Translator: Dreamscribe
Long take. It was a technique quite often used in movies and dramas. Typically, filming is done by changing the composition for each scene and shooting it in cuts, but in the case of a long take, the shooting continues from start to finish without any interruptions.
Of course, it has its advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages include bringing life and dynamism to the scene. It hints at and amplifies the emotions and atmosphere of the characters in the story. By adding a sense of realism, it makes the viewer feel as if they are breathing alongside the protagonist. In other words, it gives the impression of amplifying the audience’s emotions and senses.
On the flip side, there are quite a few disadvantages as well.
First of all, the difficulty level of filming is considerably high. It was on par with an extreme level. It’s essential to retry the shot several times, even dozens of times, until you get a cut without any NGs. Moreover, even the slightest awkwardness is immediately noticeable, leading to the audience criticizing it. It greatly depends on the actor’s acting ability and skill. If the actor’s technique is lacking, a long take is nearly impossible.
Nevertheless, long takes are often seen in Hollywood.
This is because, despite the clear disadvantages, the benefits are incredibly enticing. Ethan, the leader of the stunt team, suggested this long-take technique to PD Song Man-woo. It was clearly stated in the first line of the upgraded storyboard he proposed.
A 10-minute long take.
It was undoubtedly not an easy decision. In fact, there was no real need to take on such a high-difficulty long take. But PD Song Man-woo.
‘……A long take, huh-’
He was intrigued.
‘I’m tempted.’
Song Man-woo, with decades of experience, had also encountered countless long takes. It was even used in the recent ‘Profiler Hanryang’. Kang Woojin was also included in that scene. However, PD Song Man-woo knew that this would be Woojin’s first time doing a long take with action.
‘But if it’s Woojin-ssi, he can definitely pull it off.’
Additionally, with Ethan’s experience sitting right in front of him, there was a high possibility that a highly impactful scene would be born. PD Song Man-woo, who had been looking at the upgraded storyboard for a while, turned his head. The action director was also looking at the same thing.
“What do you think?”
“……I want to try it. Honestly, if we can pull off the action scene in a long take, we know it’ll crush everything else.”
“I know.”
“But- 10 minutes. A 10-minute long take. This feels a bit excessive.”
“Well, that’s something the action director will have to coordinate with that side. It’s just about whether we can do it or not.”
“Even if I say it’s not possible, you’re going to make it happen, aren’t you?”
A smile spread across PD Song Man-woo’s face.
“I’m already hooked.”
“See? Whew- I can see the tough road ahead. Not just for me, but I’ll have to talk to the camera director as well.”
“Leave that to me.”
It wasn’t just the cinematographer. For Ethan’s proposed 10-minute long take to happen, many teams would need to be mobilized. Not just the filming team, but also lighting, props, art, audio, and so on. Simply put, it’s like redoing the entire setup. Of course, the script written by Writer Choi Na-na forms the basis, and on top of that, Ethan Smith’s skills are layered.
The work would definitely increase several times over, but PD Song Man-woo’s smile deepened.
‘How could I give up on this 10-minute long take, a large-scale battle scene?’
The long take scene felt like it was ‘refreshingly crushing’ more than 30 opponents, to put it crudely.
‘Using pistols, rifles, bare hands, and various props speedily and diversely is just a bonus.’
The storyboard Ethan brought had already captivated PD Song Man-woo’s eyes. It became even more flamboyant and full of intensity. How about the pace? Not only was the long take scene itself like that, but the entire storyboard’s rhythm had doubled. The impact and texture of the action were both rough yet fluid.
‘As expected… His Hollywood experience is no joke.’
Ethan’s action design is trendy yet has a raw charm.
It was akin to Hollywood-style action storyboards.
The upgraded storyboard was truly specialized in ‘CQC’. It was as if it was a storyboard meant to highlight Kang Woojin.
-Flip, flip.
PD Song Man-woo quickly flipped through the storyboards. He liked every scene.
Especially.
‘The pacing control is exquisite.’
The storyboard was a masterpiece of swift movements followed by carefully controlled breaths. At that moment,
“How is it?”
Ethan, sitting across from him, asked in English with a serious expression.
“If there’s anything that needs adjusting, I can fix it right away.”
With a smile on his face, PD Song Man-woo shook his head.
“No, let’s finalize this and just refine it.”
“There are two things we need to be clear about first.”
