The key to long-take filming is breathing. Lead actor, props, other actors, camera, audio, scripted storyboard, etc. The breathing of numerous conditions captured in one camera must come together and bloom in one shot.
If even one of them is off, it’s NG.
When the director says ‘cut’, everything has to be filmed again from the beginning. So, not only the lead actor, but also the other actors, all conditions have to bet their lives on the storyboard that has been set. There is no need to think about anything else. All you have to do is show clear actions at the right time.
If there are only a few characters in a long take, the difficulty level is considered low.
However, in the case of the current ‘beneficial evil’ long take, there are more than a dozen characters. In this case, both the actors and the production team will experience hell. However, the reason why they cannot give up the long take was simple.
-Tang tang tang tang!!
Realism and impact.
“Ahhhhhh!!!”
“#*&#*((%*!!”
“the right wing!!”
A rough cat feeling.
-Wood thud!
Thrilling.
-Tang tang!
It is in the speed and liveliness. The camera moves with the main actor. When he runs, it runs with him, and when he rolls, it expresses the same curves. Gaze. In long takes, the camera is no different from the main actor’s eyes. That, that oneness, exponentially increases the audience’s concentration.
A continuum of stimulation and violence.
Above all, the beauty of long takes is that they make you forget the passage of time.
The 10-minute-plus segment is by no means a small amount, but it is only a small portion of the entire content. However, the tense camera work that proceeds without cuts maintains the connection, and the viewer is hit with many scenes in a short period of time. Therefore, it feels like it is well over 10 minutes, but when you actually look at the time, it feels like less than 5 minutes have passed.
A lot can happen in a minute.
That was the driving force behind the long take.
In addition, if the main character’s skills and abilities are outstanding, the audience will never be able to take their eyes off the screen. Explosive, violent stimulation releases adrenaline, which soon leads to excitement. Realism, the audience reacts and breathes with the main character.
-Tang tang!
In other words, the extreme situation that the main character is in also applies to the audience. In the present, it is ‘Jang Yeon-woo’. No, it was Kang Woo-jin. Although it is not the audience, many people of all nationalities, including the 200 or so ‘Beneficial Evil’ production staff, were fascinated by Kang Woo-jin’s ‘CQC’ and were overwhelmed by his violence.
The same was true for the Thai staff who were gathered on one side.
“······I heard that actor had his first action scene today. Did I hear that wrong?”
Dozens of Thai staff who had been informed in advance opened their mouths in amazement at the spectacle unfolding before their eyes.
“No way. Look at that. How can this be the first time you’ve seen this? You’re more than a veteran.”
“Even their skills are far superior. To that extent, it seems like they’re just- enjoying it.”
“Why do Korean actors do ‘CQC’ just as well as Hollywood actors? It’s on a whole different level from when they were rehearsing.”
Even in the midst of all this, the sound of gunfire continued throughout the abandoned building. Muzzle flames flashed and bullet casings flew. Blood spurted everywhere. It was the story of Jang Yeon-woo or Kang Woo-jin.
He had just entered the second room from the end of the fifth floor.
-Dalgak!
Woojin, whose face was covered in blood, roughly took out the cartridges from the AK47 rifle he was holding. Bodies were strewn about the floor. Their chests, faces, and heads were all smashed. Kang Woojin, who had switched to the rifle on one of the men’s chests, took out the pistol on his waist. It was to check the bullets.
At this time.
“oh.”
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Woojin, who was roughly wiping the blood off his face, smiled slightly. He had found something on the floor. It was about 10 seconds until the next move. The movement that Woojin was seeing now was not in the original storyboard. Thanks to that, PD Song Manwoo, who was sitting in front of the monitor on the first floor, narrowed his eyes.
‘What, what did you see?’
Kang Woojin picked up something smoking on the floor. It was a burning cigarette. One of the gang members was smoking it. Five seconds until the next move. Woojin took a long drag on the nearly burnt cigarette.
“Hoo-”
The thick smoke was clearly visible in the sunlight streaming through the broken window. The picture was drawn. The screams of the organization members heard nearby, the corpses lying on the floor, Kang Woo-jin showered in blood, his gray short-sleeved shirt dyed red, and the leisurely cigarette smoke in comparison. The director of photography, who had the camera on his shoulder, instinctively.
-Ugh.
He took two steps forward and grabbed Kang Woojin’s faintly smiling face.
PD Song Man-woo, who was watching the monitor, couldn’t help but feel goosebumps. Leisure? Can you think of such a speed control in this urgent situation? An action that far surpasses leisure. It would be a problem if it deviated from the planned storyboard. However, if it doesn’t harm the next movement, it’s not a big deal.
Above all else.
‘······That one action took my breath away, I can’t help but think I’m crazy.’
