K-pop girl group Twice made their in-person U.S. late night show debut in May, performing their English-language single "The Feels" in front of Stephen Colbert's live studio audience. A bright, bubbly pop song, "The Feels" comes paired with an equally energetic and addictive dance performance, as is standard practice with K-pop singles.
Unfortunately, The Late Show's camera work failed to do Twice justice.
Shots tracked members who weren't singing. The camera pulled out wide enough to capture members on standby. The edit seemed to favour whichever camera the group wasn't looking at. To be fair, it wasn't a complete miss. There were some decent tracking shots, as well as thoughtful use of the set — including a cute moment where they danced behind Colbert's desk. The production were clearly trying, and working with what they had. But for fans who were looking forward to seeing Twice on late night television, it was a disappointing result.
This wasn't Twice's fault. The nine-member group have performed "The Feels" on numerous occasions since its October release last year, confidently executing its precise choreography each time. Topping Korea's music charts since their debut in 2015, the phenomenally popular K-pop group behind hits such as "TT," "What Is Love?" and "Dance the Night Away" are practised professionals at playing to the camera. Rather, it was the American crew's lack of familiarity with K-pop dance performances that caused this one to fall apart.
K-pop continues to grow in popularity in the West, with artists such as BTS, Blackpink, Stray Kids, and aespa gaining increasing household recognition. However, if we're going to get K-pop acts to perform in the U.S, we need to learn how to film them.
The difference in how South Korean music shows and American late night shows are shot offers some explanation as to the contrast in camera work. While musical performances are only small segments on U.S. shows, South Korean music shows revolve entirely around music, allowing them to dedicate more time and resources to such acts. Performances on South Korean music shows thus have multiple rehearsals and may be filmed multiple times, with the camera crew learning which angles work best and subsequently editing together several takes for a seamless show.
Music Bank, for example, has been known to require three rehearsals: a basic rehearsal, a dress rehearsal, and a third rehearsal specifically for the camera. Preparing and filming for a music show also takes long hours, with artists arriving at 5 a.m. for shows that only start at 5 p.m. U.S. shows don't allow for as much time or as many takes, offering the crew fewer opportunities to catch the optimal shot.
South Korean music shows also better understand fans' needs. While such programs understand the need to capture a group’s choreography, spotlight each member, and clearly focus on their facial expressions through close-up shots, U.S. talk shows are considerably less concerned with these particular nuances.
Rather, U.S. shows appear much more accustomed to filming comparatively static musical performances, using dynamic camera angles and sweeping shots to help highlight an artist's appeal. The constant movement and shifting formations of a K-pop dance performance is an entirely different beast, requiring a different approach and set of skills.
This isn't to say that performances on South Korean television can't also fall victim to unfortunate camera and editing work. Music Bank's framing of Stray Kids' "Domino" completely obscured the group's thematic choreography last September, which seemed to hasten the publication of their dance practice video almost immediately after it aired. SM Entertainment even attempted to avoid such issues by releasing a camera work guide for aespa's "Savage," demonstrating exactly how to frame the performance for maximum impact.
However, U.S. performances appear to suffer this affliction at a much higher rate. Blackpink's U.S. late night debut had viewers looking at their backs throughout much of their single "Ddu-du Ddu-du," while the framing of GOT7's "Eclipse" on American daytime television failed to adequately capture their charisma. Meanwhile, NCT 127 was hindered by both questionable camera work and inadequate dance space in a cramped performance of "Cherry Bomb" and "Superhuman" on GMA.
It's particularly frustrating for Western K-pop fans, who often hope such appearances will attract new listeners to their favourite group. Seeing these rare televised U.S. performances fail to adequately sell their idols' charms can be an aggravating experience.
Some American shows have explored outside their comfort zone to film K-pop performances. BTS' Beatles-inspired Late Show performance of "Boy With Luv" was a clever concept with decent camera work, the thoughtful execution making it one of the best K-pop stages filmed by a U.S. talk show. Still, interesting ideas alone aren't enough to carry a performance. The Tonight Show's decision to film BTS performing "On" in Grand Central Station was ambitious, providing a spectacular stage spacious enough to accommodate significant choreography. It's also clear there were multiple takes. Yet the camera still failed to completely convey BTS' charm, consistently focusing on wide group shots rather than drawing out and highlighting the members as individuals.
Simply watching any of these groups' other performances can give you an idea of the difference a camera angle can make. Even Twice's remote October performance of "The Feels" on The Tonight Show, which appears to have been shot by the group's entertainment company and subsequently supplied to the U.S. production, displays what can be achieved with the right camera work. (The same approach is used by MTV's Fresh Out Live, though its experience and resources for shooting musical performances make it more analogous to South Korean music shows than U.S. talk shows.)
Such performances give the audience a much better understanding of why so many people have fallen in love with K-pop, as a group's agency would be the most knowledgeable regarding how to present their idols in the best light. Still, neither fans nor K-pop idols can live on company-supplied footage alone, and the resurgence of in-person musical performances means outside crews must learn to film K-pop songs as well.
I hesitate to tell anyone how to do their job. I don't pretend to be an expert in the intricacies, practicalities, and restrictions that dictate how a late night show segment is filmed. It makes sense that South Korean music shows have a better idea of how to shoot dance performances, and that a U.S. talk show crew wouldn't be trained in the same skills. Investing in such training likely seems like significant effort for minimal reward.
This is true, at least for now. But if K-pop's popularity continues to grow at the rate it is, Western shows need to get creative and quickly develop these skills if they want to keep up.
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