"Each scene feels like opening a time capsule."
tvN weekend drama "Typhoon Family" (directed by Na Jeong Lee·Dong-hwi Kim, written by Hyun Jang, planned by Studio Dragon, produced by Imaginus·Studio PIC·Tree Studio) has been receiving enthusiastic responses by reconstructing the lives of ordinary people during the 1997 IMF foreign exchange crisis with meticulous art direction. Here, we looked into the detailed production notes of "Typhoon Family" and the aesthetics of the spaces that revived that era. The following is a Q&A with art director Kim Min-hye.
Q. When recreating people's lives from that time, what aspects did you focus on and what efforts did you make?
"I paid attention to the planner Hyun Jang's intent that 'I wanted to capture the spirit of that era, not its sensibility.'" I tried to express not just simple retro aesthetics but the attitudes and values of people at the time. Office workers then lived in a corporate culture where 'the company is family,' while the younger generation valued individual freedom and individuality. The IMF crisis became an occasion for these two generations to come together. So, before the IMF, Kang Tae-poong's (Lee Junho) space was designed to be free and flashy, O Mi-seon's (Kim Min-ha) space was made with lowered saturation to convey the weight of reality, and overall it was kept monotonous.
Because 1997 is a clear year with a specific social context, we looked through a lot of documentaries, news footage from various broadcasters, newspapers, magazines, press photos, and photos and videos from regional archive sites from that time. The entire art team once took a day and spent all day in the library reading books. We built details based on that. For signage, even with the same font, 1990s lettering had subtle differences in spacing and strokes, so I paid close attention to those small differences that together create an authentic sense of the era. Also, Euljiro had many blue and yellow tones, Apgujeong featured hot pink, purple, and English signs on white backgrounds, and printing companies commonly used red, yellow and blue the most, so we reflected those colors in the graphic design. Sets were completed with reference to 1990s Korean architecture books and university library materials from architecture departments.
Q. Euljiro is now considered a mecca of newtro and is called 'Hipjiro' by younger generations. How did you want the Euljiro scenes in "Typhoon Family" to come across?
At the time, Euljiro was a place where countless office workers commuted. Company employees poured out of Euljiro 3-ga station in crowds, and when buses stopped in front of Hanil Bank, people disembarked en masse. In the alleys they scattered into were small- and medium-sized businesses, tailors, print shops, coffee shops and restaurants. If you look at images of Euljiro before the IMF, you can often see people in suits walking the streets holding a newspaper each. After the IMF hit, many businesses closed or suspended operations, and the streets gradually became empty and lonely, but traces of our parents' generation remain intact. I hoped it would become a space where viewers could glimpse those intense lives.
Q. What concept was the Typhoon Family office designed around? I'm curious about anecdotes from the prop acquisition process.
There was a background story that in the early '70s Kang Jin-young (Sung Dong-il) worked at a fairly good conglomerate and founded Typhoon Family in 1972. He had a refined sense and aesthetic judgment, and dreamed of building a company that would last more than 100 years, so he designed the space differently from the start. Wanting employees to work warmly like family, he made an open office with large windows, and added glass panes to the boss's office door and wall so everyone could see each other and communicate in the same space. At the same time, we showed his aesthetic sense with imported furniture, a floor with stationery and decorations, an office ceiling assembled by the set team, U.S.-style ceiling lights set as items he bought on a business trip abroad, and large round column walls often seen in U.S. offices of the '60s and '70s. Additionally, the art and set teams searched many stone suppliers on foot to find green-hued stone that would wrap the entire interior of the set.
Some may think the office feels like the '70s or '80s, but the setting is an office built in 1972. Kang Jin-young is not the type to bring in new things, and employees preferred to write by hand, so props were set with the idea that only Generation X deliveryman (Lee Sang-jin) and the young staff used computers. Securing props was not easy. Most computers were purchased through auction sites, where you had to keep refreshing even at 5 a.m. and raise bids to win. The telex appearing in the opening was said to be kept at a museum in Daejeon, and after visiting and persuading them four times we were able to borrow it. Many other 1990s props were tracked down secondhand, purchased on auction sites, or imported from abroad with difficulty.
Q. What texture and tone did you aim for in the Thailand shooting scenes?
Information about Thailand was not as readily available as it is in Korea. So we approached it by referring to films, dramas, documentaries and images from the time. We consulted Thai staff a lot, and they said actual locations had not changed much since 1997, so we largely used the basic structures as they were. We covered parts that should not be exposed, filled in necessary props, and made detailed adjustments. In Thailand, with help from local staff we focused on creating a natural lived-in feel and color palette, and we actually put more effort into the Thailand sets filmed in Korea. For example, on the Ramchaya port set we installed large purple, pink and light green banners commonly seen in Thailand to create the local atmosphere, and when building sets for a photo studio, temporary office and guesthouse we carefully reflected Thai architectural colors, textures and characteristics. We used elements such as ventilation blocks commonly seen in Thai buildings, plants and small prayer spaces placed throughout, and interior textures that use many tiles.
Q. In the second act of "Typhoon Family," which has passed the midpoint, what art-direction changes or viewing points can audiences expect?
As in previous episodes, through episode 16 Typhoon keeps wandering, searching and taking on challenges. Our art team had no choice but to wander, search and take on challenges with Typhoon. We worked hard until the end, so I hope viewers pay attention to the many spaces. And because it is ultimately a trading company, various products will continue to appear. Each and every one is a product the art prop team found or made, so I hope viewers enjoy them.
"Typhoon Family" airs every Saturday and Sunday at 9:10 p.m. on tvN.
[Photo] tvN
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