I Will Live As An Actor - Chapter 14

I Will Live as an Actor Episode 14

Pre-production of a drama was a word that could not be used in Korea. This was due to the illusory justification of production costs with clear limits and competitiveness (reflecting viewer responses). In the case of a mini-series, production begins two months in advance from the time the programming is confirmed.

However, even this does not mean that filming will begin immediately. Considering actor casting, on-site recruiting, and set creation, the pre-filming period is about a month.

Therefore, broadcasting stations consider side scripts as a custom, and the evaluation that the first half of the drama is solid but the second half is weak actually originates from this. It was a structure that had no choice but to show the typical appearance of Yongdusami.

“What should I do with this…”

Exactly.

Writer Choi Eun-sook clicked the ballpoint pen button repeatedly. It’s like a habit that comes out when you’re thinking about a work or having concerns. Her mind was complex, as if someone had dropped colorful paint on it. That too.

-Writer Choi It’s more than I thought!

A voice I heard through the receiver a few days ago. The famous producer’s voice was extremely excited, as if he had found a treasure. Since his days as an assistant director, he has been known to be more strict than most mid-career directors. Isn’t that why he got the position of director and was confirmed to be on the program in his 7th year at the company?

-England’s acting as a child is truly amazing! The emotions we felt during the script reading weren’t lies! So that’s it.

This is the feeling I felt when reading the script, so I definitely got goosebumps every time a line came out of the child’s mouth. It really felt like young Kim Ha-jin jumped out of the script.

-How about giving the emotional scene from episode 3 to Youngguk?

‘yes?!’

Nonsense. I can assure you that the emotional scenes in the third episode were performances that even adult actors could find difficult. She also knew it better because it was a very emotionally draining scene while she was writing it. There is another reason for hesitation. Viewers are not very pleased with the child actor’s acting. This is because there is a significant difference from adults in the pronunciation and intonation of lines.

If you’re not careful, your previous evaluation could have been devalued due to poor emotional expression. Therefore, the extreme emotional scene in the third episode had to be played by Jang Young-guk, who became a young adult rather than a child actor. There is no way a famous producer with a keen sense of photography would not know this fact.

-Trust me and let’s go. I will leave the final decision to writer Choi. AD Park will personally carry the video tomorrow to Seoul.

Eunsuk Choi lowered her head and looked at the tape in her hand. It is a copy edited by Jang Young-guk from the original film taken on site. The work was done so urgently that the KBC Busan Broadcasting General Documentary logo was left in place with its color faded. Even if it was KBC, it would have been inconvenient to edit because it wasn’t a living room.

“Let me see.”

Isn’t it worth it to be below par?

Even if a child actor is good at acting, how good can he be? I can’t forget the joy I felt at the script reading, but that and acting, which requires concentration on the screen and the movement, are two different things.

Evaluation of acting cannot help but be cold. Although it wasn’t the director’s position, it was something I had to take responsibility for as a writer. This was especially true for broadcast acting. Unlike the theatrical version, which is close to the audience, it is aimed at viewers beyond the cathode ray tube.

[Is it okay to raise him as he is an only child? When I grow old like my mother, what about fish or palakko? It’s the same, but I hate that kind of thing even to death. Even if I die, I won’t stay here! I can’t speak. Am I embarrassed? If you were so embarrassed, you should have just thrown it away! It won’t work. I’m going to get rid of all of these fishy things!]

Choi Eun-sook’s attitude has moved forward. The video was literally raw, with no corrections including sound yet. However, the child actor’s lines are delivered clearly and without a trace, as if they were stuck in the ear. Especially that scene.

“Are you throwing the fish at your mother?”

These actions and movements were completely unexpected, even as a writer. Is it the director’s power? Haven’t we already seen the famous producer’s work style since he was an assistant director? He is a person who moves based on thorough calculation.

In short, it can only be said that that type of fingerprint acting was directly expressed by the actor. Choi Eun-suk suddenly forgot to click the ballpoint pen and was immersed in the child actor’s performance on the TV screen. How much time has passed? A point where not even dusk can be seen.

[My mother said. The reason my shoelaces come undone is because someone is thinking of me.] Tuk

.

The ballpoint pen in Choi Eun-sook’s hand fell to the floor. As a writer, there is no one who does not have concerns about script and composition. In order to create better sentences and situations, I spend all my waking hours, excluding sleeping time, lying a little.

For that reason, there are many writers who dislike ad-libs. You feel like your script and the values of your role are being denigrated. However, the child actor’s ad-lib just before was enough to make Choi Eun-sook’s heart pound mercilessly. This showed that the actor was seeing the world outside of the script. Only then.

‘Because that’s what the script said.’

I realized that what the boy said at the script reading wasn’t a lie.

* * *

“NG!”

There are more than one thing to worry about when shooting at night. In addition to lighting, sound work had to be thorough due to consideration of surrounding civil complaints. What is the fatigue level of the filming crew? They are always sensitive due to the hard work. On days like today where minor roles make frequent mistakes, an atmosphere of walking on thin ice is created.

“Let’s all take a break for ten minutes!”

In the end, the famous PD threw away his headphones and stood up. Naturally, the atmosphere of the filming team was not good. Doesn’t it look like curses will pour out at any moment due to the successive NGs in the minor roles? Actress Park Soo-young entered the waiting room without even looking back.

“Hyung, are you okay?”

Song Jeong-seok, who plays the minor role, wiped his face with both hands. It was my first drama minor role after leaving the stage. But it wasn’t as easy as I thought. After finding out that the boy who helped me was the child actor of the drama, I felt so foolish for being so happy. I was so determined to show you a great performance.

“I’m sorry, Young-Kuk. It’s because of me that the filming was delayed like this…”

I know well the sorrow of playing a minor role. If even an NG comes out of the director’s mouth, playing a minor role feels like walking down a thorny path. This was because, if one were not careful, all scenes in which the director appears could have been edited out. It was Song Jeong-seok, who came back to Yeongdo and stayed at an inn to learn the Busan dialect. My thirst and desire for acting is as great as anyone else’s.

“Brother, don’t be too hard on yourself. You were aware of the camera movement and moved well. And your vocalization was good. I can see that you tried to erase the tone used in the play. But that’s not the problem.”

“uh?”

“Who do you think your role is?”

It was Song Jeong-seok who overcame the problems common to actors who come from theater productions. But the problem lay elsewhere. It was just understanding of the role. Unlike plays, the minor roles in dramas are simply divided into pedestrians, drunks, etc. without any further explanation. Even if I try to understand the history of the role, I can’t.

Song Jeong-seok was a great actor in his past life, but now he is just a nameless minor character. I couldn’t help but feel the nervousness that comes with playing a minor role. Wasn’t I like that too? My shoulders slump and my tongue stiffens from nervousness. In the end, it becomes dark as if there is a blackout in front of your eyes. Just like Song Jeong-seok did in his past life, maybe I can at least give him some advice.

“You can’t just think of him as a drunk man who misbehaves with his mother who cleans up the fish stall. Look at his outfit and accent. Why does the fingerprint say he is holding a half-empty yellowed soju bottle?”

“Well, you probably don’t have any money, and you probably picked up what someone threw away, right?”

“It’s half right and half wrong. At that time, there was originally a morgue in Yeongdo. There were many people drowning in the rough currents and many displaced people jumping into the sea out of desperation. Because of that, there was always a half-empty Soju near the dock. “There were a lot of sick people. They sprinkled it to appease the vengeful spirits who died at sea and to raise awareness among people trying to jump into the sea. If you die, someone will be sad like this.”

“So does that mean the role I played is also that kind of person?”

“I’m not a writer, so how would I know? But looking at the overall structure of the script, it’s not an impossible story. The lines are short, but just looking at the content, it’s true. He’s a drunk, but he’s not acting out to take money, he’s just venting his frustration. It seems like it is. It’s still a long way from filming, but you can tell by looking at the script for the third episode. There’s a scene where the kids take empty bottles on the dock and sell them without knowing anything. The adults scold them when they see that. It’s soju that contains a lot of things. What kind of actor is this? “He told me that I need to be able to look outside the script.”

Song Jeong-seok’s eyes sparkled as if he had found a lighthouse in the vast ocean. That’s enough. Now, all that was left was Song Jeong-seok’s responsibility. Will it be completely edited out of the director’s eye, or will the role be utilized properly?

* * *

“Oppa, do you want to eat this?”

“Chocolate?”

Before we knew it, child actress Yeonsu was chasing around the set like a puppy. Even now, look at him. Even though filming is over, he doesn’t leave and stays next to me. By the way, since it’s chocolate, in the past I would give up on anything sweet. However, many of my values have changed since I came back. The fishy smell that I hated so much now feels as beautiful as perfume.

“Yeonsu, the filming is over. Why aren’t you leaving? Your mother is waiting for you.”

“Mom says it’s okay! And my brother finished filming today, but he didn’t go and was watching other people filming.”

“What am I?”

It’s like a habit carried over from a past life. When I was playing a small role, I didn’t leave the filming set even though the assigned filming was over, as if I had a puncture. Thanks to this, I can see the overall composition of the filming site and what kind of picture the director draws. I could clearly see what the world of the script would look like.

“Oppa, you lied to me last time, right?”

“huh?”

“I didn’t know there was an acting academy called Namhang….”

“Was that really something you were curious about?”

“No, I just thought it would be a good idea to go to acting academy with my brother…”

She looks like a downcast kitten. An expression that is completely unthinkable from the innocent and proud actress in her past life. As I live long enough, I see all these scenes. I held back the laughter that was about to come out without me knowing and wiped the bridge of my nose.

“Isn’t it cold?”

“No, it’s not cold!”

A little boy who stays next to you even while sniffling. The cold of the sea at night does not discriminate even in summer. Especially people who have lived in Seoul do not know the bitterness of the sea breeze. He seems to be constantly trying to pretend that he isn’t cold, in case I’m going to kick him out. That’s right, it looks like a kitten shivering from the cold now. By the way, I’m not that mean.

“Wear this.”

“It’s okay.”

“It’s not because I’m afraid you’ll be cold, it’s because I’m hot.”

He took off his coat and wrapped it around Yeonsu’s small shoulders. Even though he said it was okay, he seemed to have become warmer before he knew it. Was it really that effective, seeing as my face turned slightly red? Anyway, since I was wearing it, the warmth would have been transmitted. At that time, the famous producer stood up, clapped, and said,

‘Cut!’

The one who shouted was.

This was after filming was completed completely without any mistakes in the minor roles.

He smiled with satisfaction as he reviewed the last scene, which was famous among the staff as they removed their filming equipment. The process was arduous, but the results were great. As for acting in minor roles, it felt like I became a different person during the break.

I’ve been to numerous filming locations since my FD days, but I’ve never seen an actor change so much in such a short period of time. Even more so in the case of short roles, isn’t it quite frustrating to see successive NGs?

“Hey, Song Jeong-seok!”

Song Jeong-seok’s eyes widened and he turned around. That’s because he didn’t know that the director knew his name, even though he had a minor role. I felt nervous, perhaps because I didn’t like the filming.

“I want to ask you something. Your acting has definitely changed. It’s like you’ve become a different person. This may be a bit confusing to say, but did you come to any realizations during your break? Or, you were originally this good, but you didn’t warm up to pick on me, right?”

“No, how could I pick on the coach? Absolutely not!”

“I’m just kidding. What’s your secret?”

Yoo Myung smiled at Song Jeong-seok’s sweat. A director couldn’t help but be curious. How a clumsy actor could deliver such a satisfying performance in such a short period of time.

“That’s…. …”

Song Jeong-seok recited the history of the roles he played. As he continued, Yoo Yoon’s eyes gradually opened wider. Because it was a bigger story than you thought. As a director, he read the script book as much as an actor. I was confident. But I never thought about understanding the life of a minor character passing by. Yumyeong felt shocked, as if someone had hit him on the head. But it didn’t end there.

“Director, actually, all of the advice was given by Youngkuk. ”

“Yes?”

“When I ran out of the stage, I thought all I had to do was recite the lines well and understand the frame movement, but it was like hitting a rock with an egg. I was so confused, but England came and told me that. Have you ever thought about who the role you are playing is? Then, he told me about the life of a minor role, which gave me goosebumps. And then I thought. “The minor role I played was not really a nameless drunkard, but a human being with a life.”

Yoo Myung seemed to get goosebumps for a moment. It wasn’t because of the sea breeze that was tingling his hair. It’s natural for an actor to understand the role he plays. . Especially as a lead role. But it was difficult to understand all the roles. It was even a passing minor role. But how could a child actor understand the entire script?

His eyes naturally turned to one place.

The two child actors left the filming set. As we sat there talking about random things, I thought to myself as I looked at the boy with a bright smile. How far on earth is that kid looking at the world outside of the script?