Chapter 1281: The Current State of the Korean Entertainment Industry, avi

"It doesn't matter." Fan Baobao was quite calm about Zhao Fusheng's suggestion, saying placidly, "I doubt anyone will pay attention to me, after all, I'm not famous."

Although she had acted in many films, most were literary films, and the occasional commercial film didn't have her as the lead. The rest of her time was spent performing in stage plays.

She had done quite a few commercials, but the problem was that commercial stars nowadays had exposure but not attention, so Fan Baobao really wasn't a big star.

This was evident from how often she appeared in the newspapers on a daily basis.

"You're thinking too optimistically." Zhao Fusheng looked at her speechlessly: "Do you really think no one pays attention to you on a daily basis? Occasionally, there are reporters covering you, but the company blocks them."

This was the truth. Nowadays, reporters weren't interested in covering third- or fourth-tier stars, but if there was a news story, they were happy to report it.

However, with Future Films around, Ye Jing had people intercept most of the news.

"You decide. I'm preparing for the wedding anyway. At worst, after we get married, I won't go out to act anymore." Fan Baobao unexpectedly spread her hands and said to Zhao Fusheng, "I'm really envious of Zhou Yun now. Their child is so adorable!"

Zhao Fusheng was startled, somewhat surprised, and looked at Fan Baobao in amazement.

In his impression, Fan Baobao had always been someone who loved pursuing a free life. Why had she changed so suddenly?

Seeing Zhao Fusheng's strange expression, Fan Baobao shrugged: "I know you'll find it surprising. But that's really how I feel now. Acting is my hobby, but compared to acting, marrying you, having a child, and taking care of you both is more important. Let me make it clear: after I give birth, if I come across a good script, I will definitely act. Don't stop me then."

Zhao Fusheng burst out laughing. He walked over to her, picked Fan Baobao up, spun her around in place, then set her down and said softly, "Alright, alright, whatever you say. But my bride-to-be, can you first tell me how many babies you plan to have?"

"Ah?"

Fan Baobao was stunned, then blushed, glared at Zhao Fusheng, but said nothing.

At this moment, Zhao Fusheng naturally wouldn't waste words. Fan Beibei was staying at Old Jiang's place tonight. If he didn't seize such a good opportunity, he would be wasting the beautiful night.

"Baobao, I want..." Zhao Fusheng whispered in Fan Baobao's ear.

Then he picked up Fan Baobao, who was too shy to speak, and walked toward the bedroom.

A night of spring bliss...

...

...

The next morning, Zhao Fusheng got up cheerfully and found the breakfast and note Fan Baobao had left for him. She had gone to Old Jiang's place to pick up Fan Beibei and was going shopping with Zhou Yun.

As for Zhao Fusheng himself, well, he was free today.

Having nothing else to do, Zhao Fusheng opened his email and began reading the assessment report on the Korean entertainment industry sent to him by the Strategic Planning Department.

He had to admit, the young people in the Strategic Planning Department were quite proactive. The assessment report was comprehensive, covering films, TV, music, and variety shows in the current Korean entertainment industry. Even as a reincarnator, Zhao Fusheng had to acknowledge that some points were insightful.

"The Korean film industry is currently in a bottleneck. Back when the Gwanghwamun sit-in incident..." The document analyzed a lot and concluded that Korea was about to implement protectionist policies for its domestic films—allowing foreign films in while strongly supporting local film culture.

"That's true." Zhao Fusheng nodded. Honestly, even in his past life, he didn't know much about the Korean film and TV circle. But he remembered that often on the internet, many movie resources leaked first in Korean versions. For example, a Hollywood blockbuster might premiere globally in early April, and by mid-April, a high-definition Korean version would appear. Koreans didn't seem too concerned about protecting other countries' film resources.

But when it came to their own films, their copyright protection was meticulous. Zhao Fusheng couldn't help but sigh that Koreans were indeed accustomed to double standards.

"Invest in Korean films and release them in Korea." Zhao Fusheng thought for a moment, tapping his fingers on the armrest, and made this judgment.

