[Interview] Director Park Inje "A Generation of Constant Change, Shorter Trend Cycles"

Director Park In-je Interview

Disney+ 20-Episode Series 'Moving'
Production Cost 60 Billion KRW... 5 Years Until Release
Successful Box Office in Asia Including Singapore and Taiwan

Director Park In-je (50) said he made 'Moving' with the feeling of shooting a 20-episode movie. When mentioning the production cost of 60 billion won, he waved his hand, saying, "If you divide it, it's less than 'Kingdom'." He then emphasized, "What we feel proud of ourselves is that we completed it." The OTT series 'Moving' on Disney+ has truly become a huge hit. It took 4 years to write the script and 2 years for post-production. The unprecedented production cost drew attention from the planning stage as a large-scale project. Although they expected a smooth path, it was a thorny road. It was not easy to come into the world. That is why the enthusiastic response is even more joyful.

Recently, I met Director Park at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and congratulated him first. He replied with a smile, "Isn't it a storm in a teacup?" and laughed heartily, saying, "It has to be something like 'Squid Game' to be a global hit." Director Park tried to steady himself. He is determined to maintain his composure until the final episode without being swayed by the reactions around him.

Director Park In-je [Photo by Walt Disney Company Korea]

"Both of the movies I made failed. Isn't it too early to make any judgments? There are still five episodes left until the end. Since it takes place in a limited space, I am more worried than happy right now. (laughs)"

Director Park In-je tried to hide the smile spreading on his lips but spoke honestly. He said the bigger burden than the 50 billion won production cost was making 20 episodes. He said, "The recent OTT trend is 8 episodes. The current generation is not the generation that watched American dramas like 'Prison Break' (2006) or 'Lost' (2005)."

He confessed, "It's hard even for me to watch 20 episodes steadily. I was worried whether I could make viewers watch more than 20 episodes, each over 40 minutes long. It was a mission to keep the audience hooked until the end." Then he gave a humorous analogy, "It was like 'Sandglass' (1995) or 'Eyes of Dawn' (1991)."

Director Park said he did not watch the original webtoon of the same name. He said, "'Moving' is original as a screenplay to me. If I were a fan of the original work, I might have had preconceived notions and might not have been free." The webtoon artist Kang Full also wrote the screenplay for the 'Moving' series. It was his first time writing a screenplay. Director Park asked Kang Full, "Please don't be trapped by the original." It was a possible consideration because he understood the position of writing a screenplay.

"If you get trapped by the webtoon, the writing won't progress. Adaptation is a second creation. I told him not to feel uncomfortable. The moment a writer self-censors, it loses its fun."

'Moving' filming site scene [Photo by Walt Disney Company Korea]

His previous work was the Netflix series 'Kingdom 2' (2019). After depicting a terrifying zombie outbreak in Joseon, many reacted that they did not expect him to return with a warm work like 'Moving.' Director Park laughed heartily, saying, "'Kingdom' also has warm aspects."

He emphasized, "I always want something new." He continued, "'Kingdom' and 'Moving' were both about trying something new that I hadn't done before. I still consider myself a rookie director. I dream of learning through my works. With 'Moving,' I tried new work through the story of flying superpowered people."

"In 'Moving,' people have to fly. They had to be put on wires, so I studied how to make people really fly. I had done wire action before, but only jumps while suspended, never to this extent. It was a physical task, so to speak. Even in post-production during the special effects (CG) process, it was the first time I had done so much work. No domestic content has had this much CG before. There were many processes of directly implementing what had been done in Hollywood into the work."

He cited the most impressive scene as the flying scene of Bong-seok (played by Lee Jung-ha) in episode 7. Director Park said, "It cost a lot of money and was difficult to shoot. I watched that scene many times in the editing room, so the emotional impact faded, but it felt like my own movie story. While working in film, I had failures and setbacks, but I had a dream of making movies. It wasn't about making money; I just wanted to make movies. Everyone who works in film feels that way."

He recalled, "Because things kept failing, some people told me, 'Just get a good job somewhere.'" He said, "One day, clumsy as I was, I started to fly, and at some point, I flew well. It was very touching. Many people were involved. We made it so that live-action and CG were indistinguishable," showing his confidence.

Director Park In-je [Photo by Walt Disney Company Korea]

"Why do I keep making movies? Because it's my job. Being a film director is a precious job to me. I have to make movies to continue my life. It was a dream that became a job. I haven't made much money from directing yet. The moment it becomes a job, it feels different somehow. But I keep studying so I don't get trapped there. I am a person who studies."

Park In-je is one of the most active directors recently making OTT series, following 'Kingdom' with 'Moving.' Both works have performed well. Both have achieved significant success on major overseas OTT platforms. He, who graduated in 1992, has experienced tremendous market changes. From film to digital, from Chungmuro to multiplexes, theaters lost power, and the OTT market rapidly expanded. YouTube is flooded with 60-minute summaries of movies and content. He questioned, "Shouldn't we accept this?"

Director Park said, "In the past, Japanese manga was popular, and there were many illegal copies. There is one author, but the name is one. The pirate version is a fictional author. Later, Japanese culture was opened up, but the popularity didn't last long. MP3s were also widely illegally downloaded, but as music streaming developed, isn't this part of the flow of change?"

He said, "I want to live young. When I debuted, I had to choose between film and digital for my graduation project. Film would have exceeded the budget by 100 million won, but with digital, I could even organize a cinematographer and a B team. Naturally, I chose digital. Later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of theatergoers decreased. I have experienced many changes. Kang Full and director Ryu Seung-wan are from the same generation. Because we are a generation that has faced many changes, we accept change. About 5-6 years ago, I told people around me that YouTube would change the world, and recently, short-form content has emerged. I don't know what else will come, but the period of experiencing change is definitely getting shorter."

'Moving' filming site scene [Photo by Walt Disney Company Korea]

Unexpectedly, Director Park In-je's dream was to be a guitarist. He said, "When I receive the final payment, I buy an expensive guitar one by one. I put a guitar toy on my daughter's first birthday table, and she grabbed it." Then he laughed, saying, "If I want my child to become a guitarist, I have to make money."

He also said he wants to make a music film. Director Park said, "I am very interested in music films, but making one is difficult. My wife directed the movie 'Mate' (2019), so since she made it, I'm fine with that," and laughed.

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