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Chun Mo Rionnag
 DramaNomNom:

Why are so many SK BLs 10-20 minutes long? Is it like a budget thing? I just watched My Damn Business and the episode wasn't even a full 11 minutes. Interesting first episode though. XD

Budgets.  It's hard to find investors because of poor domestic returns and backlash from conservatives. Look at all the issues with the funding for "Love in the Big City" (from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) and the hate that Nam Yoon-Su and Cha Seo-Won before him have received for acting in LGBTQ/BL productions. As a commercial investor, you risk alienating your customer base or, at the very least, losing your reputation. 

A lot of K-BL productions have to self-fund, so they can't make extra long dramas like other countries. Strongberry, for instance, use their commercial marketing business profits to help fund their LGBTQ productions. Others rely on subscriptions from members-only content on YT or the new short-form/reel platforms. 

Also, with Thailand you will find acting is the side-hustle for a lot of actors in BLs. It doesn't pay as well as you all might think. [The actor who left his company and sued had a press conference alongside his lawyer and said he needed to feed his children (6 cats). The amount they were suing for was less than $8,000.  Perth has mentioned that many Thai actors have full-time jobs with acting as the second one]. I imagine production costs inclusive of actors' fees are a little cheaper in Thailand. 

Then again, how many production houses from both countries have we seen been accused of not paying actors, extras and staff over the last two years?

Yeah. It's all about the money.

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DramaNomNom VIP
 Chun Mo Rionnag:
Yeah. It's all about the money.

No wonder we can't have anything nice, I figured it was. I didn't know it was as bad as what you described; that's heartbreaking to hear.  I can't even imagine having to have a full time job as an actor because the pay is so bad. 

I wish I had all the monies...I'd fund every countries BL industry! Everybody gets paid :(

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DramaNomNom VIP

S.O.S.

Somebody send help...I didn't Rio was built like this :O


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American Fan VIP
 p43425:
And then there's the recent trend (I think originally in Korea, now also in Japan) of "micro dramas", i.e. episodes of just a minute or two. Grrrr! I guess they're designed for busy, on-the-go people to watch for entertainment while they're waiting for the crosswalk light to change.

Yeah, annoying! I've seen 30 ep C-dramas of one minute each listed on MDL. I watched one set-up like that, but now I pass them by.


 p43425:
I think it might have less to do with budget than with differing market demands and market approaches, as well as different production systems.

All good points in this post! 


 Chun Mo Rionnag:

The opening lines of the synopsis remind me of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".

I had to google that title. So maybe the Last Meal Universe is a SciFi comedy, which sounds better.  I'll be curious to see!

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American Fan VIP
 Chun Mo Rionnag:
Perth has mentioned that many Thai actors have full-time jobs with acting as the second one]

Now that you mention it, I remember him saying that. Yep, the majority of BL actors do not have the pay we might expect, as Westerners used to seeing actors with money to burn. 

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p43425 VIP
 American Fan:
Westerners used to seeing actors with money to burn. 

For every Hollywood star with money to burn, there are many more who struggle to get buy. It's like walking into a Vegas casino: Your attention is naturally on the few who hit the jackpot ("Bing bing bing, noise noise noise!"), not on the vastly greater number who leave the casino with nothing.

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Wrenix VIP

I didnt blink at the amount of thai actors who have their own businesses but when i learned that one of them is an actual doctor, is when it dawned on me that acting must be a very casual thing in thailand lol

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