[Drama chat] PDs you know and love
by missvictrix
There’s nothing like a well produced and well directed drama. If you’re lucky, its excellence will stick with you long after the drama has ended, even when the actual plot line may have disappointed. And while dramaland usually veers more toward being story and acting talent centric, there are so many great PDs that just know how to handle a story, a scene, and a moment, and make it come alive on screen.
While I’d argue dramaland is brimming with very capable PDs, it isn’t as easy for their individual styles to come out as much as it might in film, say, where there is more room to be interpretive. K-dramas operate under a lot of genre “rules” (be this stylistic techniques, storytelling tropes, or broadcasting regulations), which — to me — makes the amount of creativity and interpretation we do see in dramas quite laudable. It’s one thing to be creative when you have free rein. It’s another to be creative when you have a structure in place, and you have to work inside of it. *Kudos*
Who are some of your favorite PDs and why? What do you love about their work?
Let the chatting begin!
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Tags: Drama Chat
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1 Blue (@mayhemf)
September 3, 2023 at 5:23 AM
Ahn Pan Seok
Secret love affair, heard it thought the grapevine, something in the rain and one night spring. I have always liked the visual storytelling in these dramas. And SLA continues to be my favorite to this date.
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kiara
September 3, 2023 at 6:44 AM
PD Ahn Pan Seok is my ultimate favorite.
I followed his work after watching "WHITE TOWER" in 2007.
-A Wife's Credentials
-The End of The World
-Secret Love Affair
-Heard it Through the Grapevine
I worried he'd lost his magic in "Something in the Rain." "One Spring Night" was an improvement with the newer writer, but I'm dying for a reunion with writer Jung Sung-joo. They were my favorite PD/writer duo.
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Blue (@mayhemf)
September 3, 2023 at 7:46 AM
Saw what we may about the rain drama but the first half was brilliant. The scenes of the apartment corridor, the intimate apartment scenes were all so beautifully shot and captured. They are just so memorable.
Agree about the duo, they work wonders together.
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wonhwa
September 3, 2023 at 7:50 AM
I'm going to be contrarian here and say that I'm really not a fan of Ahn Pan Seok's work. His directing style is very precise and controlled, but I find it claustrophobic after awhile, and there's a deep cynicism about human nature that runs through all of his shows that I find off-putting.
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Midnight
September 3, 2023 at 8:06 AM
This is very interesting. I found One Spring Night very stifling, I didn't know it could be because of the director's style.
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wonhwa
September 3, 2023 at 9:57 AM
I've found this true of his shows regardless of who the screenwriter was, so it seems to be specifically a directing choice.
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
September 3, 2023 at 3:49 PM
He tends to choose stories about women being stifled by social conventions and tradition, I wonder how he'd go doing a different kind of story and how his direction would work then.
But this comment reminds me of PD Park Hyun-suk who did the hugely underrated Just Dance and the second season of Forest of Secrets and is a master at nailing this feeling of social claustrophobia.
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kiara
September 3, 2023 at 4:30 PM
Based on "Infectious Disease," he did "End of the World" in 2013. A novel by Bae Young-ik. It's not a genre I would describe as beautiful, but how he filmed, it felt epic and beautiful. It's too bad it didn't come out during Covid. More people would've seen it then.
"BEHIND THE WHITE TOWER" was a medical drama with politics done right. A big hit for MBC. His dramas are dang realistic I wonder why he hasn't done a sageuk yet.
Blue (@mayhemf)
September 3, 2023 at 4:41 PM
Great call out on Just Dance... I didn't know it was the same PD in FoS2.
I do like that these shows go deeper into the korean social issues , which I truly appreciate.
@kiara I want to watch these old shows. How I wish I could get access to these. I have heard about 'white tower'.
kiara
September 3, 2023 at 4:59 PM
@mayhemf
MBC did a rerun on "WHITE TOWER" for its 15th anniversary. I heard the rating was better than the current show at the time.
