VietNamNet Bridge - Giai Phong Film Company on Tuesday announced their TV productions will be screened at 11 a.m. from Thursday as part of the ‘golden hours for Vietnamese drama’ season on HTV.

The leading actors, in the TV series, Giai Ma Tinh Anh, Hoang Anh and Truong Quynh Anh, pose at the launch of the drama at Giai Phong Film Company in HCMC’s District 3.

 
The opening series is Giai Ma Tinh Anh (Decoding your love) but it might struggle to attract viewers as its allotted slot at 11 a.m is a tough sell on viewers.

Before when local channels, which were dominated by Hong Kong,

Chinese and Korean programs, showed Vietnamese dramas, they only had modest viewing figures.

However, when local authorities requested that local TV channels broadcast 50% of Vietnamese productions at prime viewing times such as 10 a.m., 8:30 p.m., 9 p.m. or 10:30 p.m., local viewers got fed up with the Vietnamese efforts.

Recently local media has claimed that even though Vietnamese dramas are increasing in number, their quality has been decreasing.

With the boom in the number of Vietnamese productions being filmed the numbers of directors, producers and actors are increasing and living standards are improving.

However, because producers are in a rush to get episodes onto the channels in time, they are only allowing themselves two or three days to film, or sometimes just 24 hours.

And of course the result is affected by these time constraints with Vietnamese viewers saying watching these dramas is like eating instant noodles – boring and predictable. They say the scripts are boring, the actors are like cardboard cut-outs and some scenes are not suitable with Vietnam’s conservative culture.

“Although 11 a.m. is a tough time to lure viewers and advertising, our company is committed to making good TV with our experienced production teams and famous actors,” said Nguyen Thai Hoa, general director of Giai Phong Film Company.

“It costs VND180 million for a 45-minute episode and it is always a race against time to complete an episode in two days. This doesn’t mean we work carelessly as we work professionally but the time factor is a hindrance,” said director Nguyen Xuan Cuong.

Nguyen Anh Xuan from HCMC Television, who is confident Gia Phong Film Company’s dramas will be a success, said: “The script is 50% of a drama’s quality. Therefore,

producers need to be clever and picky to choose a good script if they expect a series to be successful.”

He also added that, viewers are the main voice in deciding whether a drama series is a success or not.

“Directors need to give them new ideas, beautiful and clean scenes as well as a good story with spiritual values. It is like finding a good and nutritious dish for a daily meal,” he said.

If the TV dramas do not attract enough advertising, directors will try to put subtle advertising into the episode.

“Putting advertisements on during a drama is considered offensiveness to viewers if they are too clear and too showed off,” said Hoa.

Hoa hopes to turn the tough slot of 11 a.m. into the golden time for Vietnamese viewers by showing interesting dramas with a large volume of viewers. “However, the final judgment will come from the viewers when the first program comes on the screen on Thursday,” said Hoa.

After Giai Ma Tinh Anh comes Ngich Ly, Ban linh cong tu bot and Trai tim ben le.

Established in 1962, Giai Phong Film Company is a devoted part of the country’s cinematography with famous historical, documentary and cartoon features.

It has also participated in several international co-productions, including Tran Anh Hung’s Cyclo and most recently Philip Noyce’s highly-acclaimed remake of The Quiet American (2002).

Source: SGT