The film "Streaming" (written and directed by Cho Jang-ho, distributed by Lotte Entertainment, produced by Very Good Studio Co., Ltd., co-produced by T.H. Story), which has been generating buzz due to Kang Ha-neul's unconventional streamer debut, successfully held its production presentation at Lotte Cinema Geondae Entrance on the 26th.
The production presentation of "Streaming" opened with a surprise live broadcast by Kang Ha-neul. As he perfectly portrayed the popular streamer "Woo-sang," who ranks first among crime channel subscribers, Kang Ha-neul skillfully led the live broadcast, receiving great responses.
The production presentation, which started in earnest, was filled with honest stories about the passion of Kang Ha-neul and Director Cho Jang-ho for their work, as well as their efforts so far. Kang Ha-neul, who was instantly immersed in "Streaming," remarked, "The script itself felt like I was streaming in the first person. It was different from the script structures I had seen before. It was very fresh. I was curious about the next page and read it all in one sitting. It's a work that I had to do."
Director Cho Jang-ho, who has translated the world of streaming, which has now become a part of our daily lives, onto the screen, shared, "Once I started watching YouTube, I couldn't get out of it. I was fascinated by that medium. As someone who writes crime stories, I was captivated by a strong desire to write about this medium," revealing the starting point of "Streaming."
Kang Ha-neul explained, "I thought it would be a film where I would act alone, but the director was the second actor, and the third actor was the camera. I struggled with how to make it look a bit more live while creating dissonance in the camera's language. I felt there were more actors than in any other work."
Additionally, Director Cho Jang-ho cast new actors other than Kang Ha-neul and explained, "I hoped that viewers would feel like they were watching a real-time broadcast while watching this film." Kang Ha-neul described "Woo-sang" as "a character full of bravado to show off that he's doing well. His gaze is directed outward, not inward."
He also expressed gratitude to the staff, stating, "The costume and props team put in a lot of effort. They prepared many flashy props, such as a leather notebook, making it easier to express the character and allowing me to focus more." He added that he sought to catch the characteristics of real-time broadcasters by watching YouTube and noted, "I went through countless hours of research to truly become 'Woo-sang.'
'Streaming' is generating anticipation as a work that perfectly and intricately implements the world of real-time broadcasting. Behind the extreme realism lies the passion of Director Cho Jang-ho and Kang Ha-neul. Director Cho, who considered the voices of comments and sponsorship chats as part of the film's mise-en-scène, noted, "To preserve the feeling of watching a real live broadcast, I had to write each comment by hand and match the speeds manually. It wasn't an easy task," emphasizing its importance as an essential process, akin to directing the actors.
Due to the nature of live broadcasting, Kang Ha-neul had to handle an extensive amount of dialogue. He shared, "There would be dialogue equivalent to 2-3 pages of A4 in a single scene. To maintain the feel of a real-time live broadcast, I tried to make it sound as comfortable as possible, like my own natural speech." Director Cho remarked, "He memorized the lines very well. With the phrase 'Trust me,' he shocked everyone by performing flawlessly. Depending on the shooting situation, we sometimes had to chop out a paragraph or inject things on the fly, and he managed it well." When asked about the challenging long take scenes, Kang Ha-neul responded, "It was such an enjoyable task. It felt like I was doing a real-time broadcast. Even when I stumbled over my words, it came across as realistic," sharing that he surprisingly enjoyed the filming despite its challenges.
A warm moment continued as another goodwill story about the well-known goodwill generator Kang Ha-neul was updated. Director Cho Jang-ho stated, "Kang Ha-neul has played a villain before, but this might be his first time revealing his bare face. It will be a work that can show a new side of Kang Ha-neul," expressing his confidence. He further appreciated, "He always approached the staff warmly. Sometimes I receive texts in the middle of the night, asking how about shooting this scene like this. This shows he is truly diligent and focused on his work," generously praising Kang Ha-neul's admirable behavior on set.
The film "Streaming," which encompasses Kang Ha-neul's perfect transformation, the realism of the real-time streaming world, and the thrills of investigative broadcasting, is a unique thriller about a top-ranked crime channel streamer "Woo-sang" discovering clues to an unresolved serial murder case and broadcasting the process of tracking the culprit in real time. It is set to be released on March 21.
[Photo] Lotte Entertainment
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