Hong Sangsoo on Woman on the Beach | From the FLC Archives
Summary
TLDRIn this engaging interview, the filmmaker discusses his collaboration with actress Oh Ko-hyun-jung and his distinctive approach to storytelling, emphasizing improvisation and the importance of familiar locations. He reflects on the resurgence of Korean cinema in the 1990s, highlighting the newfound creative freedom that emerged post-dictatorship. The conversation also explores the autobiographical nature of his films and the evolving representation of women in cinema, noting how female characters increasingly drive the narrative. The filmmaker's insights into his creative process and the influences that shape his work offer a rich perspective on contemporary filmmaking.
Takeaways
- 😀 The actress Ko Hyun-jung expressed admiration for the filmmaker's work, leading to their collaboration, although they met by chance.
- 🎥 The filmmaker often writes treatments for films without a specific actor in mind, allowing for creative spontaneity during the process.
- 📝 Improvisation plays a significant role in the filmmaker's style, with actors contributing to dialogues and actions during shooting.
- 🌍 The choice of filming locations is deliberate, with the filmmaker preferring familiar settings to evoke authentic responses and creativity.
- 🌼 The filmmaker aimed to capture the essence of spring in this film, indicating a strong connection between narrative and seasonality.
- 🎬 The surge in popularity of Korean cinema in the 1990s is attributed to the influx of young, talented filmmakers and actors post-dictatorship.
- 🧑🎨 The filmmaker acknowledges that his characters, often filmmakers themselves, reflect aspects of his personality and experiences, blended with influences from multiple individuals.
- 📽️ The filmmaker values the collaborative relationship with the cinematographer, focusing on both technical skill and personal compatibility.
- 💰 Financial backing for filmmaking remains challenging, but there is optimism about the future with the relaxation of quotas for Western films.
- 👩🦰 This film showcases a shift where female characters drive the narrative more than male characters, evolving the filmmaker's traditional storytelling approach.
Q & A
How did the actress Ko Hyun-jung get involved with the film?
-Ko Hyun-jung expressed her admiration for the director's films during an accidental meeting, which led to her desire to work with him.
What unique approach does the director take when writing scripts?
-The director starts with a 20-page treatment and allows actors to contribute to the dialogue and action, postponing final decisions until the shooting days.
What influences the director's choice of filming locations?
-He prefers to shoot in familiar locations to avoid the immediate, unrefined responses that come from new environments, which allows for more nuanced creativity.
What role does improvisation play in the director's filmmaking process?
-Improvisation is a significant part of his process; he encourages actors to bring their input, which fosters a more dynamic and collaborative shooting environment.
How does the director feel about the current popularity of Korean cinema?
-He attributes the boom in Korean cinema to the emergence of talented young filmmakers and actors post-dictatorship, as well as increased freedom and resources for creative expression.
Is there an autobiographical aspect to the director's films?
-While his films reflect his personal experiences and decisions, he combines traits from various people to create characters, avoiding direct autobiography.
How does the director describe his collaboration with his cinematographer?
-He values the gentle and decent personality of his cinematographer, which complements his own style, emphasizing a strong working relationship built on mutual respect.
What challenges does the director face in securing funding for his films?
-He finds it consistently challenging to secure sponsorship due to his unconventional approach to filmmaking and the unique nature of his projects.
What impact does the director anticipate from the influx of Western films in Korea?
-He believes it could positively influence the system but is concerned about the potential reduction in opportunities for local filmmakers.
What thematic shift is observed in the director's latest film regarding character dynamics?
-The latest film notably features women driving the narrative more than men, which emerged organically during the development process with the lead actress.
Outlines
🎬 Insights into Collaboration and Storytelling
In this part of the transcript, the conversation revolves around the actress Ko Hyun-jung and her admiration for the filmmaker, who explains that their meeting was accidental and she expressed her interest in his work. The filmmaker discusses the process of writing the script, mentioning that he initially did not have a specific actress in mind when crafting the treatment. He describes his filmmaking style, emphasizing improvisation with actors, where he begins with a rough treatment and collaborates closely with the cast during shooting. The conversation also touches on the significance of the locations chosen for films, which are familiar to the filmmaker to avoid reliance on instinctual responses. He highlights how the mental background of the season impacts storytelling. The filmmaker notes the rising popularity of Korean cinema since the 1990s, attributing it to a surge of young talent and the country's transition to a more creative and affluent environment. Additionally, he reflects on the recurring theme of filmmakers as lead characters in his films, suggesting a blend of autobiographical elements and influences from various sources.
