I Will Live As An Actor - Chapter 106
I Will Live as an Actor Episode 106
“Senior Choi, the scene 37 that you are filming today will not be subject to review by the Korea Communications Commission, right?”
When writing a drama script, one thing you sometimes worry about is the Korea Communications Commission. To exaggerate further, isn’t this a place where even flying birds are knocked down? This is the biography of Yeonsangun, who was called the greatest tyrant of Joseon.
Starting with Gapjasahwa, his evil deeds are so diverse that they cannot be listed. Moreover, the cruelty of Yeonsangun recorded in Yasa (野史) was beyond words.
“The sensationalism and violence will be directed to be as non-provocative as possible, and the historical research part is an issue. This will probably be raised not only among the Korea Communications Commission but also among historians in general. This is because the drama was not recreated based on Yeonsangun’s diary in the first place. But it continues. “If you’re going to make a historical drama based on history, then it’s a drama or a documentary.”
“If historians heard those words just now, they would probably pull out their heads.”
“Take it apart, and historical dramas also need to change to some extent. The material is now limited to continue pushing forward as traditional historical dramas.”
It’s not wrong. There are already quite a few historical dramas based on famous kings of the Joseon Dynasty. and.
“After all, history is also a record of the victors. Of course, I also believe that Yeonsangun was a madman in his last years, but I don’t think history can reveal the reason why he became a madman.”
“Didn’t you go crazy because you found out how your mother, Lady Yun, died?”
“Do you believe that?”
According to Yasa (野史), in the tenth year of his reign, Yeonsangun received the blood-stained red ginseng of the deposed concubine Yun from Im Sa-hong and learned the whole story. But writer Choi Eun-sook thinks differently. Could it be that Yeonsangun didn’t know about this? As expected, the Annals describe Yeonsangun’s childhood as brilliant.
Moreover, even after taking the throne, he was a king who not only strengthened national defense by providing relief to the poor and repelling Japanese pirates, but was also very interested in the lives of his people. As proof, wasn’t he recorded in the Annals as a king who practiced good governance even up to the 10th year of his reign?
“There are too many suspicious aspects to say that he suddenly changed because of a whim. If he had had a ferocious temperament since he was young, would he have just watched the ministers who deposed Yun install him as crown prince? It was obvious that they would all be blown away later. “I was given the throne. In a situation where none of the government officials objected. When I looked at that situation, it was clear that there was a story we didn’t know that wasn’t recorded in the Annals. As a writer, I filled that gap by adding imagination.”
An authentic historical drama is the setting sun. It was definitely a great cash cow for Korean dramas, but it was difficult to survive in the ever-changing times. That’s why Choi Eun-sook chose a fusion historical drama. Of course, most people expressed concerns about this.
It is common to say that a historical drama is not a historical drama if it does not have legitimacy based on historical research, and in extreme cases, it was even said that Choi Eun-sook, who is known as a ratings machine, has finally fallen into disrepair. But do they know?
“Stop chatting and quickly review what you wrote when you were up to speed. Eunyoung, if you keep going like this, you have to go to the studio on the weekends. If it’s okay with the first draft, I’ll let you leave work early today, so hurry up. Oh, look at her expression. Narrow your eyes. “It’s rising and glaring at me. The sun is high in the sky right now, so if you’re leaving work, shouldn’t you be very generous?”
“No, really, Senior Choi, stop joking! I went to work yesterday morning and haven’t even gotten off work yet. It’s not long until the end of the day, so can’t I take a break? It hasn’t even been 15 days since I started shooting. That’s just my working hours. It’s the same when you look at it. Over the past half year, I’ve met a boyfriend a handful of times. My boyfriend would even sarcastically ask me if I enlisted in the military. It’s all because of Choi, the evil boss!”
“It’s better to break up now and go solo.”
“I’m saying this because senior Choi is not there.”
“Is this just for me? It’s good for the actors because they don’t have to worry about short scripts, and it’s good for the directing team because it gives them editing time, and we don’t have to nag them to hurry up with the script. And why don’t I have a boyfriend? I’ve already written and fallen in love.”
“Oh my! There is no such thing as addiction, so I am a print addict!”
Is there such a high praise for a writer? However, the smiling writer Choi Eun-sook would not know. After the historical drama ‘The Secret of King Yeonsan’, which she wrote, was aired, a fusion historical drama syndrome took hold on Korean broadcasters.
* * *
“Let’s start from the butcher’s eyes and move down to the blood flowing from the fingertips all at once.”
“Director Yoo, the idea of slaughtering them is ridiculous. No matter how artificial the conch was, the special effects team made it look so lifelike that I found it uncomfortable to look at it.”
“There is no need to make the screen jump during the slaughter scene for no reason thinking about the Korea Communications Commission’s deliberation. I will cut out unnecessary pictures on my own, so let’s do it boldly. Anyway, considering the tachimari (action scene) that comes later, this is a bit of a mistake. I did it at the end so that it wouldn’t be reviewed. “Don’t worry, I’ll end it with backlighting so it’s dim. Senior Kim, please do a tilt-up in the last scene and do B/C/U focusing on England’s eyes and mouth.”
“I know, but I’m a professional. But I don’t know if England will do well. I never thought I’d be filming a cow slaughter scene while filming a drama.”
