ⓒCourtesy of Neon

Q&A with Director Na Hong-jin, Actress Hoyeon and Actor Zo In-Sung

 

Q : Director Na, I wanted to start with you. This film is such an interesting mix of genres. It’s an action film, it’s sci-fi, it’s very emotional at times, it’s a comedy. When you were writing the script and also editing the film, directing it, how did you balance all of these different genres and tones?

Na Hong-jin : I would say I’m the type of person, if it goes a long time without seeing a film in theaters that I wanna make it myself. So this is a movie that came out of that desire. I’d say I was looking back 10, 20 years ago, some of the stunt action that was happening during that time, what it would look like if action without computer graphics was added with computer graphics. So I think as you mentioned, there’s a lot of genres within this film, and I wanted there to be many even subgenres within the big categories or genres themselves, and for those to switch back and forth.

And I would say that I really followed my intuition and would switch genre when it felt right. And I also wanted the genre switches to not be predictable. So whatever the audience was anticipating, I wanted to go against that, and I used humor to do that. I used editing, and there was a lot of design that happened from the scriptwriting stage.

Q : I wanna bring the actors into this. There are so many stunts, there’s guns, there’s horseback riding, there’s running. What was it like training for all of the stunt work in this film?

Zo In-sung : So it’s not like there was a special camp or a special boot camp for this kind of training for the movie. I do remember practicing a lot of horseback riding, obviously because I knew it would be featured a lot in the filmmaking process. But for me before I even thought about stunts, what I really focused on character-wise was to really embody that fear and tension that my character has.And I think that’s was my major approach to depicting this character.

Hoyeon : For me it was six months training, including firearm training, car stunt trainings. Training I had, I got the manual license. It was just fun journey, I think working on this film because if I was able to try things that I haven’t tried before at all.

And working with director Na is more like you can extend it your imagination on set, so it was just full of joy working with him.

Q : And this is your first film. What was it like leaping into this world that’s such a big production and there’s so much going on and so many different forces?

Hoyeon : Many different horses?

Q : Sorry, sorry. Also horses.

Hoyeon : I remember we do have 7~10 horses. And also the reason why he doesn’t need that much training like I did, it’s because of he’s good at riding horse in Korean cinema industry. Because if I’m working in this a series right now, and stunt team, they work with him for his previous movie where he’s very good riding horse.

And he confirms that he’s the best actor who can, ride a horse in Korea. Does that make sense? Sorry if my English is not make sense, and I’m also jet lagged. So what was the question? Yeah, it was my first movie, and working with director Na and Zo In-sung and Hwang Jung-min was quite nervous experience because I felt I’m the most unexperienced person on set.

And even all the crew member, they’re legend people, legend people in our industry. So at the beginning, I was quite nervous a lot. But director Na really trying to give me a superpower, so he keep saying that, “Hoyeon, you’re really great.” Keep saying like all the nicest things in the world. So I had so many courage. Through his force. So it was sweet.

Q : So, Zo as the greatest horseback rider in Korea- what was it like going from the horse into the car while the car is driving? How was that stunt for you?

Zo In-sung : I wanna start by saying I never knew that this was the kind of scene that I would film in my career.  But I was super motivated to get this done right, ’cause I thought it would be– I would be the world first actor to be doing such a scene like this. Like, whenever you’re trying to create something new, that requires courage, and I think that goes for anything in life, right? And so this was that case, and all I did, I think, was garner a bit of courage for myself.

And of course, I was able to do it because there was so much support and help from all the staff and crew that was working on this film. And so I think it was that those all of these forces coming together that really we were able to bring Director Na’s vision into reality and express that into reality. But disclaimer, do not try on your own. Yes, what’s impossible is impossible.

ⓒCourtesy of Neon

Q : Director Na, what was it like filming that sequence? How long did it take? Yeah, it’s Such a lengthy, a wonderful set piece in the movie. What was it like filming it?

Na Hong-jin : The moment where he is transferring over from horseback to car, I thought it would take at least three days of shooting for it to come out successfully. However, that particular moment, three hours. Just three hours.

