Park Chan-Wook's hand-to-handheld epic for Apple
Continuing the Shot on iPhone campaign, The Oldboy director's Life is But a Dream is an authentically Korean tale of life, death, music and martial arts.
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- Director Park Chan-Wook
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Credits
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- Director Park Chan-Wook
Credits
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- Director Park Chan-Wook
Modern Korean cinema has had a real boost in popularity recently, what with Parasite dominating the Oscars and Squid Game winning Netflix, but for his Shot on iPhone short, Park Chan-Wook has opted for a more traditional tale.
Telling "a story around life and death he's always wanted to tell", the Oldboy director's wonderfully vivid film, Life is But a Dream, combines martial arts with romance, dark comedy, and “pansori,” Korea’s authentic musical (and joyously theatrical) storytelling technique.
Running pretty long yet moving between horror, martial arts and eye-popping musical action along the way, the mini-movie is entirely worthy of all of your attention - managing to showcase the Apple device's impressive lenses and focus-pulling 'Cinematic Mode' whilst telling a genuinely original story filled with wit, warmth and wrist-whacking moves.
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"It’s a story that I’ve always wanted to tell," says Chan-Wook. "A specific camera didn’t come to mind when I wrote it. What’s amazing is that we can capture such a story into a film with iPhone.”
“Cinematic mode is useful," comments Director of Photography Kim Woo-Hyeong, "because the speed in which the focus shifts and where the focus is placed are all closely related to what we’re trying to tell with the scene. "For this film, it was most effective for the flashback scene where the swordsman looks back to the past.”
“It doesn’t lag far behind any pro camera," continues Chan-Wook. "It’s amazing that now you can carry around something so powerful in your pocket.
“For people who think filmmaking is such a daunting task and are afraid to even try it, I say: Fear no more. Just pick up your iPhone and shoot your daily life, the things around you or your own story. Begin by shooting anything and from there, take one small step at a time."
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