How can Singaporean TV shows be as compelling as Korean drama series?

Question

How can Singaporean TV shows be as compelling as Korean drama series?

Answer 1

The Top 5 Ways for Local TV Shows to develop the K-Factor



1. More complicated love relationship between the main lead characters. (Think a love affair between two biologically unrelated siblings.) The storyline of Singaporean shows normally revolve around triangle love, extra marital affairs, and the like. However, looking at the typical plot of Korean romance drama, the essence lies in its ability to conjure such complicated love relationships obstructed by their own social identities to create the anxiety and attention among the viewers.

Simple i-will-know-what-is-going-to -happen-without-watching plots are no longer enough to satisfy the ever changing taste and preferences of the dynamic viewers.



2. Make full use of the beautiful tourist attractions in Singapore, or better still develop more places as die-die-must-go tourist attractions with the power of the show. Sentosa, Mount Faber, or Esplanade can be potential filming spots for crucial scenes, or highlights of the show.



3. Match the aesthetically pleasing environment with equally pleasurable eye-candies. Although Singaporeans love to complain about the lack of on-screen hunks and babes as compared to those from Korea. Think carefully. Li Nan Xing, Edmund Chen may be a bore already but do you recall the last time you were drooling over cutie-pie Derrick from Project Superstar? Or the suave and charming Li Wei Lian who has filmed in Taiwanese drama Tian Guo De Jia Yi? They are our very own Singaporeans and we should be proud of them!



4. Complement the heart-wrenching storyline with melodies and songs that will tug at the viewers' heart. Music plays an important part in affecting the emotion of viewers, as such able to 'manipulate' their tears particularly in the tear-jerking scenes.



5. Discover a only-in-Singapore show. Judging at the popularity of Da Chang Jing in Singapore, it is undeniable that part of the reason why SIngaporeans are drawn to the show is the marvellous showcase of various royal delicacies. Singapore being a well-known food paradise, can similarly come out with drama shows displaying an array of our very popular dishes with a rich heritage such as the Chicken Rice, Hokkien Mee, Satay, etc. The producer may be interested to have Zoe Tay or Fann Wong acting as the local version of 'Chang Jing'.

Answer 2

Haven't really watched a complete local drama. But I was compelled to watch Winter Sonata when I stumbled upon it late at night.



The attraction first was the actresses. They were very attractive and pretty. I just watched the entire episode for the actresses. Nothing to do with what the story was about. The way they spoke also had an appeal - soft and luring (compare this with local actresses, their accent in both english and chinese are quite rough, unpolished). What they wore also played a part in their overall appeal - fashionable without being over the top. Don't get me wrong, local actresses are pretty but the overall presentation and demeanour of the Korean actresses are fair more appealing.



Second, the Korean shows seems to take more time in developing the character more than the plot itself. In an episode of Winter Sonata, next-to-nothing may have happened but you know much more about the main characters and you end up feeling for them. Locally, you don't know much of the characters at all, only know whether they good or bad.



The plot or storyline is still important though. I find the local shows a bit far-fetched with overacting or lack of it, that it becomes unbelievable.



Why not try and get Korean writers, directors and producers to make a local drama series? They will have a different perspective and idea so even with a same storyline the drama may take on a different theme altogether.

Answer 3

2 words, good actors or rather believable actors.



No need for fantastic scripts, great directors or exotic settings, just good actors that can believe or rather live out their characters and portray them in the most realistic and believable manner.



Our actors need alot of work, not that they are not working hard but they need to do more if they are to be believable. They act like they are acting when the whole point of acting is to make the audience believe that you are not acting and that it is for real. When you are a hero, be one! When you are a suffering girlfriend, suffer! The older generation ala Huang Wenyong and gang got it right to some extent. It may be due to the fact that they are trained. The newer generations simply can't portray their roles convincingly. Instead many's the time when they act like they are acting and it spoils the show because all realism goes out the window. It is the actor's part to be convincing in their acting roles but sadly nowadays it seems to be their part to be convincing in their idol roles.



Compelling shows are shows that the audience can believe in, want to believe in and maybe hope that they can be like the actors in their characters and show the same qualities should they be in the character's shoes. There are shows that have mediocre plots, direction and settings but they are relished by audiences because the actors in them are so believable that they carry the whole show through.



On another note, though acting is important, a good or compelling show is like a good story. How do you want to tell it? For example Jewel in the Palace. It has a central plot that is sufficently grand to give an epic feel. There are a few subplots woven in to give ample character development and some twists and turns and difficult situations with witty resolutions to keep the audience guessing. There is also suitable settings and filming locales to generate realism and above all, superb acting by the actors. They lived their roles. If one had seen the korean variety show/expose, the actors were so into their roles that they actually shed tears when they were rehersing lines in a room prior to the actual filming! On the other hand, it could have all gone sour had the actors been lacklustre or unbelieving in their delivery. So other elements notwithstanding, good actors are the best way that Singaporean dramas can be as good and compelling as any there is out there.



Cheers!

Answer 4

First let's not be so hard on Singapore TV shows, there were some great hits over the years:



Holland V, Unbeatables, Happiness & Prosperity(Fu Man Ren Jian), Ji Gong, Adaptations of other various JinYong novels, etc.





Singapore TV has enver been centred on romance but rather, more on comedy and family.

So for family programmes or comedies, singapore local sitcoms and such are just as good to watch as korean drams.



Korean dramas trump Singapore shows because:



1. Better Script:

- Less predictable, more twists

- Fully centered on romance without attempting to add comedy or anything else.

- More heartbreaking, korean dramas aren't afraid to let their viewers cry. Singapore shows are far too "happily ever after" from the start.

- More original ideas.



2. Language

- There's something about the korean language that's romantic

- Singlish just kills romance.......



3. Eye candy

- Every girl i know loves to gush over the various korean actors and actresses and compare them and such. Singapore actors are either too "good boy/nice guy" looking or just don't have the enigma that is the korean actors



4. The fact that most of them are only available via cable or DVD/VCD also helps because it piques interest and makes people want to buy and watch.





Bottomline:

Singapore TV can be compelling....just stick to comedy and family values, work on the script, get in a mix of old favourites and new actors/actresses,

Answer 5

plots from Singaporean shows are generally pretty stale if not a copy from either a Hong Kong / Jap or Korean show. Take the Hong Kong dramas as an example. Why are they still able to appeal to so many after all these years? Simply because the plots they come with are so refreshing! We used to see dramas on the lifes of policemen which was pretty exciting. But even too much of that would become stale (though it does still hold a certain kind of appeal!) so what happens next? They come up with a drama on the lifes of lawyers and then doctors and it was an instant sucess! And it did not stop at that either. They came up with dramas on the lifes of firemen, nurses and even rescue teams. Actually it is a very simple theme but it appeals as all of which somehow have some linakge to our daily lifes as these are people whom we do see at one time or other and we can relate to. And it also gives some insight to what the profession is all about. And this is but just one example of the many good plots that the Hong Kongers have came up with. In a nutshell, to make our shows as compelling, TCS just has to come up better and unique plots

Answer 6

akes them compelling is their natural acting skills, their much interesting stories that sometime last for months. As for Singapore TV shows, even before people start enjoying the story, the stories coming to an end. The stories are too short and it always encompasses around love, career and disputes in families. Also, Singaporean TV shows are usually filmed in the comfort of a home or shopping centre or other build up areas while Korean drama series have changing backgrounds that gives variety to the shows.

Answer 7

Seriously, it has got to do with the story and the actors. Just look at it this way, why are people rushing home to watch "Da Chang Jin"? I am not saying that Singaporean TV shows are not up to standard, but probably they have to improve upon the script and the cast. For example, people rush home to watch the last episode of the Holland V show, the one with "Mo Wan Wan". I feel that everything is attributed to the cast and the story line - even if the ending wasn't that good. But at least people rush home to catch it.



I seldom watch Singaporean TV shows as I prefer catching channel 55 on the SCV. This is a habit that I have cultivated since young. Somehow, overseas drama series, even HK/TW idols series are more appealing that what I see on Channel 8 or Channel 5. I realised, somehow, Singaporean TV shows, more often than not, reproduce a show similar to the foreign shows. And when the cast is not up to standard, i.e. the look, the feel of the cast doesn't leave a very deep inpression upon me, I will not bother to watch it unless I really have nothing better to do.



Hence, the 2 things that Singaporean TV shows can look into are:



1. Script (try to be original...!)

2. Cast (try to get a good cast as it will help to enhance your story line. Even if the script is not that fantasic but the cast is able to play their role well, audience will still want to watch it!)

Answer 8

Top 5 ways:



(1) Better acting! All Korean actors can at least cry at will, laugh like they are really happy (thus not looking retarded) and can act confused without looking crazy. (As seen in a recent 9 pm Channel 8 Drama.)



(2) More realistic! Nope, you won't ever see policemen/teachers/doctors/nurses/any gov't jobs looking unrealistically exciting and full of intriguing yet "everyday" events in a Korean drama. That's right, they know how to limit themselves! S'pore TV, hmmm, limitless!



(3) Better Plots! In korean dramas, a romantic drama stays romantic. In S'pore, a "romantic" drama becomes a murder plot filled with eerie scenes only for the main actor to save the main actress and they fall in love. Need I say more?



(4) More yummy actors/actresses. It's not that Singaporean actors/actress are not good looking, it's the "costume" that they wear and the "hairdo" that they have. Maybe they should buy over the Korean Company's' wardrobe and borrow a few of their hair and make-up stylist.



(5) Oh ya and ORIGINAL scripts, did I mention that? Not repeats with different casts. We don't need extra choices on which artistes we like for the SAME plot.



I think I will have to wait till Singapore enters the Quarter Finals in the World Cup before Singapore TV shows can be as compelling as Korean Drama series. That's right, I have an extremely lack of faith in either.

Answer 9

Firstly. The biggest problem lies with the storyline. The stories that we see on Singapore television usually the same few. Dramas like Rhapsody In Blue is a rare sight. Although there are indeed some really fine and unforgettable good dramas produced by local television,but most of them are still disappointments. The reason why Korean dramas are so popular and compelling is mainly because of the "sad,bitter" x-Factor that the Korean actors and actresses have inside them which are cut out to act in Korean typical drama series.Plus the director of each drama captured the trivial matters very detailedly. And. The people,the audience like such dramas. So how can they not be popular and compelling. Singapore television can emulate Korea,making such compelling and tragedy dramas. Just have a good script which portrays the detailed character and details of the whole drama and choose the suitable actors and actresses like Jeanette Ow and Liu Zhi Xun,who touched me with her performance in Rhapsody In Blue,all should go quite well. However,creating a style of our own is still better than emulating. :)

Answer 10

The core of any show is basically the plot. And plots from Singaporean shows are generally pretty stale if not a copy from either a Hong Kong / Jap or Korean show. Take the Hong Kong dramas as an example. Why are they still able to appeal to so many after all these years? Simply because the plots they come with are so refreshing! We used to see dramas on the lifes of policemen which was pretty exciting. But even too much of that would become stale (though it does still hold a certain kind of appeal!) so what happens next? They come up with a drama on the lifes of lawyers and then doctors and it was an instant sucess! And it did not stop at that either. They came up with dramas on the lifes of firemen, nurses and even rescue teams. Actually it is a very simple theme but it appeals as all of which somehow have some linakge to our daily lifes as these are people whom we do see at one time or other and we can relate to. And it also gives some insight to what the profession is all about. And this is but just one example of the many good plots that the Hong Kongers have came up with. In a nutshell, to make our shows as compelling, TCS just has to come up better and unique plots. No copies please! Bascially having a good plot is like having the heart to the show! Give it your best shot TCS!

Answer 11

Firstly, we cannot be compared to Korea due to make up of the country, the cultural differences and so on.

Korea, like Japan is almost a homogeneous country, ie..almost the whole population is Korean.

Singapore, on the other hand, is a multi racial, multi cultural society, with Chinese, Malays and Indians making up majority of the population.



So to only way we can be as compelling as the Korean drama series, if if we add up all the cultural elements of our country and come up with some drama series, that have to take into considerations of all the different races, and their hopes and dreams. Then the problem will be the language , we can make the series in English, but it will turn out too artificial, as English is not our native language.Or we could have a series that have all the languages and dialects thrown in, something similar to what Jack Neo has done in his films. But I do not think the authorities will want this sort of publicity for the country. We want to be known as a organised, clean and well behaved society. We cannot be portrayed as unorganised, messy, or out of sorts.

Answer 12

There are two very strategic ways Singapore TV shows can be as good as Korean drama series, and I am going to list them succinctly.



First of all, tear down the entire Caldecott grounds and rebuild the whole Mediacorp infrastructure, and then restructure the corporate culture from top to bottom.



Now, before you start thinking that I'm spouting rubbish, please hear me out first...



Mediacorp is too big and too slow-moving for its own good. This inherent weakness was most obvious during the days when Channel U was an independent entity.



Secondly, something not immediately obvious must be corrected, in order for the effect to ripple through to the creative input that shapes our local television content, and in this respect, the Government will have to be the prime mover.



I am referring to the way S'porean children are brought up. For too long, kids have been told that the only correct way to grow up is to follow the path that others have trodden. There is a wise saying, "Keep doing things the same way and you'll keep getting the same results"



Singapore, you CAN turn the situation around - you CAN start producing better programmes, better shows, better local dramas, and even SURPASS the Koreans. I know you can. Show me, show the whole world that you can do it.

Answer 13

To have better script conceptualisation. We are generally drying up with good story ideas. To get the best and most interesting ideas, more script-writing contests for the public should be organised. I believe there are many talented people with many creative and dramatic concepts.



To get younger and 'at ease with the cameras' type of actors and actresses, which is stating the obvious but still hard to find, especially with average acting skills. Such candidates, from my personal views, are in the likes of Ezann Lee (Ericia's younger sister) and Ben Yeo. Once a certain pool of actors & actresses are suitably selected, they could probably be sent over to Japan, Korea or even USA for training.



Do not allow the script to be too draggy. If there is a need for it to be such, for heaven's sake, scratch off all the hairs on the head to come up with really interesting, probably comical or nerve-wracking ideas. Some Japanese and Korean dramas are very predictable and keeps going round in circles but somehow with the ever-changing ideas to make it funny, heart-warming or exciting, it generally turns up interesting.



If there is enough funding, to have the possibility of more overseas location shots in places like Japan, Korea, Taiwan or even Australia, rather than in China. To have, for example, the snowy or fuji mountains or nature sceneries as backdrops. The travel programs we have on 8 does just that. Sometimes we do not need to watch the same streets that we pass by everyday.



