ID :
156691
Tue, 01/11/2011 - 08:16
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/156691
The shortlink copeid
`Oldboy` auteur Park sees iPhone opening up choices for filmmakers
SEOUL, Jan. 11 (Yonhap) -- A new movie by internationally acclaimed director Park
Chan-wook will likely stir up a buzz about how he shot entire scenes with a novel
cinematic medium: the iPhone.
"It was a new experience, compared with making a meticulously planned movie. Even
a casual and spontaneous shot delivered a surprise," Park said in an interview
with Yonhap News Agency after a press preview of "Night Fishing" (Paranmanjang)
in Seoul. "It felt like there were more choices."
Park's latest short film, which means "a life full of ups and downs" in Korean,
follows a story of a middle-aged man who catches a woman from a river while
fishing at night.
Horrified, the man tries to flee, only to get entangled in his fishing lines and
the woman until he passes out. When he wakes up, the man finds himself clad in
the woman's dress, while she is wearing his clothes. The woman, who later turns
out to be a shaman, begins to tell the story of the man's family.
The surreal, 30-minute-long tale, which has a touch of comedy and a dose of
horror, takes an unexpected turn, as are many of Park's previous works.
The 48-year-old director, who is a household name in South Korean cinema, is best
known internationally for "Oldboy" and "Thirst." The two films each earned him
the second-best and the third-best prizes at the Cannes Film Festival.
Park, who often explores dark and violent subjects as revenge and brutality with
sensual mise-en-scenes, revives many of his cinematic trademarks using the
iPhone, such as exploring morbid themes and vivid colors. The coarse screen
texture in the night scenes and a couple of underwater scenes help unite them
under the idea of death.
A self-proclaimed early adopter when it comes to a new technology in film, Park
said he at first approached the project for fun.
"New technology always offers wonders and useful features. Testing them is part
of the amusement," he said.
But the production turned out to be as intensive and taxing as his latest work
"Thirst," he said.
"We were making the exact same movie as before, with just a smaller camera," he
said.
The film's cost amounted to 150 million won (US$133,000), funded in part by KT
Corp., the sole local distributor of the iPhone that has sold more than 1.8
million units in South Korea. The telecom titan hosted an iPhone film festival
featuring 12 short works by the iPhone last year.
Park and his brother Park Chan-kyong who collaborated on the film also used the
iPhone's compactness and lightness as one of the aesthetic elements to serve
their cinematic goals.
The film opens with a long take of an underground music band playing a song where
the camera starts to swing, unnerving viewers.
"Every device has pros and cons so we tried to work with the device's
characteristics," said Park Chan-kyong, who wrote the screenplay and co-directed
the work with his older brother. "We wanted the scene to feel dynamic so we took
advantage of the (iPhone) camera's spontaneity and its sense of movement."
The iPhone's ubiquitousness also brought surprises to the film-making process.
Scenes were shot simultaneously from two iPhones from different angles, but staff
members voluntarily contributed to the final version with video recordings on
their iPhones from their point of view.
"Some of them had an unexpectedly interesting angle," said the older Park, adding
that the film-making process was more democratic as everyone with a smartphone
took part in it, instead of one cameraman wielding the power.
Whether the director will continue using the iPhone for his future films depends
on the nature of the project, he said. But he does not believe that a new
generation of cinematic tool, even Apple's iPhone, should outshine the film
itself.
"Making a film with smartphones might generate more interest at the moment. But
as time goes by, stories and actors on screen will be seen as more important,"
the director said.
The iPhone-made movie will be released in nine theaters nationwide in South Korea
for four days from Jan. 27.
ylee@yna.co.kr
Chan-wook will likely stir up a buzz about how he shot entire scenes with a novel
cinematic medium: the iPhone.
"It was a new experience, compared with making a meticulously planned movie. Even
a casual and spontaneous shot delivered a surprise," Park said in an interview
with Yonhap News Agency after a press preview of "Night Fishing" (Paranmanjang)
in Seoul. "It felt like there were more choices."
Park's latest short film, which means "a life full of ups and downs" in Korean,
follows a story of a middle-aged man who catches a woman from a river while
fishing at night.
Horrified, the man tries to flee, only to get entangled in his fishing lines and
the woman until he passes out. When he wakes up, the man finds himself clad in
the woman's dress, while she is wearing his clothes. The woman, who later turns
out to be a shaman, begins to tell the story of the man's family.
The surreal, 30-minute-long tale, which has a touch of comedy and a dose of
horror, takes an unexpected turn, as are many of Park's previous works.
The 48-year-old director, who is a household name in South Korean cinema, is best
known internationally for "Oldboy" and "Thirst." The two films each earned him
the second-best and the third-best prizes at the Cannes Film Festival.
Park, who often explores dark and violent subjects as revenge and brutality with
sensual mise-en-scenes, revives many of his cinematic trademarks using the
iPhone, such as exploring morbid themes and vivid colors. The coarse screen
texture in the night scenes and a couple of underwater scenes help unite them
under the idea of death.
A self-proclaimed early adopter when it comes to a new technology in film, Park
said he at first approached the project for fun.
"New technology always offers wonders and useful features. Testing them is part
of the amusement," he said.
But the production turned out to be as intensive and taxing as his latest work
"Thirst," he said.
"We were making the exact same movie as before, with just a smaller camera," he
said.
The film's cost amounted to 150 million won (US$133,000), funded in part by KT
Corp., the sole local distributor of the iPhone that has sold more than 1.8
million units in South Korea. The telecom titan hosted an iPhone film festival
featuring 12 short works by the iPhone last year.
Park and his brother Park Chan-kyong who collaborated on the film also used the
iPhone's compactness and lightness as one of the aesthetic elements to serve
their cinematic goals.
The film opens with a long take of an underground music band playing a song where
the camera starts to swing, unnerving viewers.
"Every device has pros and cons so we tried to work with the device's
characteristics," said Park Chan-kyong, who wrote the screenplay and co-directed
the work with his older brother. "We wanted the scene to feel dynamic so we took
advantage of the (iPhone) camera's spontaneity and its sense of movement."
The iPhone's ubiquitousness also brought surprises to the film-making process.
Scenes were shot simultaneously from two iPhones from different angles, but staff
members voluntarily contributed to the final version with video recordings on
their iPhones from their point of view.
"Some of them had an unexpectedly interesting angle," said the older Park, adding
that the film-making process was more democratic as everyone with a smartphone
took part in it, instead of one cameraman wielding the power.
Whether the director will continue using the iPhone for his future films depends
on the nature of the project, he said. But he does not believe that a new
generation of cinematic tool, even Apple's iPhone, should outshine the film
itself.
"Making a film with smartphones might generate more interest at the moment. But
as time goes by, stories and actors on screen will be seen as more important,"
the director said.
The iPhone-made movie will be released in nine theaters nationwide in South Korea
for four days from Jan. 27.
ylee@yna.co.kr
