"The birth of evil"... Hwang Jung-min's crazy laugh, how did the bathroom scene come about?

The movie '12.12: THE DAY' released behind-the-scenes stills of the 'Chun Doo-gwang toilet' scene after the successful military rebellion, which is considered a famous scene.

The movie '12.12: THE DAY', which depicts the nine-hour desperate battle to prevent a revolt by the new military regime that took place in the capital city of Seoul on December 12, 1979, was filmed by director Jeong-min Hwang and Seong-soo Kim on the day of filming the bathroom scene. A behind-the-scenes still showing the appearance was released.

The scene that raised the most questions during an interview with director Kim Seong-soo before its release was by far the single scene in the bathroom where Jeon Doo-gwang rejoices over the success of the military rebellion. This scene also attracted attention with Hwang Jung-min's excellent performance, which portrayed the joy and madness that seemed to be alone in the success of the rebellion with a terrifying performance.

Director Kim Seong-su expressed his intention in directing this scene through interviews and audience conversations (GV) by saying that he wanted to show the moment when 'evil' is born. The camera of '12.12: THE DAY' stopped for a long time as the actors and directors debated fiercely about how to act and film this scene, which had been omitted from detailed descriptions in the storyboard and scenario. Rumor has it that even though filming stopped, the staff members were busy observing the two people and taking pictures, rather than feeling anxious. This is an anecdote that simultaneously shows trust in the two people and curiosity about what kind of scene they will film.

The behind-the-scenes stills taken directly by cinematographer Lee Mo Gae of the director and actor on either side of the screen while the camera is on vividly show the moment of intense 'discussion' or 'argument' between the two people.

In addition, director Kim Seong-su said that he did not even tell the cinematographer how Hwang Jung-min decided to shoot Jeon Doo-gwang's scene even after the discussion was over. This is because I wanted the vividness of the moment when Jeon Doo-gwang crossed the line of no return to full-scale evil to be captured in the camera I first encountered. This shows director Kim Seong-su’s trust in cinematographer Lee Mo-gae. As a result, cinematographer Lee Mo-gae caught up with Jeon Doo-gwang's movements from the scene where he enters the bathroom set, captured even the character's energy, and realistically captured the moment of 'the birth of evil' on camera.

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr