I Will Live As An Actor - Chapter 69
I will live as an actor Episode 69
Edit (編輯).
Vels-Lucas, a master of the film industry, said this. Editing is the step that completes a movie. Since the number of frames that pass per second is determined and over a thousand shots come together to form a single movie scene, you need to look at everything objectively and make a decision.
If actors and directors present outstanding acting and directing to understand and persuade the audience, editing must not only convey the intentions of the actors and directors but also provide maximum storytelling to the audience.
No matter how masterpiece it is, if there are too many unnecessary things, the audience is bound to feel bored and stale. In that sense, editor Koh Sang-deok is holding his head in thought.
“Hmm.”
I watched all the original footage of the movie ‘Confessions of a Priest.’ Before editing the film, I not only read the script to understand the film, but also watched the film in reverse order to clearly understand the director’s intentions. But the more it happened, the more it seemed like there wouldn’t be any hair left on editor-in-chief Ko Sang-deok.
“The ratio is small, right?”
The ratio for film shooting is usually 10 to 1. For example, this means shooting 10 times to create one scene. Hollywood usually sticks to a ratio of 20:1 to 30:1, while the Korean film industry has a ratio of 10:1. However, it is often said that even that is a lot.
“What’s going on? It’s not like director Shin Seong-hyeon.”
Among them, Shin Seong-hyeon, the director of the movie ‘Confessions of a Priest’, is a director who insists on re-shooting so fiercely that the ratio is said to be 20 to 1. Continue filming until you find a scene you like. Therefore, among the actors who appeared in director Shin Seong-hyun’s films, there were those who often gossiped about him, calling him a stubborn, artsy, all-night director.
But for some reason, the ratio in this movie ‘Confessions of a Priest’ is about 5 to 1. Even that ratio was achieved due to supporting or minor roles. That’s because most of the scenes featuring the main characters were re-filmed more than three times.
“I have nothing to throw away.”
I think I know why. The scenes where the main characters appear are flawless, not only in the first draft but even in re-filmed scenes. In most cases, the reason for re-filming was not because they didn’t like the lead actor’s performance, but because they changed the angle. It was then.
“Go knight!”
Director Shin Seong-hyeon enters the editing room. He came back with his hands full of food and was startled when he saw editor Koh Sang-deok with puffy eyes under his eyes.
“No, have you got a knight’s disease? Why do you look like that?”
“The director knows best why I look like this. I can’t even figure out how to edit this.”
“What? Is there such a problem with the short?”
“It’s not that, it’s so perfect that it’s a shame. No matter how much I wash my eyes and look, I can’t find the scene to remove. But that doesn’t mean I can’t show the movie for half a day. Oh my. I know how many nights I’ve been up all night now!”
“If it’s a problem like that, I can’t help you. Don’t be weak, I’ll buy you some meat, so please feel free. Go driver.”
“Now is the time to play with words. I’m really going to go crazy. This is the first time in my life as an editor that I can’t do anything and worry for days like this. A first!”
Director Shin Seong-hyun smiles faintly. When it comes to film editing in Chungmuro, the second most unfortunate person is Ko Sang-deok. He is so talented that he is called Chungmuro’s little master when it comes to editing commercial films.
If it weren’t for his personal relationship with him, his schedule is so tight that he wouldn’t have been able to take on director Shin Seong-hyun’s work. If only he could make such a groaning sound.
“Director Shin, but what happened to the music? It’s not about mixing, it’s about music that controls the overall flow. I don’t think even an average music director could handle this. I got goosebumps all over my body while watching the video.”
“Director Choi Yul decided to take charge.”
“Choi Yul? The music director who won the Grand Bell Award for his debut work?”
her.
Editor Ko Sang-deok expresses admiration. I have edited director Shin Seong-hyeon’s works so far, but I have never seen a case where he has killed both commercial and artistic quality like this. After all, hasn’t director Shin Seong-hyeon’s work always been evaluated as being biased toward artistic quality?
Personally, it was unfortunate, but on the other hand, I liked director Shin Seong-hyeon even more. Wouldn’t the Korean film industry develop if there was at least one stubborn artist like this in the commercial film industry? But.
“You’ve assembled the perfect dream team.”
For this work, even when the blade was sharpened, it was very razor sharp. Director Shin Seong-hyeon asks this question carefully.
“What does the article think of this work?”
Editor Koh Sang-deok is a minor master of film editing, but he is better at predicting commercial viability than anyone else. It is difficult for a film director to look at his work objectively because his arms are bent inwards. On the other hand, the editor’s role is to look at the movie from the audience’s perspective.
Among them, editor Go Sang-deok’s insight is so outstanding that he is called a fortune teller in Chungmuro. He looks at the sharp eyes of the main character dressed in black clothes in the editing screen with a serious gaze and speaks firmly.
“It will mark a milestone in the popularity of films.”
* * *
Sparrows with plump fur are making cute footprints on the snow piled up on the crock pot. This is because of the millet rice that was sprinkled to prevent people from starving during the winter. Sitting in the main hall and looking at the snow flowers blooming on bare tree branches makes me feel calm.
“Mom didn’t even tell me to come down.”
It would be a lie if I said I wasn’t disappointed. Since filming for the movie was over, I wanted to go down to Namhang for the first time in a while, but my mother stopped me and told me to rest, so I gave up. He said that it would be even more hectic if I joined the market, which was the Lunar New Year holiday soon.
“Grandpa is busy too.”
My grandfather is busy preparing a new work. He is a person who is satisfied with having to build all the basics with his own hands, starting with a photo shoot, so it is difficult to even see his face these days because he is on a business trip to a local area. because.
The sparrows and I are alone in this vast mansion. Even my uncle, who usually appeared several times a day, jumped back into his day job as a national actor.
Since the title of the nation’s first love was taken away, they say they will take on the title of the nation’s last love or something. Anyway, if you look at his usual appearance, it’s hard to believe that he is a legendary actor. It was then.
“who are you?”
An unfamiliar figure is seen entering the mansion. It is so large that it looks like a male bear walking towards it, so the sparrows that were eating millet on the crock pot are startled and fly up with their chubby bodies.
“Bongchun, what happened today?”
This is Bongchun, wearing a thick black parka. He even wears a roasted chestnut seller’s hat, which I don’t know where he got it from, so there really is no other bear.
“The representative said England would like to see you for a moment. He said he would call you, but didn’t you answer?”
“Oh, I guess I didn’t hear because I was thinking about something else. But why, CEO?”
“You said you had something to talk about, so let’s go. By the way, is there lunch yet? This was really delicious.”
It’s a roasted sweet potato in a bag of raw fish. It is so golden brown that steam rises even in this cold winter. I took the roasted sweet potato, cut it into small pieces and sprinkled it on the crock pot.
Then, as if as if they had been doing this for a while, the plump sparrows came down again and pecked at the roasted sweet potatoes. Still, it’s hard not to find it cute to see Bongchun, who looks like a male bear, glancing at his older brother as if he is aware of it.
“Entertainment?”
The story I heard as soon as I entered the agency’s representative office was hard to believe.
“Britain knows that you don’t appear on variety shows.”
“Well, there are still at least a few months left until the movie’s release, so there’s no reason to appear for promotional purposes already.”
“Do you remember the August Man that England filmed when you were a child?”
Anyway, how could I forget? This is a work that I vowed to live my life as an actor.
“Do you remember FD Jeong Ji-yong, who I filmed with at the time?”
“Are you Jiyong hyung?”
The composition of the filming team when filming Man in August is still clear in my memory. Moreover, FD Jeong Ji-yong can be said to be the second closest friend to him after the famous PD from Busan.
That’s because FD Jeong Ji-yong took care of a child actor who was only fourteen years old. Didn’t he pay attention to even the smallest details like a real brother?
“FD Jeong was appointed as the youngest producer in the MBS drama department, surpassing the AD at the time. It looks like he lost one project in the end and moved to the entertainment department. I decided to take on a pilot program this time, but the circumstances were such that the UK asked the agency to just ask you once. “I even came here.”
There are many cases of being demoted from the drama department to the entertainment department. To be honest, from the perspective of an entertainment producer, the term ‘demotion’ would be jarring. However, since there are almost no cases of moving from the entertainment department to the drama department, the expression “demotion” is not entirely wrong. Anyway, I guess I was in a hurry.
“You were promoted incredibly quickly, going from FD to PD in just three years, but you can get demoted that easily?”
“I guess there were a lot of people who thought I was a thorn in their eyes because I was promoted so quickly. As soon as I became the youngest producer, the work I was in charge of was ruined so much that I was exiled to the entertainment department. If I didn’t get good grades there, the drama department was gone forever. In the process, I became famous. “The producer said he was very angry, so I asked if it would make sense to send him to the entertainment department just because he lost one piece of work. But the director of the drama department said that wouldn’t it be better than sending him to a local area to film a JoJo documentary?”
“For Producer Jeong, this may be the last chance.”
The MBS drama director did his best to understand Producer Jeong Ji-yong’s position. Anyway, if you go to a rural area, it is difficult to go up to Seoul anymore. This is especially true in the drama department.
