The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
The Korea Times
amn_close.png
amn_bl.png
National
  • Politics
  • Foreign Affairs
  • Multicultural Community
  • Defense
  • Environment & Animals
  • Law & Crime
  • Society
  • Health & Science
amn_bl.png
Business
  • Tech
  • Bio
  • Companies
amn_bl.png
Finance
  • Companies
  • Economy
  • Markets
  • Cryptocurrency
amn_bl.png
Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Columns
  • Thoughts of the Times
  • Cartoon
  • Today in History
  • Blogs
  • Tribune Service
  • Blondie & Garfield
  • Letter to President
  • Letter to the Editor
amn_bl.png
Lifestyle
  • Travel & Food
  • Trends
  • People & Events
  • Books
  • Around Town
  • Fortune Telling
amn_bl.png
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
amn_bl.png
Sports
amn_bl.png
World
  • SCMP
  • Asia
amn_bl.png
Video
  • Korean Storytellers
  • POPKORN
  • Culture
  • People
  • News
amn_bl.png
Photos
  • Photo News
  • Darkroom
amn_NK.png amn_DR.png amn_LK.png amn_LE.png
  • bt_fb_on_2022.svgbt_fb_over_2022.svg
  • bt_twitter_on_2022.svgbt_twitter_over_2022.svg
  • bt_youtube_on_2022.svgbt_youtube_over_2022.svg
  • bt_instagram_on_2022.svgbt_instagram_over_2022.svg
  • Login
  • Register
  • Login
  • Register
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
  • 1

    Korean Lunar New Year vs. Chinese Lunar New Year

  • 3

    Garbage collector mistakes sex doll for corpse

  • 5

    Cute canine film 'My Heart Puppy' reunites Yoo Yeon-seok, Cha Tae-hyun

  • 7

    Hybe acquires 56.1 percent stake in AI sound startup Supertone

  • 9

    Netflix announces password sharing crackdown in Korea

  • 11

    US bill introduced to honor Korean War hero

  • 13

    South Korea, US to expand size and content of joint military drills

  • 15

    Samsung unveils new Galaxy S23 smartphone

  • 17

    Cyber University of Korea offers online Korean language programs for foreigners

  • 19

    Holy Moly concert series brings 4 punk bands to Haebangchon

  • 2

    INTERVIEWProduction company AStory expects great success with 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' franchise

  • 4

    TWICE becomes first K-pop group to win Billboard Women in Music award

  • 6

    Free subway rides for elderly emerge as headache for Seoul mayor

  • 8

    Korea ranks 31st in international corruption perception index in 2022

  • 10

    Korea seeks measures to better protect foreign workers

  • 12

    Retailers return to Myeong-dong as more foreign tourists visit

  • 14

    Samsung refuses to cut chip output despite plunging profits

  • 16

    Popular travel YouTuber recalls painful memories of being bullied at school

  • 18

    4 South Korean activists arrested for executing orders from Pyongyang

  • 20

    Is non-consensual sex not rape?

Close scrollclosebutton

Close for 24 hours

Open
  • The Korea Times
  • search
  • all menu
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • Photos
  • Video
  • World
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment & Art
  • Lifestyle
  • Finance
  • Business
  • National
  • North Korea
Entertainment & Arts
  • K-pop
  • Films
  • Shows & Dramas
  • Music
  • Theater & Others
Thu, February 2, 2023 | 21:05
Park Chan-wook, Apple team up for short film 'Life is But a Dream'
Posted : 2022-02-18 17:16
Updated : 2022-02-21 16:13
Kwak Yeon-soo
Print PreviewPrint Preview
Font Size UpFont Size Up
Font Size DownFont Size Down
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • kakaolink
  • whatsapp
  • reddit
  • mailto
  • link
From left, cinematographer Kim Woo-hyung, actors Yoo Hai-jin, Kim Ok-vin, director Park Chan-wook and actor Park Jeong-min pose during an online press conference for the film, 'Life is But a Dream.' Courtesy of Apple
From left, cinematographer Kim Woo-hyung, actors Yoo Hai-jin, Kim Ok-vin, director Park Chan-wook and actor Park Jeong-min pose during an online press conference for the film, "Life is But a Dream." Courtesy of Apple

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Park Chan-wook has teamed up with Apple to create a short film "Life is But a Dream" shot entirely on the latest iPhones.

The 21-minute "Life is But a Dream" opens with a spooky scene then slowly reveals itself to be part fantasy, part martial arts and part musical. It also features "pansori" (a traditional Korean musical narrative) and "madanggeuk" (a traditional Korean outdoor play) to tell a supernatural-based tale featuring both a ghost wedding and funeral.

Shot on the iPhone 13 Pro, it follows the story of an undertaker (Yoo Hai-jin) who digs up an abandoned grave to steal a coffin for the burial of a warrior (Kim Ok-vin) who had died saving a village.

While digging, he accidentally awakens the ghost of an ancient swordsman (Park Jeong-min). When the ghost tries to take back its coffin, it rouses the warrior's spirit. The two ghosts initially fight over the coffin, but eventually decide to get married and share it.

"It's not easy to dive deeper into genre experiments in a full-length feature film because it costs a lot of money and there is a lot of pressure. When making short films, I have creative freedom," he said during an online press conference for the film, Friday.

Park is now best known for his feature films, but he has continued to make short films even after achieving box office successes with "Oldboy," "Thirst" and "Handmaiden."

"In 2011, my brother (Park Chan-kyong) and I made a 33-minutes long film 'Night Fishing' on an iPhone 4. I have great memories about working on a short film, and they motivate me to keep making more short films," he said. "Night Fishing" won the Golden Bear for short film at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival.

From left, cinematographer Kim Woo-hyung, actors Yoo Hai-jin, Kim Ok-vin, director Park Chan-wook and actor Park Jeong-min pose during an online press conference for the film, 'Life is But a Dream.' Courtesy of Apple
A scene from the film "Life is But a Dream" / Courtesy of Apple

The internationally acclaimed director elaborated on the meaning behind the title. "Coming up with a great film title is always tough. 'Life is But a Dream' actually has a double meaning based on how you interpret it ― either life can be empty but beautiful, or life is beautiful but somehow empty," he explained.

Park and cinematographer Kim Woo-hyung utilized the iPhone 13 Pro to capture visually stunning scenes. The two previously worked together on AMC's series "The Little Drummer Girl."

"Everyone wants to work with Park. It was an honor to work with him again. Shooting with an iPhone 13 Pro was a fun experience. The biggest difference is that the iPhone doesn't require any ancillary pieces of equipment. It was very lightweight, which made it very accessible for any situation that came up," Kim said.

The production team employed several features of Apple's iPhone 13 Pro, including the cinematic mode, macro video, night mode, ultra-wide camera and optical image stabilization. "We were able to create cinematic shots and moods just like the movies when they use traditional camera equipment," the cinematographer added.

Actor Yoo said collaborating with Park was one of his dreams as an actor. On appearing in a film shot with a smartphone, he said, "Honestly, I didn't have high expectations about the final product of the film. I wasn't so confident about the quality of the film, but I realized that it was just my needless worrying."

Kim Ok-vin, who rose to fame through Park's "Thirst," explained how the filming process was different when shot with the technologically advanced smartphone.

"I initially had some doubts about whether or not the small lenses of an iPhone would be able to capture the scenes properly. But I came to enjoy working with the iPhones on set due to their mobility. I became less conscious of the cameras' presence, and that helped me focus more on my performance" she said.

"Life is But a Dream" can be streamed for free on Apple's official YouTube channel and AppleTV+.

Park will be directing HBO's upcoming series "The Sympathizers."



Emailyeons.kwak@koreatimes.co.kr Article ListMore articles by this reporter
 
Top 10 Stories
1Garbage collector mistakes sex doll for corpse Garbage collector mistakes sex doll for corpse
2Free subway rides for elderly emerge as headache for Seoul mayor Free subway rides for elderly emerge as headache for Seoul mayor
3Korea seeks measures to better protect foreign workers Korea seeks measures to better protect foreign workers
4Retailers return to Myeong-dong as more foreign tourists visit Retailers return to Myeong-dong as more foreign tourists visit
5Samsung unveils new Galaxy S23 smartphone Samsung unveils new Galaxy S23 smartphone
64 South Korean activists arrested for executing orders from Pyongyang 4 South Korean activists arrested for executing orders from Pyongyang
7Is non-consensual sex not rape? Is non-consensual sex not rape?
8President pledges support for Korean chipmakers to overcome crisis President pledges support for Korean chipmakers to overcome crisis
9Seoul city council under fire for sexual conduct guidelines for teachers Seoul city council under fire for sexual conduct guidelines for teachers
10Income gap widening among workers Income gap widening among workers
Top 5 Entertainment News
1[INTERVIEW] Production company AStory expects great success with 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' franchise INTERVIEWProduction company AStory expects great success with 'Extraordinary Attorney Woo' franchise
2TWICE becomes first K-pop group to win Billboard Women in Music award TWICE becomes first K-pop group to win Billboard Women in Music award
3Cute canine film 'My Heart Puppy' reunites Yoo Yeon-seok, Cha Tae-hyun Cute canine film 'My Heart Puppy' reunites Yoo Yeon-seok, Cha Tae-hyun
4AmorePacific Museum of Art brings Joseon-era folding screens to center stage AmorePacific Museum of Art brings Joseon-era folding screens to center stage
5$120,000 banana, praying Hitler: Infamous art world prankster Maurizio Cattelan's first Seoul outing $120,000 banana, praying Hitler: Infamous art world prankster Maurizio Cattelan's first Seoul outing
DARKROOM
  • Nepal plane crash

    Nepal plane crash

  • Brazil capital uprising

    Brazil capital uprising

  • Happy New Year 2023

    Happy New Year 2023

  • World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

    World Cup 2022 Final - Argentina vs France

  • World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

    World Cup 2022 France vs Morocco

CEO & Publisher : Oh Young-jin
Digital News Email : webmaster@koreatimes.co.kr
Tel : 02-724-2114
Online newspaper registration No : 서울,아52844
Date of registration : 2020.02.05
Masthead : The Korea Times
Copyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.
  • About Us
  • Introduction
  • History
  • Contact Us
  • Products & Services
  • Subscribe
  • E-paper
  • RSS Service
  • Content Sales
  • Site Map
  • Policy
  • Code of Ethics
  • Ombudsman
  • Privacy Statement
  • Terms of Service
  • Copyright Policy
  • Family Site
  • Hankook Ilbo
  • Dongwha Group