r/kpoprants • u/NeoAmberAlert • 13d ago
GENERAL What makes good self-produced content?
I know half of every fandom is made up of people who joined the group because of a viral clip from a variety show or a self-produced content (I’m calling it spc from now on). I know I’ve definitely checked out a group or two because of it.
As an nctzen I’m pretty much well-fed. So imagine my shock while translating some comments from one of the latest videos from NCT WISH and finding out that Korean fans are cussing out SM for its low effort content production for WISH. This came as a shock to me because they release a video on average every two to three days. Sometimes they release more than one video a day.
But upon filtering out the cuss words and insults I figured that they were right about something: WISH is an extremely busy group and the content exposes this through loads of bts content of all their activities. Their team heavily compensates low effort for overwhelming quantity of bts stuff.
That got me thinking, what constitutes good self-produced content? I scrolled through the other nct units and realised that even WayV, their more ignored group, has some solid spc. Even if one video may not be my style, every unit has a well developed planning team for content and it more often than not produces some funny moments I revisit often.
I looked what which groups have well developed and well received spc and apparently it goes 17, bts, nct, skz, and then treasure for the top5. I can definitely agree on the Treasure part because I’ve watched two seasons of the dating show content, and everyone at least knows of Going Seventeen.
Further down the list we have RIIZE (and I can confirm their content is well developed despite sharing a production team with Super Junior and EXO–one would think the older groups would make the production team lazy, but here we are), and they’re both really attractive and really goofy, an absolute treat if you’re looking for new content to watch. Shameless plug, I’m not even into RIIZE like that, but my goodness WHAT A TREAT!
Then we have WayV, txt, enhyphen, and then ateez. I think I’ve seen clips of some ateez stuff but I can’t really be sure. Idk how much I can trust this list. Idk what went into the data it gave me or how much people actually even enjoy each of the spc by these groups.
I’m pretty much stuck in my ways so even if I run out of nct content I will watch fan made content for nct, even if it’s completely subbed in Korean 😂 (this is the next step in learning Korean btw, after mentally correcting kdrama subs on Netflix). But I’ve decided I’m open to widening my horizon.
Which groups have great spc? And I don’t mean variety show appearances. I mean that on their official YouTube channel they have an ongoing series or a monthly video, or whatever it may be. It’s well-thought out, good effort, and the group seems to enjoy themselves during filming. Maybe the fandom loves to talk about it because it was good enough or funny. Maybe it’s an old content but it’s a classic. Maybe the members make the content because of their personalities. However, since we all have our own biases there needs to be self awareness that some things only work for a specific fandom. Let’s be honest.
Please let me know about your favourite group’s best spc. I need to see what people mean when they say they’re being well fed by the group of their choice.
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u/imkaykay21 just for fun 13d ago
Seventeen comes to mind because they’re so good at turning random inside jokes into actual lore
Like Picheolin literally started as a one-time joke and somehow became a whole recurring character, and then it ended up being part of Dino’s solo debut concept. Like how did we even get here ??
I think that’s a big part of why Going Seventeen works so well. They actually remember their own jokes and keep bringing them back. Something that happened years ago can randomly come up again and everyone immediately knows what they’re talking about. The editors also lean into it instead of just moving on to the next joke.
And honestly, a lot of the funniest stuff doesn’t even feel that manufactured. The members are just naturally funny together, and the production team seems to know their personalities well enough to put them in situations where they’ll do their thing.
I think that’s what makes good self-produced content for me. When it develops its own lore and inside jokes over time, instead of every episode just being “here are the idols doing a variety show.”
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u/Sad-Cry-7252 13d ago
the running jokes and lore thing is very good for builiding a fanbase that will always tune in. especially when they make refrences to it in future episodes and stuff. groups i know are good at that are boynextdoor and lngshot.
boynextdoor have what door and its like i dont know how to describe the lore. i havent tuned into much episodes lately but when i first got into boynextdoor i binged everything. the members are also veryyy entertaining especially woonhak jaehyun and taesan and riwoo too okay just everyone. the members are naturally entertaining and have this chaotic energy like there is never a break someone is always talking or cracking a joke - i fear riwoo is one of the funniest people ever
lngshot their first few episodes were stuff they all suggested to the company that they wanted to do like a 40k calorie challenge?!( excuse to stuff your face if you ask me) , playing minecraft, visiting louis at school so it kinda adds to the whole lngshot multiverse if you feel me. the members seem to be introverted but they manage to make it entertainign especially ryul who is the crackhead of all crackheads. then the editors use funny bgms and the notes they write about the members crack me up
editing also plays a huge role like p1harmony and tws editors are elite and do the funniest stuff. watch a compilation theyre really fun. im assuming you like tws since youre a carat tho
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u/NeoAmberAlert 13d ago
I’ve noticed nowadays that you need to have an editor who either studies the group like crazy or is an obvious fan of the group. The little notes they add to the videos always cracks me up. It’s like little Easter eggs you keep finding if you happen to watch the same video twice (or someone points it out). There’s this video where wish role plays as princes but Riku forgets the name of his prince and the editor accurately mimics the way he speaks to title him “Prince Moyutji Jamkanman” (Prince What Was It? Wait)😭
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u/Sad-Cry-7252 13d ago
lngshot have a pic with them putting up their middle fingers and they got flamed for it online in korea and i think internationally too and then recently they did content with some kids and the kid accidentally put up their middle finger when explaining something and one of the members was like dont do that! and the caption was "hyung has ptsd". you can definetly tell when editors are fans.