Unfortunately, we must go to the bad side if we want to watch old shows. 😥
wonhwa
September 3, 2023 at 5:18 PM
I understand "why" he does it but I have a hard time watching entire shows filmed that way. There were parts of Secret Love Affair that I liked, but it felt like he was afraid to ever cut loose, even when the characters began to. Also, everyone who wasn't Kim Hee Ae or Yoo Ah In was universally loathsome, which I found annoying. @kiara End of the World was the first show of his that I watched, and it's one of the rare shows that I actively hated - I never thought a show would make me root for a virus to kill off every character, but boy, that one did. I also felt that its central message that people will turn on each other in an instant in a time of crisis was wildly at odds with what actually happened during the Covid epidemic. Yes, things ultimately got contentious and politicized, but in the early weeks and months there was a remarkable sense of unity and compassion, at least in my community.
kiara
September 3, 2023 at 5:30 PM
@wonhwa
It's all good! It's perfectly fine to have varying opinions on dramas.
LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
September 3, 2023 at 3:47 PM
PD Ahn used to be one of my favourite PDs, especially after Secret Love Affair, which was truly a piece of art. But I was disappointed in both Something in the Rain and One Spring Night (to a lesser degree), particularly around his use of music.
It was kind of amazing that I used to say his use of music was the thing I most loved about his shows. But then I guess it all mostly relates to Secret Love Affair, which was extraordinary. Still, despite my disappointment, he is still by far one of the best.
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Blue (@mayhemf)
September 3, 2023 at 4:43 PM
I quite liked 'One night Spring'. The music didn't bother me as much as SITR.
But yeah, with SLA he set the bar too high.
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
September 3, 2023 at 4:45 PM
No the music in OSN wasn't as bad as Pretty Noona but it was still an issue. I still think OSN was an attempt by him to remake Pretty Noona in a way that wouldn't make viewers want to stab themselves
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Blue (@mayhemf)
September 3, 2023 at 4:54 PM
Yup, OSN was just his apology for making SITR.. or it seemed so, especially the casting choice of the mother. I do wonder if it was deliberate and pre-planned.
kiara
September 3, 2023 at 5:10 PM
He has a group of regular collaborators, like Kim Hee Ae. I've heard he treats his team well, and they enjoy working with him.
I'm not sure if he still runs Drama House for JTBC. It seems to have given him casting power.
Kurama
September 4, 2023 at 12:07 AM
I dont' agree.
I think it was more they really liked to work together on SITR and it's why some actors did both dramas, even SYJ's name was mentionned at the beginning.
The PD's style suited the writing.
SITR was really well welcomed in Korea.
kiara
September 4, 2023 at 11:17 AM
That's okay, but 3 or 4 actors in SITR have worked with the PD before, and that's my point. He has actors in his dramas more than once because they like working with him.
2 Ahjummaaa
September 3, 2023 at 5:28 AM
I'd have to say Ahn Gil-Ho really impressed me with his work on Stranger, Happiness, and Rooftop Prince. This guy has aesthetic and knows what camera shots and angles look the most natural and cinematic at the same time. His work helps immerse you in the story and also makes it a visual feast. I love the choices of locations and shots. Think of the opening scenes in Stranger, the shots in the car, the streets, and the house as the lead makes his way to the house. It's mesmerizing in a way that you almost don't notice. His work is so good and yet low-key that you don't even notice the camera. You just get caught up in the drama. So I haven't even thought of looking up the director because he's so successful at making the camera disappear, which is the goal of directing. (I didn't want to heap such high praises because of his ill-timed scandal about past bullying/violence episode during student days that came out ironically during The Glory)
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darwi
September 3, 2023 at 10:39 AM
Memories of the Alhambra is also very nicely filmed.
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Diana Hansen
September 3, 2023 at 2:49 PM
I am not familiar with PD's in general but I must say I do like this one based on the 3 dramas you mentioned and how you describe his work!
