'Hope' cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo marvels at Na Hong-jin’s madness and Jo In-sung’s performance

Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo on 'Hope': "There's madness in 'Hope'...A film you can't find anywhere else"

Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo said of the film 'Hope,' "Madness is embedded in the work." He added that he wanted to "put the director Na Hong-jin and deliver original images that no one has experienced anywhere in the world onto the screen,"

Speaking in a video interview with Yonhap News on the 18th, Hong said the new film would leave a milestone mark in Korean film history and expressed his own pride. He added that he designed the screens in meticulous detail so audiences could feel an overwhelming sense of immersion as if they were riding a roller coaster, along with the sense of exhilaration unique to entertainment films.

Passes 1.22 million in 3 days after release…A distinctive new SF action blockbuster is born

'Hope' is a large-scale thriller set in Hopo Port, a remote port village near the demilitarized zone, depicting a fight to the death by people battling an unidentified extraterrestrial life form. Among this year's releases, it has driven a box-office surge by surpassing 1 million viewers in just 3 days, the shortest time for any film this year, and reaching 1.22 million cumulative admissions.

Visual thrill crafted with long takes and exotic mise-en-scène

The point of view of Beom-seok, the 출장소장 (dispatch office chief) Huang Jung-min plays, opens the film and leads audiences into a state of extreme tension. Hong said he focused on delivering the horrific destruction of the village in vivid detail from Beom-seok’s perspective. In the first major clash scene, he captured the site’s explosive energy to the fullest by using a long-take technique that tracks the characters’ movement paths without interruption.

In addition, the scene introducing Seong-gi, a young man played by Jo In-sung, who searches through the forest with hunters, stands out for its exotic mise-en-scène. To bring it to life, the production team carried out large-scale location shoots that ranged beyond South Korea, including Romania’s primeval forests, as well as Haenam, Jeju, and Hapcheon. Hong said that director Na Hong-jin’s sharp instincts played a big role in finding the perfect filming locations.

Synergy forged by detailed advance planning and the actors’ full-throttle performances

After 'The Wailing' (2016), Hong reunited with director Na Hong-jin, and said he couldn’t contain his admiration for Na’s relentless insistence and thorough preparation that went beyond his previous work. In particular, in CG filming required to depict a battle with an unseen extraterrestrial life form, they calculated the creature’s size and movement paths in advance with perfect precision to bring out maximum realism.

The actors’ performances, delivered with their full effort, were also the subject of high praise. Hong said he was deeply impressed not only by Hwang Jung-min’s overwhelming presence, but also by Jo In-sung’s performance, which he says was their first time acting together. In addition, he praised Jeong Ho-yeon, calling her a "unique female character" he said he had never seen before, and complimented her intense look as she wielded a gun.

At the filming site for the action scenes, a tight tension hung in the air in case of any unforeseen accidents, but the cheers that erupted every time Na’s "okay" signal was given represented the site’s burning passion. Hong stressed that, finally, "Depending on the viewer, opinions may be split," but "when you see it in theaters, it’s a film you’ll never feel is not worth the ticket price," adding that audiences should look forward to the new visual catharsis the film will deliver.