Staying Home: What To Watch?
ARK RECOMMENDS!
Work from home policies are in place, entertainment venues are closed, and we are waiting out this pandemic, stuck at home.
What is there to do? How do we entertain ourselves and keep our spirits alive?
If you fancy a short read on the various know-hows on video production, check out our blogposts on how long your video should be, if smartphones killed the video star, or our Lunar New Year / Christmas posts should you miss the festive joys.
But if you are in no mood to read and want to watch something instead, boy we’ve got things in store for you!
Given the nature of our professions here at Arkchetype, it is little wonder that we have voracious appetites for well told tales! Let us now open our treasuries and unleash our very own collection of favorite shows and films upon YOU! Each little elf in the Ark has contributed and some have added very personal little notes so that you know all the special easter eggs to look for!
For the Voyeurs Reality TV Maniacs
Working from home day 15: You’ve got your laptop out, got your coffee, tidied your desk, got a snack, cleaned the floor, changed into fresh clothes, made your bed, watered the plants and you are finally ready to do work - and you can’t focus.
What would totally help right now is a casual yet dramatic reality show to play in the background.. But you don’t know what to put on. Here are some of our recommendations!
TERRACE HOUSE
Where to Watch: Netflix
Duration: 4 seasons; 155 episodes (binge-worthy!)
About: In Japan, a group of young and attractive men and women stay together for the first time in a lavish house, slowly getting to know each other. Leading their own professional lives, they forge friendships and find love. Each season features a new group of people.
Producer’s Tips: Japanese reality shows have a very special added element of external “commentators” as the mouthpiece of the audience within the show. Beyond “screaming at the screen” for you, so that you will never feel frustrated, in their light hearted way, they actually cleverly direct the narrative so that there is no dull moment! For ‘Terrace House’ the commentators, astutely picked to obviously represent various demographic profiles, are a riot and definitely the stars of the show in their own right!
HYORI’S BED & BREAKFAST
Where to Watch: Netflix
Duration: 2 seasons; 30 episodes
About: Former first-generation kpop star Lee Hyo Ri’s hand-built home in Jeju islands is open as a bed & breakfast! Numerous guests come and go, taking a breather away from the hustle of life in the city. A-class celebrities come are the b&b’s part timers, revealing their natural, sometimes klutzy sides away from the limelight.
Producer’s Tips: The producers of the show definitely concocted a recipe for reality success when they mashed up - an insider look at a K-pop star’s life, never-ending supply of cute doggies and kitties, the gorgeous Jeju Island and other hot K-Pop stars as indentured servants!! Kudos to them for a good mix of guests (read: real people like you & me) & celebrities; the horror of planning and scheduling which looked immaculately executed is also amazing! Finally, did anyone notice the nicely rigged 1001 cameras all over the house? It must have been a ton of work in edit too… BUT the peaceful atmosphere of the whole show made me feel like I was on vacation in Jeju together with them. This is a winner.
For the Comedy Fans
And for those who are starting to feel down from all the recent COVID news, and from not being able to meet your friends and family, here are some shows and films that would definitely lift your moods with a good laugh. You know what they say, laughter is the best medicine!
SHAUN OF THE DEAD
Where to Watch: Netflix
Duration: 1h 40m
About: Be gone with expert fighters and relentless zombie killers. A London loser and his friends fight for survival during a zombie outbreak! Perhaps not in the most macho ways.
Editor’s Tips: A great mix of humour and zombies. Quick jump cuts add a lot to the energy of the whole movie, and heightens the comedic effect. A nod to the extremely precise use of sound effects as well!
THE OFFICE
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video
Duration: 9 seasons; 201 episodes (binge-worthy!)
About: In the Scranton branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company, regional manager Michael Scott has new antics up his sleeves everyday to brighten the lives of his employees. What he doesn’t know is that he ends up adding misery instead of joy most of the time.
Director’s Tips: It looks simple, but there are so many quirky elements in this show that make it one of the most famed series of all time! The show has been made so that it looks like a documentary sneak-peek into a real office. This style will soon make you believe that this hilarious office exists in real life! Or you will at least hope that it does.
For the Animation Lovers
Being at home for a long period of time and staring at the same view of your home 24/7 can definitely dull your eyes. Your eyes are screaming for something new, something beautiful! We’ve got a list of beautiful animation picks that would do just the job to freshen up your eyes and mind, and maybe give you a little inspirational spark:
SPIDERMAN: INTO THE SPIDERVERSE
Where to Watch: Netflix
Duration: 1h 56m
About: You may have heard about the concept of the ‘multiverse’ within the Marvel universe. But what about a movie with FIVE different spider-people from different realities fighting as a team? We know what it is - it’s pure awesome.
