As far as the Philippine television series is concerned, I am not certain why some people still continue to watch the never-ending and predictable storyline after more than five decades of airing. After the first soap opera thrilled the melodramatic audience in 1963 with “Hiwaga sa Bahay na Bato,” it was downhill from there.
The Filipino television series (teleserye) has not gained enough traction to sustain the viewers discriminating taste for quality production and ingenious twist in the plot. In fact, the younger generation appreciates the soap opera production from Korea, China and Thailand more than what the local industry can muster.
It is, therefore, not surprising to read an article from Paulo Bayabos of 8list.ph detailing 8 possible reasons why Philippine television industry appear to be in shackles as they try to give the audience the endless cycle of laughable Daniel-Padilla-kind of acting instead of giving the likes of Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad"), Gabriel Macht ("Suits") and James Spader ("The Blacklist") a stiff competition.
One thing that Bayabos eloquently explained as one of the reasons why the quality of TV series has not improved much is because of ‘stereotyping.’ He said:
We should stop thinking that the Philippine TV industry has high-level of quality. That’s trying to be delusional. We are far from it.
Can you think of one single local TV series that has not involved forbidden love (rich vs. poor, extra-marital affairs), family conflict (fighting over business matters, inheritances), and even social disorder (a corrupt, murderous, authority figure abusing the rights of a minority). There’s always a grand scale. There’s always revenge or redemption. There’s always switching of babies in the hospital nursery (ugh that’s so old).
Why not create a show that dwells on simple office politics? Or a genius misanthropic doctor? A glee club? A serial killer? A modern take on a popular fictional character? Or a group of friends entering adulthood and tries to outdo each other in the professional world?"
The Filipino television series (teleserye) has not gained enough traction to sustain the viewers discriminating taste for quality production and ingenious twist in the plot. In fact, the younger generation appreciates the soap opera production from Korea, China and Thailand more than what the local industry can muster.
It is, therefore, not surprising to read an article from Paulo Bayabos of 8list.ph detailing 8 possible reasons why Philippine television industry appear to be in shackles as they try to give the audience the endless cycle of laughable Daniel-Padilla-kind of acting instead of giving the likes of Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad"), Gabriel Macht ("Suits") and James Spader ("The Blacklist") a stiff competition.
One thing that Bayabos eloquently explained as one of the reasons why the quality of TV series has not improved much is because of ‘stereotyping.’ He said:
"In Pinoy teleseryes, "ugly" always equates to someone who has unattractive teeth, kulot hair and has lots of pimples. Rich people are always having a meeting inside an elegant conference room. The lead character’s best friend is always the most supportive, caring person in the world who has no life of his/her own. Goons always wear leather jackets, while barrio lasses always wear long, plain-colored skirts. Of course, the antagonist can always laugh devilishly after loudly announcing his/her evil plan at a place where anyone could hear it. Also, it’s against the law to wipe your tears; you’re supposed to let it crawl the length of your face for dramatic effect. Oh man, I’m not sure which is older, these clichés or Eddie Garcia."This is quiet true. Why the writer and even the production staff cannot seem to think out of the box and try to break the conventional views is beyond me. Is this becoming too mechanical that no room for artistic and innovative talents are being developed?
We should stop thinking that the Philippine TV industry has high-level of quality. That’s trying to be delusional. We are far from it.
Can you think of one single local TV series that has not involved forbidden love (rich vs. poor, extra-marital affairs), family conflict (fighting over business matters, inheritances), and even social disorder (a corrupt, murderous, authority figure abusing the rights of a minority). There’s always a grand scale. There’s always revenge or redemption. There’s always switching of babies in the hospital nursery (ugh that’s so old).
Why not create a show that dwells on simple office politics? Or a genius misanthropic doctor? A glee club? A serial killer? A modern take on a popular fictional character? Or a group of friends entering adulthood and tries to outdo each other in the professional world?"
No comments:
Post a Comment