About her love of distorted pictures, dance as a type of protest and ‘otherness’
Jiyeong Hong got here to Tallinn to current her newest function movie “The Waves, The Sound, and Two Lovers In The Center Of…” within the competitors programme Rebels With a Trigger. Distinctive in fashion and approach, the movie stood out as one of many artistically most achieved titles on this 12 months’s choice.
Asian Film Pulse met the director shortly after the world premiere in Tallinn, to debate her love of distorted pictures, dance as a type of protest and ‘otherness’
May you inform us one thing about your background?
I’ve a level in fantastic arts and philosophy, however I’m not certain if that affected my movie fashion. On the similar time, I like to make experimental movies that are all queer-themed. I’m not attempting to re-invent the wheel when it comes to experimental fashion or creating one thing thus far unseen however I exploit my concepts to talk about queer themes that are advised in an experimental cinematographic language. My movies resist the social norms. I’m at all times in quest of methods to precise myself in an atypical method. I actually imagine in what I’m doing as a filmmaker, and I additionally imagine in fiction movies. What I wish to say is that I imagine that movies can specific issues like no different artwork.
I discover the unique title in Korean lovely, as a result of it means “I gives you again this wave, these ripples”. It sounds as poetic because the phrases spoken within the voice over.
The sound in movies is normally within the background, and also you even have background music. I wished to concentrate on that and reverse it. Once we watch movies, we understand sound as one thing secondary. I wished to deliver it in entrance, however not as the primary theme. That’s the reason I used the black display screen at the start of the film. That was fairly an intentional transfer. Secondly, I completely shied of a dialogue. The explanation for that’s that I discovered voice-over a becoming resolution for what I used to be attempting to realize. I wished to have a voice which did not belong to one of many two fundamental characters, so I selected one other actor. It needed to sound as a fairytale, and the remainder of ‘voiced’ narration got here from nature – the vegetation on the shore, the waves…
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What sort of that means the ocean has for you? Clearly, it performs a big position within the film.
Relating to the sound of the waves, on the spot the place I filmed the tidal circulate is excessive. I wished to seize all the sounds the water motion can produce. We are inclined to understand solely loud sounds, however I used to be decided to catch all form of fantastic tones that could possibly be perceived by ear.
I used to be really impressed by a poem known as “The Wave” written by Adrienne Wealthy who was an American feminist, esseyist and queer activist. Whereas watching the waves she considered the failure, and life normally. Once I learn it, I instantly related to it.
Whenever you say “failure”, do you relate the phrase to the shortage of accomplishment or to one thing else?
I imply it within the sense of failing to suit into normativity. I wished to point out the ability of resistance and perseverance, as given by nature. For me, the waves are the image for it.
Your ‘fairy’ is telling a story about witches and monsters.
Sure. I believe that us queers are monsters and witches, and fairly often ghosts. Since for a lot of, many centuries, girls had been thought-about as creatures who might hurt you. They had been even burned as witches. Queer individuals, particularly girls are nonetheless perceived like threatening creatures. On the one aspect, I wished to inform a form of fairytale, on the opposite there are different aspects of the narrative.
We spoke in regards to the richness of sound in your film, however equally lovely is occassionally occurring, full silence. How do you’re employed with sound?
I have no idea methods to clarify it in technical phrases, however I’ve a wonderful sound designer Morceau J. Woo who knew what I anticipated. The buzzing sounds, as an example, might turn out to be fairly uncomfortable however I simply thought that we don’t solely hear the attractive sounds, but additionally the disturbing ones, who are also a form of ‘failure’. I attempted to discover a rhythm becoming for the story.
We already stated that other than witches and monsters, additionally ghosts populate your world, they usually are inclined to hang-out ghastly trying areas. Are you able to inform us one thing about your capturing places?
Fairly often queer individuals are invisible and the picture is due to this fact additionally flickering. Ghosts could exist however we predict that they really don’t exist. Lot’s of individuals dismiss this as ridiculous. For those who take a look at some European nations, their LGTBQ+ communities are virtually invisible or very small. As an example, right here in Estonia, similar intercourse marriage was permitted this summer season, a few years after Scandinavian nations did. I’ve a sense that the queer group right here continues to be invisible, that it would not have a robust presence. Additionally take a look at the anti-protests by spiritual teams each time there’s a homosexual parade, it doesn’t matter what church we’re speaking about. Solely such conflicts come up within the information, whereas actual life stays invisible. When two women go hand in hand, the general public will suppose they’re simply finest pals. That is how it’s. I suppose that I wished to depict that by means of the flickering pictures.
Throughout the analysis about your movie, I noticed that you just initially wished to make a dance efficiency however that you just went into a very totally different route. May you inform us what modified your course?
I made a brief dance movie and developed it right into a function movie. There are variations. The dance movie was in regards to the queerness and the motion. I related social criticism with queer-like physique motion. That was the beginning. There may be after all a dance component in “The Waves, The Sound, and Two Lovers In The Center Of…”, too. Really the ghosts, a pair we see slowly shifting handed one of many deserted buildings are skilled dancers they usually created a fantastic choreography.
I’ll ask you the most likely most requested query about your film. Why did you go for the 6mm DV digicam?
Within the current period, we don’t wish to see the pixels. We wish 4K films. Even me, once I watch YouTube, I desire a clear image so I by no means use 480p format, however the full 1080p. Pixels stand for both a nasty connection or for failure. I assumed that making the pixels seen will present resistance to norms, similar to non-binary and queer individuals do not match into different norms. There are after all many queer movies that come to the festivals however you’d at all times have the usual focus with aspect tales. I wished to point out that however not reversely, by altering the decision. That’s the similar as affirming the failure to the norm.
How did you fiscal the mission?
This mission could not get funding from movie councils and we did not even want that a lot cash as a result of our digicam was purchased in an vintage store, and it was low cost. And in addition, I’m doing numerous issues on my own, particularly in post-production. We obtained funded by the artwork council. They noticed this movie as a creative mission as a result of it has so many alternative parts. We obtained a small sum of money there. I’ve to provide an enormous credit score to my producer.
The world premiere right here in Tallinn went fairly nicely.
Oh, sure. I’m nonetheless overwhelmed. I couldn’t dream that this may come true, however I assumed that I’ve nothing to lose by attempting to get my movie enjoying on the competition. There aren’t that many huge festivals that settle for experimental movies. Tallinn would not even have an experimental part, they usually nonetheless thought that my movie might compete in such a robust competitors program. I did not have any expectations, however I used to be met with open arms. Now I really feel very related.
