[INTERVIEW] Jeanie Han - Paramount Pictures Senior VP

Convergence Content Insight 2009, co-hosted by Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Korea Creative Content Agency was held on December 1 in Seoul at Coex. Although the title of the conference seemed complicated, its message was clear. It is about whether it is possible to produce and distribute contents like in the past during this modern world where diverse platforms including the Internet, DMB, IPTV and video games exist. If this is not possible, how can we come up with a new solution? At a time like this, Jeanie Han, a Korean-American who is currently a senior vice president at Paramount Pictures, gave an interesting presentation regarding “convergence of contents and the film industry.” The presentation showed how the giant mechanism called Hollywood is changing to keep up with such a trend. Following is the interview with Han.

Q: How interested are you in the Korean market as a senior vice president at a huge Hollywood producing company?
Jeanie Han: It’s probably because I am a Korean-American and that I like Korean films, I love Korea. I did earn a lot thanks to Korea. (laugh) The company’s “Transformers 1” and “Transformers 2” were extremely popular in Korea. Since the size of its market is large compared to the population, Hollywood lately has laid eyes on Korea. Casting actor Lee Byung-hun for “G. I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” shows us that Hollywood is targeting Korea and other Asian countries.

Q: Doesn’t turning to other markets including Korea mean that Hollywood has encountered a limit within its own market?
Han: Making money with films is becoming increasingly hard. In the past, making money for about a week was possible to some extent even with a non-interesting film since people were bought tickets out of curiosity. However, with the widespread of the Internet and text messages, lying to the viewers cannot last over a day due to gossips. And these days, a number of movies are released on the same day across the world. In this case, actors like Tom Cruise cannot visit all the nations for promotion. Promotional brochures also must be published in each nation. When looking at the current revenue making procedure, companies compensate for the production finances in the domestic Box Office, turn to foreign markets for promotional funds and make profit only through TV and DVD.

Q: You mentioned gossips earlier; there must be a change in marketing methods.
Han: A horror movie “Paranormal Activity,” which was produced with a low budget of 11 thousand dollars is a good case in point. It is a scary film about a man recording every moments of what happens in a household after he is told from his wife that she sees ghosts. So, we tried something unique. We showed the movie in three college-centered cities only at midnight during the weekend. We did not utilize TV commercials or newspaper advertisements at all. But, gossips were transferred through Twitter and blogs and thus a community was formed. It became a free advertisement. Later, an audience came up with a web-site requesting the film to be released in other cities as well. We later promised the audience that when one million people do request for the release, we would show the film across the United States. Soon after that, people posted up video clips of more than a million people gathering and partying for the release of the movie. With such sensation, the film could have made a profit of more than hundred million dollars.

Q: How is marketing in Korea? It wouldn’t be easy.
Han: It surely isn’t. Most importantly, illegal downloading is such a big thing in Korea. In fact, we need more than 24 hours to discuss this issue. It is worth discussing about why piracy is so widely spread in Korea. Also, when meeting with Korean associates for business, they are reluctant about exchanging thoughts. Isn’t friendliness a very important thing especially in the entertainment industry? They are, however, very strong with one-on-one meetings, especially with alcohol. (laugh)

Q: Paramount’s “Transformer2 1” and “Transformer2 2” were a big fad in Korea. Were there specific marketing strategies targeted at Korea?
Han: Koreans seem to be comfortable with robots, probably because they grew up with Robot Taekwon V. And, blockbuster action is very much welcomed in Asian markets. Therefore, marketing “Transformers” in Asia wasn’t so hard. To be honest, no special efforts were required since the films had great visuals. One which is a special case is the film “The Island” by director Michael Bay. Despite our great expectations, the movie failed to become a great hit in the US. But, the film made more money in Korea than all the states combined. The opening of the film in Korea coincided with Dr. Hwang Woo-suk’s research. Thus public interest regarding cloning fortunately led the movie to a great hit.

Q: Based on the company’s experience of distributing a Korean blockbuster “Typhoon” in the U.S., how do you forecast the possibility of Korean films to succeed in the States?
Han: In my point of view, remaking of Korean films would grant more success than distributing them in the original form. Also, films that portray something that is Korean or Asian rather than action blockbusters would make a better hit in the U.S. Films like “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” that reveal Asian cultures would gain much more value in the American market. In spite of the fact that Korea can produce action films, a large quality gap between those from the U.S. and Korea would exist due to a huge difference in production funds. Although film “D-War” had great special effects, its quality lags behind when compared with other similar Hollywood movies. Korean films seem to have a specialty in having a great storyline. So, I would suggest that it would be more effective when emphasizing such strength.

Q: How do Korean movies have a great storyline, specifically?
Han: There are curriculums that teach director Park Chan-wook’s film “Old Boy” in many American film schools. Unlike Hollywood movies that try to reach a happy-ending, this film concludes with a depressing ending. Although I thought the movie was too violent personally, the interesting topic of revenge was something that was hard to find in Hollywood. Moreover, the fact that the film was far from the common story telling sequence made the film more interesting.

Q: Then do you think it is better for Korean directors to produce movies in the States rather than delivering the films made in Korea to America?
Han: Because I see a small market for Korean films, producing films in the States would be much more beneficial than simply distributing the already-produced Korean films. American producers already know that Korean directors have great talent. However, for Korean directors to adjust to the different system would be hard. As far as I know, directors have a lot of power in Korea. However, as Hollywood is more systematic, understanding the structure is a must.

Q: You mentioned actor Lee earlier, what aspects do you think Korean actors should work on to succeed in Hollywood?
Han: English is most important. (laugh) So far, Asian actors needed a specialty like kung fu in order to succeed in the American market. Therefore, there were times when actors were only known for their special traits just like actors Rain and Lee who played ninjas in films “G. I. Joe.” and “Ninja Assassin,” respectively. However, as they communicate with people at Hollywood, Korean actors would be better remembered as who they really are.

Q: Lastly, I would like to question if current trends like a Korean-American just like you being in a crucial position or Korean actors playing a bigger role are closely linked with the amount of influence that Korean-Americans have in the American society.
Han: It’s not because of the actual growth of the Korean community within the States, but rather because of the fact that the perspectives of my parents’ generation have changed. Previously, they wanted their children to become lawyers or doctors. But now they are more open to the entertainment industry. It’s probably because this industry also profits well. (laugh)

Reporter : Wee Geun-woo eight@10asia.co.kr
Editor: Linda Kim lindakim@asiae.co.kr, Lee Ji-Hye seven@10asia.co.kr