📽️ The Role of Women and Narrative Development
This part delves deeper into the filmmaker's creative process and relationships, particularly with his cinematographer. He describes the importance of their collaboration and how their different personalities contribute to the filmmaking experience. The filmmaker acknowledges the influence of past Korean filmmakers but admits to a lack of thorough exploration of their works due to insufficient archival systems. The discussion also touches on the financial challenges in filmmaking, emphasizing that securing funding remains difficult. He expresses optimism about the relaxation of quotas on Western films in South Korea, believing it could foster a healthier cinematic environment. A significant theme arises regarding the narrative focus in his latest film, where the female characters seem to drive the story more than the male characters. The filmmaker reveals that while he initially thought the ending would revolve around a male character, working closely with the actress led him to allow her character to take the lead, illustrating his adaptable approach to storytelling.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Improvisation
💡Cinematography
💡Korean Cinema
💡Narrative Structure
💡Character Development
💡Cultural Influence
💡Treatment
💡Collaboration
💡Themes of Freedom
💡Real-Life Experiences
Highlights
Ko Hyun-jung admired the filmmaker's work and expressed interest in collaborating.
The filmmaker prefers to write treatments and dialogue based on real experiences and interactions.
The interaction with a restaurant staff member in Vietnam influenced a key scene in the film.
The filmmaking process involves interviewing actors and crafting scenes based on those interactions.
The director shoots films in familiar locations to stimulate authentic responses.
Seasonal settings play a significant role in the film's emotional backdrop.
Korean cinema's global appeal has grown since the 1990s due to the influx of young filmmakers.
The director combines traits from multiple real-life people to create nuanced characters.
A unique relationship exists between the director and the cinematographer, characterized by mutual respect.
Financial challenges persist for filmmakers, impacting production capabilities.
Western film imports may influence the Korean film industry, but the director remains optimistic.
The film features a narrative shift where female characters drive the story, a departure from traditional male-centered narratives.
Improvisation plays a critical role in the filmmaking process, allowing actors to contribute to dialogue.
The director acknowledges the importance of creative freedom following South Korea's dictatorship period.
Audience responses inform the director's decisions during the filmmaking process.
Transcripts
[Applause]
I want to start with a brief question
about the actress who played the lead in
the film and wondering she contacted you
is that correct - about wanting to work
with you because she admired your films
Oh
ko hyun-jung oh yeah not contacted we
just met accidentally kind she said she
liked my feeling and I like to read so I
trust very much that's who and she'd
been a very popular television actress
yes long time ago and then she got
married to this very wealthy person and
then they got divorced
yeah and then she returned to work drama
TV drama and this was her first feeling
and you wrote the part specifically for
her I cannot really say that I was a of
course aware that she is going to be the
actress but why I was writing treatment
i I wasn't really thinking about her
like that did you say question yep Jack
this is a question about songs whose use
of the zoom lens and it's something that
people also remarked on with tale of
cinema your last film I just wanted to
choose it a question about improvisation
whether the songs who actually works
improvisationally with these actors and
also whether the incident and the
restaurant and the subsequent and it was
the motorcycle is something that really
happened because it seems too weird not
to have been real or there's a separate
oh I have a separate experiences oh I
had some arguments with the rage on
restaurant person but that in that harsh
way
when I was in Vietnam they were so this
cycling bicycle man and he was following
me around and I I got really scared a
long time ago and then I maybe that's
the two sources and I combined them into
the sequence and then there's the
question about improvisation
oh I start with about 20 pages of
treatment and then my cast actually an
actress and I interviewed them a lot and
then I shoot in in order so every
morning I I write the tasting
we usually have two or three scenes
every day I should so I in the money I
write them so at that moment of writing
I decide everything so I try to postpone
as much as I can before deciding what
dialogue what action they are going to
do so even the dialogues I have with
actors before the shooting they can come
into that dialogue
do you ever get any resistance from the
actors to work that way I think in the
in the beginning they kind of you know
scared because I don't give them the
full script yeah but after two or three
