[INTERVIEW] Singaporean producers help create stunning visual scenes for 'Little Women'

A scene from tvN's thriller series "Little Women," which revolves around three sisters entangled in a murder mystery. Some parts of the series were filmed in Singapore. Courtesy of tvN

Creative director says she learned a lot from working with Korean production

By Lee Gyu-lee

Korean dramas have been increasingly spotlighted by international audiences and the entertainment industry, with many of the programs becoming hugely successful, such as Netflix's biggest hit, "Squid Game," last year. More and more Korean series are expanding their reach to overseas audiences, and their production is increasingly utilizing global locations as their stage to meet the growing expectations of international audiences.

One recent case is tvN's thriller series, "Little Women," which debuted at seventh place on Netflix's top 10 non-English series chart in September and surged to the No. 5 spot last week.

The new interpretation of the classic novel of the same name, led by director Kim Hee-won, follows three close-knit sisters entangled in the dark secret and mystery of a company's wealthy owner family.

Building up to the peak of its suspense, a recent episode of the series unveils the biggest secret of the plot as one of the lead characters, In-ju (Kim Go-eun), travels to Singapore.

Creative director Jean Yeo, left, and managing director Pedro Tan of Ochre Pictures / Courtesy of Ochre Pictures

And to unfold the climax of the story, the series' production company, Studio Dragon, joined hands with a Singaporean production company, Ochre Pictures, to create the delicately riveting, visually stunning scenes in the city state. The Singaporean company has produced award-winning series, including the telemovie, "Justice Boo," and the drama series, "Last Madame."

"Ochre Pictures was tasked with co-producing the key episode plus some ad-hoc scenes in various other episodes to be shot in Singapore," Jean Yeo, creative director of Ochre Pictures, told The Korea Times in a recent written interview.

The production company, led by Yeo and managing director Pedro Tan, took charge of scouting appropriate locations that fit the tone of the series, as well as supporting the overall production from arranging logistics to local casting.

The episode filmed in Singapore shows In-ju traveling to the country to trace the mystery behind the death of her friend, Hwa-young, while enjoying the luxury that she has never experienced in her poverty-stricken life.

The production team films an episode of "Little Women" in Fullerton Hotel, Singapore, in July. Courtesy of Ochre Pictures

Yeo shared that the main focus as the local producer was "to show as many interesting locations" as they could, including the historical venue, The Fullerton Hotel, which rarely allows permits for filming.

"I think the director, producers, and writer wanted the Singapore episode to be a beautiful one, in line with the building up of Singapore as a financial/wealth hub. This is also the climactic episode where our leads track down the money and Hwa-young to Singapore, with an exciting revelation of the mastermind behind the preceding incidents and mystery," Yeo said.

"The locations we find must deserve the buildup that the other episodes hinted at ― of Singapore being beautiful and a wealth hub … We supported by trying to find locations that fit that image: for example busy streets in the commercial heart of Singapore, bank locations with a view, character cafes with a background view of modern buildings, and yet a sense of mystery in juxtaposition with the old and historical."

The creative director said she had hoped to work with the Korean production company.

"I have long been an admirer of Studio Dragon as a production powerhouse for Korea and have ambitions for Ochre Pictures to be a production powerhouse for Singapore and Southeast Asia," she said. "I had mentioned in an interview with CNBC in 2021 that we had hoped to work with Studio Dragon to learn from their practices. Within months of the interview, the opportunity came along in the form of 'Little Women.'"

A scene from the series "Little Women" / Courtesy of tvN

Adding that she learned a lot from the experience, Yeo shared that she was surprised to see the systematic process of the filming, as well as the staff's chemistry with each other.

"We admire the speed and efficiency of the crew when setting up shots that the director wanted. There seems to be very good chemistry between the director, director of photography, and the crew ― little needs to be said and they already knew what to do," she said. "We always knew there must be a sufficient budget set aside for pre-production work to be done thoroughly for a shoot to be smooth and we witnessed it here."

Managing director Tan also said he was impressed with the scale and budget that was involved in the series.

"With a budget many times the regular budgets of Singapore's drama series, so much more can be added to the production value of a drama … it allows access to locations and specialized equipment," he said. "It also allows for thorough locations reconnaissance and adequate pre-production, which makes a lot of difference to the final product that audiences see on screen."

A monitor view of filming of the series "Little Women" at Clifford Pier, Fullerton Bay Hotel / Courtesy of Ochre Pictures

Yeo, who has worked in Singapore's show business for over 20 years, said she witnessed the change of Korean content over two decades to where it stands now in the global industry.

"Korean content has taken off and now stands almost shoulder-to-shoulder with the production quality of Hollywood, with budgets close to those of Hollywood as well," she said, adding that such was possible through the collective efforts from both the public and private sectors. "Korea's firm belief in the soft power of K-culture has vastly paid off … Content, used and promoted wisely, is soft power and the Koreans have made an art out of using content as soft power."

She added that she hopes Singapore's content industry could take a similar path, in which she's using her role as a creator to make content that speaks to a universal audience in the global streaming era.

"For our most recent production, 'Third Rail,' Singapore's first train hijacking drama, we heavily invested time and money together with our national broadcaster to see if we can create something seldom seen on local TV," she said.

"We present an Asian perspective that the West hardly sees, with compelling characters and unexpected twists and turns authentic to the socio-political background of our region. And yet the issues and the interpersonal relationships and human emotions are universal and relatable," Yeo added.