“There is a saying ‘don’t invest in the project, do invest in screenwriters’”, said Park Jae-Beom, screenwriter of several well-known K-dramas, including Vincenzo, The Good Manager and The Good Doctor, which has been remade in the US, Turkey and Japan.
Park shared his experiences as a veteran screenwriter and his perspective on Thai content at the ‘Seminar on Script writer development to increase the value of the creative content industry’, organised by Thailand’s Professional Qualification Institute, The Human Resources Development Service of Korea (HRDK) and Korea Creative Content Agency (KOCCA) at the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre on May 19th, 2023.
He revealed that, in Korea, the majority of the production budget in drama goes to the writer. “It is an incredibly high investment, but most production companies believe that they will get what they pay for. It is because the more they pay for the story, the greater the chance for the content to be a success”.
The highly paid screenwriters will try their best to achieve their potential. It is a great responsibility and this has proved to be true in K-content cases.
“If you don’t fertilise your tree, it will not grow”, he added.
The cultivation of content creation talent
KOCCA, a government agency under the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, plays a vital role in cultivating the content creators by providing them with 6-7 months of training, plus living expenses. This training program is popular and has become very successful. Those well-trained creators can actually work in the content industry.
“The story is the essence of every piece of content and we need the best story, which can connect to business”, said Park Woong Jin, director of KOCCA Thailand.
KOCCA also organises screenwriting contests, to stimulate new content creators and provide story matching between creators and producers.
Their purpose is to increase the competitiveness of content companies, therefore the services cover all elements of the production process, depending on the demands of the industry.
“What we do, first of all, is to identify what the industry is demanding. What kind of support do they want from the government, for example, what does a production company want? If they are looking for a story, then we provide them with the story”, said Park Woong Jin.
Founded in 2009, KOCCA oversees and coordinates the promotion and increases exports by the Korean cultural content industry, with an operational budget of $485.1 million in 2023, an increase 14% from the previous year.
Korean content exports rank 7th in the world. The industry has become a major contributor to the country’s exports, generating US$12.45 billion in 2021. How they got to that point is the result of the country’s strategy to become the world’s leading exporter of popular culture and the collective efforts of the government and private sectors.
The director of KOCCA Thailand pointed out that, as far as business is concerned, there is always high risk, high return. KOCCA is not focusing on the income, because money will go to the business operators and all of them want high returns.
“KOCCA will take those risks for them. There have been some failures, but KOCCA’s job is to foster those content companies, to ensure that they will survive and grow”.
He added that “failure is as important as success. We fall then rise and fight again”.
The future of Thai content
“The Good Doctor” creator admitted that, when he watches some Thai adverts, he cries. He personally admires Thai advertising creators, many stories are truly emotional.
“If you watch those adverts and you don’t cry, it means that you have a heart of stone”, Park Jae-Beom said.
Other genre in which he believes Thailand has the potential to go global are horror movies, because Thai horrors film are simply the best. The Korean screenwriter analyses the elements that could make Thailand the next global sensation in Asia, which include diverse cultures, unique and mysterious religions, numerous myths and legends and talented and skilled people.
“Unlike South Korea, where there are limited resources, all of our success comes purely from our effort. Thailand is rich in resources and has lot of the elements required for success, but the government needs to support the industry”.
Park agreed that there must be professional standards for screenwriters in Thailand, as well as a system in place to guarantee that the writer’s intentions are carried through.
