Vietnamese films address current events in a 'hot' way.

Exploring the dark side of modern life with "hot" topics such as online fraud, recruitment for "easy jobs with high salaries," cryptocurrency pyramid schemes, and high-tech crime, Vietnamese films and television series are creating diversity to meet the viewing needs of audiences.

BIG GAMBLE

The film " Money Trap" confronts viewers with a disturbing reality: victims of cybercrime are no longer an unfamiliar sight. These could be young people struggling financially, office workers seeking extra income, parents scrambling for money for their children, or anyone dreaming of a quick change in their lives… Meanwhile, " Blood Paradise " exposes another version of the "digital age trap": enticing offers of overseas employment with attractive salaries, stable lives, and bright futures…, thus realistically portraying the tragedy of victims falling into the trap of disguised labor export: exploitation, imprisonment, deprivation of freedom, and gradual loss of self.

Currently airing television series such as "The Line and the Trang An Firewall" also continue the theme of warning about high-tech crime with stories about cryptocurrencies, fraudulent exchanges, multi-level marketing seminars, "risk-free investment" schemes, and personal information theft…

Lien Binh Phat in the movie Money Trap

PHOTO: DPCC

As the screenwriter of the film "Trang An Firewall ," Lieutenant Colonel Vu Liem, Deputy Director of the People's Police Film Department, believes that while "hot" current events are attractive topics and of public interest in real life, they are rarely explored in depth on screen. This stems from many reasons, but mainly relates to censorship, production risks, and pressure to maintain topicality. Among these, censorship ranks first. Hot issues such as corruption, land disputes, and complex social conflicts often require very careful consideration of perspective and message. Films must ensure proper guidance, avoid misunderstandings, or negatively impact the image of specific agencies or organizations. Therefore, producers fear policy risks that could lead to production being halted midway or not being granted broadcasting licenses, resulting in financial and labor losses. Next are the challenges of topicality and production schedules. A television series typically takes 6 months to a year (or more) to complete, from scriptwriting to post-production. By the time the series airs, the topical issues explored may have cooled down or new developments in real life may have occurred, reducing audience interest.

Furthermore, trending topics are often associated with large-scale settings (police stations, hospitals, crime scene investigations, high-tech workspaces), requiring greater investment in setting, props, special effects, and specialized personnel.

"Although appealing, not all hot topics easily attract advertisers. Given this situation, producers tend to choose safer topics with less time risk, such as family dramas and romantic comedies, because they are more universal and easier to attract viewers during prime time. In short, making films about hot current events is a big gamble, requiring dedication, enthusiasm, talent, and policy support to overcome the obstacles," said Mr. Vu Liem.

Avoid dogma, as it diminishes appeal.

Oscar Duong, director of the film "Money Trap ," shared with Thanh Nien newspaper : "Considering the general audience's tastes and preferences, the film's subject matter is somewhat more difficult to approach compared to some other topics. Our team considered this issue but decided to pursue it to the end, hoping to create a novel and engaging form of entertainment and contribute to raising public awareness about fraud."

Director Oscar Duong said that the script for "Money Trap" received advice from various sources to ensure the film's authenticity. "The film crew invested in designing a real application. The actors also received thorough workshops, with specific explanations of specialized terminology in the script so they could perform their best. We organized weeks of discussions among the cast about all the scenes in the script," the director shared.

Quang Tuan and Hoai Lam in the movie Blood Paradise

PHOTO: MANUFACTURER

Regarding the challenges faced by screenwriters of crime films, Mr. Vu Liem stated that the technical complexity of this subject matter is immense, but not all general audiences fully understand information technology. Therefore, the challenge is to find ways to transform this complexity into details that are engaging for viewers.

"We 'artisticized' many situations during the scriptwriting process, turning them into dramatic and relatable scenarios. At the same time, we had to balance the necessary technical jargon with everyday language so that the audience wouldn't be overwhelmed or lose connection with the story. Furthermore, we had to create appeal in the film through realistic situations while minimizing the revealing of professional practices," said screenwriter Vu Liem.

"Using material from real-life cases like the 'Mr. Pips' case is both an advantage in terms of authenticity and a challenge in terms of information processing to ensure operational confidentiality and avoid revealing investigative methods. We all know that films are not just for entertainment but also carry the mission of warning society about common online scams. This requires the script to cleverly incorporate the message, avoiding dogmatism that diminishes its appeal," added the Deputy Director of the People's Police Film Department.

Thanhnien.vn

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/phim-viet-nong-nhung-van-de-thoi-su-185251202205956841.htm