An ad for the TV series Bong Dung Muon Khoc

Local TV producers are abandoning gloomy adult dramas to focus their attention in a bold new direction – teen life.

Gone are the days when dark war epics and heart-wrenching romantic dramas ruled Vietnamese TV. Today, around five new TV series aimed at teens have been aired since the summer holiday, highlighting a new direction for Vietnamese producers who once focused solely on adult features.

Even Ngo Quang Hai, the award-winning director and producer, famous for his features steeped in serious issues like Chuyen cua Pao (The story of Pao), has begun producing series targeted at an adolescent demographic.

His latest work, Chit va Pi (Chit and Pi), focuses on two secondary-school girls – Le Bao Han and Le Bao Tran, whose nicknames are Chit and Pi respectively.

The two characters come from single-parent families and are chosen to attend an honors class.

They immediately become best friends despite having very different personalities. Chit, who lives with her father, is strong and bold, while Pi, whose father has passed away, is more sensitive.

The girls decide to set their parents up on a date and eventually the adults fall in love and marry. Comedy ensues when the new family faces daily situations together.

The 41-year-old director said he actually knew only a little about how teenagers think and feel and was eager to learn about adolescents before he had children of his own.

“I feel pity for today’s kids. I cannot stand seeing them under such pressure to study. They have to get up before 6:00 a.m. to not be late for school and then they attend extra classes with tutors. Thus, they do not finish a day until 10:00 p.m. And many parents even ask their children to study during the weekends.

“The kids look uncomfortable carrying heavy backpacks to school. They have little time to relax or to join social activities and sports compared to their parents when they were children some decades ago,” said Hai.

He was keen, therefore, to breathe fresh air into teen life with his 24-episode series using a “flying cam” filming technique to make the episodes more exciting and fast-paced.

“We have been keen on films that reflect social problems for such a long time. Now people live in a harsher and more competitive environment. With such little free time, audiences, especially the students, need more TV to relax rather than shed tears,” said Hai.

The talented director, however, admitted that it was challenging to satisfy the tastes of Vietnamese teenagers in an increasingly Westernized society.

While Chit va Pi has now wrapped up, Bong dung muon khoc (Suddenly I wanna cry) is also enjoying popularity among teens and their parents alike. The show has aired since the end of August.

All of the characters in Bong dung muon khoc are unique. Nam is the spoiled child of wealthy parents but comes to learn he is not their biological son. He is cast out of their luxurious home and begins a life on the streets where he meets a beautiful but illiterate girl.

The series reflects a diversified view about youth life on the streets in a comedic format.

Another 10-episode series called Nu sinh (High-school Girls), produced by Ho Chi Minh City Television’s Film Studio (TFS), was aimed at Vietnamese teens recently. The humorous series follows three fun-loving girls who try to make a fool out of their handsome new teacher.

Many Vietnamese directors say the most difficult part of filming a teen series is casting and managing the actors due to their school schedules.

Hai said that out of a pool of around 800 amateur actors who tried out for roles, he was limited to choosing just 30 for Chit va Pi.

“Since all of them have to attend school during the production, we have to ask the permission of their parents and schools,” he said.

“The shooting schedules coincided with the exams at schools. Therefore, it made our final product a half year late.”

Nu sinh’s director, Xuan Phuoc, said he wanted his series to showcase the youths’ dreams, true feelings and creativity. But due to the teens’ hectic school schedules, it was a constant challenge to film them.

Reported by Luu Hong