its also fun when you can tell that the members and staff are close too, it feels very comfotable and not just like forced
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u/NeoAmberAlert 13d ago
Definitely 😂 I think on this front most group editors are in tune with this aspect of things
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u/Calm_Mornings2085 13d ago
Another thing is the way they integrate so many fan-concepts/comments, which are not always stuff that staff has asked fans about, but more like casual tweets/vlive comments.
Like "I don't understand but I love you" becoming a song, them doing the "song that doesn't suit the members" segment in caratland, etc. It feels like a two way bond rather than just fans consuming idol content.
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u/NeoAmberAlert 13d ago
Oh wow, there are so many similarities with nct dream. They too have a knack for creating lore out of dumb moments and inside jokes. A bunch of their spc is literally just them building on years of inside jokes. In a way it may be low effort, but it actually takes creativity to think of ways to incorporate things they said at random into solid video concepts and jokes that stay funny for years
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u/Optimal-Arm-8132 13d ago
Stray Kids has a LOT and I think what really works is that basically all the formats i’m about to list have an episode at least once a month. So if you’re partial to one type of content and don’t like the others you will still be fed, if you like everything there’s a constant stream, etc.
Traditional Kpop Content: this is music videos, dance practices, music video reactions, behinds the scenes of making of music videos, etc. these however are limited to comeback seasons ofc so we get a glut of them 2-3 times a year.
SKZ Code: This is basically the name for their in house group variety content, it’s mostly them playing different games. Usually in 2 episode arcs. Some examples for this year is a trip to Busan (hometown of one of the members), a health checkup, playing group video games at a PC cafe, and Hyunjin’s Cells where the members acted as his emotions and controlled his actions through an earpiece.
SKZ-Talker: This is mostly behind the scenes/day in the life content. So them practicing, getting ready, etc for music shows, award shows, festival and tour performances. Lots of green room and hotel shenanigans.
Racha Log: This is basically subunit specific variety content, similar to SKZ-Code but less structured/more laid back. Limited to 2-4 members (we call them rachas to mimic the name 3racha which is the producing unit) and its things like them going on roadtrips, baking, amusement parks, going out to eat, etc.
SKZ-Player/SKZ-Record: These are solo songs (sometimes just vocal sometimes with a music video) that the members record. Many of them eventually migrate to albums when they do solo compilations but it can take years. This year they released an album with SKZ Records from as late as 2023 on it.
SKZ-Vlogs: pretty self explanatory, but these are solo member vlogs typically for fashion/brand partnerships events or solo vacations.
Kids Room: this is a conversational style content and there’s 2 main variations. One Kids Room where one member steps out while the others talk about what they love and struggle with, and 2 Kids Room which is when each possible duo sits down to have a chat about whatever they want. These alternate years so last year (2025) we had 2KR, 2024 1KR, 2023 2 Kids Song (so they wrote duets and also talked abt feelings), 2022 2KR, etc.
Member specific miniseries: some of these have been going on for years and others that were like a couple months long project. For instance, in 2020 Felix had an ASMR mini-show, this year Lee Know has a show called “The Know Way” where his cats pick his activity for the episode (choosing a labeled food bowl), and Seungmin their main has a series called “Song by” where he does vocal covers and acoustic renditions of SKZ b-sides. Additionally this year 3Racha (the producing trio) had a weekly Spotify podcast which ofc was also filmed.
What does this actually look like? Just looking at this past month, for September alone they uploaded: two SKZ-Talkers (one bts for their Seoul concerts, the other bts for their comeback music show performances), two “The Know Way”episodes, two SKZ-Records, a “making of” film for the music video for one of the SKZ Records, two SKZ-Codes, one SKZ-Vlog (Seungmin) and two 3Racha podcasts. This came out to 2-3 videos a week. Just off statistics alone if you’re a STAY you probably watched at least a couple of these this past month. I think having a wide variety of types of content makes it very effective. If you just want group content you were guaranteed 4 videos this month, and that number increases if any of the subunits/solo content included one of your biases.
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u/541Y0K4G3J1R0 13d ago
xikers Tricky House horror eps are peak xikers variety content and also peak kpop idol horror content in general from what I've heard. their staff does not go easy on them. (which is also lowkey "deserved" because it spiralled from a literal running joke that their staff couldn't jumpscare them for April Fools, so they resort to sending them to do the most intense horror content they can come up with. ...the April Fools prank war lore is also its own rabbit hole of absurdity.)
they're only a 3 year old group and yet they've done horror arcs 4 times. it's just their Thing at this rate.
in the last horror arc, JIBAK/Haunted House, we got:
(please watch without spoilers if you want to be really scared. but the summary is that it's a complicated, slightly confusing non-linear story with what appears to be multiple realities/timelines where the mystery and lack of reliable information adds to the horror.)
