Episode 119: According to Plan
“Kang Lim, I’m sorry for calling you out suddenly. Especially on a non-shooting day.”
“It’s okay. This office is near the residency where I stay anyway.”
As soon as Kang Lim entered the office, he greeted Assistant Director Martin and the Cinematographer.
Both of them looked somewhat uncomfortable. No, they seemed a bit stunned.
Martin handed over a notebook, looking around with a small voice.
“Ah, I returned this too late. It was really good. Until the movie is released, don’t show it to anyone else. It’s a good record.”
“Thank you. I was planning to take it with me when I came to the set. I saw that Director Martin was looking at it.”
“Yes, Rachel showed it to me.”
Kang Lim received the notebook back. He originally had many drawing books, but he bought a new one to record the movie set.
Filling up such a thick sketchbook already made him quite proud.
‘Am I really fast at drawing… Well, I keep drawing as if taking photographs, so it can’t help but be a lot.’
While he was thinking that, Martin spoke up.
“Rachel took pictures of the content inside for the making film. You know that, right?”
“Yes, of course. She told me.”
“Thank you. And the reason I called you today… It’s because of your idea, Kang Lim.”
“My idea?”
“Yes, the way you analyzed the actors’ facial expressions and movements on set and drew them was excellent, but what really surprised us was your interpretation of the script. Especially this part.”
Martin opened the middle of the notebook on the desk.
A floor plan drawn by Kang Lim was visible.
“…Kang Lim, this is your first movie, right? You haven’t worked in any directing team before?”
“Yes, I haven’t.”
What is a floor plan?
It encompasses all the plans necessary to visualize the script on set.
It is drawn schematically, considering everything from the camera positions and movements to the actors’ movements.
The more detailed the director’s envisioned scenes are, the more there is to write in the floor plan.
It even records the angles of the set and the arrangement of props.
“Ha, then it really doesn’t make sense…”
“That’s what I’m saying, did he study a lot? He said he didn’t major in film…”
Assistant Director Martin and the Cinematographer quietly exchanged words.
The floor plan they saw from Kang Lim was too detailed.
Only people with extensive experience on set or those who have seen the script could make such a shooting plan.
Otherwise, it’s easy for it to turn into a vague and disorganized plan.
Watching the two murmuring, Kang Lim spoke.
“I just read a lot of books about video techniques before. I also like movies, so I watched them often.”
“……”
“And seeing it on the set, I felt I could understand a bit how to shoot that scene. What was theoretical started to come alive, and I got interested. I thought if I shot it this way after looking at the script, a good screen would come out, so I planned it.”
Kang Lim shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
He thought this was merely a solo fantasy scribbled down.
Planning and actual shooting were very different things.
“Kang Lim, the most important thing when learning about movies is that. You need to analyze well-made works or the on-site situations to come up with good directing.”
“Haha… To realize that so quickly.”
Martin and the Cinematographer still showed awkward smiles. It was clear this young man was underestimating his abilities.
Was such a plan really just a fluke? The Cinematographer wanted Kang Lim to explain the storyboards he had visualized from the script.
“Uh… Kang Lim, why did you plan this scene like this? You used a lot of different shooting techniques. The scene transitions are excellent.”
“Oh! That.”
Kang Lim started speaking with a bright smile. Talking about drawing was always fun.
“First, this scene is where the protagonist Christian persuades Van Gogh to become a painter, right? It’s when Van Gogh hasn’t started art yet.”
“Yes, that’s right. At this time, Van Gogh was deeply religious, and his dream was to become a pastor like his father.”
“Exactly! Christian uses that psychology. He shows Van Gogh a painting by Millet, whom Van Gogh respected the most during his lifetime, to persuade him to become a painter.”
Kang Lim drew the scene of Christian and Van Gogh on the screen.
It was the scene where they discover Millet’s
“The scene is about finding a single painting in a huge repository. It should feel like destiny when they encounter Millet’s
“It’d be good as an insert cut explaining where the place is.”
“Exactly. But we don’t use uniform lighting. The camera moves slowly following the actor in the dark repository, with only the part where Millet’s painting is illuminated.”
“Very nice. How about the next dialogue scene?”
Kang Lim spoke habitually while drawing on paper. The dialogue scene was divided into several cuts.