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I ♥️ bad dramas
September 3, 2023 at 10:30 PM
WATCHER too. Not only is the drama and story amazing, the fight choreography and how they were shot were truly impressive. I generally fast forward fights scenes, but here I kept rewatching.
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3 Linarrick
September 3, 2023 at 5:51 AM
Shin Won-ho, I said this before but Shin Won-ho is a PD who has this uncanny ability to spot talented actors and also bring out their best performances. He has never let me down and I always trust him! But I beg you please please do another instalment in the ANSWER ME series! We need to spotlight new talent and yes I selfishly want an ANSWER ME 2002 okay?! Bring on the nostalgia and the fan wars and the love triangle to end all triangles!
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PYC
September 3, 2023 at 6:41 AM
I want another Hospital Playlist! His Playlist / Playbook Series are just as great as his Answer / Reply Series.
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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
September 3, 2023 at 7:48 AM
I think when there was a rumour about Hospital Playlist the training years using other actors they confirmed that they were making a new drama that was unconnected to Hospital Playlist. I am not sure when it is due out but I am up excitedly waiting for it to come out. I already know that I will love it. How can everything he makes work so well?
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4 Minnie🫘👩🏻🚀Pioneer and Teacher 👩🏻🏫🌱🏹
September 3, 2023 at 5:51 AM
From the ones that I watched, the stand outs are:
Ahn Gil-Ho: Happiness (though despite all its hype, The Glory was not his best work)
Kim Yoon Jin: Our Beloved Summer (it has to take someone truly special to turn a wafer thin story into a piece of art)
Lee Jae Hun: Run On - this is a classic example of a series beautifully directed, and I as a viewer almost fell asleep through; Goes to show that at the end of the day, conecting to the actors remains as important as script and direction.
Kim Hyeong-Sik Under the Queen's Umbrella. One word - brilliant!
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Seon-ha
September 3, 2023 at 7:52 AM
I also thought about Run On when reflecting on this prompt, especially the drone shots of Im Si-wan running alone at the shoreline on that boardwalk. Soporific or not...this was a beautifully shot drama!!
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wonhwa
September 3, 2023 at 7:57 AM
I haven't watched most of Ahn Gil-Ho's shows, but his ability to build and sustain narrative tension in Stranger was exceptional.
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Ahjummaaa
September 3, 2023 at 9:11 AM
well said!
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Ahjummaaa
September 3, 2023 at 9:16 AM
Happiness was gorgeous, wasn't it? I think that drama was the aha! moment that made me look up the director and make the connection between him and other past works that I enjoyed including Stranger and also Memories of the Alhambra.
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Minnie🫘👩🏻🚀Pioneer and Teacher 👩🏻🏫🌱🏹
September 3, 2023 at 12:11 PM
Absolutely. I still marvel at how a purported zombie movie could be so beautiful. Each frame was work of art. The panoramic shot of the four of them having lunch on the terrace, the proverbial calm before the storm, was breathtaking. Or the expansive apartment with all its expensive eclecting things breaking the monotony of the apartment living and giving us a lifesize peek into crazy in a different way. Or the angle of the camera when Yi Hyun loses his shit over Ju-Hyung after the phone incident was brilliant. The most amazing thing was each Zombie was captured by the camera humanely, making us empathise with their flight rather than abhor them.
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5 jerrykuvira
September 3, 2023 at 6:48 AM
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6 jerrykuvira
September 3, 2023 at 6:51 AM
PD Shin Won-ho (Hospital Playlist 1&2). Hospital Playlist had some very long episodes. A few towards the end spanned two hours. It's very easy to get lost in two hours and lose attention even in the presence of excellent writing. I like this PD for being able to keep my attention for 2 hours.
To the PD's who gorgeously shot their dramas:
Queen Seondeok
Little Women - The blue orchard growing in the building.
Lies Hidden In My Garden.
Bloody Heart.