The past five minutes have been all about breathing. In a word, tension. Woojin has lightly released the tense tension with that one action. It has given us a moment of respite. Here, PD Song Man-woo has discovered something else.
‘This isn’t acting, I’m really enjoying the killing.’
That Kang Woo-jin is playing right now.
‘Ecstasy and madness. And satisfaction. A leisurely way of expressing emotions between them. I feel it anew, that thing is a monster.’
Kang Woo-jin further developed ‘Jang Yeon-woo’ written by Choi Na-na. However, there was something that even the big shot PD Song Man-woo failed to notice. He was the director of ‘Profiler Hanryang’. Nevertheless, he did not notice ‘Park Dae-ri’. Kang Woo-jin’s ‘role synthesis’ was that sophisticated.
At this time.
“$@&@*$@$(*!!!”
With a terrifying scream, the wooden door to the room where Woojin was flung open. Two masked gang members barged in. However, Kang Woojin, who had a cigarette in his mouth, was already holding an AK47 rifle. The camera moved behind Woojin at the set time. Then, five gunshots were fired.
“100 million!!”
“Eww!”
Temple. Heart. Blood exploded out of their bodies. Woojin spit out his cigarette. He crouched down a little. The smell of gunpowder wafted from the gun he was holding. A shout was heard.
“Ahhhhhhh!!”
Behind. A hidden member of the organization rushed in. He swung a long knife at the back of Woojin’s head. Kang Woojin made a decision.
‘late.’
It is difficult to turn around and fire. He lies down with a whoosh. A long sword cuts through the air above his head. A member of the organization with a sword is immediately attached to the lying Woojin. He slashes down with his sword. He has good momentum.
-Bam!
Kang Woo-jin blocks a knife with the body of an AK47 rifle.
I kicked the bastard in the stomach. It flew away. But.
“Eeeeeeeeeeek!”
Two more men were added next to him. Both of them had knives. This time, he blocked the knives with his AK47 rifle. However, Woojin dropped the gun and rolled over at the second man’s stab. There was a bang and the knives hit the floor. Kang Woojin quickly got up. He rolled his eyes. He saw wooden chopsticks on the table right next to him.
-hook!!
A long knife flew. Woojin dodged to the side. He immediately picked up a wooden chopstick. Kang Woojin was on him. A knee strike to the side. A squeak was heard. The chopstick was stuck in the eyeball. The squeak turned into a scream.
“Kkaaaak!!”
A strong low kick to the weakling’s leg. He flips over and falls forward. Another powerful shout is heard.
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!”
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The second guy runs towards Woojin with a knife raised above his head. Kang Woojin laughs. The camera steps back to capture all three at once. Woojin’s hands go to his waist. He quickly pulls out his Glock 17 pistol and holds it with both hands.
-Tang tang!!
Two bullets pierced the guy’s neck and face. He fell down like a doll. A groan. The guy with chopsticks stuck in his eyes groaned. Kang Woo-jin went over him. Of course.
-bang!
Lightly smashing the head.
“Hoo- hoo-hoo.”
Kang Woo-jin’s breathing is a little rough. There must still be many members of the organization outside. The more weapons, the better. Woo-jin checked the bullets in his Glock 17. They were not enough. He grabbed an AK47 rifle and a short knife from the floor. He walks toward the door. The camera follows him.
From here on out, it was a full-blown gunfight.
Woojin, who was standing next to the door, peeked outside. Three guys came running. A half-broken flowerpot was visible at the foot of the stairs. A mess. The eyes of the three guys running towards him briefly touched the broken flowerpot in the hallway. The one that Kang Woojin had thrown.
This moment.
-Tadadatatang! Tang tang!
Woojin, holding an AK47, blew up the chests and heads of the men one after another. Blood splattered on the handrail of the stairs. A shout was heard. It was the hallway across. Two men wearing hats were shooting. The bullets thudded as they struck the wall. Woojin rolled toward the stairs. The camera shook and followed him.
4th floor. Woojin’s AK47 muzzle pointed upward. Five shots.
Two men, their faces and torsos blown off, fell to the first floor one after another. The shrapnel from the Pavabak flew again. The bullets fired by the men who had just climbed the stairs were lodged in the wall next to them. Kang Woo-jin raised his gun and fired two shots.
-Tang tang!
The first fell down with his brain exploding. But there were three more. Bullets rained down with a loud thud. Woojin rolled over once and ran to a nearby room.
“$(*&$@*(@&(*!!”
The bastards screamed and tried to chase after me. But.
-hook!
Kang Woo-jin came out again. Lying down, he exposed only his face and the gun barrel and fired. At least six gunshots rang out. Blood spurted out. It was coming out of the limbs of the men who were running towards him. They fell down in a heap. Woo-jin rolled his eyes. He saw something round on the waist of the corpse right in front of him.
grenade.
