언론사

< Bong's Oscar. >


Reporter Yoon-Ji Bae


On February 10, 2020 at the Academy Award held at Dolby Theater in Los Angeles, director Bong Joon-ho and his film Parasite won in four categories: Best International film, best picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best director. In this article, let’s talk about the movies he has made, and his influence on the Korea film industry.


Life of film maker.


He said, his dream was to be a film maker when he was 12 years old. Bong is a director non filmologie major his major is Sociology and his films deal with social problems. After finishing military service, he serializes of cartoons in the school newspaper, created a movie club and watching movies, directing movies.


After he graduated university, he entered the Korea Film Academy and graduated in 11th. Until 1999, he built his career in Chungmuro, which is write a film script, assistant director. During that time, there were no  employment contracts in the domestic film industry. At that times he suffered from the hardships of life, with his total income is 4.2 million won 22 months.


In 2000, he debuts a director with "The Dog of the Flanders" but failed to make it to the box office. However, in 2003, Memory of the Murder was a box office hit. And Monster and Mather was big hit and he became mainstream in Korea film industry.


After that came 'Snow Piercer' which was funded by foreign capital, and 'Okja' which was released on Netflix streaming service. These two films announced his name to the global audience. 'Parasite' which was released in 2019. Award, it won the National Association of American Critics, Writers Guild Award, and Golden Glove, and won four categories at the Academy Awards.


He had a positive impact on the Korea film industry.


Director Bong Joon-Ho work for modernization of the Korean movie industry. Until recently, there were many movie locations were labor and wage levels were not proportional. Even now, they receive small salary, and do not keep their standard working hours as they gain experience.


Director Bong also suffered the same way. Then he has been working with other directors to improve working condition for all staff working in film industry. When the making a 'Parasite', all the staff wrote a " standard work contract document'.


And base of his experience in the U.S " Child Actor protection' the film prioritized then the scenes containing child actor and proceeded with CG work in this film for Child actor’s health. Like this, he is leading a positive change in film industry.


Why Director Bong films are special?


Director Bong films has some special points. The biggest point of his films is detail. Director Bong writes film script and draw all storyboards himself to produced films. He interviewed that he imagines every composition and arrangement in every scene he would shoot.


In fact, director Bong is known without extra-shooting, because he demands actor to act what he wants in great detail at the films. He is famous for his detailed production, which each set piece having an own meaning in his films. Like this detail, he is appreciated for accurately conveying in the theme to the audience.


Look at his films, it has theme that people can think of it. The Memory of Murder was based on the actual crime, and that film criticize the Korea Police at that times. In the movie Monster, Director Bong talks about the environmental problem and hard life of common people which are not kept by the social elites.


In Okja, the film talks basic ethics of animals and criticism of capitalism, and Parasite tell the serious gap between poverty and poor. Director Bong films another characteristic is that films contained theme that people will sympathize and think about that.


What does mean he win the Oscar??


Director Bong has won film festival, starting with the Palme d' Or. Finally, he lifted the four trophies in Academy Awards. It's a first time Korea Director and film won an Academy Award.


It is unprecedented that a film that uses subtitles at an academy award won a best screenplay and a best picture. Oscar was exclusive using subtitle films, Non-Hollywood based film. It's very rare that films win the Oscars Director, Best picture, screen play.


However, Bong Joon-Ho win four categories at the Oscars, and delivered new message. Now the good films can a win the Oscar, 'we are turning positive'. His award has given new passion and expectations to the global film industry.


< Covid-19 influence Our culture. >


Our normal life is far from us because of Covid-19. As of April 31, Korea recorded 10,765 people confirmed, and 247 dead. Due to high degree of social distance and wearing a mask, daily number of confirmed patients has steadily decreased.


However, influence of the high degree of social distance, consumption is decreased, and many people avoid using multiple cluster facilities. In this article, talking about the cultural industry. The popular cultural industries in Korea include movies, performances (play, classical, musical, opera, dance), concerts, and exhibitions.


And these things are to be seen in multiple cluster facilities, and these things suffer a lot of damage. In the Korea film industry, it has been on a steady growth rise until 2019, the last year market size is 6 trillion won. However, it is expected that the films industry will get big damage due to the Covid19.


For example, overseas location and domestic films schedule are being postponed or canceled. Also, many films have been postponed. One of the most popular postponed films is black and white version of Parasite and Mulan which were the scheduled to be released in February.


In the case of multiplex (CGV) 35 multiplexes temporarily closed their operations. The number of visitors to the movie theater dropped to 1.71 million, down from 10 percent a year earlier.


The performance market was also hit by the Corona virus. Sales in the 2019 performance industry are estimated at 800 billion won, its growth steadily. However, this year sales volume of the performance industry intake is 8 billion won, decreased from the previous year.


It is 1/5(40 billion won) of its sale in January this year. Among them, musical sales were 7.6 billion, and the play were 550 million won, opera were 47 million won, and classical music earned less than 100 million won. In addition, many musical, play, opera performances have been canceled or postponed due to the social distance campaign and recommendation to restrict the use of multiple facilities due to Covid-19.


The performances in Korea were canceled due to the virus. In addition, after the performance, the remaining performances were canceled due to the presence of Corona confirmed by the audience. The concerts were also canceled because many people were crowded.


Foreign artists are also being canceled or postponed their concerts. And 9 March, 88 exhibitions were confirmed to have been canceled. Like this, many cultural industries are suffering from Covid-19. But several cultures are approaching the public in different way.


Various overseas performance is coming to the audience using online. German Philharmonic Orchestra canceled all scheduled abroad performance, but they upload 600 free performance videos on their website. Domestic culture is also coming to the audience in different way.


As the Covid-19 situation continues, many films are giving up on the screening in theater and turning to VOD or online streaming service (Netflix, Watcha). Seoul Arts Center and Sejong Center for performing arts met the audiences using online. The Seoul Art Center channel in YouTube is streaming recording of performance.