The U.S. film industry has developed through various producer groups whose roles are clearly defined. In the Korean film industry, producers who appeared through the success of 'planned films' of the 1990s have played a key role in leading the film i...
The U.S. film industry has developed through various producer groups whose roles are clearly defined. In the Korean film industry, producers who appeared through the success of 'planned films' of the 1990s have played a key role in leading the film industry, along with the participation of large corporations in cinema. The status and role of producers, however, are being threatened as leadership has gone from producers to directors, to management agencies, and now major investing distributors. In such times, a producer must identify one's role and change through professionalism. One of the most important roles of a producer is a system which plans and develops projects that is led by a producer. Unfortunately, the reality is that the planning of projects is focused mainly on films with medium to large budgets, with low budget films depending heavily on the director.
Recently, various types of low budget films have made it amidst the major films by using creative survival strategies. The number of screens is extremely low to the point that they cannot possibly be compared to the average commercial film, but the tight-knit marketing that is unique to low budget films to keep the films alive has spread through the grapevine to bring in viewers and keep then running for long periods of time. The recent emergence of distributors who deal solely with low budget films shows potential for the market, but they are having a hard time making it over the break-even point. This is where professional producers come in. A low budget film does not require systematic planning or development. The absence of a system is a factor that reduces profitability. This is the reason why investing distributors controlled by major corporations are reluctant to invest in or distribute low budget films with low profitability.
<Burning My Heart> is a feature that consists of 3 short films with a new approach to planning. It did not reach its break-even point, but close to ten thousand people showed up at the box office and demonstrated that there is infinite potential for the low budget film market if a planned film can make the audience identify with it. A low budget film is something that investment companies shy away from, but if professional producers can one day show that planning and development of low budget films can lead to commercial success, there would be no reason for investment companies to provide production funding. The market for low budget films has potential, so the planning and development by professional producers can be part of the basic framework for its development.
The status and role of a producer is not created by a third person. The producers of the U.S. have been part of the driving force behind the American film industry and developed it into an industrial system, securing their status and role through their endless attempts toward markets with potential. Ultimately, producers must pioneer new markets and potential markets through their exclusive realm of planning. The crisis facing producers has been caused by producers themselves as well as others, so they must take the initiative in properly establishing their positions by taking on challenges to break into new markets. Furthermore, a methodical producer system must be proven in new markets and share its professionalism with producers in order to play a leading role in the Korean film industry. I hope that this dissertation serves as an opportunity for many producers who are working on new films and low budget films to reestablish the identity of their status and role as a producer and that it contributes to making sure that a producer system secures its position in the film industry.