[Limelight] "An Unadorned Travelogue... Capturing the Rawness Just As It Is" ②

'Born to Travel the World' Cinematographer An Gye-hyeon
Developed Skills to Capture According to Cast
Kian84 Proud of 'Forest Gump Live-Action' Version
Observation Variety Show Cameras Serve as Human CCTV

Cinematographer An Gye-hyun took charge of the camera for MBC's Born to Travel the World, capturing the Amazon jungle, the highlands of Bolivia, and the Ladakh Plateau in India with a creative perspective. Even in urgent situations, such as being bitten by sand flies in the Amazon River and having to visit the emergency room, he persevered, delivering moving moments to viewers. His notable works include MBC's I Live Alone, MBC's Save Me, Holmes, JTBC's Begin Again Korea, MBC's Family Mate, and MBC's Born to Travel the World.

Director Ahn Gye-hyun is giving an interview with Asia Economy. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

- Since Born to Travel the World is a program that advocates hyper-realistic variety shows, it must have been challenging to shoot.

"It was actually a good experience. I prefer outdoor shooting, and since realistic footage was required, it was a time to develop and confirm my ability to focus on the cast in a free environment."

- You have worked on many observational variety shows, but the production environment for travel variety shows must have been completely different.

"Because we had to capture an unstructured and unembellished travelogue, I stayed with the cast from a single perspective to preserve that intention. Since the first destination was South America, and I had only been to Brazil before, visiting unfamiliar cities like Bolivia and Peru felt fresh to me. Although all the cast members had distinctive personalities, the most enjoyable work was capturing Kian84's raw, unfiltered self."

- I heard you had a special connection with Kian84 even before Born to Travel the World.

"We worked together during the filming of I Live Alone. Recently, he made headlines for completing a marathon, but I remember the prequel?the 56km run from Seocho-gu to Daebudo during filming. Over one night and two days, he ran in very casual clothes without proper gear, stopping by a sundae soup restaurant and drinking beverages. Viewers commented that it was like a live-action version of Forrest Gump, which was touching. I was filming on an electric motorcycle and other transport, but watching him run for over 10 hours against the sea breeze with unwavering determination was moving, and I believe viewers felt the same."

- Viewers have said that your filming made them feel like they were traveling together with the cast, capturing the 'raw' moments.

"I am truly grateful for that. I believe the ideal filming is one where I can feel the cast's emotions as much as possible and convey the walking exactly as it happens. If you shoot without thought, you can never capture that feeling. You have to feel the atmosphere on site and synchronize your rhythm to delicately convey the cast's emotional changes to viewers as they happen moment by moment. I always think about camera angles, walking, and movement to capture those changes as much as possible and keep communicating with the PDs."

- What do you consider the most important virtue on set?

"First of all, physical stamina is essential. To maintain focus without faltering from setup to shooting and until the end, endurance is a prerequisite. Next would be communication skills. I prefer outdoor shooting, but I also participate in studio and audition programs. To be flexible enough to capture everything in these processes, communication with the production team is crucial. To fully realize the PD's planning intentions and requirements, there must be a shared sense of creating together through exchanging opinions."

- Did you originally aspire to be a cinematographer?

"My major was in language and literature, completely unrelated to cameras. As a college student, I happened to work part-time with a drama filming crew, and seeing the charismatic cinematographer inspired me to dream of becoming one. Although I started with dramas, I challenged myself with variety shows because I wanted to handle the main camera quickly. I began shooting in my mid-20s and have continued until today."

Director Ahn Gye-hyun is giving an interview with Asia Economy. Photo by Jo Yong-jun jun21@

- Having worked on various programs from studio shoots to observational variety shows, the role of the camera must have evolved.

"In studio programs, I only need to film the cast member I am responsible for from a fixed position, but in observational variety shows, the camera acts as a 'human CCTV.' Watching the process on site, I think I felt the fun even before the viewers did. Whether the cast received missions or performed tasks, filming all those moments and syncing with the scene allowed me to empathize with their narratives and ups and downs, focusing on capturing them vividly."

- Are there any genres or programs you want to challenge or take on in the future?

"I have participated in almost every genre in variety shows, so I don't have any particular genre or program I want to challenge. However, I want to be a flexible cinematographer who can capture everything no matter the scene."

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