(Korean Movies) Take Point, 2018

[ PROLOGUE ]

'How can the audience enjoy the movie more?'
The movie started with the question
Director Kim Byung-woo

<PMC: The Bunker> contains the expanded worldview of director Kim Byung-woo.
It was a fascinating challenge.
Director of Photography Kim Byung-seo

It's not a very common movie in Korea.
A meticulously designed storyline is attractive.
Artistic Director Kim Byung-han

A new challenge that has not been seen in Korean films shines
As time goes by, I feel the power of immersion
Nam-seok Noh, martial arts director

The unique charm of 〈PMC: The Bunker〉 is that the distance between the characters and the audience is very close.
The closer the gap, the more things the audience can feel.
Ha Jung-woo actor

The tempo-flowing scenario was impressive enough to read the script while admiring it.
It's a script that I've never seen in a Korean movie, and it's a work I had no reason not to do.
Lee Sun-kyun actor

[ ABOUT POINT ]

War is also business!
Global military company PMC! Korea's first movie was born!
Korea's first film about the global military company PMC was born. The movie 'PMC: The Bunker' is about a global military company (PMC) Black Lizard's Captain A-Hep (Ha Jung-woo), who was commissioned by the CIA for a large-scale project and put into a secret bunker 30 meters underground. ) and real-time survival action.

PMC, which appears in the movie, is an abbreviation for Private Military Company, which refers to a global military company that regards war as a business without nationality or honor. Director Kim Byung-woo, who was in charge of the script and directing, focused on the story that can happen when the military is driven by money. Director Kim Byeong-woo said, "I chose the subject of PMC with the conviction that an interesting movie would be made if the dramatization of the situations that occurred when the military and capitalism were combined." The director and production team read about 40 books on PMC for a year to work on the screenplay, and were able to capture realistic battle scenes through the supervision of a war correspondent. Myung-chan Kang, CEO of Perfect Storm Film, the production company of "PMC: The Bunker" actually traveled between the UK and the US for about three years to search for information about actors who were mercenaries who could appear in the film, including those who had experience sending troops to Afghanistan. More than half of the foreign actors who were cast as members of the PMC Black Lizard team in the actual movie were made up of real soldiers and mercenaries, and performed realistically. In this way, the scenario of 〈PMC: The Bunker〉, which was completed after collecting data on PMC in various ways, contains a new story that has not been seen in Korean movies until now.

The visual of <PMC: The Bunker> is also attractive. The scarazan jumper, cargo pants, luxury watch, two-block hair, and meaningful tattoo design worn by Ha Jung-woo are PMC looks created by the actors and the production crew until the day before the crank. Because PMC is a private company, it fights in its own style, not with a uniform visual like a medical soldier. Accordingly, the 12 Black Lizard mercenaries, including Ha Jung-woo, who plays Captain A-Hep, insisted on unique styles from combat equipment to fashion and tattoos. Ha Jung-woo said, "I don't think it's unfamiliar to the audience to meet PMC, which I've encountered through overseas movies and dramas, as a character in a Korean movie. Because he is not a military serviceman, his visuals are also freestyle, so you can feel stylish.”

not on earth! It's 30m underground!
<The Terror Live> A sensational direction designed by director Kim Byung-woo!
Director Kim Byung-woo, who rose to stardom with his commercial film debut, was released in July 2013 and mobilized an audience of 5.58 million nationwide. Until then, there was a prejudice in the film market that the subject of 'limited space' had a limit to the box office. Director Kim Byeong-woo made a splendid debut by breaking this prejudice through <The Terror Live>. Many people are paying attention to what kind of world he draws 30 meters underground in <PMC: The Bunker> and what kind of performances the actors will perform on the stage.

The beginning of "PMC: The Bunker" dates back to when "The Terror Live" was released five years ago. Ha Jung-woo told director Kim Byung-woo, “What if there was a space like the ground and decalcomanies in the basement of the DMZ?” suggested a curious subject. Director Kim Byung-woo was fascinated by the expansive underground bunker space that escaped the extreme situation of being trapped in a vertically tall building drawn in <The Terror Live>. Director Kim Byung-woo made a mini bunker himself out of Lego, a block toy. The art director went through miniature modeling and 3D work based on the Lego sculpture to reduce errors when building the actual set. The art team gave individuality and diversity to each space in order to relieve the frustration that may be felt due to the limited space. The set design concept was confirmed after a long preparation, with dozens of designs discarded before the actual set was built.