The house was thrown straight towards the stairs. The guys who were jumping up screamed.
“Ahhhhhhh!!”
“Grenade! Grenade!!”
In a brief moment, Kang Woo-jin fired his gun again. The bullets blasted several heads. At the same time.
-Kwaaang!!
The grenade exploded. The head, hands, feet, and torso flew into the air. It was quiet for a moment. There was a voice from the first floor below, but it was far away. Kang Woo-jin got up. First, he checked the bullets in the gun. Then he looked around the room.
“hmm?”
Five children were fainting. One girl and four boys. Kang Woo-jin stared blankly at a girl nearby. The girl was a familiar face. Im Hae-eun, who joined ‘Beneficial Evil’ through a large-scale audition this time.
Anyway, the camera closes up on Woojin. There is no pity in his eyes. He just looks like he is looking at an object.
“No.”
It means she is not the daughter of the drug lord he is looking for. But he entered the information. Five children in the first room before the stairs on the fourth floor. I might have to rescue them when it is sorted out. It was not for these children. It was for me. If I was trapped here.
‘You might be able to get some good information.’
As if they had made a promise, the camera slowly leaves the room and moves to the hallway. Following this, Kang Woo-jin, armed with an AK47, glances down the hallway. You can see guys running towards the second floor.
-Tang tang tang!!
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The first guy’s fingers and shoulder were torn off.
“Kkaaaaaaah!!”
The men following behind stopped. They bought time. Woojin ran while brandishing his gun. It had been about 9 minutes so far. The long-shot scene that was over 10 minutes long now had car chases and explosions left.
It was at this time.
-Woo-doo-doo!
The members of the organization on the second floor, namely the Thai actors, fell like dominoes. It was not a pre-arranged movement. One person fell because the steps were twisted, and everyone else fell after that.
Soon, PD Song Man-woo shouted through a loudspeaker.
“······Cut!! NG!”
It was an NG. At the same time, dozens of staff members around PD Song Man-woo ran. Since there was an NG, we can’t use this cut. We had to re-set it for re-shooting. PD Song Man-woo, who got up from his seat, licked his lips in regret.
‘What a waste.’
But this is also an assumption. Long takes are a repetitive task. Film for 1 minute, NG, film for 2 minutes, NG, film for 3 minutes, NG. Continuous re-filming. This becomes practice and high-quality cuts are produced.
It was almost a miracle that it lasted more than 8 minutes without a single problem.
‘Woojin grabbed me by the collar and dragged me here.’
The chemistry with the Thai actors was good, but it was also possible because the male lead Kang Woo-jin’s skills and abilities far exceeded expectations. Then, several Thai actors who had collapsed like corpses got up, and dozens of staff members rushed in to collect the props. The makeup team stuck to Kang Woo-jin.
Woojin was indifferent.
“······”
There was no significant change in expression. This appearance seemed quite strange to the Thai actors.
“You don’t even have to gasp for breath?”
“How can you not show any signs of fatigue after running around alone for over 8 minutes?”
“By the way, have you seen Kang Woojin’s movements? I almost missed the timing while watching.”
“The quality is almost Hollywood level.”
Wrong. Kang Woojin was excited right now.
‘Wow- crazy! This is so much fun!! My adrenaline is pumping! Aaah, no. Calm down, if you keep doing this the concept will be ruined.’
Indeed, the long take in the first action gave a sense of freshness to Kang Woo-jin.
‘It’s so urgent. I want to do it again soon.’
Joseph and Megan, giants near PD Song Man-woo, looking up at Woo-jin like that. Smiles spread across their faces. They didn’t say anything to each other, but they felt the same way.
‘Haha, my goodness! That would work in Hollywood! No, even among Hollywood actors, there are only a handful who are at that level!’
‘The martial arts in ‘Last Kill 3′ were just child’s play??! What the heck is that actor! How big is he!’
The foreign crowd around the two of them. That is, the stunt team Joseph brought, and the executives of Hollywood’s ‘Universal Movies’ had soulless faces. They didn’t move at all. Was what I saw real? Then, a man with a potbelly among the executives opened his mouth with difficulty.
“So, how many minutes has it been now?”
The answer was quick from the giant Joseph.
“About 8 minutes.”
“···You went on for 8 minutes without a single NG? Was that possible?”
“That guy always breaks common sense.”
The pot-bellied man slowly raised his head and looked at Kang Woo-jin.
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“Oh, how is that possible?”
The answer came right away. It wasn’t Joseph. It was a foreigner with a big nose who had been laughing for some time. It was Ethan Smith, the stunt coordinator for ‘Beneficial Evil’.
“Kang Woo-jin, he’s from the special forces.”
At that moment, the eyes of the executive of Universal Movies, who had a protruding belly, widened.
“T, special forces?”
end
