Director Na Hong-jin of 'HOPE': "Over 400 Creature Shots... I Even Thought, Why Cover the Actor's Face with CGI?"

Director Na Hong-jin, the creator of the film 'HOPE', spoke about the process of producing a science fiction film in a genre that is considered nearly barren in Korea.

In a recent interview with Elle magazine, Director Na revealed, "'HOPE' is a film with over 400 creature shots," adding that he spent an intense period working on post-production for CGI and sound right up until the screening.

Director Na said, "As soon as the script was finished, I told the CEO of the VFX (visual effects) company that we should meet at Daepo Port," and added, "I had the thought that our country's VFX industry needed to try this, and that we had to achieve a certain level of quality. It wasn't about following the grammar of existing creature films, but doing something that had never been done before. There are no references for creatures in broad daylight. We started from scratch."

The reason for starting 'HOPE' was not simply a challenge to the sci-fi or creature genre. Mentioning the period when the streaming era began in earnest, Director Na stated the starting point of the work, saying, "The kind of entertainment I wanted to see in theaters was gradually disappearing. So, I started with the mindset that I would make it myself."

A special philosophy is also embedded in the film's visuals. Explaining the synergy he shared with cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo, Director Na said he wanted to instill a sense of "retro" into the entire mise-en-scène of 'HOPE'. He replied that he aimed to complete a classic genre film for the current era through vintage lenses and classical screen composition, adding with satisfaction, "I have watched 'HOPE' over 1,000 times while making it, and I still love the feeling."

He also mentioned that for the actors' action scenes, he chose to film in reality as much as possible without relying on CGI, aiming to capture the spectacle created by the human body on screen.

The interview also revealed the working process with actors including Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Hoyeon, Michael Fassbender, and Alicia Vikander. Director Na expressed his gratitude, saying, "There wasn't a single easy scene," and "Thanks to the actors trusting the set and staying with me until the end, we were able to create perfect harmony."

In particular, regarding Michael Fassbender, who immersed himself in motion-capture acting, he said, "It was so cool to see him acting with machines hanging all over his body, surrounded by people he didn't know well," and added, "My goodness, why am I covering this person with CGI? I should have just shown his face," drawing laughter from the staff at the interview site.

Regarding how to watch 'HOPE', Director Na explained, "Rather than interpreting the film like a text, please accept the visuals and sound as they are, with your body." When asked about a sequel, he left the answer, "I really don't know. Because a film of this scale cannot be made with this scale of capital."

'HOPE' was released in theaters nationwide on the 15th and surpassed 2 million viewers nationwide in 5 days.

(Photo courtesy of Elle Korea)

Reported by Kim Ji-hye | Produced by SBS Entertainment News
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.