Animator’s Tips: Not to be overlooked as a mere cartoon-superhero-movie!! This movie has groundbreaking animation styles that got us animators screaming about it for weeks. The animation masterfully recreates graphic novel aesthetics on a whole new dimension. Watch this video here: https://youtu.be/l-wUKu_V2Lk for insider’s insight on how the animators achieved this look!
UNDONE
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video
Duration: 1 season; 8 episodes
About: After a near-fatal car accident, Alma starts seeing her dead father’s “ghost” - who convinces her to manipulate time to uncover the real cause behind his death. Will she manage to piece together all the missing parts of the puzzle while still being what others call “normal”?
Animator’s Tips: Undone has a wholly unique animation style that looks real AND fake at the same time. It really messes with your brain, but this means it’s been successfully made! I loved how the creators managed to gel this style to the theme of mental illnesses and illustrate the blurring character’s boundaries between reality and imagination.
For the Film / TV Buffs
Work is over for the day. You recall times where going to the cinemas to catch a new show was the norm. But all the new films you were looking forward to catching have postponed their release. The film buff within you is crying a river, and your craving for some quality cinematic content has not been satisfied. Hey, we’ve got you! Peek below for some of the best quality stuff that would blow your minds and endlessly intrigue the little nerds living in our brains:
WESTWORLD
Where to Watch: HBO
Duration: 3 seasons; 24 episodes
About: Hedonistic humans create a theme park to play very cruel Gods. AIs eventually rise up and outsmart their human creators to gain independence. But what is freedom? Is anyone, even humans, truly free in this world?
Director’s Tips: Westworld has EVERYTHING from top-notch production quality, expert cinematography, stellar cast, to compelling concepts and narrative. One may say “they have a lot of money to do it”, but even with the money, it takes a great deal of expertise to attain such quality. (don’t blame me if you get addicted to this show)
THE PLATFORM
Where to Watch: Netflix
Duration: 1h 34m
About: In the future, prisons are vertical. Food is only given out on the higher platform, leaving only crumbs or nothing at all for those at the lower levels. If everyone ate their fair share, there would be enough food for all. But how would one convince the rest to do so?
Writer’s Tips: Social hierarchy and inequality are serious problems we face in real life but are somehow swept under the rug a lot of the time. I see this as the reason why filmmakers so often use them as themes in their craft - to bring awareness to the problem as much as they can. The Platform did it too, but in a very different way. It struck me as a human before I even started getting impressed by its visual techniques. Definitely worth a watch but don’t watch it while you’re eating.
For the Gore & Horror Fans:
This is for the special group of people who find catharsis and joy in blood, death and the supernatural. Huddle together with your loved ones at night, one meter apart, and brace yourselves for sleepless nights. Watch these alone.. at your own risk!
KINGDOM
Where to Watch: Netflix
Duration: 2 seasons; 12 episodes
About: A zombie breakout in medieval Korea! Rumour has it that it all began when some ministers brought the deceased king back to ‘life’. Watch the chaos unfold as the prince struggles to protect his people, his kingdom, and even his own right to rule.
Producer’s Tips: The zombies, the characters, everyone runs freakishly fast in this show!! The crew and talent did a fantastic job pulling off those insane chase scenes right in the middle of winter. Zombies + medieval Korea is an interesting combination just by itself, and it is well executed!
THE WAILING
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video
Duration: 2h 36m
About: A strange disease makes the people kill their loved ones before taking their own lives. Some say it's caused by an evil entity, and everyone is a suspect. What and who do you trust in times of crisis?
Writer’s Tips: WARNING - This movie is not for the faint hearted! Korean horror done at its best, it WILL give you sleepless nights. There is no ghost and neither are there jumpscares, but fear is insidiously woven into the uncertainty that dominates this film.
Well, that’s all we have for you right now. If you liked this or found this useful, give us a shout by commenting and liking on our Facebook / Linkedin / Instagram posts - and we may release a part 2 with MORE NEW SHOWS for you! Stirring your Dalgona coffee 400 times gets way less tedious when our eyes are glued to some quality content on the screen. But remember to take your eyes off once in a while so that your pet hasn’t sneakily licked the Dalgona off your bowl!
This is a difficult time for the world, and although we know that staying at home helps #flattenthecurve, cabin fever does threaten to creep in. So right before you press ‘play’ and jump into another world - remember: during the toughest of times, turn to art! Don’t stop creating, and if you get inspired by any of the shows above, hit us up for some customised entertainment production!
Read Also: 마스크를 올바르게 착용 하셨습니까? Korea, Are You Wearing Your Mask Right?
News of the rapidly rising community spread in Korea made the world worried for the safety and well-being of our fellow Korean friends. To ensure our friends and family in Korea were getting maximum protection through the correct use of masks, we rolled up our sleeves and translated our Are You Wearing Your Mask Right? video into Korean.