Extraordinary Attorney Woo. The episode where Young-woo's mom meets Young-woo and immediately her world(Young-woo's mom) turns around her to depict how affected she was by meeting Young-woo.
My Dearest.
You Are My Spring.
Call It Love?
To the PD's who captured nice kisses:
Call It Love?
You Are My Spring.
Her Private Life.
Alchemy of Souls.
My Dearest. This one could have done better.
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Ahjummaaa
September 3, 2023 at 8:51 AM
I'm so glad you mentioned Extraordinary Attorney Woo because it reminds me of the "extraordinary" scene when the male lead is walking the female lead back to her apartment (?) at night, and along the hallway, the light is blinking on and off, perfectly timed to the story progression. It was so magical and creative!
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7 Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
September 3, 2023 at 6:52 AM
Shin Wonho for the win: Reply series, Hospital Playlist and Prison Playbook all of which are represented in my top 10 dramas of all time.
Lee Sangyeob: Yumi’s cells, My holo love, Familiar wife, Shopping King Louis
Nam Sungwoo: My Lovely Liar, Weightlifting fairy, 100 days my prince, Love in contract, My room mate is a Gumiho
Lee Dongyoon: Race if he was the one directing those transitions and the whole feel of that drama that would be enough but he also did; She would never know and 20th Century Boy and Girl both of which I enjoyed. I am trying to finish The Queens Classroom which is another one of his but it is quite dark in it’s content so I am struggling and easily distracted with ANY other drama.
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wonhwa
September 3, 2023 at 7:53 AM
I haven't seen most of Lee Sangyeob's shows, but the visual storytelling in My Holo Love was gorgeous.
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8 beantown
September 3, 2023 at 7:33 AM
PD Ahn Pan seok for the win! For dramas that linger years after their first watch, and that reveal more with each subsequent viewing
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9 Seon-ha
September 3, 2023 at 7:39 AM
In general, I’d say that I operate under the assumption that the work of the PD is not “supposed” to rise the level of my conscious notice. Now that I’ve typed that sentence out, though, I’m not quite sure where that assumption came from. So, my contribution here will center on a few times where I felt that I proactively noticed and appreciated the striking visual decisions made by the production team. That is to say, those times that I was struck by the visual structure and tone of what was happening rather than the plot. This does therefore constitute a moment where I was thrown out of the drama...but when I also felt it was worth it.
Note: Here's a link to a Fan Wall post with example images from the dramas I mention below that attempt to show what I can only say in this venue.
The first drama that springs to mind is Search WWW, which had a pair of PDs (Jung Ji-Hyun and Kwon Young-Il). This drama repeatedly utilized wide-shots, punctuated by vertical dividing lines that visually separated characters and horizontal walls that entrapped them (sometimes at the same time) to demonstrate both physical and emotional distance as well as the behavioral restriction of the characters. These shots were frequently noticeable, beautiful and effective for me. Once established, these environments then served ably as the home for whatever stage action needed to happen at that moment and would then change and evolve with the dialogue.
The second is Call It Love, whose PD is again listed as two people—Lee Gwang-Young and Kim Ji-Yeon, with the latter also contributing to the screenplay. Here, all who have seen it will probably know the aesthetic decision that I was drawn to: The Rosy Tint. Plenty of people hated the pink filter that suffused the light (to greater and lesser degrees) throughtout this drama. I was in the camp with those (like @leetennant who appreciated it for the layers of meaning it suggested to this complex and beautiful series of love stories.
Finally, believe it or not, I’ve been enjoying some of the decisions being made by the PD of My
LittleLovely Liar. In the recaps, some of us keep saying variations on, “I don’t need a plot...this drama is just so pretty!!!” And quite a bit of that is surely due decisions made by the whole production team, meaning the PD (Nam Sung-woo) for sure, but also the set and costume designers. Also, the actors are simply beautiful. I feel that even the ones who are not traditionally attractive are given loving attention by the camera. The particular shots that I’ve really noticed here, though, are the ones where I can almost see the storyboards in my mind’s eye. The faces of the characters will appear suddenly and alone in the center of the frame,...Required fields are marked *
Seon-ha
September 3, 2023 at 7:40 AM
[...]The faces of the characters will appear suddenly and alone in the center of the frame, surrounded by a soft haze that makes everything else seem unimportant.