It was not some kind of centralized system, but the Seoul Drama Bureau had jurisdiction over the entire area. However, if the show shows decent results in the entertainment department, there is still a possibility that it will be moved to the drama department once again.
“I understand first.”
“Can’t I just listen to what kind of pilot it is?”
“You think the CEO needs to help at least once anyway. I heard that PD Jeong helped the CEO a lot when he came all the way to Busan to see me.”
“I knew you would do the same. And I still have one more thing left to tell you.”
also?
“England, do you know a playwright named Jeong Yong-dae?”
“Are you talking about Jeong Yong-dae, a playwright who won the Korean Literature Award?”
“Oh, I know. Kids these days aren’t interested in theater at all, so you don’t know much about it. He wants to meet you in person. For a while, there were no advertisements for filming Confessions of a Priest and no requests for interviews, but as soon as filming was over, England was looking for you. “There are so many.”
I can’t shake off this dazed feeling. It’s even worse than when Producer Jeong asked me to help with the entertainment department’s pilot program. After all, how could one not know a playwright named Jeong Yong-dae? In my past life, when I entered the university’s theater and film department, the guy the professors talked about endlessly was that person.
How much praise was given to him, saying that it is no exaggeration to say that a second Shakespeare has appeared in Korea. But clearly, according to the professors at the time.
‘I said I lost my pen.’
What is the meaning of this?
* * *
Playwright Jeong Yong-dae cannot control his trembling heart. Haven’t I fallen into such a severe slump that I haven’t been able to write for the past three years? It was like I was stuck in mud that I couldn’t get out of, and I couldn’t write a single sentence. On the way to meet the person who inspired him to write again, my heart cannot help but swell.
“Hello, I’m actor Jang Young-guk.”
Oh, he’s tall. How can he look so manly? It’s a completely different feeling from when I asked a college junior to visit a movie set. I could clearly feel the indescribable piety and aura of the priest dressed in black robes. But from what I saw now, I felt like I was seeing a handsome college student.
After all, if you are an actor, the gap between public and private situations must be large. It was the actor’s acting ability that filled that gap.
“Mr. England, do you know me?”
“How could you not know? Playwright Jeong Yong-dae is one of the most famous playwrights in Korea. In fact, I was surprised that writer Jeong wanted to see me. From what I heard, he only writes plays.”
“That’s too much praise. I gained some fame thanks to winning the Korean Literary Award. And it’s true that I only write plays.”
“But why me?”
England was puzzled. I don’t know about my past life, but this one wasn’t particularly close to theater. Of course, I played a pinch hitter at the Hyeseong Theater Company once, but wasn’t even that just a passing incident?
“I don’t know how to say it well. I will tell you without any hesitation. I hope Mr. England will appear in my play.”
“Me? As you know, I have never properly studied theater acting.”
“No. I was impressed by your performance at the Comet Theater Company the other day. To be honest, I had no idea that Mr. England would meet me like this. As you know, theater itself is not a profitable business, so I won’t be able to give you as much as you want for your appearance fee. . But what I want is just a one-off theatrical performance.”
“If the theatrical performance is a one-off, where is it intended to be exhibited?”
“Mr. England, do you know about the Korean Theater Festival?”
Korean Theater Festival.
How could you not know? This is the stage that every theater artist in Korea dreams of. It was also a stage where numerous theater companies in Korea performed their works simultaneously. However, it is true that the selection process is so complex and difficult that it is difficult for most works and actors to even win a prize.
England also appeared as an actor at the Korean Theater Festival in the past, but did not even win a prize. In any case, in England at the time, he had no theater experience to the point where it was difficult to call him a theater person.
“Are you planning on putting author Jeong’s next work on display at the Korean Theater Festival?”
“That’s right. In order to do that, I desperately need the help of Mr. UK. In fact, the person who inspired me when I wrote this work was none other than Mr. UK.”
“I’m grateful when people say they were inspired by me, but I’m a little confused. I remember my appearance at Hyesung Theater Company was very brief.”
Playwright Jeong Yong-dae shakes his head. Time doesn’t matter when it comes to inspiration. For Jeong Yong-dae, who was in a long slump at the time and even considered quitting his writing, acting in plays in England was literally like a rope sent down from the sky.
“Can you tell me what the plot of this play is?”
England asked curiously. What kind of inspiration did he get from playwright Jeong Yong-dae, who was said to have lost his writing, to pick up the pen again?
“Mr. England.”
Jeong Yong-dae wipes his dry lips and elaborates.
“Do you know the greatest Casanova of the Joseon Dynasty?”