I will never understand the use of props over outdoors in MVs

No matter how big the budget for a prop, I have yet to see one that looks better than the actual place they are trying to recreate.

Outdoors not only looks a lot more beautiful, but it is also a lot easier to shoot and costs less. I just don't understand why they don't stick with it instead of creating ugly props. It is starting to annoy me because it has become more and more trendy. I fear there won't be outdoor/real places MVs anymore.

I have noticed it especially with groups that have a budget. It's funny because smaller budget groups' MVs started to look better because of that.

Quote from BlackpinkHouse

Harder to control the weather, lighting, etc. Which makes editing video a lot harder i think.

Also, you have access to everything you need to produce a high budget video in a controlled facility, you may not have that in a shoot outdoors. And if the weather is bad, it could be a pain to reschedule.

Did the weather change a lot in the last 3 years? because it has been a normal thing to do in the past for most groups. Plus now when a "nugu" group or an old artist with less budget shoots an MV, they go the outdoor route and it looks a lot better IMO.

Quote from nityasingh

Exactly, the only MV of 2021 that was impressive- FIRST by EVERGLOW. I know in the beginning shot they might have used a green screen. But the rest shoot was probably done on real sets.

I agree. I would add Twice MV too. It looked refreshing for a summer song. IDK what they used exactly but if it's good enough to fool me then it's great. Sometimes I like greenscreen but I loathe props. It somehow reminds me of school's science projects lol. I really really hope SM doesn't pull the umbah umbah set for RV's new summer song . But I am dreaming...I know they will. They seem too fond of it even for Aespa (ngl it worked great for BM tho).

Quote from wendii

A lot of it has to do with bad vfx. Dynamite music video was filmed indoors (due to weather) and you can’t teally even tell.

Not really. Dynamite was so obvious. The supposedly "indoor" scenes were fine but the scenes where it was supposed to look outdoor looked bad. Another example why cigi and props can never look better than real outdoors. Their old MVs when they were small looked better visually like Run and I need U (I am sure there are other mvs too but this is the first that came to my mind) because they were real outdoor scenes.

Quote from JiminieKookie

I know a lot MV who came out like in the last 2 years who got filmed outdoor so...

If you wanna promote, I don't mind. Better be good ones.

Quote from the101

For a professional production, it not necessarily less expensive or complicated to shoot outdoors. You have to obtain permits for the shooting location, (potentially) pay location fees to the location, ensure that you are only shooting during specific amounts of time, close off the location (so additional security costs) as well as managing timing and lighting concerns. Additionally, you will need to bring all the other bells and whistles to the location, like craft services (food and drinks), hair, makeup and costumes. This also requires additional space and support. And that's before you start talking about issues with sasesangs. (There may be less of a permit need in Korea, I don't know, tbf, but the other elements are still issues on any production.)

If you are shooting within the confines of a studio, many of these concerns about where things go or where the additional support elements are become easier to manage because there is either room within the facility or within the grounds of the facility for these types of elements. Additionally, because you are not dependent on natural light, you are not working on a finite amount of time when your light (or night) is just right for shooting or sensitivities to say making a noise on a nighttime shoot. Setting up scenes with cameras, lights and sound is not a fast or easy process - the bulk of your time on a shoot is not the actual shooting, it's the time to get everything in place to shoot.

It can also save you time in post-production because you're not trying to match the lighting and location in the same way as an actual set outside, particularly if you need to reshoot anything.

For the speed with which kpop groups are trying to churn out videos and comebacks, I completely understand why they prefer a controlled environment. Plus as the tech becomes more widespread, it is easier and cheaper to do the kind of CGI and digital work that was much more expensive 5 or so years ago.

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You make a point but it's sad. It's not like they are doing movie quality work when they control the lighting and the overall environment. I don't mind if they prioritize the controlled space if they are going to have good results (like again the Twice MV). However, the result so far always look half-assed and "cheaper" than lower budget MVs that are shot outdoors because they are doing this.