All said and done, hope Singaporean TV shows will improve soon.

Answer 14

I personally do not find Korean drama compelling. I find them very repetitive and predictable. Singaporean shows have a different flavour-it is definitely more humorous than Korean shows and is relaxing for viewers.

Korean shows on the other hand are very "weepy". The actors tend to cry a lot. Of course, this is my personal preference and I think the general public prefers either show they can relate to or a show that portrays a sort of fantasy they often imagine themselves in. E.g. The main actress is normally a girl who is financially poor and suffered a lot but has a strong-will etc etc. Probably Singapore script writers should focus more on such scripts. In addition, not use actresses that are already very popular otherwise viewers will not be able to relate to them either.

Answer 15

Being an Indian, i have much to explore into Korean drama series. However, having watched some of them on "Du Hui" on starhub cable, i guess what makes them compelling is their natural acting skills, their much interesting stories that sometime last for months. As for Singapore TV shows, even before people start enjoying the story, the stories coming to an end. The stories are too short and it always encompasses around love, career and disputes in families. Also, Singaporean TV shows are usually filmed in the comfort of a home or shopping centre or other build up areas while Korean drama series have changing backgrounds that gives variety to the shows.

Answer 16

The history of Singapore Film/Media Industry is still young compare to our Asian counterparts.



Good local dramas are hard to come-by but there is still a few over the years. But other than Malaysia and China markets, I'm not so certain about how well our local drama series are received overseas. Maybe there's less efforts to promote them in the past years.



And countries like Korea, Japan has been very protective and supportive towards it's own industry. And lots of efforts has been put into push and market their celebrities, dramas and movies to the overseas markets. From the influx of drama series from Hong Kong, Japan to the recent craze in Korea dramas does not happen overnight.



Now that viewers here a greater variety of dramas to choose from, comparison with local drama is definitely inevitable.



Well written or good scripts, directors, producers, professionally trained actors/actresses... everything actually from the back-end to the front of production needs to evolved for the better. It can only take time but how much could we give the industry and how much local support from the local audience can we generate? Perhaps we should re-look at our marketing efforts locally and internationally. I hope I could see the day when our local actors/actresses, the Singapore produced dramas become popular and widely known to those not just in Eastern shores but the West (USA, Europe) as well.

Answer 17

Korean Dramas are very sappy, soap-opera-ish. Somebody will die, someone will betray another. The story always carries a twist.



I also notice that the characters in Korean dramas are not always good and perfect. As a result, they carry some realism in them. Take Da Chang Jin for example. The main character is known for her determination but the show also captured some human side of her when she thought about revenge and hatre. That's life that the Koreans are trying to show!



Singapore TV shows have very direct plots, very expected endings. Most of the time, the stories can never be seen in real life, people cannot exactly relate to them. Viewers seldom cry over the characters because they can't visualize the situation replaying in their very own lives. So for Singapore TV shows to be more compelling, the show makers would have to slow down, observe and capture life's most emotional moments.

Answer 18

Korean Best Tv Series

Answer 19

U can start by throwing out all government sheeps herding campaigns as the theme for most of drama series, next put some new faces in the cast worthy of stardom, tried to emulate the success of a popular comic series as we all know most singaporeans are not that imaginative in conjuring up a good story or plot that can entice audience, well not really, merlion was good figment of imagination by the tourism board.I almost forgot, there is nothing compelling about korean dramas, the only thing that makes it compelling about them is the urge to see them end as they are too draggy in the conversations,

Answer 20

No, not with the way it is work in Singapore. Unfortunately, I had an opportunity to work in one of a joint production betweem Korean MBC and IDA of Singapore, which was cancel half-way thru. I can totally understand, cause the the director was basically working around the host, who cannot pronounce easy chinese characters and we ended up having to use the same words, phrase etc over and over again. Yet they wanted new phrase, it isn't the scriptwriters inability to deliever, but the incapability of the host to deliver something that is right, but no, all they want is someone pretty to stand in front of the TV, using politically incorrect chinese phrase and verbs to host.



Style and fashion is one manner, however to neglect the use of correct language is wrong. Alot of people think is the media affecting the society, to me, after working in this project, I find that is the other way round, in order for the programme to be appealing to the public, the language have to be assoicated with what the general public using, to really solve this, TCS really have to do the hard way, and start using correct phrase to educate and not give in for appealing ot the public, Channel U shows that even if using good chinese, the shows still receive good ratings and review, I don't understand why the marriage cause a reverse in the standard.



GO CHANNEL U, TCS 8 is going downhill as time goes by.

Answer 21

Singapore tv like to copy the drama series from other countries and convert back by using it own actor and by adding some changes into the show, that why our show are not getting a good rate. we are also lack of scenery in our small island. Having a good drama, we must be creative and have a good area to make a good drama. Also have a long and exciting stories so that we Singaporeans will be there to eagerly waiting for the next day to follow up with the stories.

Answer 22

Hmm, maybe Singapore as whole should change first. Since Singapore today it's all about career and money. The meaning to happiness in Singapore is wealth and stability.



It's not the saying that Singaporean is to be blame, but in our education system and the way the government pushes us all to achieve nothing but the best.



Once we change our attitude, I believe the actor or actress will be life like, and acting is not just acting but expressing and reflecting his or her own life and emotions. This is how you inject realism in drama. If we can touch the audience just the Korean drama is, I believe Koreans will start watching our drama instead!



Forget about the script, when a good actor or actress inject realism in a drama, no matter how bad a script is, it will work because TV is all about emotions not just a animated or moving pictures or even technology. It's all in the emotions! That is why some of us still watch those old B&W movies!



Or we can just skip everything and forget Singapore as a whole and send our actor or actress to country such as Korea to breathe the different air that they have to offer.



Oh one more thing, our concrete jungle just doesn’t cut it in a romantic drama! Maybe it does work in case in Japan urban setting but not in Singapore urban setting though!

Answer 23

Personally, I'm not a big fan of drama serials, but I've watched enough to know for a fact that Mediacorp has done all that is necessary to pull in the eyeballs (i.e. exotic sites, collaboration with foreign actors/ scriptwriters/ directors etc), so let's give them credit when it's due, eh?



There is this saying in the industry "世界一大抄“, meaning that any idea can be copied (and played to death) by just about everyone else. There is nothing unique about Korean dramas - they must have been 'inspired' by something else that they've seen/ heard/ read about. I think Singaporeans are tired of watching the same old faces and storyline over and over again. Hence, they see Korean drama serials (or Hong Kong or Japanese for that matter) as a refreshing alternative.



The simple answer? Surprise us. Human beings thirst for something new. Viewers are no longer the simpletons that we are thought out to be. Give us a storyline ala "Momento" (i.e. story played backwards in sequence); bring us to the backwaters of Afghanistan and sing to us a simple, touching ditty; Give us a supply of new faces which we'll get bored with eventually.



An idea may or may not work, but no one can fault you for trying something new. The worst part is when you don't even try at all.

Answer 24

actually singapore dramas are not worse off than korean ones. storyline, koreans are always the same, sobbing etc. singapore comprises of love, action,. drama etc. Just that many young ppl in sg are very into Jap and Korean which explains the hits.

local dramas could have a bit more advertising, well, this works sometimes.

Get some cooperation probably between singapore and Hongkong to make it more enticing. Also singapore Dramas tend to be short for eg 20 serials. Maybe due to storyline or budget and this is something to be improved. I believe local talents have many ideas or plot so why not work together to do a good story?

Lastly, other than youngster, TCS could also look into what kind of storyline adults are looking forward to in TCS dramas.

TCS did well so far but there lots of room for improvement. SO... KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Answer 25

The need for a good script, a good director and a good budget are all very basic guidelines to be met.

Most importantly, the actors and actresses. Those Korean drama series are not having extraordinarily good scripts, in fact, some are silly. The main attraction is the casts, the X factor in their actors and actresses.

Our local shows are improving, if you see those produced eight to ten years ago. However, there is not a single actor or actress that has the X factor, the charm and charisma, like those Koreans, that can captivate the audience.

Zoe Tay, Fann Wong, or Fiona Xie...Lee Nan Xing, Qiwu or Tay peng Hui? Nah, not a single one.

Maybe, we attribute that to the numerous plastic surgeries that the Koreans undergo? They look simply flawless...

Answer 26

Whoa! THREE main changes that needs to transform Singaporean TV shows.... So here goes



ONE: Great Music! Yes, historically we do not have the same cultural heritage as Korea especially in terms of music, but I'm sure we can start to create our very own Singapore Genre. Or create a Asia-wide song writing competition. Then start selling the music CDs and make the MP3 of theme songs downloadable for free. This would create a hype... in fact, you could even release the theme songs before the series begins!



TWO: Great Scenary! Sure, we don't have four seasons and the few "mountains" we have happens to be a pretty short Mount Faber, maybe we can start using greater multimedia effects and create our very own story in any scenary background... after all, if Naomi Watts can act and jump around in front of a blue screen for King Kong, how much more our drama series! Alternatively, let's fly to more locations for our drama series... And have a mini contest to send 15 viewers along to see them filming overseas!



THREE: Great Stories! We're pretty strong in this area I think, but definitely we could learn a lot more from Korean dramas and how they can keep a story alive with the art of tentalising chapter endings. How about collaborations with scriptwriters overseas to boost our industry? Maybe hold a worldwide drama script writing contest.... and then we air the series!



Bottom line - Get the viewers or would-be viewers involved... All the Best! :)

Answer 27

Korea is a beautiful country. They have beautiful sunsets where "couples" go to have their romantic times, mountains for the villans to kill and dump their victims, wide roads for car racings, some free-wheelings and driftings, wide range of actors and actresses so you won't keep seeing the same faces consecutively for a day and a great scriptwriter.

Singaporeans lack of creativity, the stories are mostly the same. Good guy always turns out to be the bad guys, romace...what romance stories are there? The show at 7 pm features the same actors and/or actresses at 9pm. The fighting on the roads are like...accidents that occur everyday rather than car fights.

It is rare that I'll be watching Singapore drama because they lack creativity, substance and information. Look at Da Chang Jing, they indirectly teach about medication. What do Singapore drama teach? Seduction, breaking up families and Singlish. Nothing original.

Those variety shows are nothing but a copy of what other countries are doing. Please, be original!

Answer 28

Put Singaporean actor/actresses in some Korean acting classes, reproduce the same Korean drama but using Singaporean actor/actresses, totally using Korean filming, production, operation crew, scripts and everything else Korean, apart from the Singaporean actor/actresses.

It should be culturally explosive with the budget, media and drama rama issue, especially gossip, that it will spread on like fire.

It should be tearjerker enough, to make it compelling as any good Korean drama series.

And if that, doesn't make Singaporean TV good, the underlying problem would be just the acting/looks

Answer 29

Be as compelling? My take is that it'll be difficult... It's a case of novelty, a case of "following the pop-culture". Well, about 10yrs back, didn't Singapore and most of the SEA nations get sweeped off out feet by the J-pop culture... Then years later (now), it's a different culture that is hitting us. Basically, I think people all like the idea of novelty. It's like when a new resturant comes to town, people will talk about it, people will plan to try it out at least once... Then, as time passes, they don't feel so enthusiastic anymore (because, after a while, the "novelty" would have turned into stale news of yesterday)! Same goes for TV. However, in the case of TV, it's definitely more easily available, it's far more out-reaching, and it's more entertaining (not to talk abt $$: it's definitely not gonna burn a hole a your pocket). Hence, the "novelty-ness" of such foreign influences stay a little longer than the "novelty-ness" of new makan places!

Therefore, in a way, Sg-TV can't really be more compelling just because we are local, our TV shows can't be a form of foreign-influenced "novelty" to us. Besides, it's like hawker centres, did you ever wonder if the hawker centres can be as popular as the newly opened 'Northern Chinese cuisine' resturant around the corner?

Answer 30

mmm...I have 2 version of answers I have for this questions: Crap-pyristic and Realistic



lets start with some laughter first before we get some serious stuff abt the topic...



Crap-pyristic

The fact that Korean drama are more successful than local ones, infact in my opinion there are indeed 5 factors behind it:

1)Korean actresses are not showing their true look (bcoz they have gone under-knife and plastics all over their face)

2)Korean actors are more “man” as widely accepted in their country culture therefore create a false impression for local gals to crazy over them

3)It is in a language most of us do not understands (even Jap are common here) therefore we probably we wont able to spot out any “grammar mistakes” or even pin point wrong expression matching their words – so we just accept whatever are translated lor, what to do?

4)It can show and talk abt almost anything abt their society, culture, organization, media, press, blah blah blah blah without having the fear being “complaints” and scrutinize by local complaint kings & queens

5)Again brand-consciousness mentality - Oversea product better mah, Made In Korea



Okie, it may be lame but lets move on…



Realistic

1)Insufficient / Poor Commercial Marketing Strategy – The fact you can find a lot of the Korean drama in the vcd/dvd shops and posters pasted everywhere, but so where are the local ones? Furthremore there isn’t enough advertisement or compaign make to promote local dramas other than just putting through the TV set. It should go beyond & outsite the (tv) box and play more active role to inject into your society – See how successful out Local Movie can be after so many things done to market them

2)Bring our local drama abroad to oversea market such as HK, China, Taiwan, etc. When you have that kind of influence in those market, it will be look upon by the locals that we can do it as well. It is really not abt capability, it is abt market perceived value

3)Same goes to our actors and acteresses, they should be sent to overseas to learn the tips and tricks and make one or two movies in the overseas market where they are more established and know exactly how to capture the viewer’s heart. Sometimes it takes the little experience that makes a different in movie because it is abt giving experience to the viewer in the movie industry – not using view to gain experience

4)The fact our country is small and not much places for filming, viewer tends to get bored about the scenary and scenes they see almost every now and then. Therefore they should create a movie city where have lots of rooms for new experience or do more shooting overseas. Viewer wants to see something fresh and not same old Orchard Street.

5)Lastly, I suppose govemenet should play some part as well by making Singapore a movie city just like HK and Taiwan. The movie industry in Singapore has been quite stagnant and it has not been progressing as fast as the rest of the industry. They should more incentives, campaigns to raise the awareness level (just like Speak Mandarin, Keep Clean campaign) for the public and therefore for sure will encourage more acceptance level for this industry.



Well, that’s all I have….hope you enjoy reading it ;)

Answer 31

Simple i-will-know-what-is-going-to -happen-without-watching plots are no longer enough to satisfy the ever changing taste and preferences of the dynamic viewers.