Zo In-sung : Yeah, which means that I did a good job. (Lol)

Na Hong-jin : I also wanted to mention a really fun scene with Hoyeon in it. It’s when they’re chasing Beom Seok’s character(played by Hwang Jung-min) and her character are chasing the creature, Va’migere And Beom-Seok and the monster make momentary eye contact. And in that moment, Hoyeon’s character is yelling, “What are you doing? Why are you not shooting it?” And that’s a moment that we’re shooting in high speed and I have to mention that we used the very last frame that is in existence because the frame after that doesn’t exist. The camera went flying and exploded into a million pieces.

Hoyeon : I crashed the expensive- Oh, man.. you wouldn’t even imagine how that filming was. I was like so scared. I was really scared after that crash. But luckily no one get hurt. And to be clear, it was just like a little like an art on the street that my car crashed. So it was safe but I just, the fact that I made this accident- was like quite scary feeling. But I thought that director Na could be mad at me.But they were like super nice even at that moment. So thank you guys. You’re spoiling me.

Q : So the camera was on the street and then you drove the car into the camera?

Hoyeon : So, while I’m doing the turn I have to make the Ollie turn, but because if I have this line to Beom-seok that, “Why you are not shooting?What are you doing?” And then I look the front and I knew that it’s too late to make the turn. But I did the turn as much as I can do but still it was a little late. So because of the leaking is outside of the car, so it crashed through the art.

There is like nets and some kind of like art on the street. I crushed them and I dragged them to where- And then I stopped and then I was like, I cried a lot. And you know that happened because of it was really… We’ve been shot many good scenes easier than we thought. So I was so confidence and I was just like full on it.

Whatever you want me to do, I can do it. I’m so good at it. But and then when you are too confident… I think that’s where you have that moment.

ⓒCourtesy of Neon

Q : Luckily, you had two and a half days that you made up from the horse to the car that you could spend on this. I wanted to ask about the creatures.They all look different. There’s a, they have a language that you created. How did you come up with these aliens and their voice and their language?

Na Hong-jin : I wanted to mention the development of the language in the film first. I got the help of two professors in Korea. They brought to me some prehistoric language samples and we were listening to them figuring out what sounded the best. And I always thought that the Mongolian language sounded so nice and it reminded me of possibly people back then lying on a field at night looking at the high sky and the stars filling the night.

And I thought that the language was incredibly poetic, almost as if the people of that time with a very low voice was whispering into my ears that it had a sensitivity, that it encompassed philosophy and poetic nature. So that kind of became the basis of that language. And if spoken with that language, then I may be able to encompass this spatial, this astronomic perspective.

And from that point, we were able to develop an alphabet, a whole lexicon from this language. So we can really say anything with this language that we developed now.

I was shocked that Michael (Fassbender) and Alicia (Vikander) were able to memorize this new language and not even get a word incorrect and be able to memorize and also recite these lines for the film.

In terms of the design of the creatures themselves, the movie follows a structure where mystery unfolds one after another. So before the offspring appears, we are unsure of the origin or the structure of how these creatures appear. So the design focused on these narrative elements and the spread of information that’s sprinkled throughout the film.

In the beginning, the first creature that you see, we aren’t sure if it’s an alien, if it’s a monster because we aren’t sure of the form or structure in itself of the creature, and it’s veiled in mystery. However one by one, we see these new creatures and the offspring, and we really relied on the narrative elements to design each creature.

Q : And then lastly, I have to ask, this ends on a little bit of a cliffhanger. Will we be getting a sequel?

Na Hong-jin : I Have already finished writing the sequel. And I would say that the film starts when night falls. We know that there are the two groups that are in collision with each other, the humans and the aliens. And where we leave off it’s an moment of pandemonium of extreme desperation, almost inferno-like. And something is deeply wrong, but we don’t know exactly what is, and there is a sense of uncertainty.

Zo In-sung :Just as a caveat, just let’s not disclose what we’ve heard here tonight, just as a precaution.

Na Hong-jin : So, we leave off on the human side of things, and the aliens, they’re trying to bring back their offspring back to life. And we are unsure if it will come back to life, but there is a sense of hope.

So there is nightfall, and while we end the human part of the narrative ends, there is gonna be a perspective shift to the perspective of the aliens. So that’s all I can say.

Q : But will there be horses in the sequel?

Na Hong-jin : I don’t know about that.

Zo In-sung : If there are more horses, that means I need to ride more horses.

Na Hong-jin : Maybe the horses will ride him.(lol)

Q : I think that’s a fun note to end on. Thanks everyone for coming tonight.

ⓒCourtesy of Neon

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Here’s the trailer of the film.