This article is originally at Korean monthly magazine SHIN DONG AH at Jul. 1998. And Mr. Takeuchi Shouichi (E-mail:takeuchi@mbox.kyoto-inet.or.jp) summaried and translated it into ENGLISH to upload alt.movies.monster . It's so long post, but I think it's worth to read.
Check it out, man and mam. ^_^
This is an abridged translation of Kim Hyun Mi's interview with Shim Hyong Rye ([Tirano's Claw], [POWER KING], and [YONGGARY]) published on Shin Dong Ah ( Korean magazine ) 1998 July issue. It may be very valuable for those who are interested in his movies and YONGGARY that shall be shown this December.
Kim Jin-sung <mrkwang@nownuri.net> kindly provided me the article. Since I'm not a Korean-speaking Japanese, I used an online-trial version of Korean-Japanese translation software to understand it and asked some incomprehensive points to Kim. Many thanks ! :)
-----------------------------------------------------------
gagman Jun You Sung proposes the ticked-vending machines with Shim's face. It made people (including the mayor of Seoul) laugh at loud.
[...]
At the Cannes film market, Shim contrancted with to export "Yonggary98" at 3 million dollars. But he says,
" reported contents is only 10% of it. Sales of Yonggary has already started. We prepared this film since 1996, showed a trailer at Milano in 1997, and succeeded to contract with buyers at 10 million dollars for USA market. "
Shim's dreaming big profits was'n to be failed, because it is just the starting. After making his movie, he'll sell much more than pre-sale.
dinosaur Yonggary, aliens who desire to take over the Earth, special team fight Yonggary ...
It's a simple kids' movie, why are foreign buyers interested in it ?
Shim simply answers, "Why do people like Spilberg(sp?) ?" "because it's interesting" "Why do Shim's films sell so well, although other Korean films don't ? Because of action and drama that European market loves. Spectacle movie is America's, anime movie is Japan's. Is there no place for Korean film ?
This film (Yonggary98) is a monster movie, without sex, violence, but it's with a fictious monster that never appears on Earth. It shall sell well even in Africa and South America.
Few of this kind of films have succeeded world wide. Maybe Japanese TOEI only ?
We've produced sci-fi movie only. We've stored up lots of know-how to make Sci-Fi movies. Can any other Korean movie-makers make such a good Sci-Fi movie? They can never do that. They're laughing at me, but I'm laughing at them. When I fly to flim market, they laughed into burst. The most Korean well-known director's movie cannot be sold, and what about Shim's movies? They thought Shim's movie can never be sold. But that director is only well-known in Korea, do foreigners know about that? They don't, at all."
YONGGARY PANTY BREATH FIRE
Shim thinks with confidence that sci-fi is the only one genre where Korean film can success so that ZERONINE Production has produced sci-fi films only, and now "Yonggary".
Some Korean think that [Yonggary 1998] has made yet, but it's now making for December opening. They think they could see [Yonggary 1998] at theatre now.
It required 2 months for creating the character of Yonggary. 3 months for scenario and concepts. and in 1997 they succeeded to rouse buyer's interest at Milano film festival.
In 1998, they shipped 2-min trailer and sample stuffs to America. They received orders from 70
countries.
there was LA Times article, " Korea is in severe economical difficulties, but Yonggary will success in America ".
May, 1998, at Cannes, MFI (Distributor) was in charge of North America, Asia, Eastern Europe and Brimstone Entertainment was in charge of South America, Western Europe and Africa to do pre-sale marketing. Opposite to American [Godzilla], they put brilliant ideas to advertise. (As Yonggary condom, panties, ...)"
they put Yonggary98 poster on elevator at Milano film festival. It aroused people's interest. In Korea, people have the prejudice that Shim makes a comedy, but foreign people don't.
[...]
HERETIC OF KOREAN FILM
Shim Hyong Rye has produced sci-fi movies with dinosaurs (Ju-Ju, Tirano's Claw, PowerKing, Dragon Tu-Ka). Their technology in this genre becomes "not inferior to Spielberg's".
" Frankly, there were laughable works in early days. When we were producing [Young-Gu and
Dinosaur Ju-Ju], movie people said how about renting Godzilla stuffs from Japan. Actually it was
easier way. But we thought we must have our own technology. students(?) gathered to create
[Young-gu ...]. The first movie [Young-Gu ...] is superficial, however, if it didn't exist, today's
Yonggary won't. " Oh Tae Hyoung, one of the establishment members of Zeronine says,
" in the 2nd movie [Tirano's Claw], we filmed the flying scene with ancient bird and cave man
without any safety equipments. The scene has a lot of activity, but actors got injured. Director
and Main Actor Shim did it very hard, and other actors had to follow that. (Like Jackie Chan
movies.) If they have no technology to do, they make with body.(Think about HK movies.)
the 3rd movie "Power King" is a orthodox science movie featuring aliens. Apparently it imitates
StarWars, but technical development from Ju-Ju is great.
Oh Tae Hyoung, mayor of making movie part, said that he learned 'SPEED' to make [Power King]. They made air-car flying scene without Computer, they made that scene with Piano String. Hard work and lot's of things they've learned.
Shim Hyong Rye showed [Power King] to Milano trade fair. This film was exported to 32 countries and gained 2 million dollars.
In [Dragon Tuka], they tried to connect Korean history with aliens. Characters like a samurai or like a chinese got popularity. He got angry. And he would like to make Korean character worldwide, as SSA-TTO(mayor of ancient Korea), SAN-JUG(Korean ancient thief), ER-SA(secret agency who work for people to make bad-acting mayors punished. It also exported to 10 nations and gained 300,000 dollars.
This Yonggary is Zeronine's ambitious work with full of sfx technology. Origin of this movie is [Yonggary] (1967) by director Kim. The production cost was only 13 million won. It was memorized as the first sf monster movie of Korea.
At the time, in Japan, GOODZILLA had great popularity. so Yonggary is the Korean-oriented character corresponding to Godzilla.
This movie was a big hit in Korea. There was a word on everybody's lips 'Yonggary TongPyo'(very strong). Japan TOEI distributed this movie to America. Manhwa version algo got popularity, and several ripoffs such as Gaegary, Gwanggari, Gaemigari were made.
[...]
"Why did you chose [YONGGARY] for the 5th movie ? It was produced in 1967".
"When I shed tears, I shall watch YONGGARY. YONGGARY is a friendly character for 30-40s. But 67's YONGGARY is a Korean movie in name only, fully produced by Japanese technology.
"It made me angry, that they couldn't make that movie only with Korean technology. This is a family movie for the generation who has grown with YONGGARY and for their children."
They'll make [Yonggary 1998] with wester actors in LA. It may become a nationless movie.
" Does a dinosar have nationality ? After SFX make up and wearing a mask, Nationality have
no concern. Someone said that we must put Korean Traditonal wearing and song because this
is a Korean movie, but it's useless if foreigner can't understand that. In fact, ASIAN ACTOR's
movies are cheap. They don't like ASIAN ACTORS. Japanese learned this long ago. When they
want to export a movie to the international market, they edit the movie with American actors.
And all of them know that is Japanese movie. [Yonggary] would be the same. Without
Korean actors, they would know that's Korean movie. With Western actors and English
speaking, they would like it more.
Making movie must be cool. With foreigner actors and earn more money, I would do that. I
don't concern with ART, I'd rather that to earn 1 dollar more!"
[...]
7 billion won is used for sfx, miniature.
This time, we plan to process sounds in America.
Dradong Tuka sold well, but we had many returned goods. It was a good flick, but sound quality was so bad. Korea's technology of this genre is so poor.
I wasn't interested in the domestic market when I established movie company ZERONINE.
