GAME NEWS:
Writer/Director Park Chan-Wook (Oldboy, Thirst) has reportedly filmed a 30min feature only using an iPhone.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Park has screened the 30min film for 100 critics at a private press screening this morning. The movie, Paranmanjang (Korean for 'Ups and Downs'), tells the tale of a fisherman who winds up catching the body of a woman. The movie is a fantasy-esque film, telling the tale of life and death in a mystical way.
Chan-Wook filmed the movie with the help of his brother, Park Chan-kyong, and found help in financing (the budget seems to be roughly $130,000) via KT Corp, the 'exclusive' phone distributor of Apple's iPhone in South Korea. The WSJ reports that the quality of the film is good, minus a feel of 'shakicam' early on.
Park did every step of the filming process with an iPhone, including scouting filming locations, filming auditions, as well as making a documentary of the process (the documentary also being filmed on the iPhone). Park set out to use the camera-phone as an official way to film and he's certainly achieved it.
Park's visual eye is nothing short of extraordinary, with his work directing Oldboy leading to winning the Grand Prix Award back in 2004 via the Cannes Film Festival. His vision was rounded out with the revenge trilogy (Oldboy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Lady Vengeance) and Thirst continued to grab the eye of critics everywhere.
No official word yet on where Park hopes to go with his latest creation. Though, knowing Park and his creative mind, it's a safe bet that more projects like this will continue. The 30min feature will be hitting some cinemas, but there's been no official word on whether or not he plans to distribute the film online (or via the iTunes marketplace) anytime soon.