“What are they?”
“First would be the budget. As you can see from the storyboard, there are additions that weren’t in the original. Various rifles, props, special effects, and so on.”
As if money was no issue at all, PD Song Man-woo immediately responded.
“Don’t worry about the money. I’ll even use my own savings if I have to.”
“……The next issue is the actor.”
“The actor?”
“Kang Woojin-ssi. Even in Hollywood, there are many actors who are reluctant to do long takes. His opinion is crucial before we proceed with the actual work, as we’ll need to refine the storyboard scenes in conversation with him later.”
In response, both PD Song Man-woo and the action director’s smiles deepened, and PD Song Man-woo, who had taken out his phone, spoke.
“That won’t be a problem either. But since we’re on the topic, let’s handle it right now.”
“Right now? No matter how you look at it, the actor will need some time to think it over.”
In reality, even in Hollywood, when a demanding long take is proposed to an actor, it can take up to a week to get an answer. Ethan had witnessed this firsthand. However, PD Song Man-woo’s actions were unhesitating.
“Ah- Woojin-ssi, sorry to bother you. Are you busy? Could we have a quick chat?”
He had already called Kang Woojin. Then, PD Song Man-woo put the phone on speaker and asked.
“Ethan from the stunt team brought in a storyboard design, and he’s proposing a 10-minute large-scale battle long take that wasn’t originally planned. What do you think?”
Kang Woojin’s reply didn’t take even a second.
“No problem.”
After that.
PD Song Man-woo, Ethan, and the entire team of ‘Beneficial Evil’ focused on the newly designed ‘CQC’ storyboard. The missing key staff were informed, and work officially began with the action director and others to draft the upgraded storyboard.
Of course, it wouldn’t happen immediately.
First, they had to create a draft of the new storyboard based on Ethan’s version, and then they had to finalize the storyboard by going to the actual location in Bangkok, Thailand, for a site hunt. The local extras were also important.
Soon, the meaning was clear: solving the issues related to the overseas location shoot in Bangkok was crucial.
“Ah- and regarding this overseas location hunt.”
PD Song Man-woo informed everyone about the trip to Bangkok, which would serve as both a location hunt and a multi-purpose work trip.
“We’ll be leaving around the 10th of this week. Make sure the team going with us is fully prepared.”
The departure date was around July 10th. Naturally, the stunt team led by Ethan would also be joining.
Time passed by.
The 7th ended, and the 8th dawned. As always, today too, Kang Woojin was buried in his schedule. And now, something new was added: the martial arts and ‘CQC’ practice for ‘Beneficial Evil’. The other actors were already in progress, and Kang Woojin, who had recently been introduced to the stunt team, had to join as well.
『Hollywood stunt team joins ‘Beneficial Evil’, which is aiming for the global market? “They’re really putting in the effort”』
『[Drama Pick] Rumors swirling about ‘Beneficial Evil’ shooting overseas, and now a Hollywood stunt team has also joined』
However, compared to the other actors, Kang Woojin had less to learn. He could skip the basics and training without any issue. According to Ethan, who was assigned exclusively to Woojin,
“For now, we’ll focus on the long take scene, and we’ll match the choreography using knives, guns, and props. We’ll start in earnest after the location hunt in Bangkok is over.”
A model of an AK rifle was handed to Kang Woojin as he began practice. Woojin genuinely found it entertaining to hold something so realistic.
‘Kuh- I’ve even shot one in during reading (experience). This is definitely lighter than the real thing. Anyway, this is crazy fun.’
He couldn’t resist the allure of the gun.
Additionally, Kang Woojin quickly became friends with Ethan, the leader, and his stunt team members. The fact that their conversations flowed naturally was a great help.
“Woojin, why do you always have such a serious face? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile.”
“This is just my usual expression.”
“More than your face, I’m amazed by your stamina. Why is your breathing always steady? Even we sometimes get out of breath.”
“Well.”
“Did you learn that in the special forces too?”
“……”
After finishing his practice, Kang Woojin still had to push through his schedule until midnight.
‘If it weren’t for the Void space, I probably would’ve collapsed by now.’
There were commercials, photo shoots, interviews, ‘Kang Woojin’s Alter Ego’, and SNS-related filming. And recently, there was also the ‘Island of the Missing’ 20 million viewer thank-you event, which had rewritten the history of Korean cinema.
