'Decision to Leave' Cinematographer Kim Ji-yong Provides His Favorite Moments Shooting The Park Chan-wook Thriller
One of the most talked about films of the year is South Korean auteur' Park Chan-Wook’s latest film, Decision To Leave. The Oldboy filmmaker has had an esteemed filmography within the last 20 years behind the camera and his latest film does not disappoint conveying both his melodramatic intrigue and his genre flares. FilmSpeak had the fortunate opportunity to interview the director of photography on Decision to Leave, Kim Ji-Yong to discuss the intense process he and Chan-Wook went through.
Having worked with other South Korean filmmakers such as Squid Game’s creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, when asked why having the chance to work with Park Chan-Wook, Kim answered: “I was a big fan of his films, even before I read the script I said ‘yes I will do it, there’s no reason to say no to this.” That being said, Kim and Chan-Wook discussed plenty through the film’s pre-production stages about the kind of film he wanted to make via storyboarding and shot list, and when filming began, the tide shifted due to the notion and understanding of what to make.
Genre films unlike other movies take lots of preparation within many stages of development., especially for the cinematographer. It is all about understanding the mind of the creator, and what shots work or do not convey the message of the story to the audience. Kim provides some insight into this by explaining: “You mentioned subtly and that was really important for us. Being subtle but having the audience feel what we wanted to feel, we planned a lot, and one costume color took a long time…I also talked about how wanted to use a lot of practicals to create a natural feeling.”
All of this worked perfectly to create an intimate yet struggling romance between a detective and the witness in a mystery that never stops unraveling till the film’s conclusion.
Decision to Leave is in select theatres, and available to stream on Mubi
Check out the full interview with kim ji-yong below:
