KatiaSchwarz

Ohhh, I see. This doesn't mean that Doctor John is the Korean adaptation of Kami no Te but that both of these titles are adaptation of the same source material. I see now. Thanks for clarifying! :D

Hi! First of all, thank you for reading my article and for the detailed response. I will put the examples you suggested on my list and endeavor to watch them as well as read the articles you linked.

I agree with many of your points myself - I do speak in very absolute terms in the article for effect's sake, but what I speak of is neither the law nor absolutes, and the directors and crew of the Untamed has certainly not “sinned”. This was simply me using this to showcase some techniques that filmmakers can use to utilize what they have to the max by using an example that bothered me from a personal perspective as I was thrown out of some of the scenes by what my brain perceived as a disconnect between what I’m told and what I’m shown. I chose to share my view after talking with family members and friends who expressed some similar feelings on the show (all of them have loved it, by the way). Mainly, they described something being "off" in certain scenes even if they didn't know why, so I have shared here my two cents about why one might feel this way. For me, these were enough to sometimes throw me out of a scene, but that is indeed a personal thing based on ideals and "rules" taught mostly based on American films (as those were mainly what we were shown in lessons) so there is definitely that.

I will just mention that my example in the "small exercise" had nothing to do with saying it was "right" or "wrong", I simply used it to showcase how different framing effects the feeling you get from a shot. The original shot may have well transmitted exactly what the director has intended, it was just a shot that was relatively easy to reframe to show what I meant when words fail me in explaining properly what I mean. I just wanted to show that with the exact same people you can create a shot that feels more “crowded” and “boxed in”, to illustrate that you can get the brain to think/feel a certain way based on how you frame a shot.

"And I think that IS CQL because at the core of it all, it was the characters who shined brilliantly, it was their journey that left an impression, and it was how they overcame their struggles that resonated with the viewers.....all of these made CQL an unforgettable experience for many. " <-- I agree with every word you've said here. As I've said, I love the Untamed and I think it has proven itself as a show, as a story, and as a testament of the abilities of the cast and crew. They have certainly achieved more in life than I have. It is also a fact that they were low in budget and a fact that it has not stopped them even a bit in creating a phenomenon, which in a way I find even more incredible.

My only intent with this article is to show why we might feel “off” sometimes by a certain scene when what we’re said and shown differs, and some common technique used, using The Untamed example, but I apologize if I came off as if I’m saying, “this is the only right way” and “the untamed is absolutely wrong” or stuff like that.

Once again, thanks for reading the article either way~

Oh, more different than the Untamed? That's interesting. But dangerous WWX is good haha The Untamed definitely had to tone him down.

You never cease to amaze me with all your knowledge! I did wonder of the replacement of reincarnation or ghosts but was not aware of the reasons behind it. It also makes sense that visual mediums are under more scrutiny--looking at the different in censorships between the different versions is fascinating on its own.

I have never claimed, at any point in the article, that Wei Ying has KILLED 3000 people. However, he himself asserts IN SCENE that there are 3000 people present, as he mocks the sects for thinking 3000 people could stop him when 5000 could not. He later refutes the notion he could even kill 3000. You are correct - He has never killed these many people and it's all exaggerations and legends, however, it bears no effect on my argument that within the scene we're told a certain thing that is then continuously disproven by the cinematography.

As for the matter of art - art is subjective, and I am not necessarily speaking of art nor am I criticizing The Untamed on an artistic level, really. I have not calculated the number of people in the scene while I was initially watching it. However, it is a fact, on a personal level, that I was continuedly thrown out of the scene because it felt so off to me. And people I have spoken to privately in my life have also felt an "off-ness" about certain things that I thought I could share some further insight on - mainly, why the disconnect between what we are being told and shown could potentially create that feeling (as it had in me).

That being said, no one can take away from what The Untamed has done and has managed to achieve, as a show, as a story, as a showcase of the actors and production's talents and efforts. I have certainly not achieved in life what the director of the Untamed has, that's for sure. I am simply using it to give an example and insight from a different point of view.

Thank you very much for reading my article regardless~

He has indeed never killed 3000 people, nor have I claimed he has. However, according to the characters, including Wei Ying himself in the scene and in later scenes, there were indeed meant to be thousands of people in that scene (he says 3000 himself when he mocks them for thinking 3000 people could stop him after he killed 5000 in the Sun Campaign). Therefore, my argument still holds.

