지난주에 홍콩 일간지 <사우스 차이나 모닝 포스트>와 인터뷰를 했습니다.
코로나19 이후 한국 영화 산업이 어떤 상황인지 다루는 기사라고 해서 크리스탈 타이 기자가 보낸 질문지에 대한 답변을 꼼꼼하게 작성했습니다.
<씨네21>에서 깊이 다룬 적이 있어 크게 어렵진 않았습니다.
오늘 오전에 기사 <a href="https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3096022/korean-k-dramas-and-hallyu-films-are-alive-and-well">Korean K-dramas and Hallyu films are #Alive and well, but Bollywood hits rock Bellbottom amid coronavirus slump</a>가 나왔습니다.
기사에 담지 못한 내용들이 훨씬 많아 이곳에 공유할까 합니다.
Interview questions: KIM SEONGHOON, journalist from CINE21
-How can I credit you for your comments?
=As a reporter, I have been working for Cine21 that Korean film weekly magazine for 12 years. In Cine21 I have been specializing in the Korean film industry.
-How has Hallyu been affected by the pandemic? Has production been interrupted? What new rules must they follow?
=For once, in the Korean film industry, the theater was directly hit by the prolonged Covid-19. Although Korea's multiplexes are not as lock down as Hollywood or China, the Korean government's implementation of the guideline of social distance has left audiences not to visit theaters as before.
According to the Korean film industry's first half of 2020 announced by the Korean Film Council on July 21, the total number of moviegoers in the January-June period totaled 32.41 million, the lowest since 2005. Theater sales also reached 273.8 billion won, the lowest since 2005. This is a decrease of about 70 million and 600 billion won compared to last year, when the total audience reached 19.32 million and theater sales of 930.7 billion won, the highest ever recorded in the first half of the year.
However, with the release of Korean commercial films such as 'Intruder' 'Innocence' '#ALive' which had a golden holiday of up to six days, the number of audience gradually recovered to 2.78 million in June, when discount tickets for movie theaters were distributed. Unlike April and May, which recorded only 4.0 percent and 3.2 percent of the audience in the average year, the Korean Film Council said that it raised expectations for the normalization of the theater by recording 41.0 percent of the average year in June.
And the summer season-released film 'The Peninsula' drew 3 million audiences yesterday, followed by other films such as <Steel Rain 2: Summit> and 'DELIVER US FROM EVIL'.
Unlike Hollywood and China, where all production has been locked down, Korean films and dramas have never been suspended since the start of Covid-19. However, films that need to be filmed abroad were directly affected by Covid-19. Director Kim Sung-hoon's new film, which produced Netflix's original 'Kingdom' was postponed, while 'Bogota' which was filming in Bogota, Colombia, had to stop filming for a while and return to Korea. The movie 'Bargaining' starring Hwang Jung-min and Hyun Bin, first filmed in Korea and then went to Jordan last week. Other projects are going as planned. However, the filming period and production costs have risen slightly due to Covid-19.
The secret to Korean films and dramas' continued production in the Pandemic situation seems to be due to the thorough quarantine of the Korean government. It strictly prohibits outsiders from entering the filming site, thoroughly prevents them from entering the filming site, works with masks on before filming, and always has hand sanitizer on the filming site.
-I've read that K-dramas have resumed shooting. Is it easier for TV series to continue production and follow new regulations, compared with films? Why is that?
=Unlike the Korean film industry, which relies heavily on theater profits, dramas are produced as a system that preserves profits. With the prolonged Covid-19, people will watch dramas and series on OTT platforms such as Netflix instead of going to the theater. In particular, as people in their teens and 20s no longer distinguish between movies and dramas, the boundaries between movies and dramas are breaking down a lot. In February, the movie 'Time to Hunt' almost opened in theaters, but was released on Netflix due to the prolonged period of Covid-19. Instead of giving up theater profits, the film chose to cover production costs. I think it's a smart business in a situation where it's hard to make a break-even point.
-Can we talk about the skyrocketing popularity of Korean content - have you noticed the rise in demand in recent years? Can you share any figures on the size of the industry, and how much it has grown, or is projected to grow?
=Once in the film industry, The total size of the Korean film market in 2019 is estimated to have exceeded 6 trillion won for the first time, thanks to the largest number of moviegoers in history. The number of moviegoers was 26.68 million, which is an unusual growth compared to the 210 million-strong stagnation since 2013, and above all, five 10 million movies may have helped the influx of new audiences by driving audiences. Ticket sales for theaters also increased by 100 billion won year-on-year to 1.914 trillion won. Along with the increase in the number of audiences, it can be seen as a result of the high sales of special theaters or special theaters with high unit prices, and the expansion of the N-time attendance.