『Actors from ‘Island of the Missing’, which changed the history of Korean cinema, smile brightly and bow 90 degrees to fans / Photo』
『“Thank you for 20 million!” Director Kwon Ki-taek, Kang Woojin, Ryu Jung-min, and others, gathered together after a long time』
Naturally, it involved Director Kwon Ki-taek of ‘Island of the Missing’ and the entire cast, followed by the behind-the-scenes filming of ‘Our Dining Table’ in an interview format. The scale wasn’t large. It was just about an hour of conversation with PD Yoon Byung-seon and the production team at the ‘Our Dining Table’ office.
The final task was filming a promotional video for the anime ‘Male Friend: Remake’.
‘Male Friend: Remake’ had already begun its full-fledged promotion. Kang Woojin, who voiced the male lead, had to attend, but due to his schedule, he couldn’t go to Japan, so he had to film the promotional video separately in Korea.
Kang Woojin had to manage this much in about two days, and he actually did. He completed all the scheduled tasks on the night of the 9th.
‘Wow—crazy, I actually did it??’
This marked the end of Woojin’s schedule in Korea.
Meanwhile, in LA.
It was early morning in LA. Overall, the atmosphere was one of people rushing to work. But many had already started their day. Among them was a blonde woman in a spacious recording studio filled with various audio equipment. It was global superstar Miley Cara, who was working with several foreigners.
-♬♪
A song echoed throughout the recording studio. Cara’s voice alternated between being part of the track and not. In fact, Cara, wearing a gray hoodie, had arrived at the studio about an hour ago and was currently engrossed in working on her new album.
“Shouldn’t the tempo be a bit faster in this part?”
“Should I sing it again?”
“Yeah. I’ll try to go a bit faster, so check it out.”
“Got it.”
Miley Cara was showcasing her vocals in the recording booth. Her makeup was light today. However, her well-suited blonde hair and her cynical expression were still as captivating as ever. After several minutes of recording, she seemed to be taking a break, as she sank into a plush sofa at the back of the room.
Then she picked up her phone.
At the same time, her manager handed her a bottle of water. It was Jonathan. As Cara briefly thanked him, she asked a question.
“Is the hotel ready?”
“Yeah, like you said, I booked a 5-star hotel.”
“We’re responsible for everyone coming with him. We need to provide lodging and even vehicles for their transportation.”
“I’ve already taken care of it.”
“Make sure to check everything thoroughly. They need to feel like they’re really being treated well.”
Cara, having made her point firmly, glanced back at her phone. On the screen was Kang Woojin’s Instagram.
“This time, he’s not coming as a chef, but as a vocalist. No, as my guest.”
At that moment,
-♬♪
Her phone rang. It was a call. Seeing who it was, Cara tilted her head slightly. It was the famous Hollywood producer Joseph Felton. Soon, Cara’s face showed a hint of curiosity. A call in the morning? What could it be? Regardless, Cara put the phone to her ear.
“Joseph?”
On the other end of the phone, Joseph sounded in a very good mood.
“Haha, Miley. I saw your face on a huge billboard while heading to work, and it made me think of you, so I decided to give you a call. How’s the new album coming along?”
“Of course, it’s going well. I heard you’ve been busy too, Joseph.”
“Well, I’m always busy. Especially now that I’ve got a new project in the works. But Miley, isn’t it about time you started thinking about your next project? You usually pick a project when you’re about to start a new album.”
“That’s why you called, isn’t it?”
“I just wanted to be in the know.”
“I’m too swamped to think about it right now. Plus, I need to focus on a guest who’s arriving soon.”
“A guest?”
“Kang Woojin, you’ve seen the news, so you know, right? He’s coming because of my album work and should be arriving tomorrow.”
For a moment, there was silence on the other end of the phone, then Joseph asked again.
“……You’re saying Kang Woojin is coming to LA tomorrow?”
At this point, back in Korea.
For some reason, the domestic media was in an uproar. On top of that, Incheon Airport was in a frenzy.
『[Star Photo] Kang Woojin spotted at Incheon Airport / Photo』
『20 million-viewer actor Kang Woojin departs for LA to work on album with ‘Miley Cara’!』
『Kang Woojin conducts a brief interview with reporters before departure, “I’m really looking forward to working with Miley Cara”』
This was because Kang Woojin had boarded a flight to LA.