MOVIE
'Land of Happiness' realistically embodies the 1970s era setting.
'Land of Happiness' is a work that depicts the story of Park Tae-joo, who was involved in the presidential assassination case on October 26, 1979 by order of his superiors, and Jeong In-hoo, a lawyer who entered the political trial as his defense attorney. 'Land of Happiness' revealed behind-the-scenes production details to realistically express the 1970s. Director Choo Chang-min and the production team started with thorough data research to recreate 1979 as it was. In all areas, including the actor's acting, tone of voice, art, costumes, and filming, we did not stop trying to preserve the details while not missing the mise-en-scène to reflect the times.
Director Choo Chang-min and cinematographer Hong Jae-sik used a special lens called an anamorphic lens to create the feel of film, which was mainly used in videos at the time. Because it is such an expensive equipment, it is usually used in combination with other lenses, but in 'Land of Happiness', a bold choice was made to use it 100% to express the atmosphere of the times. In addition, digital-looking LED lighting was excluded as much as possible, and incandescent lighting, which gave off a warm and dark atmosphere, was used a lot to create an atmosphere of the late 1970s. Lighting director Kim Jae-geun said, “Halogen street lights and incandescent lamps are hard to find these days, so I searched for them and made them myself,” and revealed his efforts to create the atmosphere of that era.
Details about the art, such as character costumes and space props, were not missed. Based on data research, meticulous efforts were made to visually express the military status, which emphasizes top and bottom uniforms due to strict rank, from the wrinkles of the fabric to the rank insignia. The office of the defense team that Jeong In-hoo (Jo Jeong-seok) belongs to was created as a space that clearly reflects the characteristics of the time, as director Choo Chang-min wished. The sets created in this way were located in various places, including Seoul and other regions, and were made to look like one space even though the inside and outside were different places. The reception room and palace building of the Namhansanseong Army Prison, which are places that actually existed but currently contain no data, were inspired by spaces such as the hallways of the old army hospital in Gwangju, and were used as a background to supplement spaces such as iron bars and hallways. completed. Gungjeong-dong was filmed separately, including shooting scenes and scenes featuring roads, and was then edited to create a single space.
‘Land of Happiness’ is scheduled to be released on August 14th.
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr
