Korean Movie-makers Joining Hands with Foreign Capital and Staff
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The popularity of Korean pop culture is reaching over the border and continents, expanding markets for local cultural products. Amid the latest trend, domestic movie-makers are breaking away from merely exporting finished products.
From neighboring Japan and China, to more distant South American countries, Korean pop culture is gaining unprecedented popularity attention. Riding on the tide of the so-called Korean wave, Korean blockbusters "Taegukgi" and "Silmido" both raked in roughly W78 billion or some US$71 million in ticket sales at home and abroad.
"Taegukgi" depicts a tragic tale of two brothers during the Korean War, while "Silmido" about a secretive hit squad formed in the early 1970s to assassinate former North Korean leader Kim Il Sung shed light on a controversial chapter in Korea's history.
The latest trend is prompting Korean movie-makers to join hands with foreign investors and hire foreign staff in order to meet the tastes of audience outside of Korea. One of the latest Korean movies is "Rikidozan", that depicts a Korean wrestler who rose from anonymity to become a sensation in Japan in the 1950s.
Leading roles of the movie are all played by Japanese actors except for the lead role of the wrestler Rikidozan. Japanese took up 50 percent of the entire staff that made the movie.
"Rikidozan", which has yet to be released, has already been sold to Japanese distributors. "If the movie is jointly produced by Japan and Korea, it can be both a Korean and Japanese movie at the same time. Such movies can target audiences in both countries".
Another Korean movie, Chungyun, which portrays Korea's first-ever female pilot, is also a joint effort by a multinational staff. The movie's set, which dates back to 19th century Japan, has been built by Japan's leading art director, while flying shots are filmed by an aerial coordinator who took part in many Hollywood movies including "The Day After Tomorrow".
"Everything else is very exciting and are actually are real fun to shoot so we're looking forward to seeing this coming together. This is going to be a great movie" Many experts in the movie industry consider the latest trend as a positive one that can upgrade the quality of Korean movies a step further.
Arirang TV
From neighboring Japan and China, to more distant South American countries, Korean pop culture is gaining unprecedented popularity attention. Riding on the tide of the so-called Korean wave, Korean blockbusters "Taegukgi" and "Silmido" both raked in roughly W78 billion or some US$71 million in ticket sales at home and abroad.
"Taegukgi" depicts a tragic tale of two brothers during the Korean War, while "Silmido" about a secretive hit squad formed in the early 1970s to assassinate former North Korean leader Kim Il Sung shed light on a controversial chapter in Korea's history.
The latest trend is prompting Korean movie-makers to join hands with foreign investors and hire foreign staff in order to meet the tastes of audience outside of Korea. One of the latest Korean movies is "Rikidozan", that depicts a Korean wrestler who rose from anonymity to become a sensation in Japan in the 1950s.
Leading roles of the movie are all played by Japanese actors except for the lead role of the wrestler Rikidozan. Japanese took up 50 percent of the entire staff that made the movie.
"Rikidozan", which has yet to be released, has already been sold to Japanese distributors. "If the movie is jointly produced by Japan and Korea, it can be both a Korean and Japanese movie at the same time. Such movies can target audiences in both countries".
Another Korean movie, Chungyun, which portrays Korea's first-ever female pilot, is also a joint effort by a multinational staff. The movie's set, which dates back to 19th century Japan, has been built by Japan's leading art director, while flying shots are filmed by an aerial coordinator who took part in many Hollywood movies including "The Day After Tomorrow".
"Everything else is very exciting and are actually are real fun to shoot so we're looking forward to seeing this coming together. This is going to be a great movie" Many experts in the movie industry consider the latest trend as a positive one that can upgrade the quality of Korean movies a step further.
Arirang TV
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