Provided by the National Theater CompanyThe National Theater Company opened an ‘Online Theater’.
The National Theater Company held a press conference at the Myeongdong Arts Theater on the 1st and announced, “On this day, we will open an OTT platform ‘Online Theater’ where you can meet plays anytime, anywhere.”
‘Online Theater’ is the fourth theater of the National Theater Company, following the Myeongdong Arts Theater, Baek Sung-hee Jang Min-ho Theater, and the small theater version. This is the first time for a domestic theater group to operate its own OTT platform.
The National Theater Company of Korea gradually increased non-face-to-face performances, such as transmitting live performances and live streaming on YouTube, as most of the performances planned last year could not meet the audience due to Corona 19. did.
Along with the opening on the same day, five works were unveiled: △ Faust Ending △ Tragedy of X △ Cho Orphan, Seed of Vengeance △ Tears of an Unknown Artist and Zaytun Pasta △ Scapin. The National Theater Company’s new films ‘That Boy Was Like That’, ‘Manseon’, and ‘Roadkill in the Theater’ are also on standby. The admission fee is 9,900 won per episode.
Among them, the barrier-free service (sign language interpretation/screen commentary version) was applied to the ‘Scapin’ video, and the ‘Cho orphan, Seed of Vengeance’ added a director’s cut (minimizes scene change from the director’s perspective) in addition to the basic video.
Artistic Director Kim Kwang-bo of the National Theater Company said, “The barrier-free service cannot be applied to all performances due to manpower and budget problems, but the online theater compensates for this.” said
He added, “In the long term, we plan to introduce not only the works of the National Theater Company, but also the excellent performances of private and local theaters through video content. It is also an opportunity to introduce the performances of the National Theater to audiences outside of Seoul and metropolitan areas.” It is read as a will to lower the threshold for the underprivileged and to bridge the cultural gap in the region.
Provided by the National Theater Company
Video production of domestic performances is still in its infancy. There are not one or two problems to be solved, such as insufficient video filming base, huge video production costs, and legal issues such as portrait rights and copyrights.
Im Do-wan, who directed ‘Scarpin’, said, “It seems to be still in a transitional stage. You need to have a professional videographer for the play, and you need to have different shooting techniques depending on the characteristics of the work.” “The cost of making a video is 2-3 times higher than that of a play. We need support,” he said.
Ko Seon-woong, who directed ‘Cho orphan, Seed of Vengeance’, said, “While working on the video, I was confused, ‘Is video a substitute or complement to a performance?’ We have to think about how we can take pictures,” he said.
Earlier in January, at the ’70 days of inauguration online press conference’, artistic director Kim Kwang-bo promised to open an online theater within this year and declared, “I will make a video equivalent to ‘NT Live’ at the British National Theater.”
Artistic Director Kim Gwang-bo said, “Even in the era of Corona, the performance video work should continue. It is expected to help expand the audience base by creating opportunities to communicate with more audiences.” I will think about it,” he said.