[...]
An actor 'Han Seuk Kyou' is very popular and if he stars a movie, it would succeed in Korea. but is it accepted in foreign countries? In America, 50-60s they produced movies with Star System, but after StarWars, they have produced movies with imagination.
Someone say that Zeronine cannot make a big flick as [Jurassic Park], but they can make it out, because of 5-years-effort."
[...]
WITHOUT WATCHING, DON'T BLAME HIS MOVIES!!!
Last year, Kyoung-Hee University held Shim Hyong Rye movie festival. It's the first time that Shim's movie is introduced in the movie festival. It showed [Dragon Tuka] and [Tirano's Claw]. Catchphrase of this festival was "Without watching them, don't blame them!", the word for those who revile Zeronine's movies.
At May of this year, Yon-Sei University held "Nightmare Movie Festival". [I know what you did last summer], [Kingdom], 2 different Korean horror movies were shown there, along with [Tirano's Claw] and [Dragon Tuka]. Total number of viewers for Shim's movies were only 30. Even if his movies get popular in international market, they aren't popular yet in Korea.
Hon fi Chon si (sp?) of Yon-Sei University magazine who planned this movie festival says, " Recently in international market, Shim's movies are well known. So I thought students would be interested in it, but the number of them is too smaller than I thought."
However, the generation who had watched [Young-Goo and Ttaengchili] evaluate Shim Hyong Rye in their way that is different from the generation who blames for Mr. Shim as silly.
A university student Kim Jin-sung who runs a horror circle calls himself "Shim Hyong Rye maniac". He says, "Don't talk about Mr.Shim with the memory of [UREME] and [YOUNG-GU]. They made rapid progress from [Young-Goo and dinosaur Ju-Ju] to [Tirano's Claw]"
[...]
In fact, Zeronine used a lot of money for stuffs in [Tirano's Claw]. Each denture costs 1 million won (about 1,000 dollar) and there're about 100 denture used. Each clothe was 600,000 won (about 600 dollar) and making Rock-Mountain set, they spend 100 million won (about 100,000 dollar).
MOVIE IS TECHNOLOGY
Shim Hyong Rye always says " Movie is Technology ". With the technological power, Zeronine can make good movies. They have art team, sculpture team, miniature team, computer design team, etc, total 40 experts. They weren't the 'experts' from the first time, though. After they entered to ZERONINE, they completed each movie and learned their own technologies.
" How could we make Yonggary's moving? Someone thought that we bought that scene from
foreign movie-makers. Someone thought that computer could make them very easily without
man's effort. But that's not so easy. We made that skin, did 3-D modelling, animated, and
touched color. The dinosaurs of [Jurassic Park] were made as this.
Korean young people want to be movie stars. Few of them want to be movie staffs. [...] With the aid of expert staffs, Korean movie shall develop."
The reason Shim Hyong Rye who made a great success as a comedian tried to make movies was that he want to succeed abroad with his movies. He want to show others that child-movie and family movie can succeed worldwide.
[...]
ZERONINE'S DREAMS COME TRUE
He plans to sell stuffs of Zeronine entertainment. [ET] sold 20 million copies at USA, and he wants to sell [Yonggary] for 4 million copies. That's only his hope... Of course, some major distributors are interested in his movie.
Many people long for his comeback as a comedian. They expect his appearance of stupid Yong-Gu, Penguin, Fly, and Chik-Chik-I shall be refresings for this age that laugh is lost.
Shim Hyong Rye is considering about the comeback for a comedian. Nowadays, he's making movies and not showin g at TV.
[...]
Shim wants to make comedy from Chalincopi, a Korean traditional miser. He wants to make Koreans laugh who's very tired of Economical difficulties(IMF). With laughing, they could do their job better. He thinks that it's very important to make them smile and make their brains spin well.
---
Regards,
Takeuchi Shouichi(Seiya Otaku)