“The protagonist uses his future knowledge. In the part where he talks about the anecdote of Millet’s
In the picture drawn, a couple prays in the twilight field. It’s a piece that conveys a solemn and sublime emotion.
At their feet is a basket, but the Louvre Museum revealed through X-ray examination that it was originally painted with a coffin of a dead child.
“Christian talks about the slightly erased and repainted traces, revealing that a dead child was originally drawn in the place where the basket is. It was very shocking for Van Gogh.”
“Right. The praying couple on the vast field wasn’t thanking for the harvest. Their basket didn’t contain food but the dead child they couldn’t feed. It’s a painting expressing sorrow and mourning.”
“Yes. At that moment, Christian says that painting is a task for those who serve God. Who else can inform and remember the harsh reality of the laborers? Hearing that, Van Gogh decides to become a painter.”
Kang Lim began to detail the drawn cuts.
He meticulously drew which angle should capture which dialogue, and the size of the characters on the screen.
“At the beginning of the conversation, Van Gogh doesn’t trust the protagonist well. He’s been in the gallery business for a long time, but he didn’t think of living as a painter.”
“Right. He wanted to live for God.”
“So the initial conversation starts with an ordinary shoulder shot. Since there’s distance between the characters, the angle is taken from the side.”
“A good choice.”
“As the conversation deepens, it gradually shifts to a bust shot. When Van Gogh has an epiphany, it goes into a close-up shot.
Since the character’s heart is opening, the camera moves from a side shot to a front shot. The screen zooms in gradually, and at the end, Millet’s painting reflects in Van Gogh’s eyes.”
Kang Lim even checked the part where the sound would enter before the next cut.
“Van Gogh, who has gained confidence in his dream, quickly leaves the repository. The scene of the door closing goes bang! The sound remains, and the scene cuts directly to Van Gogh packing his luggage.”
“Using sound to connect the scenes with a smash cut? It gives an unexpected shock to the audience when a loud noise transitions from a quiet repository scene.”
“Exactly! And it also reveals Van Gogh’s eccentric personality. It shows that he won’t be controlled by the protagonist’s will.”
“How will you handle the next scene?”
“The scene of Van Gogh packing to leave for Paris is edited quickly with jump cuts. The packing scenes are cut and connected roughly. The fast-paced movement will foreshadow the character’s madness.”
Listening to Kang Lim detailing the storyboards, Martin got goosebumps.
He grasped everything from sound, lighting, character movement, to the editing points of the scenes.
Why did this young man remind him of Frazer?
Martin’s ears naturally recalled Frazer’s advice.
[When matching all the scenes, you have to send a message. It should reveal the character’s personality and contain the theme of the movie.
We are talking about fate and choice here. Characters move according to their desires. You have to help the audience experience them.
If the characters misunderstand and things go awry, the crossing points of the camera should also be mismatched.]
Frazer said that directing was simple when you think about it. It took Martin almost a decade to understand him.
So Martin couldn’t help but laugh silently watching Kang Lim easily compose the shots.
“Haha… Kang Lim, you’re really perfect.”
“I think so too. I have nothing more to say.”
Kang Lim laughed awkwardly at their praise.
“Oh, don’t say that. This is just a kid’s imagination. Think of it as a hobby.”
“…Kang Lim, you wouldn’t know since you weren’t on set during that scene, but Director Frazer directed similarly.”
“What? Really? I didn’t know since I only knew the movie’s story and didn’t watch it till the end.”
“Ha, of course, you couldn’t have seen it. It hasn’t been released yet…”
Martin sighed and calmed himself down.
He was a bit annoyed by the talent that swallowed up what he had learned under Frazer for many years in an instant.
He opened the notebook and pointed to a few scenes.
“I discussed it with the cinematographer, and we concluded that we need to show Director Frazer some of your live painting directing.”
Kang Lim waved his hands strongly.
“Oh, that’s nonsense. No need. What do I know about movies.”
“They just want to refer to a few parts where you drew scenes. The entire shooting plan is already set. Director Frazer’s storyboard is so detailed that we just need to shoot as it is.”
“That’s right. Why use an amateur’s plan.”
Kang Lim felt somewhat burdened.
What kind of advice could a junior staff member, who had just been to the set a few times, give to the director…
The cinematographer spoke as if reading Kang Lim’s mind.
