"Korea's first Cannes Series winner, "Ransom' succeeds in 'global bargaining'

It depicts evil capitalism and the ugly people who fall victim to it in a witty and suspenseful way. This is TVing’s original series ‘Ransom’. 'Ransom', which received attention as a unique work in Korea, was also recognized around the world. It won the Best Screenplay award in the feature film competition at the closing ceremony of the 6th Cannes International Series Festival held in Cannes, France last month. It is the first Korean drama and the first domestic OTT original series to win the Cannes Series. We met director and writer Woo-sung Jeon, writer Jae-min Kwak, and writer Byeong-yoon Choi, who were enjoying the joy while calmly preparing for the next step, at a cafe in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

'Ransom' is the story of three people who were bargaining over each other's 'ransom' and become trapped in a motel that collapsed due to an earthquake. They each start a dangerous deal and engage in a mad struggle to seize their last chance. It depicts the desperate struggle of humans to survive in the chaos created by disconnection from the outside world.

Director Jeon said, "I had a trip scheduled to Europe, but I suddenly found out (about the Cannes Series nominations) and changed my schedule. It was nice to be able to go to the Cannes Series Festival." When asked if he expected to win the award, director Jeon said, "I didn't know. I heard they usually give the announcement the day before, so I thought I might not receive the award. When I went to the awards ceremony, there was someone in the front row who received the actor award. “I was surprised,” he remembered at the time. Also, "I thought about my acceptance speech because I didn't know what would happen. I hoped that the time of going up on stage and giving my speech would pass quickly. My heart was pounding. I tried to look as calm as possible. Fortunately, it went well. “I think so,” he recalled when he received the award. When asked what the foreign media's reaction was, he replied, "They asked if Korean people are really that obsessed with money. They said that some parts were exaggerated because it was a genre story. They said it could be more like that because it is a story about villains."

‘Ransom’ was screened locally and received a good response. Director Jeon said, "I was grateful and happy (that it was screened) because the theater itself was a good theater. Seeing that they actually gave the standing ovation that I had only heard about made me realize that there was a lot of interest." Writer Choi, who was unable to attend the awards ceremony, remembered the day of the award, saying, "I was in Korea, and I got a call in the morning, a KakaoTalk message, and I couldn't believe it at all. I just received a call, and it was a 'surprise' all day long." Writer Kwak also sympathized, saying, “I received calls all day long.”

The original work is a short film of the same name by director Lee Chung-hyun. The original story is about a middle-aged man who wants a virgin, enters a motel room with a high school girl and bargains over a flower stand. The TV series 'Ransom' is a plot that continues what happened after that. Director Jeon also worked on the original work as a member of the filming team. Regarding director Lee Chung-hyeon's reaction to the award, he said, "He said he liked it when it was produced and enjoyed watching it. We congratulated and chatted every time various events took place. He also congratulated him on this award and said he was very happy." When asked about the actors' reaction, Director Jeon said, "They were happy and liked them. They had a lot of schedules, so they went back to Korea in advance, but there was an uproar in the KakaoTalk room. They said they were amazed and happy. They also said they were happy and thankful. They haven't yet returned from my trip. “It won’t be long before we have a chance to sit down with the actors,” he said.

There is also a view that 'Ransom' is uncomfortable because it brings together provocative elements such as organ trafficking, prostitution, and natural disasters. However, many people gave favorable reviews to this work, which clearly yet tactfully shows human desire, cruelty, and ugliness through these materials. What meaning did the production team want to convey in ‘Ransom’?

Writer Kwak said, "The theme of the short story was bargaining. Our Sihizu spirit system is also 'bargain'. It starts with a person trying to bargain for the ransom, and then a man trying to buy a woman ends up thinking about his own ransom, such a subversion. “There were people. I think there was some meaning to those stories,” he said. Writer Choi replied, "If you focus on events, your awareness of the subject matter may weaken, but I tried to keep it alive. I thought a lot about 'value'."