2. Make full use of the beautiful tourist attractions in Singapore, or better still develop more places as die-die-must-go tourist attractions with the power of the show. Sentosa, Mount Faber, or Esplanade can be potential filming spots for crucial scenes, or highlights of the show.



3. Match the aesthetically pleasing environment with equally pleasurable eye-candies. Although Singaporeans love to complain about the lack of on-screen hunks and babes as compared to those from Korea. Think carefully. Li Nan Xing, Edmund Chen may be a bore already but do you recall the last time you were drooling over cutie-pie Derrick from Project Superstar? Or the suave and charming Li Wei Lian who has filmed in Taiwanese drama Tian Guo De Jia Yi?

Answer 32

I am not a fan of Korean dramas and neither do I care much for local English dramas although "Growing Up" did make me sit and wait each week for the next episode.I was compelled because it sort of was a more realistic portrayal of life as it is as a Singaporean.Another example would be the film " I Not Stupid" or "Money not Enough". Touching films which reflected true incidences and values of Singaporeans.If our scriptwriters could come up with something as realistic as well as rational,I'm sure alot more people would be glued to their T.V sets.



As for our actors,we dont need to have familiar faces all the time. I am sure viewers would stay on as long as the script is good and the acting is more natural and not stiff.We don't need ABC's(American born Chinese)accents to improve viewership.I feel we need actors to be more natural or natural actors.True we do not have a population of millions like Korea but I daresay we have people who can speak and act well,outside of TCS's stable...out there,who havent been discovered yet.



Perhaps forming or creating an Academy for Acting might be a solution..I am proud of one Singaporean though and he's none other than Lim Kay Tong.I don't need to give you his credentials as I'm sure a true Singaporean would know what they are.

I hope that's worth more than 2 cents? 8-)

Answer 33

First I'd like to split the question into further parts:



(1) Can Singaporean TV be as compelling as Korean Drama?

Yes they can.



(2) Should Singaporean TV be as like Korean Drama?

No, they shouldn't.



The unfortunate fact is people view TV shows with certain background expectations - a Singaporean watching a foreign-made program will have different assumptions compared to when he/she is watching a singapore-made show.



The compelling shows of Singapore usually play with emotions -both laughter and tear-jerkers are proven formulas but these have to be set in a local context to bank on the right coinage.



Handsome and beautiful actors and actresses are useful if you intend to market overseas - but they don't neccessarily sell well in Singapore (especially if the people are simply given too much exposure to the same faces).



So back to the key question - how do we make Singaporean TV as compelling?



The basic ingredients need to be there:

(a) A good story - you can't go too far wrong with a good storyline - eye candies are nice, but if there is no story line you don't hook the viewer to chase the next episode.

(b) ofcourse having a good story would be spoilt if you don't have the right actors to deliver the performance. Or worse having the wrong actors to spoil the story. So good actors are neccessary.

(c) Setting - or what people call the background - strange as it may sound, choosing the wrong setting or background can annoy viewers as some of them simply sense a form of disconnect which they can't exactly pinpoint but in their guts they feel it as wrong.

(d) Pace - for TV shows it is essential that there is a controlled pace to set anticipation, to lure the viewers forward wanting to find out more, wanting to know what's going to happen next.

(e) Memorable Trivia - there should be snippets or little nuggets of interestng trivia about characters, about the settings, about events that are littered within the shows to be discovered by the avid viewers - this is so to make it easier for viewers to find some form of anchor to remember the show by.

Answer 34

Firstly, this was the way it was explained that Singapore dramas needs very special skills not available locally. Our actress and actors are standing on a thin line between pretty and YUCKY. Yucky because they tried to look cute all the time ( just look at Fiona, but I am her fan actually). If you look closely every storylines that got churned by the drama people in caldecott hill were almost the same. Husband infedilities,sickly children, family owned company getting the hits due to their children's jealousies among each others, and don't get me started with our special effects! I guess Korean dramas sells 1. Scenery ( awesome) 2. Food ( Gosh!) 3. Innocence 4.Heart-Rending and on top of all the actors are far more talented and of course cuter. ( But I adore Patricia Mok ) Something has to be done before Channel 8 drama will lose its appeal. Cheers!

Answer 35

ake full use of the beautiful tourist attractions in Singapore, or better still develop more places as die-die-must-go tourist attractions with the power of the show. Sentosa, Mount Faber, or Esplanade can be potential filming spots for crucial scenes, or highlights of the show.



3. Match the aesthetically pleasing environment with equally pleasurable eye-candies. Although Singaporeans love to complain about the lack of on-screen hunks and babes as compared to those from Korea. Think carefully. Li Nan Xing, Edmund Chen may be a bore already but do you recall the last time you were drooling over cutie-pie Derrick from Project Superstar? Or the suave and charming Li Wei Lian who has filmed in Taiwanese drama Tian Guo De Jia Yi? They are our very own Singaporeans and we should be proud of them!



4. Complement the heart-wrenching storyline with melodies and songs that will tug at the viewers' heart. Music plays an important part in affecting the emotion of viewers, as such able to 'manipulate' their tears particularly in the tear-jerking scenes.

Answer 36

well, firstly, i'd think more improvements need to be made on the grasping of the language. More often than not, the artiste sounded so fake & forced when using chinese as if it was a foreign language, they just cant seem to express themselves naturally. It left the impression that the words were memorised and re-produce from their mouth thus the lack of real emotions to the words they utter.

Next, i think having a good plot is essential too. More often than not, the plots seemed unoriginal and lack of "pull" factors compelling enough for me to await the next episode.

I feel that the singapore tv industry is growing but more improvements have to be made to the way they act and express their roles more thoroughly. Acting is not just remembering scripts and spouting them out. Its about getting the idea across by communicating with the audience through my sight, audio and emotion sense, so that we can feel for the roles they portrayed.

Overall, i'd comment that if the actors are not comfortable expressing what they've memorised, than they should take the effort to familiarise what they have memories so it can be expressed more humane and realistic.

Acting is a job, a job of memorising scripts, getting into their roles but more importantly, letting audience a sense of their skills by giving us the feeling that "they are not acting". It should dawned on us that they are real, the plot is real, the emotions are real.

Though my comments seemed negative, nevertheless i hope they are constructive. All the best all the artistes and artistes-wanna-be out there.

Looking forward for more improvements and i'd continue to support you people.

Cheers ^^

Answer 37

The primary problem is simply: it's not made-in-korea.



The seconday problems are the script and the acting. The actings in Singapore I find are very inconsistent. You can see both good and bad actings in a single drama. In Korea drama, it's hard to spot bad actings maybe because the showbuzz industry in Korea or Japan or even Hong Kong is really competitive there and you have to be really good to be on tv, else some other actors or actress will be grabbing for the role. Same goes for the scripts and the scriptwriters. For us, it's truly either relying on foreign talents or encouraging our people to go oversea for more exposures. And most importantly, extensive talent hunting and for goodness sake, make use of the talents discovered. You don't discover talents and then cast them aside. Ended with the audiences seeing the same faces over and over again.

Answer 38

1st thing: The looks! Why not? I'm sure no explanation needed right? Our eyes are "stucked" on them for the tens of hours, so why not? Not saying SG actors/actresses are really not worth looking at all. 2nd: Really good music. Even non k-dramas fans are mesmerized by the soundtrack. Look at how hot those "blah blah K-drama songs" compilation are. 3rd: Story line. Not sure how, but SG tv station tried. We've seen cancer girls, guys cheating on wives, murder plot, romance, and what's new? Nothing. One thing we have to understand is, it'll be a long way for us to reach their level. It's not only about the show. We must look at it from another point of view. Many people I know simply shun local shows, music, etc. If we do a similar storylines, people will dismiss it as another copycat. Hard to satisfy us. To improve, we must support and be proud of it. Make local artistes become local superstars (not super auntie urging someone to propose to another on awards show), then international superstars. Koreans supports mostly anything Korean. Patriotism plays a part. I know I'm drifting away, but I feel it is a reason. Therefore, Singaporeans indirectly help to pave the way for better local TV shows, not just storyline, etc.

Answer 39

There should be a great mixture of new blood and old blood for you get bored over seeing the same old people acting in those different show. The story line have to change more, you can see that in shows in Singapore is relatively predictable on what is going to happen next. And i mean those mystery and romance, it is like you know who will end up with who and what will happen just by looking at the first series. Also inclusive of some hunks and babe, that will really enhances the show..come on, we do have handsome guys and beautiful ladies in Singapore..use them not hide them. It seems like there is many focus on those 'great actor or actresses'. You can often see fann wong or zoe tay on almost every show..ya..time for a new change. Basically the script and storyline places the biggest role.

Answer 40

Impossible that Singaporean TV shows be as compelling as Korean Drama show due to the below factors!



1) Korean actors/actresses have X-factor look whereas Singapore actors/actresses dun have it at all! They seem love to copy either HK/Jap/Kor style!!!! not even have their own style!



2) Many people mention script writing.....how about song writing? Let see it this way, Korean individual drama sure have their own OST sang by famous Korean singers. The songs are played in the show at different situation/storyline. As for Singapore, so far i only heard those keyboard tuning sound to match the sad, happy, etc moment! *faintz*



3) Scenery........ Korea have 4 seasons and they can have story base on different seasons.... Singapore only have Orchard road and sentosa!!!



4)Background.... Korean use the real house to firm their drama whereas Singaporean using those artificial setup house....its artificial!!!!

Answer 41

The television industry in Singapore needs new blood. We see the same actor and actress every day. We also see the same type of script and story every day. The producers and directors have also ran out of ideas and creativity. What we need is a fresh approach to the whole television industry, we new our talent scouts from the television station to scout raw and new talents. Let's say if a guy or a girl have plenty of talent for acting but he or she may not join star idol or singapore idol. How is the acting skills of this person known to others? So the talent scouts from the television station must be open minded to accept raw and new talents. The new talents could come from everywhere from the streets to part time actors. Give them a chance, give them their break. For a drama or show to be successful, the script is also important. We must look at resources in which the TV station take their scripts from. If it is always the few scriptwriters they are taking ideas from then i have to say that ;sorry all of you have ran out of ideas. Source for external scripts, set up a scriptwriting contest and allow singaporean or viewers to pen their script are good ways of injecting creativity in their works. We will have to change our directors and producers too. The reason that Jack Neo is a success in recent years suggest that new ideas and creativity have came from him to the otherwise stale local movie industry. We would like a change in our local drama's producers and directors line-up also.

Answer 42

Firstly, if we must not intend to copycat i.e. think that we can create the same effect/impact on local audience by using the korean style of story line and plot. We need our own style thru allowing new creative juices and blood to flow into this industry.



And most importantly, I feel that the Singapore TV shows have been doing so as I have seen that the quality of many drama series, variety shows etc are shooting up fast. Though we used to be copying ideas from other countries in the past, we can see that many fabulous ideas infused into making the tv experience an exciting and entertaining one.. The dramas are more and more heartwrenching and 'must follow' and the variety shows are more worthy to make people want to stay at home to watch.



Thus I believe to make Singapore TV shows more compelling, it is essential for the local TV industry professionals to always be on the move to come up with and more interesting ideas for tv programs, story lines and plots. There have to be platforms for young and inspiring people to be able to infuse their ideas into the this industry so as to ensure continual flow of refreshing ideas. The professionals and the young inspirings ones could be given opportunities to work together.



With better and more creative back stage and office crew, more platforms can be given to allow the new and TALENTED generation of hosts, artistes and other tv professionals to enter. the industry. I can see this happening now as we got Super Hosts, Super stars etc. However, for the acting part, it seems more difficult to find really good actors and actresses. We have to work on this. I believe to create more opportunities aspiring actors and actresses to perform before we select the best.



Last but not least, to involve the audience and build the interest and passion for the art and TV culture in Singapore.



With creative and diligent TV professionals and supportive Singapore population, the TV industry would definitely become more and more vibrant, and the Singapore TV shows would thus be as compelling as Korean / Taiwan/ USA drama series....

Answer 43

First of all it voice down to the respective countries culture. Singapore drama, in my own perspective, protray a very practical, realistic view of everyday life, korean drama has this extra "exaggeration of emotions". Eg: The facial expression will be a lot bolder and with emotion sounds like Woo~ Yeah~ Che~, all these complementing with a funny yet touching script makes korean drama stands out. My all time favourite is the "Da Chang Jin", all the actors and actress in the show were so natural and with such a good script, it definately capture my attention to fix my eyes at a scheduled timing on TV.



Singaporean TV perhaps should come up with more good scripts like the old "Jia Shi" and "Xi Lin Men" of Channel 8 to capture many hearts of singaporeans. I believe locals still like to see good scripts that reflects everyday lives, other countries drama will not able to do this as well as local productions.



I conclude the current korean drama fever as a curiousity glitch of taste. Since korean drama is still new to Singaporeans, it captures our attention then, give it some time, it slows down like what the japanese dramas has inpact some of us...



Jia You! Local productions.

Answer 44

They were very attractive and pretty. I just watched the entire episode for the actresses. Nothing to do with what the story was about. The way they spoke also had an appeal - soft and luring (compare this with local actresses, their accent in both english and chinese are quite rough, unpolished). What they wore also played a part in their overall appeal - fashionable without being over the top. Don't get me wrong, local actresses are pretty but the overall presentation and demeanour of the Korean actresses are fair more appealing.



Second, the Korean shows seems to take more time in developing the character more than the plot itself. In an episode of Winter Sonata, next-to-nothing may have happened but you know much more about the main characters and you end up feeling for them. Locally, you don't know much of the characters at all, only know whether they good or bad.

Answer 45

Although i'm a Singaporean but i hardly watch local show,coz i find that most of time it's the same faces on tv,unlike korean drama,we always get to see new faces.Another thing is that the story line of local show is always the same,and sorry to say,the kind of language that appear in the drama,is not healthy for younger people,i find that it kinda destroy the image & quality of programme

Answer 46

2. Make full use of the beautiful tourist attractions in Singapore, or better still develop more places as die-die-must-go tourist attractions with the power of the show. Sentosa, Mount Faber, or Esplanade can be potential filming spots for crucial scenes, or highlights of the show.



3. Match the aesthetically pleasing environment with equally pleasurable eye-candies. Although Singaporeans love to complain about the lack of on-screen hunks and babes as compared to those from Korea. Think carefully. Li Nan Xing, Edmund Chen may be a bore already but do you recall the last time you were drooling over cutie-pie Derrick from Project Super

Answer 47

Why should we make ourselves similar to others? Instead, let's us create a distinct flavour of ourselves. No doubt the Korean dramas have their fair share of suitors, any attempt by us to mimic their every step may be met with critique.



Look at Holland V (the Mandarin drama series shown not long ago and now still re-screening on MediaCorp8). Despite not being a Korean flick, it still has captured the hearts of many, may it be housewives or even students or working adults. One can hear the lamentations of those who miss one episode and fail to watch a recording of that missed episode.



Are our Singaporean drama series not as compelling in our own unique fashion? In my opinion, the Korean or Japanese drama series merely provide us with an avenue to satisfy our curiosity about the other cultures of the Japanese and Koreans. Our own series provide the representation of our daily lives, some of which our local audience can easily relate to and capture their hearts.

Answer 48

Its good to compare and copy. However, I think when Singapore TV shows copy, they did exactly the same stunts, same expressions, same comedies...etc. Maybe instead of really imitating everything, why don't they pick up the principle or concept of the foreign TV shows and recreate their own Singapore ways of TV shows.



Sometimes, the problem also lies in Singaporean themselves. We tend to be more supportive towards what is foreign to us (because they are so cool~~)



Not to mention, some Korean dramas are draggy and melancholic too. Thumbs up for Singaporean actors and actress because I believe they have try their best to promote their own TV shows.



However, people always like to go "out" from their own country to appreciate foreign talent. Give a couple of years, maybe we will switch from Korea back to Japan again.

Answer 49

Sad to say, all Singapore drama are predictable. We will always somehow end up guessing the ending correctly.Likewise , Korean drama always give us (especially ladies) the urge to watch it because of its fairy tale like story line. As we know, Singapore drama are trying to make a change, but having more different actor/actress on e show don't mean that the show will be more exciting.They have to be more creative and not repeating the same over & over again.Not to copy from Hk drama too. As we know, lots of Singaporean watch Hk drama, so somehow our drama have alot of similar part. Our actors are really great, so keep it up ! There is sure room for alot of improvement.

Answer 50

TV can use the same actor and actress continuously for two to three shows that make viewers confuse about which show they are viewing, while so many other stars are left in the shelf. Talents is the more important than looks so to produce a good drama. I realise from so many Korean drama series they dont or never have any bed scenes. Are this teaching the youngsters that going around beding is fine from what they see from tv dramas. Please note it is very very serious teaching to our society. The Korean drama the most they go is couple of kissing that it. I think they carry a better teaching value. Please show good teaching value dramas for example Kindred Spirit from Hong Kong teaches about Love. Da Chiang Jin about preserverance and rightoueous, determination etc.

Answer 51

Uhh..honestly I am not a fan of korean drama series. I find them too melodramatic and draggy, especially the love stories .... the storylines, the mushy conversations can almost cause me to cringe and foam at the corner of my mouth.



I would rather see the shows in comparision to TVB drama series, with lots of actions, unexpected twist in plots/stories and a good dose of humour that can leave my whole family roar with laughter and my brother laughing with tears in his eyes.



Channel U before merging with TCS was doing relatively well in drama series but the standard dropped after the marriage. I would still prefer a good standard of mandarin and leaving out the swearing of "ta ma de...", "wang ba dan" and the bad mandarin ends with lor, lah etc.



Ok, ok I am not pretending to be sophisticated, I have my fair share of "ah lianess" at times . But excuse me, isnt this what the government trying to promote a more gracious and courteous society? Start from where? Of couse set the example from the TV set lah! Where do the children learn from apart from family and school? Media! The media has an important influence on the public so the media has to be responsible for the standard of mandarin spoken. The continuation of using bad mandarin on the TV set will see the next generation speaking equally bad language. TCS, u hear me?



Gimme SCV channel 55 instead.

Answer 52

Impossible!!!



Our mass media is tightly control by the present government. As reported in the Strait Times, mass media exists firstly to serve national interest and agenda of the present government. Therefore, entertaining scripts will never make it to the screen if the values they promote or portray are not in line with the values that the present government are trying promote. Of course, most exciting script are full of questionable values and hence no compelling Singaporean TV shows.



Selected Korean drama series can be shown here even when their values are questionable because the context of their plot is different from the Singapore's context. Therefore, no "risk" to our society.

Answer 53

1) Find the most suitable actors/actresses to act.

2) Story must be emotional in bringing out the true feelings of the programme & audience.

3) Story must be direct & clear to ensure the audience understands the story right away.

4) Try to make the story as unpredictable as possible to ensure the audience continue watching it and not watch it for an episode and knows what is going to happen next.

5) Film it overseas & not locally as this will allow our stars to be famous among the people out there. Endorsements will soon come for them.

6) Keep the story as short as possible because when the story is too long, it will become very draggy and predictable.

7) Find a renowned director to direct the show.

8) Try not to find big stars to act instead, find relatively unknown actors/actresses. In that way, Singapore can really find out who the next big thing will be.

* Hope it works :)

Answer 54

Korean dramas hit at the sentimentality factor. SG series try to, but end up failing miserably cos the actors are often too dramatic. Less theatre-type acting and more TV-type acting, please! There's a big difference to acting for stage and acting for screen, and SG actors and directors (especially) should start realizing this.

The best (tho few) SG shows have been the ones that have had more subtle acting. And the scripts - less is more. A gesture or look can convey a whole lot more than endless, mindless dialogue!

Answer 55

Well for starters, I think we need better scripts. Granted there is a fair amount of cultural envy looking at another culture, I think Korean drama scripts are better paced, and are more varied. They also manage to tug at your heartstrings in a more sophisticated manner than the local weepies.



The second - and this is the bigger reason - I think they just have better actors. Their actors are so much more seasoned, they don't overact, but you can still catch their nuances. Local actors have a long way to go to hone their craft. You can't compare a "seasoned" local actor like Tay Ping Hui or Li Nanxing with a Korean actor like Bae Yong Jun or someone less well known like Kim Sung Su. Or what about our ingenues - Fiona Xie - compared with theirs - Song Hye Kyo. The Koreans are in a different class altogether.



I think local tv shows have some ways to go . I don't know who Mediacorp benchmarks their dramas to, but it's time to compare themselves against the best - and compete that way. Maybe they should start hiring foreign scriptwriters. The actors, well, I don't know what you can do about that, after all Keanu Reeves has been in the industry for so long but he still only has 1 expression so perhaps we'll just have to deal with the hand we're dealt. Maybe they should be thrown into more stage productions to loosen them up a little.

Answer 56

There is no quick answer. But here are some factors to consider.



First, we need to start with the scriptwriting. No good stories means no good dramas. I'm sorry to say but most dramas coming out of Singapore are copycats, cheesy or both. If we don't pay for talented writers or nuture them, there will be no good stories.



Second, we need good actors. We do have a few good ones but they're so used to acting in a certain way and we see them over and over that their faces and acting are getting stale. We need new actors, we need proper training for them.



Third, we need good directors. I see no reason why we can hire a few of the good Korean directors. Inject some new blood into our local dramas.



Another main issue is that local drama industry is so incestutous. It's very hard to new people to break in; very hard for people with no connections to get a foot in the door.



I hate to say this but maybe a little government intervention will help. Give tax breaks or grants for production companies that use foreign talent or hire top trainers to train writers, actors, directors and producers.

Answer 57

Hei! Do we know their language? Obviously no. What make the Korean drama compelling are:-



1) The story plot and sequence

2) It is more audience attracted with as if the audience sympathy with the less fortunate character in the scenes.

3) Of course, beautiful and attractive face especially the hero and heroine and the role more lively for the viewer to watch.

4) Last but not least the location merge with storyline for example when a couple meet with the snow background with intense romantic feeling.

Answer 58

There is no quick answer. But here are some factors to consider.



First, we need to start with the scriptwriting. No good stories means no good dramas. I'm sorry to say but most dramas coming out of Singapore are copycats, cheesy or both. If we don't pay for talented writers or nuture them, there will be no good stories.



Second, we need good actors. We do have a few good ones but they're so used to acting in a certain way and we see them over and over that their faces and acting are getting stale. We need new actors, we need proper training for them.



Third, we need good directors. I see no reason why we can hire a few of the good Korean directors. Inject some new blood into our local dramas.



Another main issue is that local drama industry is so incestutous. It's very hard to new people to break in; very hard for people with no connections to get a foot in the door.



I hate to say this but maybe a little government intervention will help. Give tax breaks or grants for production companies that use foreign talent or hire top trainers to train writers, actors, directors and producers.



Well for starters, I think we need better scripts. Granted there is a fair amount of cultural envy looking at another culture, I think Korean drama scripts are better paced, and are more varied. They also manage to tug at your heartstrings in a more sophisticated manner than the local weepies.



The second - and this is the bigger reason - I think they just have better actors. Their actors are so much more seasoned, they don't overact, but you can still catch their nuances. Local actors have a long way to go to hone their craft. You can't compare a "seasoned" local actor like Tay Ping Hui or Li Nanxing with a Korean actor like Bae Yong Jun or someone less well known like Kim Sung Su. Or what about our ingenues - Fiona Xie - compared with theirs - Song Hye Kyo. The Koreans are in a different class altogether.



I think local tv shows have some ways to go . I don't know who Mediacorp benchmarks their dramas to, but it's time to compare themselves against the best - and compete that way. Maybe they should start hiring foreign scriptwriters. The actors, well, I don't know what you can do about that, after all Keanu Reeves has been in the industry for so long but he still only has 1 expression so perhaps we'll just have to deal with the hand we're dealt. Maybe they should be thrown into more stage productions to loosen them up a little.

Answer 59

Err.. First thing.. Says who that Singaporean TV shows are not as good as Korean drama series? Personally, I feel that some Singapore shows are as good as what we watch from other countries. What we need is to promote more overseas, when other countries get more in touch with Singapore shows, I guess we will have similar effects as Korean dramas.



Think another thing for us to do is to come out with more 'creative' shows cause sometimes I do notice that before watching the whole drama, I already know the ending.



Other than that, I guess we need to dump in more handsome guys / pretty ladies. I dare not say that our artistes are not handsome/pretty, however, I guess handsome guys will attract female audience and of course pretty ladies can attract male audience..



Singapore programmes just have to 'ganbante'! I am sure that one day Singapore shows will be as 'hot' as Korean shows!

Answer 60

I think this is human mind causing the Korean drama so famous. Few years ago is Japanese drama, now is Korean.. I think no longer will switch to Taiwanese drama ?!



The script for Korean drama always similar. Male and female lead love each other and happen to break up. At last, together again and the female lead die.

If the producer or scriptwriter really thinking of fight over, i think the only way is to invite korean star to film together with the singapore actors. I think this can attract more audience.



We always admire overseas artists and stuffs. So, for Singaporean TV shows, maybe is poor rated, but when it goes to overseas, others might think "WAH!! This TV Shows is so great!!". But for us, since we can watch it everyday, and always get the latest, we will never cherish it.



To compell with Korean drama, i think we have to "educate" viewer to cherish all the things around you and not thinking "overseas moon is always bigger and brighter".

Answer 61

I think the most important factor is originality. If you are talking about TV shows here, i think we should first come up with better innovations.



In terms of drama, i think we should have more new faces. Scripts should be more daring and natural. and most importantly, ROMANTIC. We love Korean drama series due to the fact that the story line is super "dreamy".



Though they have winter and autumn to enhance their romantic scences, we can film our shows in other countries too (:



In addition, one thing similar to most Korean shows is that the guys are a usually a little chauvinist. So maybe we can work on that point. Girls love to watch this kind of shows.



I believe in that cases, Singaporean TV shows be as compelling as Korean drama series too.

Answer 62

First, the Singapore show scripts must probably change a whole lot. As compared to Korean drama series, ours are always very fast-paced. On top of that, it's forever a 'happily ever after' ending. Have anyone ever noticed some of the factors in Korean shows?





Here are some of the prominent differences between Singapore and Korean shows-:



1) We tend to only have 20...at the most 30 episodes in our shows. Well...once in a blue moon, it will be 40 or slightly past 100 episodes. For Korean shows, it ALWAYS alot of episodes...so much so, it's almost countless. It's like as though the show will never end. It's simply because they move very slowly...very much to the 'T' in their details. So much so it just get viewers to be glued to it, eager to find out what is going to happen next.



2) We do have a variety of genre in our shows, but all of it have very expected 'happily ever after' kind of ending. It comes to a point that it had become so expected that though it makes viewers feel good, but it's just too fairytale-like and can be rather boring. (We need some spice there...!) Whereas for Korean shows, someone is always dying of some terminal illness or get killed in some tragic accident. Although, it never fail to bring tears to many who watch, because of its 'forever pathetic sad ending', somehow veiwers just seem to prefer watching something that it's closer to reality. The point is that Singapore shows still have not gotten to the point where it captures the hearts of viewers that well.





Well...so probably it will be helpful for Singapore shows to have more unexpected and unpredictable storyline and endings. Of course there is definitely not a need to follow Korean shows where terminal diseases and freak accidents is permanent in scripts. CHEERS! (",)

Answer 63

Wow this is a real toughie. Let's see...



Firstly, we need better eyes to spot the nice scenaries. I'm sure Singapore has beautiful places which are romantic.



Secondly, we need better scriptwriters. I have enough of those family shows where all the members of the family do are to either crying or shouting one another. Can we have some class please? And more intelligent dialogue too.



Thirdly, we need better actors and actresses. At least send the good ones we have now for more training in terms of acting, walking, talking.



Last but not least, we have to stop putting ourselves in the shadows of the Japanese and Korean dramas. Forget about the styles of the Hong Kong and Taiwanese serials. In short, stop copying others. Be creative.

Answer 64

I normally do not want to comment about local TV.

Since you asked, heres is what I have to say.



1. They are poorly presented excuses for hosting commercials.

2. They portray bad intercommunications skills among people.

3. The stories are always of some kind of personal/family conflict or others.

4. The set? yaak!

5. Viewers learn nothing useful from watching but may inculcate the habit of bickering among each other thru prolong exposure to such soap operas, including self-pity, low-morale, complacency, lacking in drive to succeed, self-pity etc.



Addressing these issues may make local TV compelling, granted that Korea has a long history and culture.

Answer 65

The actor/actress must be charismatic, with charming and cute looks. But it is difficult for Singaporean shows to be as compelling as Korean ones, mainly because we don't have the fantastic scenary that the Koreans have. We are more of a concrete jungle. But maybe when the two integrated resorts are up at Marina and Sentosa, it might be better.

Answer 66

1. Talented Script Writer

2. Talented Artists

3. Passion, Will and Spirit



But the most important thing is Singaporean TV has to have Passion, Will, and Spirit to be as good as Korean Drama TV Shows. If we have the excellent script writer and artists, but no passion, no will and no spirit... no use, nothing.. as what we have now... Go Singapore Television!!! Have Passion, Will and Spirit!!! We are much much better than those Korean Dramas...