In addition, this is me choosing the most blatant of examples - all of the fighting scenes and most of the crowd scenes in The Untamed suffer from these issues, making scenes less effective than they could've otherwise have been.

That being said, I still loved the show despite the constraints the production was under, I am simply using it as an example in order to showcase some techniques.

However, you may be correct that an additional intent of the scenes was to minimize any possible "killing" Wei Ying has done in the eye of the watcher, as a means of creating doubt and making him appear, for lack of a better word, "better", which the show has certainly strived to do compared to the book (which I love). I have not thought of that perspective, so you bring up a very interesting point in that, although at least on a personal level if that was the desired effect it did not work on me on a personal level, as the "off-ness" I felt between what I was being told and shown offset any such reaction in me.

Yeah, cdramas seem to be pretty amateurish at certain areas but it is probably a result of low budget and cutting corners where they can to save cost and time. I still loved the show, but at some scenes I had a really hard time (especially because I already read the novel, so I knew the major plot events, so my brain was "freer" to notice all the mistakes). That being said, I still think the acting and characters are A++

THAT'S EXACTLY HOW I FELT!!!! lol I was looking forward to this (in an anxious type of way lol) as a novel reader and then instead of feeling all the emotions to the fullest I wanted to have a stern talk with the production crew lmao

Thank you for reading both of my articles! I definitely plan on writing more whenever I see something interesting in a drama :D

Thank you for reading and keeping an open mind! :)

According to the show, including Wei Ying himself, there were supposed to be 3000 people there, but he does scoff at the idea that he KILLED 3000 people in the battle (as he hasn't). It's definitely an instance of exaggerated story but not necessarily in how many people were meant to be in-scene, rather at how many he supposedly "mascaraed". \
These are things the Untamed repeatedly does, but for me Nightless City was simply the most glaring example to showcase what I meant.
Thanks for reading :)

Have you read the novel? I think that one if my favorite version haha

I definitely agree, ignorance is bliss lmao. This is one of those things that sometimes make watching shows/movies torture, because it sometimes takes from the enjoyment of a good piece. Usually I can ignore it better, but in this case I had already read the novel so my brain was freer to notice these things haha

Close up would have definitely been a better and more intense shot, as close ups are much better at representing how the character is feeling. You also don't need a lot of extras for it because you need to fill less space in close ups (for obvious reasons). If it was up to me, this scene would have been medium shots to increasingly tighter close ups on Wei Ying as things go out of control, maybe even some tilting to express how his world is falling off its axis, and more stuff like that. I would have avoided long shots, and gotten "closer" to our characters, if that makes any sense?
As for CGI, I don't feel like China has the budget to pull it off so I would have just made a lot of medium shots and created the illusion of a crowded battlefield instead
Anyway, that's just me and the version of the Untamed that sometimes plays in my head lmao

I think you will rarely see callouses on C-actors as the whole visual seem to be more of ethereal perfection rather than realism :/ Body type too, seems to always be more on the lean side, probably due to beauty ideals or the common exercise regime (or both lol)

I definitely agree with you, sound design in Cdrama is lacking and that effect the immersion, to a degree (just like my visual points may be missed by an immerse watcher, so will sound mistakes, but people might still feel "off" about certain scenes or on rewatch because the brain notices something doesn't quote match)
I'm only saying that doesn't appear to be the top of their priority, which may change as productions grow in budget and personal.
As for The Untamed itself, I still love it. I think it's a great show, even if it might not be the best produced one (imo). I'm also fairly certain that had I not read the novel prior to watching the show, I may have been able to gloss over things a lot more effectively due to the immersion effect, but alas lol

Ah, I wish they would've shown the "looking for each other" sequence because if THAT was done on a blue screen then the editing is atrocious T^T

My mom is a nurse and watching any medical show with her (especially Americans) is fun just because of her scoffing expressions lmao
I definitely plan to write more articles whenever I see something I'd like to discuss! :D

As a reader of the novel, this is the sequences that was the worst for me (because of its emotional impact and what it means for the story), which is why I chose this scene to focus on, but this is something The Untamed consistently does. As said before, probably due to money-saving aspects due to their low budget. Doesn't mean the show isn't worth watching - it's still a good show, but I just wanted to discuss this a bit :) Thanks for reading!

Thank you for the kind words and for reading my article! :D