Collaborative TV Series: Looking Forward to Breakthroughs

(Baonghean) - Recently, the Vietnamese film and television industry has tended to expand cooperation with many countries around the world, especially Korea, Japan, China... Although there are still limitations and inexperience, cooperative television film projects have brought a new wind to the development of Vietnamese films.

Collaborative projects flourish

In the past decade, many Vietnamese television series in cooperation with foreign companies such as “Mui ngo gai”, “Co dau vang”... have received a lot of positive feedback from the audience, encouraging producers to promote more television projects in cooperation with foreign companies.

Recently, following the success of “The Partner” (5 episodes) broadcast on VTV last year, Vietnam and Japan continued to cooperate to produce the film “New Life in Vietnam” (Film Joint Stock Company 1, Dong Do Show Company - Vietnam and Argo Pictures Company - Japan).

Adapted from the literary work “The Last Life in Vietnam” by Japanese writer Komatsu Miyuki, the film tells the story of the bond between a Japanese teacher and her mother and Vietnamese people in their new life in Vietnam. The film features famous Japanese actress Keiko Matsuzaka and Vietnamese actors such as: Meritorious Artist Tran Nhuong, Meritorious Artist Tran Hanh, Meritorious Artist Diem Loc...

A scene from the film Youth - a collaboration project between Vietnamese and Korean filmmakers. Photo: Internet

The most recent film that has caused a storm on Vietnamese screens is “Tuoi Thanh Xuan” with the participation of many famous names such as hot girl Nha Phuong, Hong Dang, Kim Tae Oh, Eun Huyk (Super Junior)… Right from the first day of airing, “Tuoi Thanh Xuan” has caused many controversial opinions about the dubbing process, but the film is still loved by many young people and has a fairly high number of online views.

In addition to the outstanding cast, the romantic scenery in famous locations of Vietnam and Korea that sparkles on the film's footage is also a plus for "Tuoi Thanh Xuan".

Along with “The Partner” and “Youth”, “Song of the Sun” can be considered the most successful co-production of Vietnamese television in recent years. The 24-episode series features a talented cast, a thrilling and engaging plot, and beautiful scenes filmed in the land of the rising sun. The series has left a lasting impression on audiences.

Preserving Vietnamese identity and hoping for a breakthrough

In the era of globalization, film co-production is an inevitable trend. The development of the world film industry shows that film co-production between countries or territories has brought many economic and cultural benefits to each participating party; at the same time, it enhances the diversity and professionalism in film composition, production and distribution. In addition, film co-production is also an opportunity for each country to introduce its country, people, history and culture to the world.

Although there are many projects that have created a buzz, bringing a fresh breeze to Vietnamese television dramas, it must be admitted that the Vietnamese "mark" in these collaborative films is not strong, and as many experts say, the level of cooperation that Vietnamese audiences feel in these films is almost limited to the presence of Vietnamese actors alongside foreign actors.

Watching the TV series “Tuoi thanh xuan” currently airing on VTV3, the audience can easily recognize that the setting, lighting, and camera angles are almost “made in Korea”, although the cooperation position of the two sides is quite equal in terms of director, actors, screenwriters, art design...

Being willing to give away copyrights to broadcast their works on Vietnam's national television channel seems like an advantage, but in fact we can become a free promotional channel for them. Watching "Tuoi Thanh Xuan" part 1 and the first episodes of part 2, the audience can easily see a Korean cultural imprint in it. In part 1, the extremely romantic scenes in Korea such as Nami Island, Namsan Tower, Sky Park, amusement parks, shopping malls in the movie... have become an effective promotional channel for tourism in this country. On the contrary, the cultural and tourism imprint of Vietnam is quite faint.

Vietnamese television dramas are still in the development and integration stage, cooperation with foreign film producers is a good opportunity for those working in the industry in the country. Although cooperation does not always go smoothly and effectively as expected, most people in the industry have high hopes for this path to develop Vietnamese films.

Through cooperation activities, Vietnamese cinema has gradually accessed advanced technology, increased production investment, improved work quality and competitiveness, and expanded markets to other countries.

Although the booming of co-production films has not yet created the desired breakthroughs, it is still a good sign for Vietnamese films. Hopefully, with the opportunity to cooperate and gain valuable lessons from advanced film industries, Vietnamese filmmakers will gradually move towards the desired goal, expecting a sustainable and strong development of Vietnamese television dramas.

Water Moon