#gmmtv expLAIN

[gunsatthaphan]

“I met you before.”

↳ requested by @rares-posts♡

[pharawee]

—If you keep stepping closer, how can we maintain the distance? —What if I don't want to be five meters apart? Because with just five centimeters, I'm already dying.

THAME - PO · เธม-โป้ · HEART THAT SKIPS A BEAT · GMMTV 2024 PART 2

[circuscl0wn]

Now that this has happened:

May I present to you, this:

I was not expecting them to kiss in episode 2💀💀

[hallowpen]

The Legalities of GMMtv's Yfind

Some of us have probably moved on already... but I finally heard back from my mother's coworker [X] regarding the legalities of GMM's Yfind process as laid out in their terms and conditions, which I have translated here. For privacy reasons, I'm not going to name my source, but just know they are a qualified contract lawyer currently working for CUIPI. My mother and I have both profusely apologized for bothering them with this matter, for which they've been incredibly gracious.

As I've stated, the 'contract' is creatively worded to skirt around company liability, though I didn't exactly have the legal know-how to explain why. Now that I am armed with that information, let's dive in...

First things first: the Terms and Conditions are, in fact, considered a binding contract as you are required to have read them before you can submit your work. This initial contract is considered to be legally sound in its use of specific terminology as to not violate Thailand's "Unfair Contract Terms Act". What really matters, however, is the final negotiated contract between the winning applicants and the company... which is unavailable for inspection.

The Prize Money. So... this is where things get a little exploitative. Because it's hard to put a price on someone's work when there aren't any 'clockable' hours. Some might be thinking, "Three pages doesn't seem like a lot of work," but you can do a lot with three pages. It was pointed out that spacing, font size, and margins were not specified beyond the standard default document settings. Meaning, if an applicant were to submit a document using the default normal spacing, 11 point font, and 1 inch margins, they can average anywhere between 1500-2000 words. Not to mention... there's pre-planning, brainstorming, and drafts that must happen before the writing of a final 'submittable' synopsis. AND they are allowing a total of two works per submission. Story developers within a production company typically do not work alone. Your normal story developer, as part of a low-end production company (so not GMMtv), averages about ฿300/hr. For an average nine-hour work day, the prize money works out to be equal to twelve and a half days of work. Work that would typically get done as part of a development team... who would be earning much higher than the average salary given GMMtv's stature. The 'reward' money is the only compensation applicants will be receiving should they agree to transfer ownership of their property to the company, there are no royalties (this is standard for novel to television adaptation rights, as well). You can decide for yourself if that seems fair.

Liability. (Without seeing the final contract negotiations and transfer documents, a lot of the information provided to me is purely speculative) The company has, essentially, ensured that they will not be held liable for any copyright or intellectual property lawsuits... should they arise. They have avoided explicitly stating their sole legal responsibility of the property once ownership has been transferred. Meaning, that even though winning applicants will no longer own their work, they can still be held liable (by those claiming infringement AND by the company themselves) for these types of lawsuits. And where the company has access to a lot more financial and legal resources, the burden placed on applicants is a lot heavier. This is where the next point comes into play.

Legal Advocation. It is highly recommended that, should the company not already provide one, winning applicants should seek legal representation to negotiate on their behalf. They are within their rights to request an advocate be provided for them on the company's dime. The company is also within their rights to refuse... but at that point, it's a clear sign to back out from negotiations and not sign any legal documentation. If they really are this desperate for ideas, then there shouldn't be a problem... unless GMM are purposefully looking to take advantage of someone who doesn't know any better. If applicants are under the age of consent (in Thailand, that's anyone under 20), an advocate must be provided for them regardless, otherwise all binding contracts are considered null and void.

IP Retention Rights. It was also pointed out to me that it was interesting to see GMMtv [barely] address intellectual property retention rights in their FAQ rather than in their terms and conditions. What does that mean? If GMMtv do not legally obtain the rights to an applicant's work, it should remain the sole property of the applicant. BUT intellectual property ownership is a lot harder to prove in a court of law than, say, filed patents and copyrights. So even though GMMtv will not own the property per se, they do retain access to it after it's already been submitted. (Again, speculative ->) They have teams who can develop and change enough of a property to avoid infringement liability. And even still, should a case be made for infringement, it's the applicants (who are at a disadvantage) vs. GMMtv's wealth of financial and legal resources.

Bottom Line... Yfind is bullshit (my words) and unfortunately, there will be people who are going to fall for it.

[khaopybara]

Boston's a Bitch and he owns that Shit! Pt. 1

There's a reason why Neo worked out his ass off to play Boston and it's because he would have just as many "outfit" changes as Ray if I put every time he was shirtless in a scene.

NEO TRAI as BOSTON ( ONLY FRIENDS EP. 1-6 )

[airenyah]

says the guy who played the old chicken uncle

[mooninagust]

hidden agenda ✑ ep. 3

[heretherebedork]

I really enjoy when the people making the subtitles explain at least a bit of the language joke to us, @absolutebl The behind the scenes subs on GMMTV like to try to explain jokes.