The underground bunkers are largely divided into suites, conference halls, South Korean bunkers, North Korean bunkers, and tunnels. In order to capture the vast underground bunker, the production team made an unusually 20 sets. Suite rooms are the equivalent of a high-end hotel's sky lounge, and although the conference hall is the same size as a ground level conference room, it was made as a practical space where only actual talks can take place without fancy decorations. In the case of North Korean bunkers, there was a lack of actual reference material, so we referred to bunkers of the former Soviet Union built after World War II. The underground bunker space, which was created after various data investigations and dozens of simulations, became an important background for successful director Kim Byung-woo's unique sensuous directing. With the introduction of POV (first-person angle) cam cameras and drone camera equipment, various shooting angles using space became possible. It is expected that the audience will be able to experience the experience as if they were together 30 meters underground while watching the movie.

Korea's first real-time survival action presented by the box office crew
The technology of <Along with the Gods> meets the tension of <The Terror Live>!
The staff who participated in the <Along with the Gods> series and <The Terror Live> joined forces for <PMC: The Bunker>.

First, the staff who showed the pinnacle of Korean film technology with <Along with the Gods> participated and focused on the technology pursued by <PMC: The Bunker>. The experience of those who cannot be bought with money is reflected in 〈PMC: The Bunker〉. Cinematographer Kim Byung-seo and lighting director Shin Kyung-man of <Along with the Gods> smoothly digested the lengthy green screen filming. Martial arts director Nam-seok Noh of <Along with the Gods>, which received attention as an action that transcends time and space, conceived a structured action using the vast underground space of <PMC: The Bunker>. The weapons of the mercenaries appearing in the movie, including Captain A-Hep (Ha Jung-woo), were also given individuality for each character. Dexter Studios, who showed excellent CG technology in <Along with the Gods>, joined the team and brought the world of the underground bunker that director Kim Byeong-woo had imagined to the screen.

If the production team of <Along with the Gods> was responsible for leading the liveliness of the scene, the crew who experienced <The Terror Live> was responsible for leading the sense of urgency. After <The Terror Live>, music director Lee Jun-oh, who is famous as a musician casker, once again joined hands with director Kim Byung-woo. Rhythms and melodies that will make the audience feel the heart-pounding tension will add to the fun of the movie. Editor Kim Chang-joo, who showed outstanding skills in film editing in a limited space such as <The Terror Live> and <Snowpiercer>, is expected to show editing that pushes the tension to the limit in <PMC: The Bunker>.

Ha Jung-woo X Lee Sun-kyun's greatest crush ever!
Endless training of two perfectionists!
The movie 'PMC: The Bunker' is the first film where Ha Jung-woo and Lee Sun-kyun met for the filmography award. Ha Jung-woo, who has appeared in about 36 movies and has built a strong ticket power by mobilizing a triple audience of 10 million viewers with the <Along with the Gods> series and <Assassination>, challenged the 'ever-timer in English acting' in <PMC: The Bunker>. Lee Seon-gyun, who became the first Korean actor to attend three major international film festivals, including Cannes, Venice and Berlin film festivals, perfectly digested everything from North Korean dialect acting to difficult medical terminology in 'PMC: The Bunker'.

First, as soon as Ha Jung-woo received the script for 'PMC: The Bunker', he immersed himself in the most important 'Captain A-Hep style English'. The English lines mixed with slang (profanity) used by Captain A-Hep were a big homework for Ha Jung-woo, who is also introverted. It took me two weeks just to go through the dictionary of English words and make the script completely my own. Here, while staying in the United States for over a month, I memorized the entire script while being trained by the dialogue coach one by one. Ha Jung-woo, who arrived in Korea a month before the crank, participated in reading practice 5 days a week, 4-5 hours a day. Ha Jung-woo's perfectionist side had a strong influence on the completeness of <PMC: The Bunker>. His dialogue processing, which is smooth enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with Hollywood actors, is also the only viewing point unique to <PMC: The Bunker>.

In order to digest the acting in the North Korean dialect, Lee Seon-gyun claimed to be a friend and comrade with a North Korean dialect acting instructor. In particular, in order to save the history of Yoon Ji, who came from studying abroad, the details of the dialect mixed with Seoul's standard language were used instead of the individualistic dialect that the public is familiar with. When filming the scene of communication with Captain A-Hep, even on days when he didn't have a lot of footage, he came to the scene and acted with a walkie-talkie when Ha Jung-woo was acting. Even for him, who had been playing the role of a doctor until [White Tower] and [Golden Time], the role of a doctor in ‘PMC: The Bunker’ was not easy. The role of Dr. Yoon-Ji, who had to deliver treatment methods through a radio transmitter rather than direct treatment, was a new challenge for Lee Seon-Kyun. In addition, Dr. Yoonji, who never loses courage until the end, is the central point in completing the thrilling escape drama of 'PMC: The Bunker'. The excellent character interpretation and long preparation of the two perfectionists will present the most intense bro chemistry this winter.

[ PRODUCTION NOTE ]

A real game-like movie with a first-person view battle screen
Real-time survival action that will give you a unique visual experience!