All of this said, creating a drama is such a massive undertaking that I’m not even sure if these things I noticed can really be attributable to the one or two people named the PD. I gather their work is a lot more like artistic CEO than "singular creative genius" or the like. But maybe I'm basing that opinion more on my experience watching Be Melo than any factual understanding of the business of producing Korean dramas... Nevertheless! Here’s also to the 100s of other folks who make these fascinating visual spectacles come to life!!
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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
September 3, 2023 at 10:34 AM
🫘Beansprout🌱 for providing links to the beautifully presented examples that go with this excellent piece of prose.
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
September 3, 2023 at 4:02 PM
Oh thanks for tagging me in!
I'm also of the opinion usually that good directing and acting is unnoticeable mostly - a lot of people mentioned the first season of Forest of Secrets and that's a great example where you were drawn into the story without even realising how and why - but also I think I've come to really appreciate the meticulously crafted frames of artists like Bong Joon-ho (admittedly in film) and Greta Gerwig (not drama, not even Korean but I think I have to mention her because, regardless of anything else, Barbie is a directorial masterpiece and this needs to be said as much as possible).
I find it interesting that in Korea the PD does a mix of both directing and production unlike a lot of English language television where the showrunner has production oversight and each episode is often directed by a different person, which can mean a lot of stylistic differences across a season or seasons of television. But then you have to ask yourself how much responsibility a PD has for things like, say, editing, which is particularly bad in My Lovely Liar and why I had to drop it early.
But the question as to whether say Call It Love was a masterpiece because each meticulously staged frame was a work of art or whether that became a distraction that should count against it - I honestly don't know and I think I'm back again to declaring that art is stuff I like 😂
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10 wonhwa
September 3, 2023 at 7:43 AM
Two types of directors tend jump out for me - those who find striking visual ways to tell stories and those who get great performances out of their actors (and some who do both). Some who have stood out:
Kim Chul Gyu - Excels at visual storytelling, even when the script may be less than great (Hwang Jin Yi). Especially loved his work on Chicago Typewriter.
Jang Tae Yoo - another director with a great sense of visual style in works like Painter of the Wind and Tree with Deep Roots
Lee Yoon Jung - creates a wonderful sense of human connection between cast members in shows like Coffee Prince (although I sense things went very much off the rails on Cheese in the Trap)
Park Chan Hong - gets great performances out of actors, especially his male leads (see Uhm Tae Woong in Resurrection and Joo Ji Hoon in The Devil)
Kim Hee Won - another director with striking visual storytelling in shows like Vincenzo and The Crowned Clown
Shin Kyung Soo - adept at getting great performances out of massive casts in shows like Six Flying Dragons and Nokdu Flowers - also stages amazing fight/combat sequences.
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FrenchFan
September 3, 2023 at 3:14 PM
@wonhwa how do you spot that great acting is due to great direction?
I struggle to understand when bad acting is because of bad direction. The direction could be good but the actor could fail delivering, couldn't he?
So when I'm impressed, I don't know if I should praise the acting, directing or both! lol
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wonhwa
September 3, 2023 at 5:25 PM
It can be hard to tease out just how much credit to give a director when it comes to acting, but if a director consistently gets great performances out of actors who are mediocre or uneven in other works, or if the level of acting is high across the board, even if the show has tons of characters, that's usually a sign of good directing. Also, good directors tend to be good at recognizing and casting good actors, so that helps as well.