[aprilblossomgirl]

my emotional support boys - part 2.

credit.

[offjumpoladulkittiporn]

"the ying to my yang" 🥹😭🥰

[dropthedemiurge]

Got prompted by @pinkkop but also partially this might end up as the controversial Thai BL post because the range of characters I'd defend with the passion is very wide for me:D

8 BL BOYS I WILL THROW HANDS FOR

Uea (Bed Friend)

This show isn't jokingly called 'A Tale of 1000 Traumas' for no reason, I mean – there is only so much one young adult can go through, and Uea has been through... well, almost everything. Tagging hurt/comfort fics on AO3 will result into red triggers all around. What fascinates me in this character is his resilience, too. He managed to go through everything with the sheer will power and knowing his own worth, what he deserves and what he does not. I am so glad the show made an active choice to send him to therapy and give him a considerate and loving boyfriend! He really needs both.

Sky (Love in the Air)

Again, no surprise that everyone would want to protect Sky. The acting was also chef's kiss in this show, I know I shouldn't be but I absolutely enjoyed seeing Sky getting triggered and sent to the red-lit room in his mind because this was pure cinematography, but irl I would just hug Sky with consent and never let him go. And kick Gun until he never rises up again too. I think Rain should've been given full freedom to avenge for his best friend. But this is also why I'm writing all these skyrain fics – because they are safe space for each other and I want to keep seeing it.

Rain (Love in the Air)

Ehem, like I said– the show has not declared it loudly but he's one of the most ADHD characters in Thai BLs if I ever saw one. He does not deserve to be mocked for his struggles and airheadness. I wish we saw more of him playing into his strengths beside taming a dom, instead of being infantilized by the show sometimes. Don't ask me to dive into full analysis though, I only could watch the PayuRain half of the show once so I'm going off vibes I remember, but I absolutely adore Rain and love reading fics that focus on his ADHD headcanon and how others understand and help him. And also those platonic BDSM tendencies he has with his best friend Sky.

Kawi (Be My Favorite)

For this guy, I would not fight the show or narration because they treated both characters and viewers with care, gentleness, wise teaching and love (Max is a harsh brat but that's his personality). I would actually fight the fandom: from people who hate-watched this show and refused to acknowledge it was amazingly done further than 'i might've liked it but ew screw this actor and novel the show was inspired by amiright don't judge me for liking it jk lol' to some individuals who missed the beautifully developed and portrayed close bond (aspec on at that, I'll stay firm) that spread across >10 years and different timelines and reduced Kawi to immature whiny weirdo who's scared to fuck Pisaeng ten times a day instead of one, idk. This show is a gem with many life-lessons and Kawi has one of the strongest and fascinating character development in Thai BLs that I've seen. Hands are being thrown.

Boston (Only Friends)

The creators of the show said the series didn't have any intentional message, but considering how many long discussions and poured out frustrations we had with some people, Only Friends definitely did Boston wrong. So what if he's a proud slut, should the show punish him for it while praising 'righteous' characters high on their horses? I don't think so. My guy was constantly filmed illegally and threatened by his hookups and friends, he's very hesitant about falling in love but he tried his best with clearly spoken offers, poly views and limits. I also see Boston kinda neurodivergent and/or demiromantic based on many lines he said about himself and his own view of people and relationships in the series. Nick might not be fully compatible with him, and I would throw hands for both of them, but if those two would communicate better, there would be no need for the OOC "twist" at the end. Their story could be beautiful, sad and realistic, instead Boston being kicked down in the street dirt by everyone after opening up about his heart and fears made me angry.

Akk (The Eclipse)

These descriptions just keep getting longer and longer? Oops... I don't think I need to explain the desire to protect Akk – this guy has not stopped crying since a mischievous and passionate newbie managed to break through his 100m thick wall of composure, pokerface and sheer will to survive. And also through all the manipulation Akk faced from the people he looked up to. Akk and everything that he went through managed to rip my heart out, and I'm not kidding. If you're repressed, oppressed and/or struggling with money, desire to make your parents proud and can't help but feel 'disapproved' feelings for someone – meet Akk, he's very relatable. I'd protect him and you too.

Thua (The Eclipse)

*clears throat* I did say this post would get controversial. I can and I will consider 90% of the people who hate Thua as lacking media literacy :D But without getting into useless fandom discussions, Thua is a poor teenager that needs love and support to be able to find himself and his own voice. He's stressed out by a harsh step-father, constantly facing homophobia and mocking in school, has suicidal intentions and the only good friend who opposed homophobic students and teachers, who showed him safe space and helped reach out to his mother, encouraged him to speak out loudly... went behind everyone's back, started dating the main "bully" of the school who threatened every queer for months and decided to support him while silencing students' and Thua's voices. At least that's what Thua experienced from his POV. Would you throw hands? Thua did, and while I may not agree with how he handled the situation, I can't hate him. He finally stood up for himself and his own, tried to change the system, and I'd fight Suppalo school for him too.