<PMC: The Bunker> captures the charm of a tactical game that is popular all over the world. Previously, if the art team worked to add life to the underground bunker, the mission of the filming team was a challenge to 'how realistically can you shoot?' The three methods that were able to accomplish this mission were first-person view, previs, and drone photography.

#On the screen, I become the main character! first-person point of view
Director Kim Byeong-woo wanted "PMC: The Bunker" to give the audience an experience as if all the situations followed the emotions of the characters and the action scenes were directly experienced by the audience. For this purpose, a POV cam (first-person view) was introduced. The Black Lizard crew completed a more lively action scene by attaching a POV cam to the helmet and showing the crew's point of view relayed on the screen. It provides an experience as if you were directly involved in the emotions and actions of the characters by actively utilizing first-person perspective shooting. In particular, in the case of Lee Sun-kyun, there are scenes where he communicates alone with the outside, so he took a POV camera and took a photo shoot. Director of Photography Kim Byung-seo said, "I think actor Lee Sun-kyun discovered a new talent through this movie. The shots taken by the actors themselves were much more cinematic and lively.” Ha Jung-woo cited the vividness of the audience as if they were experiencing VR as a strength of 〈PMC: The Bunker〉.

#One-Take Fall Scene's No. 1 Contribution! Previs system
A previs system was introduced at the <PMC: The Bunker> site. This system uses CG to implement images of the entire work process on a computer, and is a commercialized system in Hollywood. The process of prevising before filming was also carried out after several simulations and revisions. While watching the previs close to the final CG, dozens of meetings were held on how to reflect it in reality, and these simulations were a key point to reduce take but increase concentration in scenes where actors consume a lot of physical strength. In particular, it would have been difficult to capture the extreme performances of the actors in a speedy manner without the previs system for the one-take parachute fall scene. In conclusion, <PMC: The Bunker> maximized the advantages of previs system one-take shooting, and was able to capture the actors' passionate performances more vividly, as well as provide explosive performances and action to the audience.

#Drone camera sweeps through the bunker
Drone photography was perfect for attractively illuminating the vast and well-designed bunker space 30m underground. By using a drone to shoot the interior thoroughly, not only did the bunker's charm fully utilized, but it was also possible to capture the movement of the dynamic action taking place there.

<PMC: The Bunker> provides the audience with an experience as if they were in a movie through various shooting techniques. As such, <PMC: The Bunker> is expected to be in the spotlight as a film that leads the culture of watching theaters, which is gradually changing to an experiential type.

From props to costumes, the team Black Lizard made the most of the character's individuality.

Director Kim Byung-woo wanted to preserve the professional characteristics of being a mercenary, but to build a unique style for crews of different nationalities. Therefore, the costume team divided the Black Lizard crews by body type and position for several months, and then sorted the clothes that the actors could fit. The process of sketching a plain-style military uniform, making a sample, and then modifying it to fit the character was carried out. For example, in the case of Captain A-Hep (Ha Jung-woo), who is living illegally in the eastern United States, he wore a skazan jumper and cargo pants to reveal the feeling of a hip-hop rapper. His colleague Markus (Kevin Durand) matched a jumper and knit with a luxurious material. Intern Logan (Spencer Daniels) made a change with a fresh outfit. Foreign actors tend to have large body types, so many revisions were made at least 5-6 times during the fitting process.

The props team worked hard to set the main weapons for each character. For example, Captain Ahep was responsible for commanding the battle, so the firearm was a light pistol but controlled by a drone. The various weapons that military enthusiasts will be enthusiastic about are the products of director Kim Byung-woo's imagination and military experts' historical experience. In particular, the sphere-shaped drone that can ride on walls in all directions was devised by director Kim Byung-woo himself. This drone was useful for creating a game-like screen. Various small firearms, heavy firearms, night vision, and explosives went through the hands of the prop team. The combination of costumes and props integrated with the actors' characters is what makes 〈PMC: The Bunker〉 more attractive.

A world of 30 meters underground, starting from curiosity, 20 sets were produced

“What if there was the same space as the ground 30 meters below the DMZ?” 〈PMC: The Bunker〉, which started from the curiosity of The mission of controlling the mise-en-scène in a limited space was something that any art team wanted to challenge. <PMC: The Bunker>, which started pre-production eight months before the film's production, completed the image of the bunker by referring to spatial images, sample videos, and Lego models that director Kim Byeong-woo had prepared for several years.

The bunker, which consists of the first and second basement floors, was completed through sketch work on the first lane, actual measurement drawings on the second lane, and 3D design on the third lane. The bunker space, produced as a total of 20 sets, is divided into a working meeting room, a suite room, a hallway space, and an infirmary. With the concept of a bunker built from a tunnel that had been there for several decades, the tone and mood of the times was different from the space made in the 1960s to the 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s. In addition, the art team went through detailed work so that the social image of South and North Korea could also be contained in the bunker. The virtual space bunker, which started out of little curiosity, was born as a new world that was first seen in Korean films.