The Naval Battle Born at the Olympic Stadium Instead of the 'Hansan' Sea

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] How was the Battle of Hansan born?

On the 14th, Lotte Entertainment released production stills from the making of the film Hansan: Rising Dragon (director Kim Han-min).

The film, set to be released on the 27th, depicts the Battle of Hansan, where Admiral Yi Sun-sin and the Joseon navy, united by desperate strategy and courage, defend Joseon against the advancing Japanese forces five years before the Battle of Myeongnyang. It is the new work by director Kim Han-min, who directed the highest-grossing film Myeongnyang (2014).

Director Kim made the decision to shoot without floating ships on water, based on the know-how acquired from Myeongnyang. To create a massive indoor set that could accommodate 2 to 3 full-scale Panokseon and Antaekseon warships, the Gangneung Speed Skating Oval, which hosted the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, was transformed into an indoor set. An outdoor set was built in Yeosu, the hometown of Yi Sun-sin, to begin filming.

Filming the naval battle without water, which was thought possible only in Hollywood, proceeded smoothly. All necessary preparations and filming processes were realized through prior simulation. Cutting-edge filming systems such as previsualization and animating technology played a key role. Actors rehearsed by watching animated performances to understand their movements and emotions in advance, reducing rehearsal time. The naval battle scenes, filmed without weather constraints, established a new set comparable to Hollywood systems.

Jung Cheol-min, the VFX supervisor, said, "Since Korean audiences have already reached a high standard through Marvel movies and others, it was really intimidating at first," adding, "The goal of creating the first naval battle film not shot at sea became increasingly clear."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.