Please tell us about the projects you worked on before making ‘A Long Journey’. How did you start, and how did you learn to make films?
Before making A long journey, I used AI image and video production tools to create fantastic fairy tales, videos about ancient Korean history and mythology, and music videos, which I uploaded to my YouTube channel ( https://www.youtube.com/@flycandytv ). Filmmaking started as a new starting point when I started the second act of my life (in my 60s), and I learned from teachers, courses, and books that teach AI tools.
Tell us about ‘A Long Journey’. How do you describe it?
A long journey is a condensed representation of the real life story of my father-in-law and his family. After the death of my father-in-law (LATE. AN HUI CHOL), I made a film about his life to honor and remember him. However, it is not just about his life, but I also wanted to symbolize the process that his generation, which he represents, has gone through and the path that Korea has taken to achieve economic development. A long journey is both my personal story and the modern history of Korea.
Please tell us about your favorite filmmakers.
My favorite filmmaker is JAPANESE DIRECTOR '是枝裕和'(これえだ ひろかず). His '誰も知らない'(だれもしらない)’ (NOBODY KNOWS) is my favorite.
If you were given a good budget, what would be your ideal project?
Given a large enough budget, I would like to create a film that encapsulates the footsteps of some of our greatest teachers and models, using computer technology related to AI. In this regard, I believe that AI will play a very important role in filling in the gaps where actual photos or videos of these people are lacking.
Describe how you would ensure that production is on schedule. What steps would you take?
My method is that when I have an idea for a project, I flesh out what needs to be done, including storyboards, and create a timeline of the tasks required for the project, and then work accordingly. This seems to work well for me.
What was the hardest part of making ‘A Long Journey’.
The hardest part was to symbolize the protagonist's nearly 90 years of life in compressed scenes, and to storyboard them in such a way that they could be defined as meaningful scenes not just in terms of the protagonist's personal narrative, but also in terms of Korea's modern history. Once the storyboard was created, it was much easier to set up each scene and work on the images and footage accordingly.
If possible, tell us about your next work. What plans do you have for your future work?
For my next film, I would like to create a film based on my childhood memories that encapsulates and symbolizes the narrative that my generation has been going through and overcoming as we grow up, both individually and as a country.
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