[A Sip of Books] 43 Things Creators Should Know

Useful Information for Creators from an Entertainment PD

Editor's NoteSome sentences encapsulate the entire content of a book, while others instantly resonate with readers, creating a connection with the book. We present meaningful sentences excerpted from books. - Editor's Note

[Asia Economy Reporter Seo Mideum] This is a self-development book presented by PD Kwon Seongmin, who has acquired his own survival know-how in the rapidly changing platform world through both terrestrial and digital media. He is the one who introduced 'Shall We Talk?', where the featured personalities and lyricist Kim Eana engage in calm yet flavorful conversations, offering unique emotions and enjoyment.

He provides detailed information on 43 useful points for content producers and creators, such as what characteristics consistently make content popular in the multi-platform market where it is difficult to hold people's attention and interest for long, and what balance must be struck between 'popular repertoire' and 'creativity' to create programs that have both.

On the other hand, the haphazard and unstructured production method of variety shows at broadcasting stations means that each PD is a system in themselves. It is an extreme 'high-reliability system.' Within a single program, no decision is made without going through the main PD. From deciding the main MC to even the design of minor subtitles, all decisions must pass through the PD. Compared to Taylorism manuals, this is extremely inefficient. However, manuals only work effectively in predictable situations like a car factory. They become useless when unexpected situations arise. Since broadcasting production deals with stories and people, everything is variable. In fact, in variety shows, there is no script that is read exactly as written. When unexpected situations occur, there is no time to go through manuals or systems; decisions must be made on the spot at the PD's discretion. Because broadcast time is fixed, there is no time to delay. PDs are people who must make decisions on their own without a system at every moment. p.42

Most PDs are viewers before they are directors. And probably, the tastes they like as viewers are connected to what they create as directors. Thinking about that, as a relatively inexperienced PD like me, I have some concerns because works that I personally love rarely become big hits, and conversely, works that become big hits rarely feel exactly like my taste. Even narrowing the view to within the variety department, I cannot shake the feeling that the popular variety shows are different in style from me. People who support me often say, “We need variety PDs like you!” I hear this from several different people. They probably don't know each other, but it seems like they coincidentally come up with similar expressions. Hearing this makes me grateful but also somewhat conflicted. 'Needed' feels like a minimal existence. Like the borderline. Like the salad on the side of a pork cutlet dish, or the radish when ordering chicken with 'half and half extra radish.' Yes, needed. Salad is needed, chicken radish is needed. But somehow, I feel like pork cutlet and chicken are not my place. I want to be pork cutlet too. p.76~77

Facing the Mind | Written by Kwon Seongmin | Hankyoreh Publishing | 280 pages | 17,000 KRW