The Analysis of Film production as a popular cultural production in Korea - Essay Example

 The Analysis of Film production as a popular cultural production in Korea Introduction Korean popular cultural production has been a global phenomenon which is celebrated by many people in the world. The cultural production in Korea includes film production, music video production, TV drama, TV program and animation production. This paper will analyze film production as a popular cultural production in Korea. Film industry in Korea has become more popular in the world since the success of the film ‘Shiri” in 1999. However, until 1993, the Korean film industry had a small market share in the world’s film industry. This is because of the production of low quality films which could not compete with other films like the Hollywood which rather had a good quality. The poor quality of the films in Korea was due to limited budget of production and lack of well-developed system and structures compared to the Hollywood films which had taken over Koreans’ market. Between 1993 and 1998, the Korean market share in the film industry had steadily decreased by 15% threatening its existence in the industry. The film Shiri which was a hit in 1999 was about a North Korean spy who was preparing a coup in Seoul and it sold more than two million tickets. It also recorded more than 5 million viewers catapulting to the top of the South Korean box office and took the place previously held by the film ‘Titanic’. This film made the Samsung Entertainment group to create a production system and also initiated large-scale fundraising of money to improve the film industry. Koreans market share in the film industry also increased by 39.6 percent. This was a great achievement in the Korean popular cultural production as it brought fame to the country. The increase in the market share also inspired many Korean film-makers convincing them that good financial support system and a selected quality can make Korean film productions successful. The film Shiri also opened doors for other films in Korea such as the Matrix to gain fame in the world. Additionally, the five-day working week law applied in this country promoted its film production in a big way since most people visited theatres during their long weekends. As a result, the Korean film market expanded by 18% annually and by 2002, the film industry had over 100 million audiences. As of 2004, many Korean films had become more popular in the world than the Hollywood films. In addition, major distributors of the Hollywood movies such as Warner Brothers and DreamWorks saw great potential in Korean films and began to acquire the copyright of remakes of the several movies that had been big hits the Korean market. Other distribution companies such as Fox and Walt Disney also started to take Korean movies to the global distribution list (Kim and Choi 6). Analysis of Korean Film Production Korean film production has many aspects that make up a movie. The aspects are divided into several parts which include the characters in the film, the plot of the film, the scenes used to produce the film, the words chosen to be used in the film and the sounds used to make the movies more interesting. Female characters in the Korean film production are not chosen only on the merit of beauty but with their ability to act well and follow the plot of the story well. In a film, there can be more than 100 characters. This is important because it ensures that the message they want to reach the audience is effectively passed across. Before a film is made, the plot is created a critically evaluated to ensure that once it is produced, it will catch the attention of its audience. The Korean film industry in the recent years has been able to produce movies that have attracted a large number of audiences. However, the Hollywood film produces better movies than the Korean movies. This is so because of the high quality and wide knowledge they have. Scenes are chosen carefully to fit the plot of the story. The sound rhythm selected goes along with the film produced and the quality is also important. The Korean film industry has been facing many challenges in producing films. The major challenge has been lack of funds to purchase production systems that can improve the quality of movies they produce. This has led to serious problems of ineffectiveness because of the high marketing costs for them to survive in the midst of great competition. Competition is growing fiercer as the Hollywood film industry still tops in the quality of movies it produces. If the film industry does not improve the quality of movies it produces in this era, it faces the challenge of being wiped out from the movie industry since competition is high and other film industries are becoming more popular. However, despite the challenges that the film production industry is undergoing, it is one of the most valued cultural production in Korea. It has made Korea to be known in the world and through it; the social status of the country has greatly improved. This industry has also attracted tourism thus improving the economy of the company in a big way. The industry has also promoted the entertainment industry in the country and gives its citizen a reason to boost. The improvement of the entertainment industry means more recreation and creativity in the country. Korean film industry has not kept pace with its competitors in Europe and the United States. Its technology and innovation is still poor that is why it produces films of poor quality. The outdated technology also cause great embarrassment for the Korean films that are entered in foreign film festival and are watched all over the world. However, the Korean culture is not depicted in the Korean films. Most of the films produced show more of the western culture than the country’s culture. Many Korean people follow their ethics which emphasize on harmony and proper order in the society. They also view self-centeredness as the primary root of all evil. However, most of the Korean films show a lot of evil in the society. The films also legitimize extramarital affairs and ignore the social status of the characters concerned. This has been a barrier in the growth of the