Answer 67

Eight reasons that could lead to the S-Wave (Singapore Wave):



1) Focus on Human Drama



Nothing works like human drama. There is no need for CGs and exceptional scenery amounts to nothing without the actors and actresses acting their heart out.



2) The "Da Chang Jing" factors - Focus on Asian values



Loyalty, determination, perseverance, hard work and of course, food. Everyone loves the story of someone who lost it all and through sheer determination and hard work, rise to the top and triumph against the evil forces.



3) Indulge the audience in their fantasies



We all wish to be involved in a love story as heart wrenching as we can possibly wish it to be (We like to think love hurts) What the Koreans did, was to simply indulge us in our deepest fantasies. K-Dramas was like a bridge between reality and fantasy. We could feel all that anger, heartbreaks and dejections, as though we were living in their world.



4) Daring and breakthrough script writing and marketing



Before K-Dramas, we knew happy endings were getting too good to be true (sian liao!). Then "Winter Sonata" came along and gave us one of the most heart wrenching storyline that we could actually "feel" for the "actors/actresses" (note the use of colons :) ).



5) It doesn't hurt to have Great looking actors/actresses who really CAN ACT!



6) Scenic places do wonders to bring out the whole feel of a drama (and bodes well for tourism)



7) Nothing works like a good old love story



What the Koreans did was to simply re-tell a good old love story in a way that they know best. After all, love needs no translation.



8) Lastly, Singaporeans must support local productions (be it movie, theatre, musical) and all things local! After all, a little patriotism won't hurt and it can help propel our directors on the international stage.

Answer 68

I guess the keyword here should be to each his own. It would be wrong to say that Korean drama series being compelling applies to most Singaporeans. Despite the success of various Korean drama series like Winter Sonata and Jewel in the Palace, I believe not all people would give two thumbs up for Korean shows. I would instead think that Korean dramas only appeal to a certain spectrum of Singaporeans who are predominantly female. Korean dramas like Winter Sonata usually appeals to younger females whereas Jewel in the Palace is appreciated by more mature audiences.



Singapore, being an advanced nation, has the luxury of importing various media from other countries. Thus, I would like to classify these drama serials into a few different categories. There's the American drama serials like Friends, Alias, Sex and the City and Desperate Housewives. Next, there's the Taiwanese drama serials in which 'Ah Cheng' became a household name. There's also the TVB dramas from HongKong. There's also Korean drama serials which are abovementioned. We should not miss out on Japanese drama serials which has its fair share of fan base. We also have the Malay drama serials from Malaysia and Indonesia. Lastly, we have the Hindi and Tamil serials from India.



One would literally faint at the sight of this barrage of drama serials that are available to Singaporeans. i would not go into detail about the merits of each genre of drama serials. Instead, I would list out the crucial ingredients that these drama serials possess that makes them compelling to audiences.



1. Intriguing storyline

A drama serial is only as popular as its storyline. The storyline must be unique enough to intrigue and capture the attention of audiences.



2. Good script

Conversations matter greatly in drama serials. Scripts can make or break the drama serial.



3. Strong cast

The cast must be popular and versatile to take on different roles. The audience must be able to connect with the cast.



4. The set

The locations chosen for shooting must be worth the audience's while to watch the drama.



5. The producer

Look at top Hollywood producer, Jerry Bruckheimer. Having his signature on a film or drama is as good as having Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorsese as the director.



6. The director

The director must have the vision to see through the entire project. He/She must be able to connect with the audience and hear the voices of what audiences want to see. Then the drama filmed would appeal to people.



Therefore, if Singaporean TV shows want to be as compelling as Korean drama series, every facet of a successful drama serial abovementioned should be taken into consideration. In that way, our local drama industry could shine albeit haiving a short history of 20 odd years.

Answer 69

The day will never come unless we change the people involved in the local TV shows. How to make it compelling when

1. the same young faces are cast in various roles - they are simply not convincing.

2. the script-writers and producers think the lines are funny and the exaggerated antics are cutesy - what you get are goose pimples and the feeling of utter embarrassment that these are our so-called 'talents'.

3. copying popular Hong Kong or Korean dramas are cool - it will only invite detailed comparisons and harsher criticisms.

4. over 35 means over the hill - solely depending on young faces to attract viewers is myopic thinking. Solid character actors and actresses are needed to helm the shows as they radiate warmth and are more believable.

Answer 70

1. Do we have degrees in film and theatre? If so, I haven't heard of it. Kit Chan had to take a diploma even though I'm sure her credentials could get her into a university. The Koreans take teaching and instruction very seriously; most of their actors and actresses have degrees in film and theatre. If we plan to be a world class education hub, why not take a leaf out of Korea's book? Most of our actors and actresses can't even speak proper Mandarin or English, though I admit that we can't compare ourselves to a homogenous, monolingual society like Korea. But as a public figure, shouldn't you make the effort to improve your public speaking skills? Speech ability, or the lack thereof, can really seriously hamper one's acting ability.



2. Eye candy - ok, all this talk about Koreans looking good, etc. I have seen quite a few not-so-good-looking Korean actors and actress (who refuse to go for plastic surgery I suppose, applause to them!) who are very popular because of their superior acting ability. For example, the male lead in "My Sassy Girl" and "My Girl and I". I think we shouldn't over-emphasis looks here. Afterall, looks are oftentimes a matter of dressing and more importantly, personality. Korean actress Han Ji Hye may not be your conventional beauty but she has a big personality to carry it off - why do you think Lee Dong Gun can be that crazy over her???



3. Show me the money! A lot of people on this forum are saying that there are good-looking Singaporeans out there who can act but are not moving into showbiz. I believe as practical Singaporeans, this is a matter of remuneration. It is a vicious cycle - the Singapore market is too small to pay people in the showbiz well, so it won't attract talents nor produce quality films, and therefore it won't be able to get a pie of the overseas markets, and the market remains small. The government should intervene and subsidise the industry. Pay for quality. This could result in many spinoffs for our economy, first and foremost tourism. Just look at the number of Singaporeans visiting Korea in droves after watching their dramas. Ok, Singapore doesn't have the natural landscape that Korea has but surely we have SOMETHING to offer the tourists. It's just a matter of capturing Sentosa, etc, on film in the most romantic way possible! For the government, this may simply be an easier (and certainly less controversial) way than building casinos!



4. Linked to the 3rd point is the quality of the scripts. If I were so beautiful and could act so well (and therefore presumably have high self-esteem), I wouldn't be caught dead acting out a stupid script which requires me to curse and swear or tell dirty jokes that only the script-writer thinks is funny. Even if the Korean scripts were trite or copy-cats, at least most maintain that dignity which I feel is a way of showing respect to the audience. I don't want to have to keep switching channels every time my little daughter wanders in front of the TV. (For that matter, I'm completely off Taiwanese variety shows.) I'm sure most Singaporeans still have very deep-rooted moral values.

Answer 71

The most important factor is - locality. Singapore drama had long been known to be 'copycats'. Irregardless on the talk shows, game shows, dramas, we are always 'one-step' behind others (Korea, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan). We need to be daring to try out something different.

Secondly, stop going to the same place (country) to shoot a film. When we talk about local drama, just be daring to use local scene. A drama is not compulsory successful by just merely providing nice scenery. A well scripted story and good actors/actresses are the main factor to it.

Answer 72

I enjoy Korean drama series cos the directors have somehow managed to combine their own styles to come up with drama series which are unique to Korean culture and lifestyle.



As of now, some of us might think that Korean shows are nice, but is it because we have gotten over the "J-wave", to happily surf on the "K-wave", as I call it.



I do not think that Singapore TV shows should be as compelling as Korean drama series. Instead, they each have their similiarities.



There will be a day, maybe in the near future, when Singapore TV shows begin to have their own "S-wave", in different parts of the world, maybe Japan or Korea might be interested ?



PS: Just my 3-cents worth. :o)

Answer 73

Spore Tv shows arent as big as Korea.. If u want to do that then u gotts pull in some intenational ppl. As new scriptwriters, director or even actors.



Personally i don't find ALL korean dramas compelling.. most of them are just love tragic stories.



I would prefer a Japanese drama which is much more shorter n compelling!!!



P.S: I think all e actresses pretty much look e same in cadelcott.. lookin stick thin..not much of a variety..

Answer 74

Firstly, we need better actor & actresses. Those who can really weep. There's not much talent in Singapore to act in Korean drama. I don't say that we have none but there's a few. They can't even act convincingly in S'pore dramas let alone Korean. Secondly, our scripts must be better than theirs. So far I noticed that Korean dramas are more of love stories, with handsome dudes. If S'pore dramas are only made up of love stories, then Mediacorp will not win all those awards. And lastly, try asking our actor/actresses speak properly.

Answer 75

Stereotyping is often associated with Singapore 's TV shows.The story line are too predictable. Whereas Korean drama series are very intriguing.One can never be sure whats going to happen in every episode. The 'twist and turn" of the story are very well directed which often make the audience 'glued' to the TV.

Answer 76

Do we have local TV shows? Oh wait...let me rewind. Oh yes, we have Crime and Passion and Masters of the Seas. Perhaps they are so 'compelling' that I totally forgot about them. I have not seen any good shows and drama to make me stick to my telly like glue. It's either depressing storyline or the actors are 'stiff' and emotionless! I guess, like others, I have tried giving local shows many chances but often I still get dissappointed. So I turn to overseas dramas and shows to fulfil my cravings. We still have a long way before we can really produce quality shows and dramas.

Answer 77

Be original in your plots. Many times you notice that most of the storyline are very close to whatever were produced in HK or Korea. Get a larger pool of actors and actresses. It's always the same old faces and expressions. when one actor/actress is the flavour of the month/season you will get to see the same actor on TV in 2, 3 different serials. Big budget doesn't necessarily mean better productions. It's in the acting!!

Answer 78

A good script, a good director and a good casts. In short, the need to hire the right people to fit into the right job.



Singapore media industry needs to inject new talented blood. Most of the Korean artists hold a degree in film / media study, putting theory into practicability. Ask oneself, do we have many artists here who really understand the real meaning of media study?



Moreover, local productions are too dramatic. Their endings are predictable by the viewers. Current trend is reality show. Reality & Realistic movie tends to capture viewers attention, which make Korea movie a success, Jack Neo movie a box office hit in Singapore and Hong Kong.



Have an icon of our own. Stop coping from other - be it reality show, game show, drama and / or sitcom. I strongly believe that Singapore does have its own circle of talented artists.



WHERE ARE THEY?

Answer 79

Well, coming from a Australia background, and been living in s'pore now a yr, i see that Singapore tv shows doesn't have the "WoW" feeling as you get from watching Korean dramas.



Korean Drama is based on scenery and fashion and looks of the actors.



Where as Singapore is based on the funny side of things and sometimes abit lame (Eg: Phua Chu Kang Pte Ltd),but it makes people laugh. As Singapore don't have alot of places to show and film a show, but it's the creativity that comes out of the show that would attract locals and even international people to watch.

May it be in Mandarin, English, Malay or Hindu, It can be entertain by all ages and race. The more "wow" factor you get the more you can see in the viewers at home. Anticipates it's volume of viewers and see what they want. As the market is changing all the time, we hope in the near future we would get more kick out of local tv shows that can aim at all ages and bring family closer as one. :-)

Answer 80

Well.. IMHO most Koreans' shows (especially love stories) have the same storyline.. example 1. couple deeply in love.. separated for some weird reasons.. met up after some yrs.. n realised that either one of 'em attached to the other's gd fren. example 2. born in a rich family but wasn't treated well for reason like.. maybe his/her mom is a 2nd wife.. mom passed away when he/she was very young.. and the more or less same story line goes round n round..



So.. what I think might help local shows is.. take the Korean's template.. modify it into a new story.. make it as sad n as hopeless for the main guy... then start to brighten up things.. n in the end.. kill it off with the biggest irony. that should do the job.. n dun forget the V.O.

Answer 81

On top of all the important factors such as good actors, scripts or directors which Singapore truely lack of, another major factor is the sets and locations, Korea drama takes advantage of their country's breathtaking scenaries and with the combination of melodramatic soundtracks and good looking stars, they manage to capture viewers no only in asia but also countries like US.



As someone had mentioned, their market in this area is big thus they can afford to invest heavily which Singapore can't, theres still a huge difference in budget between local s-dramas and k-dramas. But first, to start off rightly, we have to scout stars with the likes of Bae Yong Jun or Lee Young Ae.

Answer 82

The attraction first was the actresses. They were very attractive and pretty. I just watched the entire episode for the actresses. Nothing to do with what the story was about. The way they spoke also had an appeal - soft and luring (compare this with local actresses, their accent in both english and chinese are quite rough, unpolished). What they wore also played a part in their overall appeal - fashionable without being over the top. Don't get me wrong, local actresses are pretty but the overall presentation and demeanour of the Korean actresses are fair more appealing.

Answer 83

There has to be a number of very handsome actors and pretty actresses in the same show. Also, plenty of heartaches are a must for the lead actor and actress in the show such that although they love each other, they cannot really be together initially, and have to go through all the trials and tribulations first. Only at the last episode will they finally be allowed to live happily ever after.

Answer 84

Life is so stress here. The TV station needs to produce some light hearted and easy viewing shows. If they are doing what the Koreans are doing, I think many Singaporeans will be very depressed. They will be looking back at their lives and try to relate to the show. Is suicide for most.

Answer 85

to be at the same level as Koren Drama, Singaporean TV shows got to insert twisted plots, having brother falling in love with sister and/or incurable diseases for the main lead to just die off at the final episode...



that's how most Korean drama series have been, pulling our heart strings, making us cry incessantly.



but to be more compelling, firstly stop making happy-ending, ever-lasting love kind of series and work on real life cases, how some could break through racial differences to be together and stuff.

Answer 86

Singaporean shows tend to be pretty predictable in my opinion. A lot of the story lines remain on 'safe' territory and there is not much originality in the shows.



As for making them as compelling as Korean serials, maybe we need to repeat lines more often, have lots of crying and have the show go on for at least 70 episodes!! :op

Answer 87

They can never be, because they are just different. It's like comparing oranges with apples. They might be fruits but still they are different. What Korean have are the fairytale stories. As for us, we are focus much more on down-to-earth stories. We did tried and still trying to improve to make the plot more interesting and making it hard to predict the outcome. Well, the result did show an increase of supports, which is good, it tells us where we can focus more. On the other hand, aren't we trying to be alike others?