The famous producer nods briefly and heads to the waiting room. There, sitting there, is England, whose hair is so disheveled that it can be said to be a mess. Their attire is also made up of rag-like clothes. In addition, if you wear a pyeonryangja (pyeongnyangja), even to an unfamiliar person, you have the appearance of a butcher who is lower than a slave among the eight thousand (8,000).
“How does it feel to suddenly become a butcher after playing the role of king?”
“I’m so touched. I finally realized how thankful I am to be able to sit comfortably like this in the waiting room. My forehead used to get so tight every time I cut my topknot. Now that I let my hair down like this, my blood circulation improves and it’s so nice.”
This film depicts the childhood life of Lee Yong’s twin, Lee Gyeol.
On the surface, as the famous PD said, his status had fallen from a king to a butcher, but the comfort he felt on set was indescribable. Life as a royal palace wearer always had to feel like walking on thin ice.
If even the hem of the clothes is wrinkled or even a single hair sticks out between the nets, the make-up and costume teams will have to take care of it again. In comparison, the role of a butcher is somewhat less burdensome.
“Anyway, aren’t you nervous?”
“What is there to be nervous about? I had a good time thanks to the person PD Yu invited. Where on earth did you invite such a teacher? He said he would come to the filming set today and watch my slaughter scene.”
“Majang-dong.”
The famous producer is a director who pursues liveliness. The foundation was laid so that Lee Gyeol, who plays the role of a butcher, could play that role.
Because of this, I wandered around Majang-dong for about 15 days. To find an expert in the slaughter industry who also has knowledge about filming dramas. If it was Jisung, it was Gamcheon. I found a butcher in Majang-dong who once played a minor role in a drama.
“Producer Yu, can I ask one question?”
“You can ask ten questions.”
“I kept reading the script and thinking about it. Lee Yung knew from the beginning that Lee Gyeol existed, right? Even though he knew that he was living as a butcher, why didn’t he kill him? He could have established himself as a later threat to the throne. “I tried to come to a conclusion in my own way, but I was wondering if you and PD Yu have the same thoughts.”
“I think writer Choi should explain this, not me. So what do you think, England?”
“Because I’m lonely.”
Lee Yung knows that his twin, Lee Gyeol, is alive. And I knew where I was and what I was doing. Lee Yong, who appears in the script, has a cool-headed and thorough personality. In a court surrounded by enemies on all sides, wouldn’t you sharpen your sword while hiding your true intentions?
Why would such a being leave his twin alone? In the end, all that remained was loneliness. According to the script, under the pretext of checking on the people, he goes on secret inspections with his maid and goes so far as to check on his younger brother, who has become a butcher.
“Today is the first time that young Lee Gyeol appears in the form of a butcher rather than a dragon gun. How do you feel?”
“I’m looking forward to it and I think filming will be fun. He has a completely different personality from Lee Yong.”
‘That’s amazing.’
You have to play a character with a completely different personality. If Yeonsangun Lee Yung is as cold as ice, Lee Gyeol is a person with a fiery temper like a blazing furnace. Even in such a gap, the young actor named Jang Young-guk was acting as if he had two personalities. Therefore, a famous PD was also expected. What kind of appearance will Lee Gyeol show today?
How much time has passed? This was after the famous producer had been giving instructions regarding filming for a long time.
“We’re ready!”
The assistant director’s booming voice echoes all the way to the waiting room. At the sight of this, England, furious, stands up, holding a weighing scale.
“Scene number 37, Gilsam of Geosangol—!”
According to the Annals, among those who commit heinous crimes in the eight provinces of Joseon, nine out of ten are butchers and laymen. Their treatment was considered lower than that of the 8,000 commoners. How outrageous is it that even when being flogged, it was said that it should be done on the dirt floor rather than on a pedestal. Geolsangol is a small village where such butchers live together.
The reason why Yi Gyeol, the twin son of Yeonsangun Lee Yung, became Gilsam (吉三) is simple. A butcher named Gil-seok from Geolsangol went up the mountain to cut wood, picked up a newborn baby under a spirit tree called Samjuk, and adopted him. Gilsam’s eyes, which have not even reached a contract, are strange. It was to practice slaughter, which he had learned from his deceased adoptive father.
A banner is lowered on the slaughterhouse door, and purified water is sprinkled on the cows whose legs are tied to the pillars, as if scattering flower seeds. The large cow’s eyes are shedding tears as if resigned. To relieve even a moment of pain, a ghost mask is put on. He then chants a prayer for his return to paradise.
“Even if it was an animal that couldn’t speak, the pain would be the same, so in order to show mercy by giving birth to pain, it would be reduced to a human in the next life…”
It was clearly a fake cow created by the special effects team, but it looks as lifelike as a real cow. Cinematographer Kim Deuk-hyeong’s forehead is full of cold sweat as he alternately takes pictures of a fake cow wearing a ghost mask and scenes of England. Although there was no actual slaughter, there was a solemn atmosphere. Even more so.
‘It’s bloody.’
The eyes of Gilsam, who performs butchering, are unusual. With a short knife, he immediately cuts off the cow’s life by aiming at its vital point, and then strikes its head straight with a large ax called a candlestick. The behavior was so natural that the Majang-dong butcher who was watching the scene from a corner of the filming site was inwardly amazed.
Soon, the makeup blood splashes everywhere, and the staff’s faces turn blue. Nevertheless, Gilsam (England), who stands at the center of the filming site, does not move at all.