Park Chan-wook and his creative secrets: interview with the President of the Feature Films Jury

What inspires you the most? 

Inspiration is like a spark that occurs when stimulation from the outside meets an inner readiness. Like a lightning rod placed to receive a bolt of lightning, we must always keep our antennas raised. As long as we keep a long, upright antenna standing, lightning can strike at any moment. From books, films, music, art, architecture, dance, theater, anywhere.

Can you be inspired by reality too? 

Of course. Newspaper articles, TV news, even all kinds of absurd claims and rumors floating around the internet. And the most important thing is living human beings. Nothing inspires me more than the people around me and myself.

When writing, how do you collaborate with other screenwriters?

⁠I cannot write alone. First of all, it is too lonely, and secondly, I become too lazy. When I am lonely, I keep postponing the work. Even if I somehow manage to begin, when I am alone I constantly find myself looking at my smartphone or lying down. That is why I absolutely need a co-writer. Fortunately, I have been lucky enough that every one of my co-writers has possessed exceptional talent. We do not divide up fields or work in a fixed order. Either we write literally line by line together, or we go back and forth repeatedly, examining every single word.

Do you think about the visual style of your films as early as you are writing?

⁠Only slightly. If a visual idea comes to mind clearly, I make a note of it. I also write it into the script when the way one scene connects to another is important. But for most of the writing period, I try to focus on the story and the characters.

How do you go about your research?

⁠I gather materials and read extensively, recruit scholars specializing in the field for consultation, and hire professional researchers.

Before filming, do you use any tools to get the whole team on the same page? A storyboard or something similar.

⁠I create storyboards. I draw every scene of the film as though the editing has already been completed.

On set, are you open to surprises, or is everything planned down to the last detail?

⁠I plan and prepare in great detail, but when shooting I am always waiting for and welcoming new ideas. Whether they come from my own mind or someone else’s. If the planning is thorough, if everything is fully prepared, it also becomes easier to embrace new ideas, even if they are truly crazy. The reason I make storyboards so meticulously is to secure enough time to talk with the actors on set. While other directors are spending time figuring out the angle for the next shot, I want to talk with the actors. The cinematographer is already setting up the angles according to the storyboard anyway.

How much creative freedom do you give to the actors? Do you shoot a lot of takes?

The reason I make storyboards so meticulously is to secure enough time to talk with the actors on set. While other directors are spending time figuring out the angle for the next shot, I want to talk with the actors. The cinematographer is already setting up the angles according to the storyboard anyway.

How do you approach the music, which plays such an important role in the tone of your films?

Music, of course, breathes emotion into individual scenes. That alone is tremendously important. But I believe that the most important role of music is precisely to give the entire film its proper rhythm. And naturally, that rhythm also includes moments – without music – of silence.

Where do you find the most joy in making movies these days?

⁠I believe DI (digital intermediate) is truly one of the blessings of the digital age. When I am delicately refining colors and contrast, I completely lose track of time. At the same time, however, when I look at the great masterpieces made during the film era, I realize that they created such beautiful and delicate images without digital DI, and I find myself filled with admiration for the masters of that time.