In the case of the digital online market, sales increased 7.5 percent year-on-year to 509.3 billion won, especially the Internet VOD market such as OTT grew 27.7 percent year-on-year. Despite the limitations of the data, it is enough to clearly identify the direction of the market and the changes in movie viewing behavior.
Its overseas sales fell 8.2 percent year-on-year to 86 billion won, compared with a year earlier, with both exports of finished products and exports of West Bis. In the case of finished products, Taiwan topped the list of overseas exporters following 2018, and in the case of exports of technology services, which were concentrated in certain countries, the order performance decreased by less than half compared to the previous year.
In 2019, the online movie market centered on OTT remained unchanged. The number of Korean subscribers to Netflix, OTT's flagship, is already well over 2 million, and Netflix signed long-term partnership contracts with CJ ENM, Studio Dragon, and JTBC in 2019 to secure stable content. Other OTTs such as Disney+ and Apple TV, which were newly launched in the U.S., are expected to enter the Korean market soon.
However, we will have to wait and see what kind of changes the Covid-19 will bring to this growth.
- Hollywood workers have been declared 'essential' workers in the US - meaning they are allowed to continue their work while many other industries face lockdowns and closures. Would you say Hallyu would face similar exemptions during a lockdown?
=The South Korean government has been providing more support to theaters than people for the past month. On July 27, Yoo Jung-joo of the Democratic Party of Korea (Cultural, Sports and Tourism Committee, Women's and Family Committee) confirmed through the Film Promotion Committee that the project to support discount tickets for movie theaters, which was held for one month in June, has benefited most of CGV and Lotte Cinema.
The third supplementary budget of the Korean Film Council is 13.32 billion won, out of 79.898 billion won of the committee, which completed its preliminary screening at the so-called Special Committee on Budget and Accounts on July 1. Originally, an additional 4.5 billion won was set aside from the government's budget of 8.82 billion won for the third supplementary budget project. The 4.5 billion won summed up 1 billion won in support for job training, which is an on-site film, and 3.5 billion won in support for job-linked online new media video content production. The problem with the existing theater discount coupon support project is that it is not very effective for filmmakers who have suffered from the prolonged Korona 19 period because it is a way to indirectly support opening films by increasing demand. It was imperative to provide direct support to the creators," said a group of members of the Culture, Sports and Tourism Committee who completed the preliminary screening. filmmakers need more attention and support.
- Why do you think Korean content is so powerful? And is it important that people have access to K-dramas and films during times like these?
=I rather want to ask this question to people in other countries. Over the past two decades, Koreans have been giving generous support and love to Korean movies and dramas. In the late 1990s, early 2000s, new writers such as Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook appeared, young producers with planning skills appeared, and the industry grew in size steeply. I think that was the key to bringing Korean audiences to the theater every year. It seems that overseas audiences were also able to go crazy about Korean movies and dramas produced under such circumstances.
- Are there any stars, or programmes in particular that have seen a rise in popularity due to the pandemic?
=Well. There seems to be no star or content that stands out after Pandemic. While the theater industry has been hit hard, TV series are still popular on Netflix and terrestrial networks, but I don't know if it's related to Pandemic. Many people expect Pandemic to crowd contents(movie or series) onto OTT platforms like Netflix, but personally it doesn't seem to be a desirable direction. Contents must make a profit, but OTT's current revenue structure can only cover production costs, not make as much money as a theater.
Unlike last year when investment was aggressive as platform dinosaurs like Kakao jumped into the film industry and new investment distributors like Merry Christmas and Ace Makers emerged, investment seems to be cautious and management of scenarios has become more stringent this year. Some say that as investment turns more conservative than it is now, the phenomenon of the poor-get. In other words, investments in movies that should be seen in theaters and those that are not will be more strictly divided than now. Since a long time ago, the film industry has been an industry of 'high risk high return'. But as long as the theater is facing a crisis, you may no longer be able to see the same "high return" as in the past. In the midst of an industrial upheaval that no one can predict hastily, this year's summer market is likely to be an important watershed that will determine the fate of the industry. The fate of the Korean film industry depends on two things: the performance of broadcasting authorities and the audience's reaction to the film. ‘new normal’ of the Korean film industry has already begun.
-Do you have any other thoughts to share?
=Feel free to contact me if you have any more questions.If the story is published, please send me a PDF file.