industry because it does not allow for new innovations to be made. The local acceptance of the Korean films is worrying since most citizens of Korea prefer watching Hollywood movies and shun their own local production. This is because of the difference in quality and the level of creativities used. Hollywood movies are of high quality and are very creative. Contrary to this, the local Korean movies are of low quality and lacks broader creativity. The Hollywood films also rate higher in Korea compared to Korean films because of the fame it has already gained all over the world and its brand image has stuck in the minds of its audience because a majority of the films are always a hit once they are released to the market. In addition, the distribution companies go for films that top in the industry and cannot go for low quality films. This factor has also deterred the Korean film industry from sailing through to be among the top film productions. The distribution companies go for movies that are watched by many people in the world and movies that will excite the minds of its viewers. Since every company is after making profits, the distribution companies’ market films that they know will make the best sells in the world. Failure of the Korean film industry from getting into the international level can also be attributed to lack of professionalism in the production of films. The industry lacks professionalism as compared to the Hollywood film industry. This is because most of the professionals available go for greener pasture in the Hollywood films which offers a much greater pay than the Korean industry. Most of the actors and actresses quit acting because of the poor pay cut they get. For the Korean film production industry to gain market share in the film industry in the world, the government of Korea should come in and support it. It can do this by providing funds that will enable the industry to improve its production technology which will in result improve the quality of film production. Pak Won-so’s “ Three days in that Autumn” brings out the notion ‘unity of woman and mother’ as it reflects the plight of women in Korea which a patriarchal society which derives in a Confucian society. In her work, she explains the inner struggles of Korean women and the issues they deal with each and every day. “Three days in that autumn” concerns women whose desires are only brought out to the reality of life through hysteria. The story is about a woman who goes against her culture and her role as a woman by never marrying. Her decision not to get married is due to her rape by an American soldier during the cold Korean War. She aborted the baby in her womb and chose to be a gynecologist specializing in abortions. She chooses this profession to be able to help women who are going through the painful situation she went through of not wanting to carry the child. She never reveal to anyone of her rape and abortion which subsequently disturbs her. However, despite her coldness towards unwanted pregnancy, she still desires to take the role of a mother which she denies over and over. Her desire if fulfilled when she delivers a living baby in the process of abortion. This occurs when a young girl had brought her baby who was fully mature for birth to be aborted. Delivering the baby was due to her unconscious desire to be a mother one day. She finally resigns from her career because of the unconscious guilt she has deep within her. This is the guilt of not living up to the expectations of a woman’s place in the world. She takes the roles expected of women in the society by feeling that by delivering a baby and bringing it up, she will be able to pay back to society for the many babies she murdered. In Pong Chun-ho’s film ‘mother’, the notion unity of woman and mother is evident since the film is about a widowed woman who out of motherly love does not accept the fact that her son is a murderer. The woman lives alone with a son and does unlicensed acupuncture to the towns women who are on her side. She even goes to the extent of killing the town’s junkyard keeper who witnessed his son murder the young high school girl. She does everything possible to make sure that her son is not put behind bars. In his book “The Korean Gay and Lesbian Movement, 1993-2008: From ‘Identity’ and ‘Community’ to ‘Human Rights,’”, John Cho explain that gays and lesbians should not be criticized in the society but should be accepted as a human right in the community. He explains that it can happen to anybody in the society without ones knowledge. This is evident in the Korean film “no regrets”. This film is features Su-min who grows up as an orphan. He works in several places and finally gets a job in bar which hosts gays. At first, he despises the idea of being gay and does not involve himself with the host. He doesn’t have any interests in having relationships with men until he meets his old friend Jae-min who has fallen for him. Although he doesn’t admit it, he also starts falling in love with Jae-min and cannot bear being separated from him. After Jae-min’s mothers discovers about their love affair, his mother forces him to marry a woman she did not love. Showing his deep love for Jae-min, Su-min kidnaps him so that he cannot get married to the woman. In this film, Su-min was innocent and did not force himself to be gay but he just found himself gay. There are two main ideas that are clearly seen in Cho Hae-joang’s “Living with Conflicting Subjectivities: Mother, Motherly Wife and Sexy Woman in the Transition from Colonial-Modern to Postmodern Korea”. One of them is that women in the society live in fear because they are looked down upon. They are also used as sex tools by a majority of men. In the film “ a female boss”, a woman, Yoanna, who own company is insulted in a phone booth by a man Yong-ho who later seeks for a job her company. She hires him with the intention of revenge but ends up getting married to him. She even goes ahead to be a housekeeper as the husband takes over the company. This shows how women are not valued in the society at large. Works cited Kim Hyun & Choi, Young. Analysis of the Korean films profit rates and the policy for investment activation. South Korea: KOFIC.2006. Read More