Director Jeon said, "I added a loose metaphor or meaning. I thought the building itself was evil capitalism. Putting a price on it itself is a vicious act. I tried to show what more evil things can come out as the evil capitalist society collapses. “I wanted to show structural things through each floor. I wanted it to be fun to see the forms and relationships that hold each other to ransom being overturned and reversed,” he said.

When asked if he had looked at viewer reactions, writer Choi said, "There was a response that there was too much profanity." Director Jeon said, "I think the actors came out naturally as we filmed in one take with a sense of reality. We also gave feedback in the middle and there was a part where they said there was a lot of swearing. It may be different for each person, but the characters here are villains, so the actors have those characteristics. “There are parts where emotions are expressed without restraint,” he explained.

As director Jeon said, all six episodes of ‘Ransom’ were filmed using the one-take technique. This is a technique in which only one cut is filmed from the beginning to the end of the work without interruption. Writer Kwak said, "The process of writing the screenplay was different from movies that are made in separate cuts. Since the story is an uninterrupted narrative that runs in real time, I paid a lot of attention when writing the screenplay. Even including flashback scenes cannot be done in one take." “I thought about how to continue the flow in an attractive way without interrupting the flow,” he explained.

Regarding the disappointing parts while working on the script, writer Choi said, "I had put in a more hideous character in the beginning a few times, but it was disappointing that it was omitted." Writer Kwak added, “It was a choice I made because I had to control the water level anyway.” He continued, "It may be possible to create a spectacular scene in one take, but I think the charm of 'Ransom' is the oral action. Because 'Ransom' follows the characters in one take, it continues like a comical conversation without silence. “I think that part came out interesting. There was a lot of swearing in the process, so I think it would be nice to think of it as a kind of oral action.”

The production team praised each and every actor. Director Jeon said, "Jin Seon-gyu wanted to rehearse a lot. Even when choosing a project, he said it would be nice to have time to rehearse in the pre-production stage. I think he has accumulated a lot while preparing. Jin Seon-gyu is a hard worker and has done a lot of plays before. “I thought it fit this work,” he said. He then laughed, saying, "It was my first time working with Jin Seon-gyu, but he showed many cute aspects in his daily life. I learned about things I didn't know before." Regarding Jeon Jong-seo, he said, "He wants to act with a raw feeling. When he was on set, I felt overwhelmed by the energy he gave off. Good energy was coming out. It was surprising and fun." Regarding Jang Lu, he praised, "He is a hard worker. Among the main characters, I thought he seemed to use method acting. I was impressed and liked that he was always immersed in the character and asked a lot of questions."

In this work, writer Choi made a surprise appearance as a gangster, adding to the fun. Writer Choi has experience acting in plays. Director Jeon, who has always had a close relationship with writer Choi, joked, “We have always worked together and trusted him.” He then expressed his gratitude, saying, “The other actors also did a great job.” When asked what his favorite scene was, writer Choi joked, "The scene I appeared in," causing laughter.

This work ended with a scene where the main characters barely escaped from a collapsed motel. Viewers are curious about whether season 2 will come out. Director Jeon said, “As a creator, I am grateful that people are waiting for season 2. It is difficult to say anything in detail because nothing has been confirmed.” He also hoped, "If season 2 is produced, it will be a one-take format. Season 1 was a story about being trapped, but I hope season 2 will be a season with a variety of action scenes in an open background." Writer Kwak said, "Season 1 ends by showing a collapsed world. So what happened in the outside world? They escaped from the motel, but will they end up in an even bigger hell? It would be interesting to show what the outside world is like." I imagined it.

Although they wrote 'Korea's first' record, the three people's next dream is simple. Author Choi said, "I feel pressured about the award. From today onwards, I will forget about receiving the award and continue working. I want to write a story that has the smell of life and people." Director Jeon said, “My goal is always to create the next work,” and “I think (the award) will be of great help in that.” Author Kwak said, "I believe that the issue of 'confirmation bias' in Korean society is an enemy that our generation must fight against. I would like to tell a story related to this."

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr