Korea meets Netflix in the Arthdal Chronicles
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Read the following story by Tatat Bunnag from the Bangkok Post. Then, answer the questions that follow.
Following the success of Kingdom, the first Netflix Original from Korea, comes the ambitious Arthdal Chronicles. The epic fantasy is a story of heroes and power struggles in the mythical land of Arth.
NOT GAME OF THRONES
The series, which premiered in Thailand last Saturday, is directed by Kim Won-seok and features a total of 18 episodes over three seasons. With it reportedly costing 1.4 billion baht to produce and being about epic battles and a mythical setting, some critics have called it South Korea's answer to Game of Thrones. However, this isn't necessarily a comparison that the showrunners welcome.
"I wouldn't even think of comparing it to Game of Thrones. Our goal isn't to create something similar. I don't think it's an appropriate comparison," said screenwriters Park Sang-yeon and Kim Young-hyun at a press conference in Seoul last month. Sharing the stage with them were stars Song Joong-ki, Kim Ji-won, Jang Dong-gun and Kim Ok-vin.
The award-winning screenwriters explained that Arthdal Chronicles took them seven years to write and has its own unique story and flavour.
"We tried to create a great series by building a fictitious world of our own, from our own imaginations. I hope you appreciate our series for what it is," said Young-hyun.
DRAMATIC BATTLES
Arthdal Chronicles sees popular actor Song Joong-ki return to the small screen for the first time in three years. He plays Eunseom, a young warrior who is loyal to his tribe, but struggles with his own identity. It's a different kind of role for the actor than his fans are used to, with dramatic battle scenes, some even on horseback.
"Thankfully I did a lot of horse-riding training for another film, so that certainly helped. But because it had been a long time since I'd practised, it took a lot of effort to get the hang of it again," he said.
While it looks like a historical drama, something that Korea excels at, Arthdal Chronicles is a different kind of show. It doesn't take inspiration from any period in history. This presented a new challenge for the actors in terms of how they approached their roles.
Kim Ji-won, who plays Tanya, Eunseom's first love, said that a lot of imagination was required to develop each character.
"I spent a lot of time imagining what is unwritten in the story. What kind of backgrounds do these people have? What kind of world did they grow up in?" she said. "I tried to refer to movies set in ancient times. But when we started filming, I realised what the script was written for -- to capture this amazing nature as it is," she added. Arthdal Chronicles was partly filmed in the jungles of Brunei.
BIG STARS
Song Joong-ki and Kim Ji-won previously starred alongside one another in the hugely successful 2016 drama Descendants of the Sun. The two stars talked about working together again after three years.
"We didn't have many scenes together in Descendants of the Sun," Joong-ki recalled. "Working alongside her this time made me realise what an amazing actor she is.”
“[Our characters] are more like friends in this series," Ji-won explained. "So I felt more comfortable."
Perhaps the show's biggest star is Jang Dong-gun, who plays Tagon, a powerful warrior and tribal leader. But while his character is dark and serious, Dong-gun said that the atmosphere on set was quite the opposite.
"Being on set was great fun," he said. "Of course, we had a lot to film and there were many scenes that were challenging, but everyone, from the cast to the crew, had such great chemistry. I was never bored.”
Section 1: Read through the story and answer the following questions.
1. How much did Arthdal Chronicles cost to produce? …………….
2. How long did it take to write the show? …………….
3. When was Song Joong-ki last seen on TV? …………….
4. The show takes inspiration from a specific period of history. True or false? …………….
5. What show did Joong-ki and Ji-won star in? …………….
6. Who describes their experience filming the show as comfortable? …………….
7. Dong-gun plays a serious character. True or false? …………….
8. Dong-gun was bored on set. True or false? …………….
Section 2: Write the noun forms of the following words in the space given.
9. mythical .……………
10. create ……………
11. fictitious ……………
12. loyal .……………
13. bored .……………
Section 3: Read the following passage. Then, fill in the blanks with the correct words from the choices given.
With the increased …14… popularity of dramas and other TV content from South Korea in recent years, Netflix is licensing a …15… range of Korean films and TV shows. The success of the shows …16… helped Netflix surpass two million subscribers in South Korea. It has also …17… attract many more fans of K-drama internationally. Kim Ok-vin, who plays Taealha, said, "I …18… many people watch the series. It's the …19… of its kind in Korea."
14. a. globe b. world c. global
15. a. bigger b. wider c. widest
16. a. has b. have c. hasn’t
17. a. to help b. helped c. helping
18. a. want b. hope c. like
19. a. one b. first c. good
Section 4: Find words that match the following definitions.
20. existing only in stories from ancient times ……………
21. suitable, acceptable or correct ……………
22. a person who fights in a battle or war……………
23. the ability to create pictures in your mind……………
24. to succeed in expressing a feeling or atmosphere in a film……………
Answers: 1. 1.4 billion baht. 2. Seven years. 3. Three years ago. 4. False. 5. Descendants of the Sun. 6. Ji-won. 7. True. 8. False.
9. myth 10. creation 11. fiction 12. loyalty 13. boredom
14. c. 15. b. 16. a. 17. b. 18. b. 19. b.
20. mythical. 21. appropriate. 22. warrior. 23. imagination. 24. capture.
SCORE
21-24: Excellent! 17-20: Good. 13-16: Fair. 12 or fewer: You'll do better next time!
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