Quote from JiminieKookie

MV's from 2018-2021

• (G)I-DLE - Uh-Oh
• Amber feat. LDN Noise - Countdown
• APRIL - Now or Never
• ATEEZ - AURORA
• ATEEZ - Pirate King
• ATEEZ - Treasure
• ATEEZ - WAVE
• B.O.Y - Angel
• BM - Broken Me
• BoA - Woman
• BOYFRIEND - Stay The Way You Are
• Byeongkwan, Chan - Maybe (I hope a balcony counts as outdoor)
• Chanyeol - SSFW
• Cheatah - I'll Be There
• CIX - My New World
• CIX - Revival
• CRAVITY - Cloud 9
• Benji - Telephone
• DIA - WooWoo
• DKB - ALL IN
• DKB - Sorr y Mama
• DRIPPIN - Shine
• EDEN - 93
• EDEN feat. Heize - Heaven
• Eric Nam - Honestly
• Eric Nam - Missing You
• Eunha x Ravi - BLOSSOM (only the cherry trees in the outdoor scenes are fake)
• GOT7 - I WON'T LET YOU GO
• Great Guys - IN SUMMER
• Great Guys - RUN
• Great Guys - Touch by Touch
• Holland - Loved you better
• Hyolyn - SEE SEA
• Hyomin x JustaTee -Cabinet
• Hyuk - Way to you
• Hyuna - Flower Shower
• iKON - GOODBYE ROAD
• IMFACT - NANANA
• IN2IT - Run Away
• ITZY - ICY
• Jamie feat. Jay Park - Apollo 11
• Jay Park - Feng Shui
• JBJ95 - HOME
• JBJ95 - ONLY ONE
• JBJ95 - Spark
• Jennie - SOLO
• Jeong Sewoon - Baby It's U
• Jessie - NUNU NANA
• K-Tigers Zero - NOW
• Kang Daniel feat. DVWN - Movie
• KARD - GUNSHOTS
• KARD - Hola Hola
• KARD - Ride On The Wind
• KARD - RUMOR
• Kim Donghyun - MORE
• Kyuhyun - Dreaming
• Lee Hongki feat. Ilhoon - COOKIES
• M.O.N.T - Rock Paper Scissor
• MAMAMOO - Stary Night
• MAMAMOO - Wind Flower
• MCND - Not over
• Moonbyul feat. Seulgi - SELFISH
• NCT DREAM - BOOM
• NCT DREAM - We Go Up
• ONE - Hard to Love
• ONEUS - A Song Writen Easily
• ONEUS - TO BE OR NOT TO BE
• ONEUS - Twlight
• ONF - We Must Love
• ONF - Why
• OnlyOneOf - a sOng Of ice & fire
• OnlyOneOf - libidO
• OnlyOneOf - sage
• OnlyOneOf - savanna
• P1Harmony - SIREN
• Park Jihoon - L.O.V.E
• Park Jihoon - Wing
• PENTAGON - Naughty Boy
• RAVI feat. HAON, Xydo - STILL NIRVANA
• SHAUN - Bad Habbits
• SHAUN- Terminal
• Stray Kids - Astronaut
• Stray Kids - Double Knot
• Stray Kids - Easy
• Stray Kids - Ex
• Stray Kids - Levanter
• Stray Kids - My Side
• Stray Kids - Question
• Stray Kids - TMT
• SUPER JUNIOR - Ahora Te Puedes Marchar
• SUPER JUNIOR - SUPER Clap
• SUPER JUNIOR D&E - No Love (If you consider that they film outside a club, even tho it looks a bit more indoor cause of the entrance-area, this set is popular in MVs since like the past 2 years and I even saw this set in a JPop-MV)
• T1419 - Dracula
• Taemin - Under My Skin
• THE BOYZ - D.D.D
• THE BOYZ - No Air
• TRCNG - MISSING
• TST - PARADISE
• TVXQ - Road
• UHSN - POPSICLE
• UP10TION - So Beautiful
• Ungjae - Vanilla Sky
• VERIVERY - Get Away
• VERIVERY - Super Special
• VIINI feat. Lee Suhyun, BLOO - Love The Moon
• WEi - TWILIGHT
• WE IN THE ZONE - LET'S GET LOUD
• WE IN THE ZONE - LOVEADE
• Weki Meki - Picky Picky
• WINNER - SOSO
• Yeoone - 토닥토닥
• Youngjae - Another Night

In some it's a bit harder to see that it's shot outdoors at some scenes

Quote from reiusagi

Bestie you didn't like the next level and psycho MVs? Or TWICE ICSM? Or fancy?

I didn't like the MV for Next Level. I was so sad because I wanted something on a bigger scale tbh. The fact many liked it and thought it was expensive even non-fans worries me because that would encourage SM to do more MVs like that. Psycho had indoor scenes mostly so it worked. Props are not bad for indoor scenes. It was elegant.

For Fancy, it's similar that most scenes aren't trying to recreate an outside space with props (there were some moments tho) so it didn't ruin it for me. ICSM had its good and bad moments so idk.