I would like to know what determines a popular culture, especially a national culture that could affect the whole of Asia, and maybe the world. How does a country affect another country, since the other country have their very own beliefs and culture? Take for example the Korean Wave.
They have made used of their film industry as communication tool to the world. Films are dream factories, they conjured dreams that receiver like us wished it were possible that it may happen to us. Korean films were able to do that successfully. They took a dream or a wishful scenario and injected that scene into the characters’ also mundane everyday life. Korean film gave the viewers a hope, a chance, a belief that it could happen to them, as so it seems, they have similar characteristics as the characters on the shows, which is the use of “soft power” as persuasive communication.
A dream does not make up a film. Other platforms like props, the genre and the actors also help boost viewership. The narrative of the film is able to naturalise the scenario for the viewers to relate to, and thus, adding value to the ideologies behind the film. Every film has an ideology behind it. Be it a meaningful ideology from a documentary like ‘The Cove’ or a persuasive underlining ideology like ‘The Devil wear Prada’.
Korean and Japanese dramas are based on facts of similar modern temporality in real life, where we faced with scenarios of urban consumerism, western influences, pursuing the same dreams and aspiration. It gives viewers the empowerment that if the character of the show could have the power to overcome any obstacles that came his/her way, chances of it happening to them is high.
Dramas like these are able to tap on viewers emotions easily, due to the realisation of the similar background stories that the viewers could relate to with the character. These dramas are usually popular with the female audiences, since female are brought up with notions that there are always a prince to come sweep her off her feet, a step mother that stops her from pursuing her dreams and a fairy tale ending, from the western fairy tale books we read when we were younger.
Therefore Asian dramas are usually ends with a fairy tale ending, in an urban layout. They all share the similar plots. The main characters would face a problem that hindered his/her career and love life just at the peak of his/her life. Whilst he/she goes through the trials and tribulations, he/she finds will power and empowerment to continue to ‘work hard’ to get where he/she later succeeds with: a love life and a dream career. The plot is overused and will always be used again and again as this is the very plot that we are all brought up with: with the education we have, we aimed at our dream careers and have a prince/princess to live with, happily ever after.
No movie/film/drama is actually about stories of failure, of course unless it is a documentary and info-documentary, but yet although most documentaries tries to give light to the real truth and realisation of what is happening to us, viewers is given the option to choose to watch and accept their plots, or still be ‘trap’ in the dream-like scenario sheltered by the drama/film/movies made just for them.
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