“Haha, don’t worry. If Director Frazer mentions a scene where he got help from you in an interview, he will praise you instead.”
Martin agreed with the cinematographer’s words.
“Exactly. He wouldn’t be offended by such things. The important thing is making a good movie. That’s all.”
“There are parts where your directing incorporates deep art history knowledge and understanding of the characters. That’s a great help to us. Let’s discuss it together.”
Martin stopped speaking and cleared his throat.
Now, there was only one thing he could say.
“Kang Lim, you are much more genius than you think.”
The next day, Kang Lim moved to the Seine Gallery after having dinner with the art team.
Fortunately, Frazer didn’t say much, and the staff seemed in a good mood, possibly because they had eaten delicious food.
Especially Mary, who was inspired by Isabelle’s exhibition, had a bright expression.
“It’s not that cold tonight! I’ve been really curious about R.F, and it’s great to see it together. As Director Charlotte said, there must be a lot to learn here, right?”
“Yeah. Isabelle is famous, but R.F is the current trend. The opening ceremony was yesterday, but it looks like today.”
Little shook his head, looking at the long line of people.
It was amazing that Frazer and Director Charlotte made time despite being busy.
A staff member with glasses also seemed to read Little’s mind and spoke.
“Making Director Frazer wait! R.F must be an incredible artist. I also want to make famous people wait in line.”
Mary nodded vigorously at her colleague’s words.
“That’s right! They say more distinguished art figures were at the opening ceremony yesterday. Even William Carter and the curator of the Pompidou Center came!”
“Really? Then R.F’s work might be displayed in a national exhibition hall?”
“Professors from the French Beaux-Arts and renowned art historians also visited. If critics write good reviews, it will be featured in articles and become more famous. Then proposals for exhibitions in other countries will follow.”
“Wow, then only one important person didn’t come!”
Kang Lim perked his ears among the noisy staff.
An important person? Who didn’t come? He regretted not secretly checking people at the opening ceremony.
“…Who is that one person?”
At Kang Lim’s question, Mary smiled brightly and said.
“That’s R.F, the main character! They say the artist didn’t show up at their own opening ceremony!”
What, was it that…
When Kang Lim made a dumbfounded face, the staff burst into laughter.
“Puhaha, Mary’s funny! I wondered who it was.”
“Right. But it is surprising that the artist didn’t show up.”
“Not showing up at their own opening, how cool. It looks like only others are anxious!”
As people burst into laughter, Little chuckled and patted Kang Lim’s shoulder.
“Ha, Kang Lim, weren’t you also an artist? When will you become like that? Be careful not to end up as a staff member only doing movie work.”
Mary looked flustered at Little’s cheeky face.
“Why do you speak like that? Kang Lim is affiliated with a good art museum in Luxembourg.”
“That’s right. He’s going to have a solo exhibition soon. He might become as famous as Isabelle.”
“Come on, don’t you see people lining up for R.F, whose gallery is near Montmartre Hill? Gallery location doesn’t matter! The work matters.”
Little clicked his tongue and looked at Kang Lim.
“Anyway, you have to do well. Relying on someone else to become famous is not good. Are you making movies to get your name out there?”
Kang Lim answered leisurely with a smile.
“Of course not. I’m making movies because I think there’s a lot to learn for my video work.”
The staff gave Little a look, implying that it wasn’t good to treat someone the art director brought so rudely.
“Hey, don’t be like that. You know Kang Lim’s skills. His main work must be great too.”
“Art is about creativity! Just imitating dead painters isn’t doing well.”
“How can you say that? Live painting is very difficult. What Kang Lim does isn’t just imitating famous paintings.”
Little snorted and said.
“Well, anyway. I’m worried that Kang Lim might get buried. There’s a rumor that R.F will open another solo exhibition when Kang Lim’s opens. And it’s said to be a huge masterpiece.”
“What? R.F is opening another solo exhibition? Right after the first one?”
“How much work do they have? Making other artists struggle.”
“Well, they say it’s something they’ve been painting since they were six years old.”
“What? Six years old?”
“You didn’t even read the promotional article for the solo exhibition?”
As the staff got noisy, Kang Lim placed his index finger on his lips.
“We need to be quiet now. It’s our turn to go in.”
Frazer and Director Charlotte, who were at the front of the line, were not visible.
It seemed they had already entered the gallery.