If he were to get involved in film production in Korea, the best approach would be to cooperate with a Korean company, invest together, and then have a chance to make money. Otherwise, investing abroad and releasing in Korea seemed hardly profitable.

With that in mind, he looked at another part of the document, which was about TV drama production.

Korean TV dramas, or K-dramas for short, originated in the 1960s. The production model is to shoot while airing, with romance as the main genre, followed by comedy, fantasy, time travel, action, detective, revenge, suspense, school, workplace, historical, and period dramas.

The production and broadcasting of Korean dramas are heavily influenced by the government. Due to historical reasons and current market conditions, the government strongly intervenes in and supports the broadcasting industry centered on TV dramas, managing, protecting, and fostering the TV industry through legislation, policy guidance, and resource assistance. In terms of market structure, the production and broadcasting of Korean dramas are mainly handled by three major terrestrial broadcasters: KBS, MBC, and SBS. Only a small portion is done by cable channels (tvN) and independent production companies. The three major broadcasters compete with each other but also form tacit agreements through various contracts to maintain their leading positions. Some dramas air one episode per week, others two, each about an hour long, with a fast production pace.

Most Korean dramas adopt a shoot-while-airing model. That is, while the drama is airing, the writer continues writing the script for the director to shoot. For a drama of about 20 episodes, the writer only needs to complete about four episodes of the full script and a synopsis for about ten episodes before shooting begins. After airing, the writer continues the script based on the original design and audience feedback.

In the early days, almost all Korean dramas followed an integrated production-broadcasting model, where the broadcaster handled both production and airing. As the K-drama industry evolved, the drawbacks of this system made it difficult to meet market demands, and the model shifted to a separation of production and broadcasting, where different entities handle production and airing. This allowed independent production companies and entertainment agencies to play a greater role in drama production, and more flexible, market-oriented operations helped revitalize the industry. However, broadcasters, holding the rights to air and schedule dramas, still dominated production.

Most K-dramas start shooting only one to two months before airing. For a 16-20 episode drama, about four to six episodes are completed before the premiere, and afterward, episodes are often shot and aired in the same week. Tight scripts and unreasonable shooting schedules, almost like live broadcasting, sometimes cause problems during airing. This 'morning flowers, evening harvest' production model reflects the typical Korean way of doing things. However, some argue that agility and adaptability are unique competitive advantages of K-dramas, with the director and writer making on-site decisions, and the crew operating like a sports team, with content flexibly modified.

Advertisers decide whether to invest and how much based on audience reactions and ratings during the drama's run. This fully market-driven model forces writers to put their hearts into scripts. If a drama has low ratings, advertisers won't invest, and broadcasters or production companies suffer losses, while the writer and director's income and reputation take a hit. Therefore, predicted ratings are a crucial parameter for broadcasters and production companies.

Moreover, unlike in China, directors and writers hold significant power in Korean drama production.

In Korea, directors are actually called PDs, which is different from our concept. It's a producer-director role. Some directors belong to broadcasters, while others are freelance. The same goes for writers. Although only one writer's name is usually credited, it's often a team effort led by that person. Casting depends on the drama. If the broadcaster plans the drama, they handle casting. If there's external investment, the investors choose the actors, subject to broadcaster approval. Sometimes, actors are selected first, and a drama is tailored for them.

Big-name directors and writers can even designate specific actors for their works. For instance, Zhao Fusheng remembered a top writer from his past life, Kim Eun-sook, who wrote hit dramas like "My Love from the Star" and "Descendants of the Sun." Even when her works were still in the planning stage, many top celebrities would vie for roles.

Seeing this, Zhao Fusheng's eyes lit up. According to this, he would need to adjust his previous strategy.

His previous understanding of the Korean film and TV circle now seemed one-sided, or more accurately, somewhat presumptuous. Making money from Koreans wouldn't be that easy.

"That's fine. If there were no difficulty, it wouldn't be interesting." Zhao Fusheng rubbed his chin and muttered to himself.