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FrenchFan
September 7, 2023 at 2:34 PM
Thank you for your explanation! I'll try to pay more attention to the director's work in the future : )
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11 mmmmm
September 3, 2023 at 7:47 AM
1. Han Ji-Seung, the pd of When the Weather is Fine. I remain firm in saying that this show will age like fine wine.
2. Jung Ji-Hyun, the pd of 25 21. Marvelous work.
3. Lee Eung-bok (Ep. 1–16)
Kwon Hyuk-chan (Ep. 5–16)
Yoon Jong-ho (Ep. 3–16) of Goblin.
4. Lee Hyeong-Min from Chocolate
5. Lee Jung-Hyo from Romance is a Bonus Book
6. Ahn Gil-Ho from Strangers
7. Lee Soo-Hyun from Sh**ting Stars
8. Kim Ga-Ram from Nevertheless
9. Park Jin Suk from Sell Your Haunted House
10. Oh Choong-Hwan, Bae Hyun-Jin from Start-up
11. Baek Sang-Hoon, Jung Ji-Hyun from The King: Eternal Monarch
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mmmmm
September 3, 2023 at 7:48 AM
Also
12. Lee Yoon-Jung from Coffee Prince
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mmmmm
September 3, 2023 at 7:59 AM
So there is one pd who made 2 of my favorites in this list: Jung Ji-hyun from 25 21 and The King: Eternal Monarch. I'm guessing that the pd has this sensual and aesthetically pleasing sense of camera work. A bit whimsical as well.
If we talk about K variety shows, I have to hand it to Bang Geul Yi. She used to direct 2D1N season 4 before she resigned. Now she's the pd of a K variety show named Brotherhood Expedition: Maya. Her way of directing is really beautiful to me. It has this homely feeling, and scenes are beautifully shot.
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Cay_sbtgoG
September 3, 2023 at 8:34 AM
Agreed with Bang Geul Yi. I miss her!
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12 panshel
September 3, 2023 at 8:27 AM
Park Shin-woo: I may not love all his dramas (hate-watched Lovestruck in the City, dropped Encounter), but all of them are beautifully directed, especially It's Okay to Not Be Okay where he made Ko Moon-young's storybooks come alive. He's directing the upcoming drama Ask the Stars starring Lee Min-ho and Gong Hyo-jin, so at least we know the space setting will be visually appealing.
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
September 3, 2023 at 4:04 PM
Encounter was so stunning, honestly, the use of colour in particular was just perfect and the way the shots were framed. I think I persisted with that piece of nonsense far longer than I should have because it was just. so. beautiful.
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13 cozybooks
September 3, 2023 at 9:17 AM
So what's interesting to me is that I feel like I have a much better track record watching dramas from the same PD that I like. I don't know if there are just fewer PDs or what, but my average here was closer to 3 per PD that I enjoyed. Among those, some favorite PDs would have to be
Lee Jae Hoon (Run on, Good Manager, Ghost Detective)
Aha Gil Ho (Stranger, Watcher, Happiness, and though the drama later sucked I liked the directing Memories of the Alhambra)
Kim chul Gyu (Mother, Confession, Flower of Evil, and again not my favorite drama but good directing Chicago Typewriter)
There are a few others, but I remember being so happy hearing that someone who worked on stranger was involved with watcher.
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14 Kurama
September 3, 2023 at 9:20 AM
Kim Hee-Won : I loved The Crowned Clown, Vincenzo and Little Women. I'm very excited to watch Queen Of Tears.
An Pan-Seok : I really like his way to tell a story. He doesn't choose fancy themes but more hard ones. He's very delicate in his work.
Lee Eung-Bok : He makes a great duo with Kim Eun-Sook, I liked Goblin, Descendant of the Sun, Mr Sunshine.
Kim Jin-Won : he chose very different kinds of drama but I liked My Country, The Innocent Man and The Package.
Hwang Seung Gi : I really liked Into the Ring and the fact he kept his style to the end. There are a lot of dramas that start with a very good direction for the 1-4 episodes but then loose it for the rest of the episodes like in It's Okay to not Be Okay.