Black (Not Me)

There's someone who doesn't need my protection at all! A second before turning into bloody merciless activist-fighter who doesn't shy away from murdering capitalists and cops, I would still want Black not to think he's better off alone. While antagonistic sexually-tense exchange of comas with his ex-best friend can count as one of the most delicious type of romance that happened in subtext not text, he still deserved to seek solace in his ex-girlfriend and (ex? they were so close, why Gram does not care about him at all when he returns? we'll never know) other activist friend's company. Also, fighting with his life to change something in how the country works and hearing 'nah, your twin is better, he knows how to fight with social media so we achieved more with him than with you' from his mentor and Black deciding that he should again ditch everyone he cares about...noo:( I need spin-off about him where he gets everything he really deserves.

[gunsatthaphan]

#keep your enemies closer but only if they're clowns.

[pharawee]

I think it's no secret that I'm not all that much into gmmtv BLs. I used to think that it's because I'm just not that into the romance/slice-of-life/ensemble cast genre and it's pretty much all gmmtv focusses on in their BLs. Or maybe I'm really that shallow and I just don't like anything mainstream.

I can't really talk myself out of the mainstream thing because it's unfortunately kind of true, but also I like plenty of romance/slice-of-life/ensemble cast shows by smaller companies, like Gen Y or Future or Our Days (the list goes on and on and on).

There's just something about gmmtv BLs these days that loses me every single time. A series starts out strong with an interesting concept and characters and then it just gets... boring to me:

The things and characters and issues I find interesting are never delved into, and (probably because of that) everything just feels so shallow and formulaic and palatable. Shows like Never Let Me Go and Be My Favorite and My School President completely underwhelmed me towards the end, to the point where I was relieved when they ended and I no longer had to gif them (which is an entirely different thing that I'm trying to work on 🙏).

And now the same thing is happening with Wandee Goodday and it makes me really sad because I really like Great and Inn and the rest of the cast.

Mind you, I'm not blaming gmmtv for this. They're mainstream for a reason and good for them! I'm also not saying that their approach to making series or marketing their actors is bad because clearly their success and their many fans prove them right.

But there's just something about how smaller or indie companies work that appeals to me so much more. I like shoestring budgets, I like it messy and rough around the edges. I like it when they're so passionate and ambitious about their projects that they try to make it happen no matter what. I like it when they take risks with genres and stories that bigger companies wouldn't touch because they're not as marketable. I like when they say "fuck it, let's do wonky sound and rookie actors because if we don't we won't have the budget to make it happen at all."

I suppose it's similar to gaming for me, where I appreciate indie games and ambitious AA titles much, much more than AAA games that tend to appeal to the biggest possible audience.

Ultimately, I'm glad there's a market for both, but it's sad to know that many smaller productions will never be as commercially well-received as mainstream titles (while ironically being held to the same standards). And it's also bittersweet to know that whenever gmmtv contracts one of my favourite actors (which is fine of course - it's one of the best things that can happen to an upcoming actor in Thailand), I know that I won't get to see them again in the kind of series that I prefer.*

*Sometimes they contract them out to non-gmmtv productions. That's how I became a fan of Marc Natarit. But as soon as they're in a fixed acting pair it's basically over.

I guess the easiest solution is to just stop watching BLs from gmmtv (I'm explicitly only mentioning BLs here because I like most of their gen shows a lot more - The Gifted is still one of my favourites and just recently Enigma and Midnight Museum and Mama Gogo were absolutely amazing) but the problem is... their pilot trailers actually get me excited. Right now I'm really looking forward to Kidnap and ThamePo. Plus, once in a while gmmtv DOES take a risk and then you get incredible shows like Not Me (which apparently didn't do very well numbers-wise, so from a business pov it makes sense not to invest in them too heavily).

In the end, I think I need to get a lot more selective with the Thai BLs I want to watch. After all, there's now so many of them that we can finally afford to be picky (and that has to be a good thing, right?).

[ophillya]

someone care to explain why there is no line connecting jeng and pok?

[hallowpen]

I was talking about GMMtv's Yfind in the GC and I thought it'd be relevant to anyone who is interested in my opinion hehe I've been raised to be curious in nature (blame my mother for that one 😜😜😜) so I'm going to be following up on this with the resources I have available to me...

Stay tuned, I guess...

[khaopybara]

There are many layers to this.

The official subtitles say "I've heard that P'Khaotung and P'First are close", when Fourth says P'Book. Of course, First and Khaotung are close. Have you seen them?

Khaotung is a shopaholic apparently, but we already knew that. First always says that Khaotung takes him out to shop whenever they are abroad.

Even when First isn't there, he is there somehow.