Where are the good screenwriters?: Too much quantity, not enough quality

Vietnamese screenwriters are considered to have a lot of enthusiasm and passion but have not developed to match the potential and needs of the market.

While TV dramas are flourishing and movies are also returning after a difficult period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Vietnamese screenwriting market has not changed much to keep up with the market's development.

No chance to experience

Some young writers today struggle to get by on sitcoms on YouTube, TikTok, or a few episodes on TV and other paid platforms. They join small teams of a few established writers to write a certain number of episodes of a TV series following the direction set by the team leader.

The job can bring them a more stable income than being independent, but it is also a "double-edged sword" that greatly affects their future professional training. At the same time, it is also difficult for them to build a name to create trust and create an image for the manufacturer.

"Many young screenwriters are struggling with their careers, so they are willing to lower the price of their work in the hope that cheap producers will use it. Their price reduction makes the already low-paid screenwriter market even lower. If producers use low-priced scripts, the output quality of the work will be difficult to improve," screenwriter Kim Ngoc analyzed.

Biên kịch giỏi đang ở đâu?: Thừa lượng, thiếu chất - Ảnh 1.

The film “The Glory” - the work of “golden screenwriter” Kim Eun-sook - impressed audiences around the world , including Vietnam. (Photo provided by Netflix)

It must be affirmed that screenwriters who have had their works broadcast or released to audiences and have a name in the industry have better salaries, but their numbers are not much compared to the general needs of the industry.

This is also the reason why many producers complain that there are not many good scripts to choose from. Those who can write well are busy with many personal projects and have relationships with producers and TV stations to have projects to continuously produce. Young people can only struggle with small projects, without the opportunity to experience, practice, and learn the profession.

In the film industry, with high-budget productions costing tens of billions of dong, producers do not easily trust other screenwriters. Vietnamese producers and directors often choose to take on the role of screenwriter or edit a lot from a script and be named co-screenwriter. The number of Vietnamese screenwriters who can maintain their position in the film industry can be counted on one hand and replaced by directors who are also screenwriters. This makes the number of Vietnamese screenwriters scarce and difficult to find, causing the film market to lack diversity and have no distinct style.

Distance to the area

The Vietnamese film market is developing but is still considered to be far behind regional markets such as Korea, China, and Thailand. In Korea, both television and film are developing strongly, and the "golden screenwriter" force has appeared for a long time with many achievements and works that have impressed audiences.

Typically, screenwriter Kim Eun-sook, who created the series "The Glory" (Glory in Hatred) which reached number 1 when it was broadcast on Netflix globally, causing a stir with international audiences, is also one of Korea's "golden screenwriters". Previously, Kim Eun-sook was behind the success of the films: "Descendants of the Sun", "Secret Garden", "Goblin", "Mr. Sunshine"...

Before the resounding success of "Glory", Kim Eun-sook received a salary of nearly 2 billion VND per episode, not inferior to Korean star actors. Besides Kim Eun-sook, Korea also has Park Ji-eun - the scriptwriter of "My Love from the Star", "Crash Landing on You"... - with a salary of more than 2 billion VND per episode; Kim Soo-hyun - the screenwriter of "Mother's Wrath" - also has a salary of more than 2 billion VND per episode; Park Hye-ryun - the screenwriter of "I hear your voice", "Pinocchio"... - with a salary of more than 1 billion VND per episode.

In China, a series of "golden screenwriters" include Yu Zheng, Gu Man, Mo Bao Fei Bao, Qian Xiaobai, Wang Yihan, Xu Xiaolin... Some of them started out as online writers with excellent works, loved by readers and then had the copyright purchased to be adapted into films.

They also take on the responsibility of writing the screenplays for their adaptations. Among them, Vu Chinh stands out with historical dramas: "Story of Yanxi Palace", "Palace", "Beauty in the World"...; Vu Chinh has received many awards for screenwriting and his films have also created a separate audience.

The "golden screenwriter" force is considered important by insiders in the film market because they are the names that contribute to creating works that conquer the public. Any film industry with many "golden screenwriters" proves that the film industry is developing strongly. However, to have "golden screenwriters" is not easy and in the Vietnamese film market, it seems very difficult if there are no solutions to support.

Vietnamese screenwriters still have many limitations such as no support from companies, no product outlets, small and fragmented operations, no association or organization for screenwriters to protect them..." - screenwriter and director Kay Nguyen acknowledged.

(To be continued)

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