Korean series may contain fairytales elements, which are "fake", but still, people like us living in a mad rush hour city lifestyle, we need a getaway to fulfille our personal dreams and desires.



The reason is that these shows typically involve conflicts involving marital relationships, money bargaining, and most often, in-laws (usually between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law). Taken from

It's more easier for us to relate even though some events might be abit more exterem.



One need not going thru reading romance stories, but it's the socialty that drives their personal desire, without expirencing true events. All of us are aware such scenarios only happens in the TV, yet, we never fail to pay up for bits of fulfillment.



The characters in Korean drama series alway seems be flawless. Flawless in their outlook features. Due to their pop culture in Korea, around 3 to 4 out of 10 females have experienced cosmetic surgery. It's like custome-made your own look to cater public needs.



Plastic surgery was once mainly a female domain, but men have increasingly been going under the knife around the world to improve appearances as a way to boost self-esteem and compete for jobs.



What I can see is that, Singapore is trying hard to balance between fulfilling audience's thirst for "better" drama series and at the same time, it awares the danger of what media can bring to the public.



Anyway, the grass is always greener on the other side, which most of the time we don't see it's negative areas. Hence, it leads to no end of comaprison. What we could do here is to deliever whatever we can to fulfill one's need and desire.

Answer 88

Easy enough! Just hire the most popular and best-looking Korean actors and actresses and put them in Singaporean TV shows, whose scripts are written by the best Korean scriptwriters, translated into perfect Mandarin or English of course!

Answer 89

This is because we have got tired of our local drama. Korean culture is different from ours plus the artists are all very well groomed and mostly are very good in their acting.



The competition in Korea is much more than in Singapore which make the artists there to strive for their best. Whereas here, we are a very small island, the compeition is very limited where the artists are among themselves. I'm not saying they are not good artists, they are some who are very good.



It may work if they can combine their work together and we can have more variety of dramas.

Answer 90

For starters, our scripts are boring. There is no in-depth story line But I see improvement over the years....i caught a couple of Tiramisu episodes and felt that the script was well written and it dealt with relationship issues which i believe our viewers can relate to. Unfortunately, it's not so compelling as Korean drama series as their plot thickens each day driving the viewers wanting to know more hence making us faithful followers at the precise time each week. Moreover, the duration of our local series are too short for any dramatic plot ... so that's one area we should look into...i am supportive of local series but the script should be enticing enough for me to want to look forward to each week.

Answer 91

Actually Korean dramas aren't that great. Why people are hooked to them is because the serials are set in beautiful places or surroundings that are so unfamiliar to Singaporeans that we are captivated by them. Not to mention that most of the actors and actresses are drool-worthy. Additionally, Singapore dramas aren't as tear-jerking or heart-warming as compared to the korean dramas. Our dramas aren't tragic enough and the evil people in them are also not wicked enough to make us HATE them!

Answer 92

Aiyah! Easy lah, just pay lotsa moolah for the Korean actors/actresses as leads, pay equally good moolah for top TCS actors/actresses as supporting casts. As for scriptwriters, HK ones will do as they can churn out such plot twisting scripts that will keep the viewers glued.

Have the entire show shot in good ol' Singapore with local backdrops ( kopitiam, bus interchange, MRT etc ). It'll be a bonus if the dialogues were in Singlish.

Now..THAT will definitely make our show as compelling as our Korean counterparts!

Answer 93

IMHO, we should have less competition such as Singapore Idol as the quality of contestants drop if there are too many of them. Why not only limit once a year and select only the elite, instead of "everyone's an idol"?



Also we should have some competition that encourage script writing...Our actors and actresses should also walk out of their comfort zone to learn from those others from overseas. I feel that those from overseas are more enthusiastic and keen in improving their acting skills as compared to local artists.



We should minimize having singlish in movies/tv serials...just imagine, how would anyone from abroad understand the singlish that is conversed in our local tv programmes?

Answer 94

Personally I don't find the Korean dramas compelling. Rather, I find some of the HK serials more watch-able, mainly because the cast have real acting skills, making the stories believable. Singapore has good-looking actors, most of whom cannot act well.

Answer 95

Well maybe we have limited talent (if there's any) here, day in day out we all see the same old face on the square box. What we lack is a freedom of choice! Imagine if we have the luxury to chose or at least a big handful of talent, than maybe things will be better. I'm not against local artistes but I strongly believe that we are deprive of selections in terms of talents and even TV stations.

Answer 96

-When 99.9% of the cast go for intensive plastic surgery(maybe this is already realised?)



- at least one character dies in a tragic freak accident or rare terminal illness(like eyelash cancer)



- the theme song has to comprise lots of violins which keeps repeating every 15 minutes in different styles(we've got the happy fast version, the sad drippy version and the thoughtful quiet version)



-the characters have to spend half an episode thinking about whether to call one another because of some conflicting love triangle/quadruple



- where two lovers realise that they are long-lost siblings



-one of the characters is a rich, successful handsome business man who falls in love with a happy-go-lucky plain jane and this incurrs the wrath of a scheming beautiful lady



But most importantly, when we realise that we have watched too many Korean dramas and revert back to Singaporean TV shows...before a new fad comes along, like German soap opera! :O

Answer 97

Singaporean TV dramas are based usually on the exact happenings of our daily lives when Korean dramas injected more of the fairytale factors. Mostly on love and romance, which captures hearts of young viewers to the more matured; especially ladies. Besides, Korean culture is unqiue to most of us and that is also one of the reason why it can captivate the curiosity of many Singaporeans. We have many lifestyled based dramas and singaporeans loved them. They are very Hongkong styled, however if we can have more dramas like 'my name is kim sym soon', or 'cinderalla' which has a little humor and many romance, i think it is what local dramas can try having. People who watches TV using are looking more something they lack in the real lives. If local TV dramas can help fufil this area of lackings, local TV can be as popular as Korean drama series because we have our very home-grown artists whom they love.

Answer 98

Firstly, revamp and encourage the cosmetic surgery industry in Singapore to make the services more common and affordable. There will then be a bigger pool of potential actors / actresses for talent spotting, and audiences don't have to see the same faces in almost every alternate drama series. Scriptwriters can also be more adventurous in deciding location sets - it doesn't always have to be in the heartland to gain audience acceptance. Exploring some unique and non-tourist-attraction sites in Singapore and using them as backdrop for non-historical / period dramas would be interesting, I think.

Answer 99

Maybe the lead actors for the show must have the charisma and strong support from their fans. The story line must also be captivating in order to entice the audience to compel them to come back for more... Quote "Korean dramas are enamored by the "real" acting and fascinating stories that unfold before their eyes" "While some viewers may find them too "mild" for their taste, many others will be thrilled to find tasteful, endearing programming that reels them in and leaves them wanting more...and more...and more...." Unquote

Answer 100

e cameras' type of actors and actresses, which is stating the obvious but still hard to find, especially with average acting skills. Such candidates, from my personal views, are in the likes of Ezann Lee (Ericia's younger sister) and Ben Yeo. Once a certain pool of actors & actresses are suitably selected, they could probably be sent over to Japan, Korea or even USA for training.



Do not allow the script to be too draggy. If there is a need for it to be such, for heaven's sake, scratch off all the hairs on the head to come up with really interesting, prob

Answer 101

I dont really like Korean drama series for their over-the-drama-mama style but I agree that Singapore TV shows need improvement. I used to love channel 8's drama series 15 years back...when they had dramas like "My fair ladies", "aiyoyo-teacher" and gambling movies starring Zoe and Nanxing. Sad to say that the dramas these days are not as engaging.

Answer 102

Have better actors. Better Plots. Better Directors. Better writers. Original Scripts. And I mean original.



Singapore TV shows ALWAYS try and copy some other foreign TV Show. It has gotten so ridiculous that I NEVER............EVER watch local TV shows anymore. Name any local drama on TCS and you could probably name a foreign tv show with the same storyline. And btw, if Daniel Ong's superfake American accent on Singapore Idol isn't bad enough, he has to try to talk like Ryan Seacrest.. It's like what Triumph the insult comic dog would say..."For me to poop on!". Singapore TV shows is like when some cantopop singer makes a bad cover of an english song. yucks.



So here's the low down. Originality and better people. (I'd just pass out if some of our local celebs start sayin stuff like Ohmygaaaaaaaawd...)

Answer 103

Hi Maggie, Korean Drama Queen. Why do you compare our tv shows with the Korean shows? Why not the Taiwanese or even HK shows/serials? Maybe because you are more familiar with the Korean shows! So I will just generalise this aspect.



For a start, we do not have any real talent in our media world. Even if there is any, he/she is likely to be overseas-born. Regionally, out artistes are still unknown.



One other reason I can safely say is the way our artistes are made to work. You find that there is a core group of people that are doing practically everything on tv. You find them acting, compering, hosting, singing, telling jokes, dancing, performing acrobatics. Are our artistes that multi-talented? Not likely. This can be seen from the lame attempts that had been put up on tv and still do despite public criticism. Why? Does the station need to save money? Need to justify the artistes pay? Need to cut cost so re-use the same people?



Just ask yourself, do you see your Korean actor/s singing or hosting? Not likely. They just do what they do best, which is acting. Period. Likewise for most of the artistes from the other countries. The few that are good in others had real talent to do so. Our people have to know their limitations and leave it at that.



We have good singers who are invited to sing in overseas tv stations, not our local ones. Wonder why. The tv company too stingy to pay them? I had one time during a festival, watched our pathetic actor/s trying to sing on tv. I switched to a neighbour station and saw our local singer singing there, and receiving better reception there. I watched that channel the rest of the way. I do not want to hurt my eyes and ears.



For the record, our radio stations are also not helping themselves when they put singers as radio hosts. They are good as singers and I would rather hear them singing and stop there. It is bad to hear them ranting on air without any tact. Don't our radio station know that it is just not sufficient to put a name on air, that person need to communicate with the listeners first. Sigh.



Do we have talents? I believe we do. Just go to Orchard on weekends and watch the buskers. They do a good job of what they are good at. Not everything.



So, our tv show cannot just engage popular overseas actor/s in local productions and expect box office result. In fact we seem to be demeaning their star quality when they had to act with our artistes. Our tv station need a better solution. Maybe build up our local talents properly into their specialised fields. They cannot expect all the artistes to be jack of all trades and become master of none. There will be a few who can do so, definitely not all.



So to be as compelling as Korean show, it is possible. But there need to be a revamp of the way the local tv station do things now to achieve that. Talents need to be nurtured. There had been shows with thin plots and the acting crew were able to pull off a good act. Think of Falcon Crest and Dallas, even TVBS or Taiwanese serials. When our people can do this, we would have make a mark in the acting world. :)

Answer 104

- Reinvent and source for more script writers, with innovative and interesting scripts please. Quite bored watching some of the local dramas as the scenes are usually predictable and you do not have the urge to continue watching.

- Look for more fresh faces on screen. Tired of seeing the same batch of actors/actresses.

- Collaborate and get Korean actors/actresses with potential acting skills to be involved in Singapore drama series and be selective when choosing who to act in the drama. A good example is the first chinese drama series by Channel U.. With many different faces, scenes, and interesting scripts.

Answer 105

Before answering to this question, probably you guys wanna answer the list of questions below:



1) Why are HK serials better than SG productions?

2) Why are Taiwan soap serials more popular than SG productions?

3) Why do Japanese Romance/Horror serials fare better than SG productions?

4) Why are US comedy sequels better then SG productions?

5) Why did SG merge production with TW and HK but did not reap expected rewards?

6) and many more..



there are so many questions to be answered before we should even think of comparing with new popular fads.



i am sure people are already asking this questions like probably 10 years back, made suggestions, but mostly ignored.



i am not trying to be a whiner (no offence), but SG productions have always been a follower, a copier, a replicator and a non-innovator. Even variety shows in SG has been trying very hard to copy TW successful shows, but they only made people feel disgusted.



to be cont...

Answer 106

Firstly they shld have a better range of actors and actresses that who's both versatile and definitely have the ability to act. Some Singaporean shows are really boring due to this factor and its not surprising that Singaporean TV is not well-received even by Singaporean.

Answer 107

It all goes down to the script or storyline. Even if you hire South Korean actors but if the script is bleccch then we cannot do anything about it.



Notice that the common storyline in Singapore is about family fighting over a business, adultery, gambling, etc and I believe its more patterned after HK dramas (whose quality is diminishing).



I rather bring in more good Korean dramas and pose it as a challenge for Singapore scriptwriters and serve it as motivation for good scripts to come.

Answer 108

I remember Singapore's first drama production about the lives of Singaporean pioneers. It was very intriguing and I was interested to know about lives of our forefathers that goes with a good plot and storyline. Subsequent drama productions with the past as background also had good reviews. However lately, we seen to have seen less of "Singapore's period drama" but only more of the local contemporary stuff which appears in similar story lines as Korean, Japanese or Hong Kong drama. Try attracting viewers with dramas that tugs at their hearts like our past or themes along stories like "I not stupid too".

Answer 109

I personallly like to watch Japanese series before is very popular, now its Korean series, because they are so different from local shows in terms of contents and feel.



That why there is innovative and come up with new ideas and be radical about it. I question myself are they same few producers for all the local shows...



Most of us are addicted .

Answer 110

The unfortunate fact is people view TV shows with certain background expectations - a Singaporean watching a foreign-made program will have different assumptions compared to when he/she is watching a singapore-made show.

Answer 111

Jack Neo is one of the living example



Singapore can achieve shows like korea drama series

if we have more script writers and directors like Jack Neo.



Secondly, more joint partnership with other TV station in other countries like Hong Kong, Taiwan and even Korean.



Thirdly, singapore TV station is doing a good job like organising talent scout contest like Superstar, Singapore Idol, etc.



lastly and most importantly, is a good script or story.

Answer 112

Have a charming personality ( for both actor and actress ) with good looks and be able to speak well. The plot or script should be done by someone who is currently known for his or her success on drama series. Learn it from the Koreans and adapt our culture to blend into the system.

Answer 113

It will never happen because of our government control in the media and newspaper industries. The whole world knew about that, and even grade us at the bottom hundred plus. We have the local and foreign talents in these industries, a good example is our "JACK NEO" movies; doing very well locally but not other countries. Not only that, the government give full support to "JACK NEO" movies compare to other made. Thus, you can see the point where our government is partly of fully involved.