times over shooting they kind of enjoyed
a question about the play specific
nature of song Susa films and how every
film is situated in a particular locale
particular milieu and whether or not
that influences the action of the film's
oh it's like a like weirder
[Music]
but the accuracy is location is same you
know it gives me a lots of a stimulation
so I choose carefully I don't want to go
to a totally new place because then I'm
I'm afraid I might have a responses that
is very faster to become because it's a
new place I first first response I get
is you you know still type responses so
I try to shoot in the places I know
already so I can have something else
than just to type responses and you
wanted to shoot this film in springtime
he told me I cannot explain but I just
want first thing comes up to me so
usually season
it was in the treatment I don't know why
I died I wanted to put that people and
all story in between this kind of mental
background if I can but would you agree
that it at the center of the film hmm I
didn't know what what I really wanted to
put that story question about the
popularity of Korean cinema more and
more of them have become popular and
known over here and what is the there
that's particularly in cinema and what
is there that's general that's global
that appeals to the world at large
around the beginning of 1990s many young
people start coming into the film making
many talented people acting that's why
you have this boom I cannot really
explain how how did how it is like that
baby because we just got out of this
dictatorship period and you had a long
period of this before the period all the
young young people were reading a lot
you know they already delayed into
literature I think that's one of the
ground
you know they read a lot and then they
got cut out of dictatorships or J of
this you know first of all I can say the
freedom in any creativity and then we
become little more wealthy so we could
make more freedom strengthing you know
we had more money I think that these
things are them with the ground this is
a question about the the recurrence of
lead characters who are filmmakers is it
autobiographical seems like I said bad
autobiographical in the sense that
because all the decisions of us even
small things are done by myself so it
reflects myself but any any personality
in my feeling is total was copy of it or
someone in the origin I always tried to
combine so I can feel fear because if I
know I'm really cutting from real person
right I cannot work because I feel you
know you might not like but I feel him
you know I tried to combine even in long
dialogues there are sources coming from
like four different people
are there any specific film makers or
film cultures around the world that are
that are an influence on sangsu I have
many filmmakers I really like but now oh
you know I do me when you're many many a
question about songs whose relationship
with the cinematographer how much time
do they work together how much time do
they spend composing the shots it's it
is kind of a remarkable relationship
this is third filling I work with
cinematographer and the first thing I
liked about him is he's very gentle
decent person and has a different kind
of personality from myself so I just
wanted to be around with him
I was here as a good technique and
everything but it was more important
thing and I usually choose to angle
another question of about influence are
there any Korean filmmakers past or
present that have affected songs who and
another question about finance and
whether it's getting any easier or more
difficult I'm I'm not just saying this
but I think there are many really good
directors in the past but because of all
we don't have this so good archive and
the system to screen so I haven't seen
many I'm lazy too so I I'm trying to see
more of them about money I didn't know
it because my my feeling never be cool
so it's always hard to sponsor do you
think that the relaxation of quarters of
western films coming in is going to
affect you yes I think it's a good
system but they reduce the dates do you
think it's gonna have an effect on the
way that you make films it's really late
but it's a question about a particular
development in this film that there are
certain things that are you know that
have been repeated throughout songs
whose films like doubling and and the
way that the narrative develops but then
this film it's true does seem to be more
the women characters do seem to drive
the narrative more than the men and that
is something new Oh in the beginning I
in the treatment I didn't know but the
feeling will end with a man or
teacher how it stood but but but as I
started working with this a woman the
actress I I knew that she is going to
lead the story and she's going to be the
person who ends filling it so it's
largely because what she who she respond
to them I don't have this preconceived
so all the things in the treatment is
kind of a excuse stuff to start process
and then I respond with all the elements
in the mid the process
report to either
okay wrap it up for today thanks
everybody for coming and thank you so
soon
[Applause]
you
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