Seven Cliches for Aspiring Soap Writers
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Should a soap opera writer avoid cliché? Can he? The Chosun Ilbo asked seven top Korean drama writers about the rules for skirting -- and embracing -- the obvious.
1. You can show beautiful scenery from the rooftop.
Since the late 1990s, more protagonists have been poor and live in rooftop shacks. In reality, most people who are too poor to afford a decent home live in the basement, and the number of rooftop homes is declining as hillside villages disappear from cities. But rooftop homes are visually appealing. You can't move the camera around much in the basement, but from the rooftop there is some fine scenery to be shown.
2. Jilted wives turn into business big-shots.
A middle-aged woman is cheated on by her husband but her small restaurant or snack stall starts becoming a huge success thanks to words of mouth, and she finally becomes the owner of a huge company. Alternatively, she wins the top prize in a TV cooking contest. The cliché is used frequently because it allows for plenty of product placement. Sometimes two different dramas simultaneously use similar backgrounds and food.
3. Throwing water
When a wife and her husband's lover face off in the cafeteria, wife pours glass of water over lover and leaves. Sometimes they fight each other, but on the whole that's it. The cliche is halfway between argument and violence. Recently, there have been a lot of scenes where the water-throwing has been between boy and girlfriend.
4. PowerPoint presentations
Two competent male leads try to resolve their romantic rivalry with a multimedia presentation to executives. Projectors and the attentive faces of the audience are key ingredients in such a scene. This is a point where two pillars of soap, love and career success, meld in perfect harmony,
5. 'What is like me?'
The cliche has swept Korean drama. The hero is going through a period of emotional change, so the best friend says, "This isn't like you!" Then hero invariably answers, "What is like me?" These days, writers are trying to avoid the cliché, though younger writers are still tempted by the line.
6. The U-turn
The hero, deep in thought about something, is driving along in his car. Suddenly and with screeching tires he performs a U-turn, whether or not there is any traffic in the oncoming lane. The cliché is a wonderful way of visualizing a change of heart, and is therefore irresistible to writers.
7. Cinderella meets Prince Charming.
Where would we be without it? Poor but confident girl meets handsome man from rich family in a series of contrived incidents -- spilled drinks, swapped books, what have you. The rival, who is in every way more suitable, is the hero's ex-girlfriend or much liked by his family. She is mostly of bad character, studied overseas and belongs to the upper class.
1. You can show beautiful scenery from the rooftop.
Since the late 1990s, more protagonists have been poor and live in rooftop shacks. In reality, most people who are too poor to afford a decent home live in the basement, and the number of rooftop homes is declining as hillside villages disappear from cities. But rooftop homes are visually appealing. You can't move the camera around much in the basement, but from the rooftop there is some fine scenery to be shown.
2. Jilted wives turn into business big-shots.
A middle-aged woman is cheated on by her husband but her small restaurant or snack stall starts becoming a huge success thanks to words of mouth, and she finally becomes the owner of a huge company. Alternatively, she wins the top prize in a TV cooking contest. The cliché is used frequently because it allows for plenty of product placement. Sometimes two different dramas simultaneously use similar backgrounds and food.
3. Throwing water
When a wife and her husband's lover face off in the cafeteria, wife pours glass of water over lover and leaves. Sometimes they fight each other, but on the whole that's it. The cliche is halfway between argument and violence. Recently, there have been a lot of scenes where the water-throwing has been between boy and girlfriend.
4. PowerPoint presentations
Two competent male leads try to resolve their romantic rivalry with a multimedia presentation to executives. Projectors and the attentive faces of the audience are key ingredients in such a scene. This is a point where two pillars of soap, love and career success, meld in perfect harmony,
5. 'What is like me?'
The cliche has swept Korean drama. The hero is going through a period of emotional change, so the best friend says, "This isn't like you!" Then hero invariably answers, "What is like me?" These days, writers are trying to avoid the cliché, though younger writers are still tempted by the line.
6. The U-turn
The hero, deep in thought about something, is driving along in his car. Suddenly and with screeching tires he performs a U-turn, whether or not there is any traffic in the oncoming lane. The cliché is a wonderful way of visualizing a change of heart, and is therefore irresistible to writers.
7. Cinderella meets Prince Charming.
Where would we be without it? Poor but confident girl meets handsome man from rich family in a series of contrived incidents -- spilled drinks, swapped books, what have you. The rival, who is in every way more suitable, is the hero's ex-girlfriend or much liked by his family. She is mostly of bad character, studied overseas and belongs to the upper class.
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