Answer 114

to make Singapore as compelling as Korean drama.



firstly, the plot must be interesting and excellent. so let discover talented scriptwriters with great stories to tell. hold competition to find the talented scriptwriters (ie tell stories tt r not so predictable such tt my mother can guess what is next to come...)



secondly, theme is another factor, theme like crime investigation, history, social issues in singapore, family oriented, comedies tend to be more welcome in singapore.



thirdly, our multiracial background, maybe we should have a multiracial drama series in singapore where all singaporean actors of different races come together to act, showing the real society of singapore.



lastly, if we have stories like guy and girl falling in love, then to discover they are long lost brother and sister, follow by the girl to be diagnose with some terminal illness... we just might... be as compelling as the korean dramas...hehe

Answer 115

I guess better scripts and more interesting diversion like the CSI, "Compelling" like korean, well first we need to look for really cute singaporean man and lovable woman and we also need better location aboard for filming, Singapore is a land of the real world so there's nothing much of a scenery.

Answer 116

The topic that discuss or features in the TV shows must to down to earth and closely related to the daily life the people in Singapore is facing or experiencing especially :

the struggle the middle income groups,

the difficulties young couples are facing,

the problem the youths having and happening in school and their familes when most of their parents are working and some are staying with their single-parent or divorce parent.

All these issues and problems are tighty knitted in their daily life and people in Singapore can relate easily to it.

Answer 117

Just send the actors & actresses back to school!



9 out of 10 Korean drama stars have a degree in film studies/ acting/ theater etc. Check out their backgrounds. They are serious about entertainment!

Answer 118

Showcase more Handsome and Pretty girls...

I find that that the story line of some Singapore TV really bad... and some actors cannot act....



But generally singapore TV shows are pretty okay... If we can shoot a series as good as CSI or Lost, than i see we can overtake the Korean Drama....

Answer 119

Employ Korean Producers and Script writers

Answer 120

This is like how and when singapore can make it to FIFA 2010...

First of all, we lack orginality and creativity. Most TV producers just do a rip off from Taiwan shows and localise it then make it a big hoo hah about it. We will never be like or close to the korean

Answer 121

I think its a fad thing, Japanese series used to be very popular, now its Korean series. I think its because they are so different from local shows in terms of contents and feel.



So I think local shows needs to be innovative and come up with new ideas and be radical about it. Sometimes I wonder is it the same few producers for all the local shows...



I also helps if there lots of eye candy!

Answer 122

Well, one cannot dismiss S'porean TV so easily. We did have a few good shows which touched our hearts. Remember Growing Up? Well I agree that Korean Shows are compelling and moving. They go for detail. That's all. So if S'porean TV can do the same; we can be as good as them; if not better!

Answer 123

Its practically next to impossible mainly because of cultural diversity. Korean dramas tend to be more emotionally challenged and intense. Unless we can change the entire production crew, particularly the actors and scripwriters or engage Korean professionals to train them, Singaporean shows will never be soooo touching as to provoke tears in us.

Answer 124

Oooh.. It is quite tough I think.

Maybe the make-up have to change cuz the Koreans really have very smooth complexion on TV.

Most of us know they had undergo plastic surgery so we can't compare with them in looks.

Have more new faces, of course.. And pretty =) Can act.. Not act cute.. Act innocent..

For guys.. would have charisma, and a body of course! Just have to be toned up..

Scripts have to be improved, draw new blood by employing koreans!

I think our directors are already good enough =)

Answer 125

As they say, drama is often a reflection of real life...



The reason why we feel Singaporean TV shows are not as compelling as Korean drama series is because of the lack of refreshness as we are practically living it out everyday. Scenarios in our local TV shows are actually extracts of our lives and the familiarity takes the fantasy out of watching TV shows.



Whereas for overseas and Korean show, there is this curiousity about other nations' culture and fantasy we had about their country that can be satisfied through watching their tv shows. It's like reading "Snow White And The Seven Dwalves" and imagining ourselves as the prince or the princess.



I think for Singaporean TV shows to be as compelling as Korean drama series, We need to have a plot that actually play out what we want our lives to be like, and not what it is actually like. That is for tv shows to show what Singaporeans actually craves for in their lives.. the harmonious family, the perfect other half, the well paid job, the latest toys and the pretty face. I think TV shows have to allow us to seek within it what we sought in real life but failed to attain... Only when, will our local tv shows be as compelling as Korean drama. After all, who wants to see our plain boring life being reflected on tv.



Also, most successful tv shows deals with the more complex human emotions.. feelings that Singaporeans will find hard to experience in our daily lives with the lack of human interactions, facing the computer in the cubicle everyday.



My suggestions is for Singaporean TV to either base their stories on experiences that we can no longer or did not experienced at all... cause afterall, we are all living out our dream in tv shows...

Answer 126

For any TV show to be as compelling, it simply has to be original, thought provoking and must relate to critical themes that viewers can identify with, within the local scene. New, talented and expressive actors (but not necessarily good looking ones) must grace the screen. Familiar faces will only obscure the integrity of newness. To be original the storyline cannot mimic overused themes, but must border on provocative social issues without implying a preferred view. To be thought provoking it must project, through strong characters a multiplicity of intense reactions to the unthinkable. It must also possess moments of lightness that may originate from the innocent demeanour of little children. Dialogues and 'silences' should be carefully crafted to reflect unspoken meanings giving greater depth to emotions. Emphasis should be placed on the quality of dialogues and not on the excessive reliance on props. Actors must be creative and not rely on known behaviour patterns. Compelling it will only be if the artists can loose themselves completely in their roles. For Singaporean shows to be as compelling, we must attempt to be as adept in understanding the uniqueness our own society, just as the Koreans are in theirs.

Answer 127

We need more heart wrenching story lines and artistes with more profound acting skills especially in facial expressions and body language. Though it is good to see dramas in Singapore incorporating local flavour in recent times, the audience becomes too familiar with the predictable storyline and hence will not be compelled to want to "follow or chase" the drama with excitement and anticipation.

Answer 128

You need the finances, investment in good multimedia equipment , time to shoot and re-shoot, good and ORIGINAL script from talented people, good scenery from Singapore and overseas, good actors and actresses (beautiful/handsome and with character and ability to act and portray the different nuanced emotions to tug at the heartstrings of Asian citizens) , committed background crew and a good director (import from Hong Kong movie industry) , good management from Mediacorp, sponsorship from companies. Marketing to overseas countries (eg. Chinese in USA, Europe, Hong Kong, China, Korea) will help with the aid of the government. There are so many ingredients to make a good TV show.

Answer 129

Erm....Erm....

Perhaps if the 'Singaporean TV shows with Singaporean TV stars' are produced in Korea,

it might capture the essence/compelling nature of Korean drama series when it is shown here in Sillypore...I mean Singapore!

좋은 날

( Good day in Korean)

Answer 130

The script must be heartbreaking. Especially if the lead actor and actress are always forced into circumstances and almost end up not being together, only to find that the actress contracted cancer and dies eventually, leaving the lead actor. So heartbreaking... And really good-looking hunks and heart-throbing pretty ladies helps. The bad guys/girls must be demanding, selfish, wilful and spoilt, to contrast the lead actor's/actress' pure and kind heart.

Answer 131

open up censoreship. let more show open up with lot more topic. We need creativity too in our script writing. Actors are okay with me but script writing really need to be work on. And anyone realise that most of the show now adays seen to be promoting either health care or mostly goverment stuff ? need to be more open up in singapore show. Our country are way below korea in term of local talenets and background so why not make the best out of the other factor as script ? with a strong script and good actors/actress, it not so bad after all to produce a really strong tv show.

Answer 132

2. Language

Answer 133

Firstly, we need to have a good storyline. Secondly, we need to develop characters with depth. Characters that allows the viewers to relate to and align themselves to. Thus the characters scripting is very important; perhaps stressing on human nature like good vs evil, strong vs weak, etc. Thirdly, good casts.



Having said that, I think that Singaporean TV shows have come a long way and they are pretty good generally.

Answer 134

Engage some Korean star, Singaporean TV show is not bad, but to Singaporean, things from overseas is always better, it is a mentality thing

Answer 135

singaporean tv shows not compelling meh? you know why korean drama series good? that's because only the good ones get exported out. i am sure that for every good one shown here, there are tons of Can't Make It ones... just like there are a few good singapore tv shows for all the so-so ones around.

Answer 136

For any show to be exciting, it should have the following;



1. Beautiful people (++ if sexy body).

2. Love, hate Relationship.

3. Violence - Killing/ Accidents.

4. Lots of $$$$ Money issues in the story.

5. Sex & More Sex.

6. Villian's & Hero's.

Answer 137

Easy. First you must put our Singaporean actors and actresses in a similar Korean script which is currently running popularly. Ask them to imitate their Korean counterparts. Then...You will see the difference. Haha.

Answer 138

Marketing is the umost important thing.How in this world do others know of any new products ? I think our shows do have some standard even though not the best and we are improving.Discover young talent and groom them.

Dubbed in different languages of high standard lip syncronisation.

Careful planning and subtantial marketing and advertisment to draw attention to our products.

Overall we do have good standard drama and not all foreign productions are good.

Answer 139

* D.Gray Man * Blue Exorcist * Yu-Gi-Oh season 0 * Baka to Test to * Black Butler * Naruto * Uraboku * Sgt. Frog * Needless * Kenichi: World's Mightiest Disciple * Soul Eater * Death Note * Kore wa Zombie Desu Ka? * Guilty Crown * Uta no Prince-sama * Ouran High School Host Club * Mobile Suit: Gundam Wing * Fullmetal Alchemist * Kaze no Stigma * Yu Yu Hakusho * Descendants of Darkness ( these are all anime )

Answer 140

I think what makes Korean dramas so compelling is their stars. Our local actors do not have the cool, suave appeal that women fantasize about.

Our actresses lack the petite statures that project fragility, that men want to protect. When male audiences catch them on the tube.

In general, our better looking actors/actresses lack the ability to speak clearly, are not natural enough in their acting or are simply old. Just look at Huang BiRen, Jamie Yeo and Fann Wong.



Also, instead of playing up their strengths by playing coy (for the ladies) and manly (for the gentlemens), we choose to cast beauties like Phyllis Quek as a fierce career woman, totally wasting her feminine appeal.

Korean women who appear fierce in comedies like 'My Sassy Girl' are appealing only because they are so petite, it is unbelievable, and they bring humour in their portrayals as tom boys. But when Singaporean actresses do it, they simply look like a typical Obasan.

We also lack actresses with sex appeal in the clean yet naughty sense, like Son Ye-jin. Our answer to such Korean actresses are just actresses with big boops or have made it to FHM. To me that is just too raw and not simply not enough.

As for the new blood we have been recruiting, those actors and actresses are just nice looking boy/girl-next-door. We need to actively seek out budding talents, not just take those who take part in tv shows that try to build stars.

Answer 141

Sub-contract the writing of TV show scripts to Korean drama writers.

Answer 142

What can i say....



Handsome and romantic (but no commitment) and another average joe (snag) Actors. Brillant villian stars (poeple you respect but love to hate). 2 beautiful lead actresses (1 charismatic and 1 damsel in distress) in a love entanglements as all of them tussle in cultural, biz, social and everyday settings.



All in all, complex yet everyday situations in script to draw audiences. the trick is to create the chemistry with all the roles and leave the audience wanting to know more of the result but can't tell who they will choose.



Even better... a audience decided script :p vote for your fave couple / pairing.



But honestly, no insult... s'pore actors/actress they lack the oooumph... no on screen chemistry which screams out i must watch so and so , he/she's simply great!



I vote johnny depp :p

Answer 143

Honestly, We can never reach that level. Our actors and actresses just do not have the level of exposure of experience. They tend to copycat from others or just stick to one acting style. Thats y when someone has been acting for too long, it gets boring. When someone new comes into acting, its exciting while it lasts.



We need to have our actors and actresses getting more exposure. Our scriptwriters need more experience from maybe the west. And honestly we need better looking people in show biz. Zoe Tay is good but is anyone been able to replace her.... I have my doubts. Till we re-look everything from the scriptwriters to the cameraman to the director to the actors and actresses, we really wont be able to reach anywhere.



Kamal

Answer 144

Singaporean tv can choose all beautiful actress and handsome actor so as to act like korean drama.

Answer 145

The actors and actresses must be bolder. Shows more character and engulf themselves into the character they r playing. I feel that local artists are afraid to venture further but kept themselves restricted to the script..like they have reservations or something..maybe it is due to our culture..(who says we r modernised and westernised fully ah??) For example in a romance or love story line, hardly can see the guy gazing into the gal's eyes, our artist just move on to holding hands, smile then..that's it!! Waiting for the camera to "fade away".....

Anyway, Korean drama makes it more meaningful with snow and all.... huh..uhuk..singapore want to shoot where ah?? Snow city?????

Answer 146

Singapore drama shows would need to spice it up in the romance thread especially in parts like beating all the odds to be together and storylines that portray pure love, friendship and tragedy



And of course..they need to find more handsome dreamy actors like Shin Hyun Joon

Answer 147

Lack of expressiveness of the actors and actresses in local shows. Korean stars have this ability to express fully the feelings of the role of the characters they are playing. In short, characters in korean drama display more sincerity than our local counterparts.

Answer 148

well... to be as compel as any other things in life we need to give the best in whatever things that we are into .Here we talking about a T.V. programme where its involves ELECTRONICS MEDIA AND PRINTED MEDIA most importantly in the promotion activities or whatsoever promotions that is related in making the programme SUCCESSFUL and HIGHLY-RATED . I defined that if only the MEDIA of all category combine effort it will sure make any programme happening e.g THE IDOLS SHOWS .... i believe the rating is high ,why ? but of course in every programme there is a budget loh...... depends on the budget allocated.

Answer 149

Why must we be "as compelling as Korean drama series"?? We shld hv our own style & 'smell' - as always been encouraged, isn't it?? Besides benchmarking against the 'best', in order to produce 'better shows' as believed, we can always review the 'highest viewed' produtions in the past, what was the 'selling pt' & learn from it?! But eventually, a 'gd show' depends highly on the viewer's mindset, if one who fixes their mind that foreign productions are the 'best' / 'better', SG shows will ALWAYS NEVER B the BEST. Just a sidenote to all: be more open-minded, hv at least abit of space in your heart/mind to be ready to accept the SG-productions...in this way we are giving a chance to our local productions & as well as giving 'outsiders' to recognise them, isn't it? :-)

Answer 150

Most Korean actors (the main one normally and sometimes the so called the "second man") are always good characters & handsome. When we watch them acting we will feel that its a very perfect relationship...someone who will endure the pain, go thru' all the hardship in order to get the girl's attention...very touching...they will cry so badly...very very different from our local actors...only shed little of tears...

Answer 151

Is all in the packaging. Not only must we have great actor/actress but the story written, the scenery behind, the prop around(sponsorship) and most of all the advertising must all be taken into consideration to attract the world market's attention.

