korean dramas often use the camera work strategy called B-roll, which is secondary footage of visual interest to help tell the story by capturing more of the location of the scenes they are filming at.
“Those shots establish an audience’s expectation of what's around that scene so the audience can connect to the specific scene. I’m trying to grab the skill for my film work,” Sanchez said.
Sadiyono said actors in Korean dramas influenced her by showing very realistic emotions that make the audience believe the emotions are real. Tadia explained when people believe in themselves, they believe in the characters they play, and then the audience will believe it easier.
Tadia said her favorite actors have acted in many genres of drama. She said she loves actors who have a variety of skills to be able to portray all characters in all categories. That makes them more useful actors and makes them more popular with audiences.
Sadiyono passionately explained she wants to imitate the main character actress's acting style, which is very natural from a Korean drama TV show, “Goblin.” She learned from the actress how to change her mood quickly when she needs to.
She said, “There was one moment when she cried, and it was not just crying, but it was literally dropping tears from her eyes. However, the moment happened with the snap of a finger. Because it's really fast, the moment changed after a happy moment. Then, suddenly she remembered something and then she cried [again].”
Tadia said she was amazed by the main character's acting skill in “Strong Woman Do Bong Soon." She said, “In every single episode, she's able to make you believe she's that character, even though it's all scripted, and whatever connection she makes with other characters in the show is real. Also, it's hard to have natural or really good chemistry with other characters in dramas, but she's able to do that.”
Sanchez explained a Korean drama, “My Beloved Summer'' has very interesting story content for video photographers because the drama shows “how they film themselves and then they become these great people and then they begin to film that again in the story, and they compare who they were before and who they are now.”
Inside the story
Sadiyono analyzed the construction of stories in Korean dramas. She said the first episodes in most Korean dramas have a hook of the whole story, which is a major dramatic question. She said since the audience have started watching the first episode, the drama has already introduced a bit of the conflict but not the major conflict. Then, the audience wants to know what will happen next.
Tadia said, “Korean dramas are able to bring out certain social issues that people are interested in. The audiences want to know more about it. Then, they learn a bit of those social issues and that broadens their mindset, and they are able to start researching on their own about it.”
She added Korean dramas have various topics, such as romance, suspense, and medical, or even law topics. That makes Korean dramas enjoyable and makes her want to keep watching them, she continued.
Korean dramas often relate to what the audiences feel in their daily life by portraying their scenes in the film, Sanchez explained.
When it comes to story repertoires, Tadia explained Korean dramas are able to incorporate newer ideas, so it feels fresh every time, even if the story isn't completely new, because a lot of the new dramas are based on comics. She said they always try to change up the time period, character, and setting.