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
September 3, 2023 at 4:06 PM
I have to say Kim Hee-Won's pieces are possibly a little polarising but they are such stylish dramas. There is one shot mid way through The Crowned Clown that is so breathtakingly perfect that I think of it often even though I never made it to the second half of that drama. Vincenzo and Little Women are stunning as well, she's just so good at controlled chaos.
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Isa is always time travelling
September 3, 2023 at 4:36 PM
Kim Hee-Won was the director of one of my favorite rom-coms too: Fated to love you.
And she also directed the mini drama Soundtrack #1, but I found that a little disappointing.
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15 Snow Flower
September 3, 2023 at 10:26 AM
The PD of Conspiracy in the Court and Chuno
The PD of Money Flower and The Crowned Clown
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16 tabong is ironing the crosswalk
September 3, 2023 at 2:35 PM
1. Kim Won Suk: My Ahjussi, Misaeng, Signal.
2. Jung Jee Hyun: 25-21, You're My Spring, Search WWW.
3. Park Shin Woo: IOTNBOkay, Encounter.
4. Shin Won Ho: Reply series, Hospital Playlist, Prison Playbook.
5. Lee Na Jeong: Fight For My Way.
6. Park In Jae: Moving, Kingdom 2.
7. Lee Sang Yeob: Yumi's Cells, SWLouie, A Piece of Your Mind.
8. Park Joon Ha: BTIMFLife.
9. Kim Hong Sun: Liar Game, Voice, Black, The Guest.
10. Ahn Gil Ho: Happiness, Secret Forest.
Bonus: Sim Na Yeon - At 18.
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wonhwa
September 3, 2023 at 2:57 PM
I haven't seen At 18, but I loved Sim Na Yeon's directing work on Beyond Evil - I'm excited to see more of her projects in the future.
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tabong is ironing the crosswalk
September 4, 2023 at 10:33 PM
I haven't seen Beyond Evil yet but I have the feeling I'm gonna love it.
I'm also excited for her next project!
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17 HopefulRomantic 🦋 Tigermoth 🦞
September 3, 2023 at 2:42 PM
What a fun prompt! I've enjoyed reading through everyone's comments. As I thought of my own response, I was struck by the thought that the PD has almost more impact than the writer on my enjoyment of a drama. It's like the difference between denotative and connotative meaning - denotative meaning is the actual, literal words penned by the writer, and connotative meaning is literally everything else, including the "feel" of the drama and how the scenes and interactions are constructed. Curious if there were any themes or patterns in what I like, I looked up the PDs of my favorite dramas, and lo and behold, there were multiple PDs that had done multiple of my favorite dramas.
Two of my coolest finds while "researching" were Kwon Seok Jang and Lee Jong Jae. Kwon Seok Jang was PD for both Bossam: Steal the Fate and Once Upon A Small Town. These are wildly different in terms of tone and content, but on closer inspection, both dramas are filled with sweeping shots of the natural settings, are informed by their dominant seasons (winter v. summer), and are primarily centered on the unfolding of a central relationship. Lee Jong Jae was PD for both Psychopath Diary and Our Blooming Youth. I remember that I was struck while watching these with the care taken with constructing scenes, creating a cinematic epicness, with a balance between both breadth (following action smoothly and seamlessly, scenes seeming like one shot even when not), and depth (scenes taking place in introspective spaces filled with meaningful objects that mirror the interior life of the MLs).
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18 💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜
September 3, 2023 at 4:18 PM
Do I look like I have the reserves to comment on this let alone catch up on the screenwriting ones?
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LT is Irresistibly Indifferent and reminded of the slow march of death
September 3, 2023 at 4:56 PM
Comment was deleted
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💜🍍☠ Sicarius The Queen of Melonia ☠🍍💜
September 3, 2023 at 5:12 PM
I'm not shitposting anything right now though lmao... for the same reasons I don't have the reserves to comment on this.