Answer 152

May we can have a drama of Lee Kuan Yew and his role behind Singapore's 30-year of successful development.

Answer 153

They have alot of different love story behind each drama and it touches people heart. It also has alot of comedy scene and the guys are all so handsome. The storyline is not boring and it makes you want to watch it again and again. The country is a beautiful place and with beautiful scenary.

Answer 154

................. because of the beautiful scenery, 4 seasons to play with and candy eye guys and girls... aside that.



i think in Singapore, there need to be better storyline, new blood, look at kdrama, take for example, for GOONG, they have audition for new blood, director dares to take chances and look how popular JJH is now? and or Spring Waltz ( well... the storyline is really another topic).....they also audition for new stars... where as over here, they have the same face over and over again. its tiring for some 30 plus actor/actress to act as 20 something....



maybe the government can help to promote the stars, AGAIN...please not the same stars we currently have.. but then in korea with THAT big a population, you can find more talent. Singapore is small, thus harder...



Candy eye, candy eye..... storyline is important too.... makes me want to go to korea and eat again.....

Answer 155

Producer and script-writer must go for course to understand human mind, learn how to manipulate human feeling with sights and sounds and motivating story.



More natural actors need to be discovered from talent scouts, not from talents shows which can be fixed by finanncially rich voters.



And be original, tv viewers hate copy-cats shows.

Answer 156

Korean dramas are compelling?!



If anything, we should try and emulate American and/or British productions! And not always cater for the Ch 8 / Ch U audience.

Answer 157

The Cast and the language we use. Most of us uses Singlish and Chinlish. No one in singapore uses proper Mandrain anymore. How can actor or actress bring out the story and emotion when they are using language from Mars.

Answer 158

Our productions are ok, Malaysian and Chinese productions can be far worse, but we lag behind HK, Jap and Korean production.. the difference? Not quite the script as 90% of storylines, even the good ones, are recycled anyway, but SHOWMANSHIP!! Show some pride and produce something for the arts and not just the budget and you will see the results

Answer 159

1) Good story line - Things that happen in dreams, not in reality.

2) Beautiful scenery

3) With original soundtrack.

4) Lots of publicity

5) High budget

6) Preferably idols

Answer 160

Singapore market is very small comparing to Korea. As such, we must consider to have more new actor so that there will be more competition between actors.



We must also have good script. Without good script, got good actor also no use.



At time, we should jointly organised between Singapore actor and foreign actor so that they are able learn from others.

Answer 161

First, a first class script (get a Asian David Kelly), spiced with lots of realistic office / work place related politics (e.g. replace NKF for the "palace") are utmost. Second, have a pure cherubic sweet-hearted female lead (get a Norika Fujiwara lookalike) coupled chiseled good looking male co-star (get Ji Jin Hee himself!), and revolve the story around our hainan chicken (instead of sulphur duck !), spread it across 88 episodes, with 2 hr finale on CNY eve = Sure Receipe for Success

Answer 162

The storyline of the drama has to be more dramatic in certain ways, this is something which alot of people like about Korean drama.

Answer 163

1) have charismatic actors and actresses



2) have stories which speak of love commitments made since young and separated by love rivals when they grow up



3) to have the male lead crying like a baby for the female lead :) definitely heart wrenching...



4) something really romantic, not going to East Coast because it is so yesterday



FYI, Ann Kok is a very charismatic actress

Answer 164

The flim companies (targeting Singapore market) need to have more funds to support a Sing-Wood phenomena. This I mean a good script, crew, director (camera angle - so fixed & dead, look at the korean ones! ><), location/set, hyped product launches, comprehensive media coverage.

Answer 165

Another main issue is that local drama industry is so incestutous. It's very hard to new people to break in; very hard for people with no connections to get a foot in the door.

Answer 166

Money! Spore produced movies operate from low budgets. What do you expect? Want good movies?, don't talk Korean movie, Hollywood movie, need millions. In Spore can or not?



Wake up lah, we are in very small market, can't afford big budgets... Don't blame it on the Govt, lack of talent etc...



Korea market big, of course can throw in big bucks to produce better shows.

Answer 167

as singapore don't have much history as long as others, thus i would like the shows like nanyang and tou fu street as such to be re-shoot as to portray singapore style and culture. with the touching stories of early immigrants and lifestyle to capture the heart of oversea audience. but this has to be supported by local audience and viewers. the show must have even rich sorrowful content and cast the will of the striving good communities here vs the bad eggs (loan sharks; gang fight; racist... ) for eg the success story of singapore richest man story mr NG of UOB bank. the mustarfa story....

Answer 168

For a start get more new faces...... and if u compare the actors and actresses in korean drama.... they much much much more hotter than those typical lian lookalike artist on channel 8.... that would definitely create a better vibe....

Answer 169

Perhaps it was just a coincidence or accident.And maybe one day the korean drama and singapore will cooperate make more drama and also this is a challenge for anyone who was involve.

Answer 170

Singapore drama storey line had it own style, it show more local lifestyle and living. But, also come with some copys. That's may be the reson why ?

Answer 171

I prefer Japanese Dorama and HK series compared to Korean. And yesh, they ranked ahead of Local Productions.



I think its the entire difference in cultural, language, sights and actors dat makes them 'better' than local productions. My mum started me in HK series when I was still in diapers and it excited me since it was a different language and the actors are "STARS" unlike our singapore actors. The scenes and sights of a foreign country adds on the Umph factor especially since HK was the Pearl.



Japanese Dorama seeped into my life when I was a teenage and the main reason was the hunks with make-up, the sakuras and exotic (?!?) language they spoke. I aborted HK series totally and dived into the world of Japanese dorama (never left them).



Local Production like the Japanese and Hk series have their own gang of fans. I got friends from China who after watching our local production sends me email asking abt the local sights and 'Stars'.



And very much like ourselves, the japanese, koreans and resident of hong kong do not get caught up in their local production and stars. Many japanese are crazed over korean actors / actress / singers and vice versa.



I think overall, its the factor of 'foreign' that makes up most of the hype. If Mediacorp were to sign on a korean / japanese / hk star to starr in local production for 2 years, I believe whatever blinking stars will diminish with time after 'wear and tear'.

Answer 172

i guess korean dramas express alot of emotions..i have a colleage crazy about korean drama series and she tears everytime she watches a emotional part..

So Singapore TV shows need to come up more the the emotions..

Answer 173

It has got to be the storyline that reaallly tugs at the heartstrings! Actors and actresses here are pretty ok, so I think it's the story and the eventual camera editing that will make it work!

Answer 174

Find cuter actresses ^_^ Korean drama series are so popular because of cute actresses (one point out of 100 other reasons)

Answer 175

1. Engaging story line that revolves around the love story

2. Good music track that can evoke sentimental emotions of audience

3. Good looking hunk and babes

4. Good acting skills

5. Good production techniques

6. Good marketing, of course

Answer 176

More better emotions used.Follow Malay dramas first then Japanese then Korean.Singapore still need some time to develop before it can reach that height.

Answer 177

never...never......never ever...you have an old maid zoe something you called queen of the hill and another who is just good for fanning...have a look at your tv program while in singapore....they screamed for attention, acted cute and stupid and worst of all....believe they are good actors and actresses other than that guy with the British wife.....that singhee guy is a riot.....worst among the whole lot of bananas.......I think the pool of actors and actresses in your singapore local shows must be changed......another nightmarish freakoos are your two illiterate DJs .....that animal ong and his black sidekick dohi donk...your government allow that kind of rubbish insinuation on national radio?......

Answer 178

We need better script writers to write those silly but touching stories, just invite Maggie as consultant :)

Answer 179

I think is the story line 4 like 2 drag story and is all about love 4 singapore is more straight forward. haha i think so

Answer 180

Hire more korean actors or more korean lookalikes. Then get them to act in a show where his mother is actually not his mother, his father is actually his brother, his wife is actually his long lost sister who in turn was the one that killed his parents because he was the one that accidentally killed her parents which led her to revenge.

Answer 181

your ? very corporate type, looking for cheap answers. Like them asking people to join logo design contest than win 1st prize of $1k. See, a professional design house would charge them 20-30k for the logo.



So my aswer is, crack your own brain for your own promotion!

Answer 182

Others are always better. The Koreans might be asking the same questions about themselves.

Answer 183

we need to get the full support of all public audience regardless of races.



we must hav a better quality directors and those casts.



more public awareness are needed. Maybe involve the schools and instituitions

Answer 184

I dont see the point to compare. We are what we are. There are also some great tv show in sg and it dont mean that all korean show are great. Just like sg they happen to have some great show so its was shown in sg

Answer 185

See situations from the heart.....the drama series will be more compassionate. To bring out the best you have to sometimes show the worst also....Cheers!!

Answer 186

Korean drama series more dramatic and real

Answer 187

being a korean drama serial fanatic:



-cast have better fashion sense

-set is more adventurous and does not seem like a touris-ty if filmed overseas

-unique ending

-beautiful and apt background music

Answer 188

Environment and story lines play a part. Look at the environment is so beautiful.

Answer 189

singapore tv shows will nvr be as good. the standards are different. maybe we should try to catch up with taiwan and hongkong 1st before even thinking of korea

Answer 190

Less copycat More creativity ... sign up script writers on contract basis ... organise a series of SUPER contest to get super scripts, super casts, super directors, super tealady, super makeup, super-everything-u-name-it and super fan!



By then, everyone will be so engrossed in the super contest, no one's interested in 9pm shows anymore. ^_^

Answer 191

being more creative and add more feeling to your role is the key to be as compelling as Korean drama series?

Answer 192

Few simple facts:

- good scripts

- originality

- better looking actors / actresses; no deny, look sells

- bigger budgets (for better sets, better sceneries, etc)

- foreign talents (we have to admit that in order to interject our productions to higher levels, we need international exposure whether in terms of casts, directorships, scripting, etc).

Answer 193

it should be more tradition orientated .a mixture of deep remoted areas where traditions,culture, and the innocent emotion of deeply rooted rural belief should be incorporated to make it true natural with the traditional cultured values expressed in the shows.

Answer 194

We're lacking budget-wise. With a much bigger budget I'm sure you can get the best script-writers, better locations, more supporting actors... I guess it's just the money..

Answer 195

there should be snippets or little nuggets of interestng trivia about characters, about the settings, about events that are littered within the shows to be discovered by the avid viewers - this is so to make it easier for viewers to find some form of anchor to remember the show by.

Answer 196

http://www.nyfa.com/

http://www.theactingcorps.com/

http://www.academyart.edu/mpt/index.asp

There is plenty to learn in the field. Start with a clean slate. Unbiased mind learns faster and better. All the best wishes

Answer 197

Need to have fishing techniques, one minute, sad, next happy and out of the sudden friends became enemies and later lovers.

More dramatic.

Answer 198

Send our script writers overseas .... hell, they should really send the whole of TCS there ... have you seen the type of shows they produce ... to give you an example .. just look at they way they put on fake blood .. its exactly how it looks FAKE .... so my take is send them all for attatchments at least ... :D

Answer 199

Better art direction (picture perfect from scenes to costume). Memorable characters.

Answer 200

Cos there are many touching stories and that even their MTV are jus as touching, like "Kiss becos I'm a girl" and "127 days"

Answer 201

i think korean directors are all romantics. pure sappy romantics.

boy meets girl, something happens, boy loses girl, something happens, boy meets girl again.



Purely mushy, sappy, romance flicks. No wonder korea has the highest sexual activity rate, according to FHM/Men's Health.

Answer 202

It should have a great story, superb cast of actors and actresses, outstanding visuals, and a moving soundtrack.

Answer 203

details...details...."Da Chang Jin" won people because they is lots of details in "how to" cook and much more in medical knowledge. People do learn something from it and began to talk about it. Of course the somewhat "different" love story helps.

Answer 204

Import all the Korean foreign talent, what else?

Answer 205

use LOVE conquers after much hardships n bitterness.meaning to capture viewers sympathies n anger then make the viewers have a stronger yearning to see if justice is done... that simple:)

Answer 206

Get more 'crafted faces' to act in the series, more terminal illness which make the lead so helpless....

Answer 207

Have training classes for budding artistes, like those they have in Hong Kong's TVB.

Answer 208

Have good scenery as in Korea.

Have some good drama plots.

Answer 209

more good looking actors/actrees that can really act, not just look good. Scenery is important - real breath-taking scenery, rather than shopping centres; studio set-up houses.

Answer 210

Korean drama sucks!!!

Answer 211

Prolly more fake, more cosmetic surgeries for d actor and actresses in singapore?? *shrug*

Answer 212

We need a little more of budget and resources and a lot more of adventure and courage to grow.

Answer 213

They could hire different directors from all over the world and compare their ideas then, film them.Hope my answer helps!!!!!

Answer 214

More dramatic and more tears will do. 70% of those Korean show are so draggy.

Answer 215

How about less predictable story lines and more convincing acting?

Answer 216

Flexibility in choosing cast.

Answer 217

I think we need better looking people firstly... to drive the people watching crazy... and they may just end up watching for their stars... and we need great story lines!!!!!

Answer 218

the standard is already there, it is the local audiences/viewers' attitude towards local TV shows.

Answer 219

i think it is in terms of the culture, the way they talk, their dressing and the charm the actors and actresses have.

Answer 220

because Singapore needs WaTeR BADLY...and the problem cant be solved with just newater only...

Answer 221

Be like them, real sets...their actors act as thou their life depended on them.. that's you can see real life acting..

Answer 222

You're right, and I was wrong. Korea does have better TV.

Answer 223

It must be a case of language.

Answer 224

more eye candy and more weepy scripts. the weepier the better

Answer 225

we need good scripts and more talented actors and actress

Answer 226

Budget and star quality...

Answer 227

full korean casts

Answer 228

more tragic love stories, more crying and more fair skinned hunkemanias!

Answer 229

Add more tears & long-winded story line, and there we are...

Answer 230

no matter is good actor or good director this is not important.



A good script writer is more important...

Answer 231

Better plots, casts and libreralized language....it's all i asked for....

Answer 232

PASSION!!! Lot's of passion for acting.. and of yes.. good looks and figure.. :P

Answer 233

Have more cute & handsome actors :))

Answer 234

Cry every other min.

Answer 235

Use less 'Singlish'! and be more creative.



(I like Japanese drama...hehe)

Answer 236

I think we should learn to cry more! heh heh.

Answer 237

leave s'pore tv shows as it is..fr wat i see korean tv shows that s'porean love are all teary jerky...we dun want that on our tv.

Answer 238

better acting.. more REAL jokes....