Adapting Job Interviews: A Cross-Cultural Study of TV Dramas

Abstract

This study conducts a comparative analysis of job-interview scenes from the South Korean series She Was Pretty (2015) and its adaptations in Turkiye (Seviyor Sevmiyor, 2016) and China (Pretty Li Hui Zhen, 2017), focusing on how visual elements such as mise-en-scène and shot-length-distributions reflect cultural differences and emotional proximities. By integrating qualitative textual analysis with quantitative shot-length analysis, this research examines the visual grammar of these adaptations through the lens of Multiple Proximities Theory. While mise-en-scène varies across adaptations, shot-length serves as a consistent visual tool for conveying emotional expressions, even when the distribution patterns differ. This interdisciplinary approach highlights the value of combining visual semiotics with statistical data to deepen our understanding of how cultural and aesthetic proximities are communicated in transnational television dramas.