I started in this industry in 2002 with Blue Swallow (2005) as part of the production team. After I left my previous job in Taiwan, an acquaintance introduced me to this position. It was a freelance job, which I spent about a year preparing for, but unfortunately I wasn’t able to stick around for the shooting. Soon afterwards, I worked on documentaries but I still had my heart set on feature films. It was then that I heard about Seoul Raiders (2006), which is a Hong Kong film, but would mostly be shot in Korea. It was my first experience working with a Hong Kong film crew and director, and I learned a lot about how to work between two different cultures. Then it was mostly in the Chinese industry where I kept expanding my film experience, which also meant that I had to keep up with films from the area, know which stars were hot, how the market was evolving and so forth. It’s definitely an experience to work in the film industry, and I’m sure it’s very different from what normal office work is like. It’s also rewarding to see the final product, and witness how prepping and filming can turn something into a two-hour feature. Another benefit is that I’ve gotten to meet great people along the way.

 

My notable Korean films are My Wife is a Gangster 3 (2006), Insadong Scandal (2009), Happy Paws 2 (2010), the Chineses one are Speed Angels, Crimes of Passion (2011) and Yang Guifei (2011), I also worked on the Taiwanese drama series Fondant Garden (2012) and most recently a Hong Kong production called Helios. All of them are memorable for me. In Seoul Raiders, we rented a private plane to shoot over the city streets of Seoul. For My Wife is a Gangster 3, it was difficult to finalize casting. It was during the Christmas season and we even had to find a homestay to stay near the stars to persuade them to sign onto the project. It was on Valentine’s Day when we finally signed the contract and the star made fun of us, saying that we’re really good at selecting meeting dates! During Insadong Scandal, the Chinese Yuan was so high that we were checking rates everyday in order to save as much as we could. The hardest shoot was during the drama series Fondant Garden, when we shot for two weeks without any breaks, day and night… It was one of the most difficult times but it has become memorable over time.

 

How many co-productions have you been involved in?

After Blue Swallow, I’ve mostly been involved in Chinese films. If Korean films were going to China, Taiwan or Hong kong, or if Chinese films were coming to Korea, and if Korean stars were involved in a Chinese film, I was there. The most important part is communication when dealing with co-productions. We all want the same thing: to make great films. But the way we’ve made them, the culture we’re raised in, and many other elements are different from each other. It takes time, but it is possible to work well together if we can make the extra effort to communicate with one another. By the end of each project, we’ve become closer to each other than before.

 

This film involved Hong Kong, Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean casting and travelled to Hong Kong, Macao, Japan and more. We can guarantee a lot of spectacle throughout, not only from the scenery and the stars, but through thrilling action scenes, gun-fights, complicated conflicts and unexpected twists. The story is about Jeok-do, a suspect on the run who stole raw Uranium from North Korea and brought it to Hong Kong in a plan to sell it to a terrorist group in the Middle East. Japan, Hong Kong, Korea and US are all concerned about Jeok-do’s actions and decide to form an alliance to capture him.

We were very lucky that our stars came on board. It’s all because of the hard work of the production company and the directors but also because the script was so interesting. We are thankful that so many Korean actors were supportive during our shoot in Korea.

 

During the shoot, cast members were busy telling each other that they were one another’s fans! We kept a very positive atmosphere. The directors were also very open to taking actors’ opinions into consideration. The chemistry and communication went very smoothly and they were also satisfied while working with the Korean actors.

 

As you know, the team was a mix of many Asian actors and when they’re all gathered, they speak different languages. From Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean and English, there were times when we burst into laughter as they mixed up the timing while trying to deliever their lines in an unfamiliar language.

 

During the Korean shoot, we were lucky to get help from the coast guards and their carrier planes, but then there was an actual emergency, so we had to pack up all of our equipment from the carriers and watched them quickly leave the set as we fell into a daze.

 

Media Asia has invested and will distribute in Hong Kong. Production was done by Stars Shine Blue Sea Productions Limited. The Korean portion of the film was done by GE Production.

 

We’re still working hard to get the right cut. We haven’t settled on a date yet but we’re hoping for a summer release.

 

There are so many possibilities. If there is a good scenario, I want to do it. I also want to work on a film that I can participate one and develop with a more creative focus.

 

Every filmmaker is my role model. I still have so much more to learn.

 

Working in the film industry is really tough, but as long as you are persistent and have passion, you are bound to see results. Even the hardest times become positive memories after a while and the rewarding feeling is something you can’t find anywhere else.

 

There shouldn’t be co-productions just for the sake of having co-productions. This impacts the intent of the original scenario and results in something subpar…

 

It’s a medium that makes my life a rich experience.

 

By June KIM