Korean Job Discussion Forums

mithridates · Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 9:13 am Post subject: Who wants to be on Arirang?

A tv show is looking for foreigners to be on Arirang that will be recorded experiencing Korean culture, history and traditions. I don't know if it's interesting or whether the pd wants the participants to do but pm me if you're interested and I'll give you their contact details (phone number and email). This is all I know:

billybrobby · Joined: 09 Dec 2004

great, another waygookin-puts-on-a-hanbok-and-makes-some-pots show. maybe they can show the funny faces he makes eating SO SPICY KOREAN FOO-DUH!

i thought they already had a pet waygookin to do this. what happened? they forgot to put some straw in his cage?

mithridates · Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 10:31 am Post subject:

JeJuJitsu · Joined: 11 Sep 2005 Location: McDonald's

periwinkle · Joined: 08 Feb 2003

Mith, can u post the details in English? I just switched my operating system to Windows in English and now Hangul comes up as squares.... Sounds fun, but unless they are taping on weekends, I don't think I can do it (I don't have any more days off left in my current contract Crying or Very sad

).

SirFink · Joined: 05 Mar 2006

adventureman · Joined: 18 Feb 2003

Will a visit to a room salon be included on the itinerary?

If so, count me in!

billybrobby · Joined: 09 Dec 2004

Now that it's daylight out I'll try to be less bitter on this post. I'm sure whoever takes the job will have fun and the show feature some delightful handicrafts and will be vaguely interesting. But it's Arirang TV so you know that the subtext of the show will be "look, here's the foreigner validating how wonderful Korean culture is" with a little dose of "haha, isn't the foreigner awkward when he tries to be Korean" which to me serves neither the foreigner nor Korean culture very well.

Honestly, it's almost like Arirang TV and AFN are in a contest to see who can produce the most stultifying, condescending propaganda. It's like Arirang says to AFN "alright, I'll see your Servicemen Serving the Community and I'll raise you a Delights of Dongdaemun."

PRagic · Joined: 24 Feb 2006

RUN AWAY! RUN AWAY! Or be prepared to spend an entire day to an entire weekend waiting around and getting paid late to boot. You'll be working for a production company outsourced by Arirang, and trust me, your time is of no consequence to them. Lots of ego, short on talent.

On the other hand, if you can get legally cleared to do the work (or don't care if you get the boot), if you have pleanty of time, and if you don't care how much your time is worth, give it a go. Guess the overly optimistic could chalk it up to a 'new experience'.

bluelake · Joined: 01 Dec 2005

Maybe it will be similar to what KBS did back in 2002 (Living in Korea). My son and I teamed up with a PD and team for four days to make a nineteen minute segment. I put a low-rez version on internet after it was aired. Kind of fun, actually (even with the usual goofs media tends to make and some hokey dialogue they insisted upon).

http://www.koreanarchery.org/goongdo.wmv

periwinkle · Joined: 08 Feb 2003

Gwangjuboy · Joined: 08 Jul 2003 Location: England

Arirang is cack. I remember when they had a "hate Japan" day. That was even more cringe inducing than watching their pet waegook waxing lyrical about Korean culture.

mithridates · Posted: Mon Oct 09, 2006 8:14 pm Post subject:

rothkowitz · Joined: 27 Apr 2006

It's funny how they seem so resistant to changing the hokey dialogue they have on these shows.

Would it cause too much shame to the writers to point out that everybody sounds mildly retarded?

bobbyhanlon · Joined: 09 Nov 2003 Location: 서울

in terms of the actual experience of making the show, arirang are really not all that bad. i did a couple with things for arirang myself and they don't screw you over all that much. of course there's always the undercurrent of 'isn't korea a wonderful place?' but the same can be said for virtually all korean media.
sbs are the ones to avoid. they will stitch you up royally, and also treat you like a slave during the filming process. i naively got involved in one of their documentaries and they made arirang look like the bbc. sbs.. just say no!