'The Great Seer' Large Budget Pays Off?

SBS's Wed/Thurs epic drama "The Great Seer" was the center of attention even before it aired. Not only because of its mammoth $20 billion Won, about 18 million USD, budget but also because it was named a 'special broadcast.' Though some say that it's overly sensational, it is currently drawing many positive reviews for its solid storyline and very good acting. 

Then where did the production put in its other efforts?

The first note of interest is in costumes. "The Great Seer" is based on the Koryo dynasty so it must have taken more of an effort on their part to research what people wore back then because common knowledge is mostly based on what people wore during the Chosun dynasty. The drama includes people from all social levels so the costumes have to be just as diverse. 

In this manner, "The Great Seer" should receive positive comments. In the case of Oh Hyun Kyung, she usually wears outfits that reveal her shoulders, which gives her a very beautiful aura and yet powerful. On the other hand, Lee Jin wears very colorful and vivid designs, which is very fitting for the strong woman that her character is. 

Secondly, it's the action scenes that detail chases that make you grip the edges of your seat. On the episode that aired on Wednesday, the drama began with a chase scene involving Choi Jae Woong carrying a newborn baby and being followed by Cho Min Ki's men. There were scenes involving horse-riding and jumping between roofs, each cut more erratic than the one before and made the viewers' hairs stand on edge. It clearly looks like it would have taken a lot of rehearsals and preparation to have filmed such an intricate scene.

The third point to catch is the details surrounding Feng Shui. As the title indicates, the drama centers on a "seer" Mok Ji Sang (Jisung) who was instrumental in Lee Sung Kye building a new empire based on the principles of feng shui. The drama will often make mentions of complicated jargon which cannot have been done without a certain level of research. Many of the actors even took classes on feng shui.

The fourth would be the beautiful scenery and the professional computer graphics. On the Thursday episode, the children who followed Young Ji look down from the mountain and we can see the very beautiful Koryo scenery. Though its computer graphics, one would almost never doubt that it could be real. 

According to the production, "The Great Seer" started production in May and one of the actors said that they also do multiple reshoots to make sure they get it right. 

Tags
The Great Seer
SBS
Lee Jin
Oh Hyun Kyung
Jisung
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