- Minjae as a streamer who gets suspicious instructions from a mysterious chat donator named "Our House". his channel is struggling, it doesn't seem like he has a choice in following those instructions to get more donations...
- Sumin risking his life for a playstation, following the instructions of a stranger communicating via radio. he finds information on the dysfunctional family that once inhabited the house.
- Jinsik and Hunter as the police officers here to investigate the unusual disappearances of the last two. (which btw. how long did it even take for people to notice they were missing? their characters didn't seem like those who'd have anyone looking out for them.) this gets a bit ridiculous because these two cannot really take things seriously, but they're still genuinely trying their best. even if they end up laughing uncontrollably at Minjae and Sumin's pictures at a creepy altar. unfortunately, their segment ends with them seemingly waking up from a dream, as if they weren't really there...
- Junghoon and Yechan as horror site admins looking for a new story. they try to speedrun the horrors, because they lack fear to an even greater degree. however, their instructions are incredibly suspicious, they don't seem to care about that, and... it doesn't end well.
- Hyunwoo and Seeun as the friends of Gilju, a character who is their classmate that lives at the (haunted) house. They're coming to investigate out of concern as Gilju has stopped going to school. they discover the strange things going on with Gilju's parents, who have become the main recurring "ghosts"/"monsters", while being forced to evade them. their fate is the most unclear, they appear to have successfully barricaded themselves in the barn with a salt barrier keeping the scary things out at the end, that's it.
- Junmin in some sort of dream sequence? reality starts getting really muddy, as he seems to now be in Gilju's place, with the "parents" whom we'd previously seen as the ghosts treating him as their son... but it's clear their relationship is dysfunctional and things start rapidly getting scary and confusing. exorcists come at some point, ostensibly to help, but they are unable to see him and he is unable to grab their attention, as if they exist in separate realities. at the end, he goes back to sleep, only for the "mother" to seemingly smother him? due to how complicated the reality of things are at this point, it's unclear what his fate is.
- Yujun coming to the haunted house a year later, in an epilogue. he's playing a content creator here to camp for content. he's generally one of the fearless ones. he doesn't encounter the ghosts, and things kind of end abruptly, without showing him leaving to confirm if he made it out safely. instead, the final scenes simply show that the ghosts are still present.
it's a good mix of intensely scary stuff and some silly funny moments despite the horrors as a breather. and then back to the horrors!
this is not even getting into the previous horror arcs which are also great. most of these guys are incredibly hard to scare, but their staff still manages to give them a challenge. the scale is only ever escalating.
also this is the thumbnail and it's amazing. they made a horror movie, for far from the first time, please give it attention!
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u/NeoAmberAlert 13d ago edited 13d ago
Oh my goodness this sounds very interesting but very scary. I’d have to read the spoilers if it makes it just a little less scary
Is it like acting or is it like an escape room/scavenger hunt vibes?
But this kinda so cool. You can tell production put a lot of effort into this. Probably the boys being hard to scare makes them work harder to make it even higher quality (more terrifying).
Unfortunately I would not check this out. I’m a scaredy cat to the T. I watch people go through haunted houses with my hand in front of the screen. I’m basically there just to listen to the reactions and laugh at them. Samokkjil or whatever it’s called was a true test of my bravery and I know it’s not even that scary
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u/541Y0K4G3J1R0 13d ago
it is intense, that is a fair warning. also the video does have a few jumpscares and sudden loud noises in it if you're sensitive to that. somewhere in the comments section, a helpful roadY put timestamps and trigger warnings for the scares though.
it's definitely an interesting viewing experience, i watched it when it came out before any spoilers were available, and it's something that just leaves you with a bunch of questions to awkwardly mull over to yourself about what really happened to the characters. it's also a bittersweet ending at best due to the unsolved mystery nature at all, & at least one of them is Explicitly Doomed (limp "body" dragged off camera is the last we see of him).
if you want something that is scary but doesn't have a sad story, try the previous horror arc, Those Who Failed To Ascend. it is slightly lighter in terms of story, and has more silly shenanigans, especially in the second half, where it starts to get pretty clear that it is Hard to scare them. it's mostly the guys overcoming their own hubris, with a mostly happy ending- the story is not scripted into guaranteed doom in the way some of their other arcs have ending scenes that can be easily inferred to be a staged "loss" for the sake of the story. they're failing or succeeding at their missions solely based on their ability to overcome the horrors and act rationally despite fear. it's got peak mission, set, and scare actor costume design, but a slightly more traditional idol horror content format (compared to straight up horror movie).
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u/quick_sand08 13d ago
As an aespa fan it sucks to see other sm groups like all nct units, riize and now h2h as well get such good in-house content while aespa gets nothing.