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19 Isa is always time travelling
September 3, 2023 at 4:19 PM
_ Park Hong Kyun: Queen Seon Deok, Hwayugi.
_ Kim Jung Hyun: Secret Garden, Hwayugi, At a distance, spring is green.
_ Ahn Gil Oh: Rooftop Prince (I didn't like it much but...), Memories of Alhambra, Happiness (...I loved these two).
_ Shin Won Ho: Prison Playbook, Hospital Playlist 1 & 2. He is my favorite PD without a doubt.
_ Hong Jong Chan: Live Up to your name. I know he has directed other good dramas as Dear my friends or Life but I have not watched them yet.
_ Lee Tae Gon: Age of Youth 1 & 2, Bora Deborah, Mad for each other (this one is my less favorite).
_ Kim Won Suk: Misaeng, Monstar. (I have not watched Signal yet).
_ Lee Jong Jae: Psychopath Diary.
_ Lee Sang Yeob: Shopping King Louis, My Holo Love, Yumi's cells 1 & 2.
_ Kang Il Soo/Han Hyun Hee: Solomon's Perjury, Rookie Historian.
_ Oh Choong Hwan: Start-up (one of my favorite dramas), While you were sleeping (hmm.. this is not bad but I got bored sometimes).
_ Shin Kyung Soo: The Nokdu Flower, Six Flying Dragons. Both are great series.
Directors Kim Sung Yong, Lee Han Joon are doing a great job with My Dearest.
And I have to say that I was impressed by the rookie director (and writer) of Weak Hero Class 1, You Su Min.
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Isa is always time travelling
September 3, 2023 at 4:24 PM
I forgot to say that 25-21 was wonderfully directed by Jung Ji Hyun and Kim Seung Ho but I have not watched their other shows.
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20 parkchuna is Scouting for Stars in Hanyang 🍉
September 3, 2023 at 4:54 PM
Star director Son Beom Soo with 5 consecutive hit dramas. Last i heard he working on a drama called ‘Things will be Fine Once You Turn Thirty’ (working title) with writer Im Jin Joo.
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Reply1988 -❣️Mother Bean❣️
September 3, 2023 at 6:42 PM
Oh clever 🤣
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parkchuna is Scouting for Stars in Hanyang 🍉
September 4, 2023 at 6:54 AM
You get me?? 🥹🥹 you are indeed motherbean.
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Birdie
September 4, 2023 at 4:53 PM
Signed in purely to applaud this comment ⭐️
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21 wonhwa
September 3, 2023 at 7:49 PM
On a side note, it's been great to see more female directors helming major dramas and getting accolades for their work. It always seemed odd that so many of the writers in k-drama were women but so few directors were, and I'm glad that's changing.
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22 Cay_sbtgoG
September 3, 2023 at 8:15 PM
While I appreciate beauty, good story is the sure way to pull me in. I didn't even notice the camera works in FoS even after God knows how many rewatch. But speaking of good cinematograpy, I think See You in My 19th Life was stunning (Admittedly I only watched 2 episodes and then dropped it.)
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23 redfox
September 4, 2023 at 5:05 AM
the Lookout PD but I don´t know which one was the main PD
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24 Ruhi
September 6, 2023 at 5:53 AM
I've enjoyed reading all the comments. Made me look at some of the dramas in a new light.
Jung Ji In: For Red Sleeve cuff. Apart from the amazing cinematography, I understand from her interviews that she was involved in onboarding the scriptwriter, to casting, the bg music. All excellently done. She got the best delivery out of the actors and could get even the new-comers like kang-hoon to deliver. Of course the cast chosen were already good actors. There were some misses like the FL jumping into the ML's bath. I don't how she okayed that shot.
Excited for her next drama. It is a period piece about theatre set in 1950. Cast has names like Kim Taeri, Shin ye Eun and other stars.
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