How many disaster movies does Korea have? None, up until now, and that is the key point "Haeundae" producers wanted to stress - rightly so.

"We are now in the final stage of post-production, taking care of minor details including water effects," said Yoon Je-kyoon at a news conference held in Seoul. "We sought help from American specialists because we couldn`t find any expert in water effects."

"Haeundae," set in the famous beach in the port city of Busan, is billed as the country`s first major disaster film. The central protagonist, aside from actors, is a mega tsunami that hits the summer resort area.

Hans Uhlig, chief executive officer at U.S.-based Polygon Entertainment, demonstrated how he coordinates the special effects with director Yoon through online video conference tools.



"I was approached a year ago and after reading the script, I was intrigued. Compared with other Hollywood scripts, it`s really well written, and the drama part was very good, so that`s why I joined the team," Uhlig told Korean reporters through a translator.

A single footage in "Haeundae" required about 20 different computer graphics processes, a demanding task that director Yoon said will pay off when local audiences watch the disaster film

"What you`ve just seen is about a three-second shot, but we had to spend about three months to complete it," Yoon said.

Yoon also emphasized that the film differs from Hollywood disaster flicks, in which a heroic character saves the world - or a beach. "We don`t have a hero who prevents the disaster. Instead, we have several ordinary characters who are just like you," he said.

Haeundae beach draws more than 1 million visitors every year, and the story gets off to an upbeat start with Man-sik (Sul Kyung-gu), a sushi restaurant owner, preparing to propose to his long-time girlfriend Yeon-hee (Ha Ji-won). A warning sign comes from divorced geologist Kim Hwi (Park Jung-hoon), who notices suspicious underground activities in the East Sea.

Asked whether he played a heroic role, Sul Kyung-gu said the opposite is true. "When the tsunami comes, I`m simply swept by it, and it`s Ha Ji-won who tries to save me," Sul said.

Park Jung-hoon said his role was similarly non-eventful. "When we watch American blockbusters, those who send warnings eventually save the world or help people escape from a great disaster, but I end up sending a warning, and that`s all. But I like the absence of an artificial hero, and the presence of strong human emotions," he said.

Ha Ji-won, one of the most sought-after actresses in Korea, said she had difficulty imagining specific scenes on the shooting site. "There was no clue at first because we had to imagine the attack and acted as if we were faced with the great danger, but when the camera rolled, I felt I was really in the disaster zone," Ha said.

Uhm Jung-hwa, who plays a former wife of a geologist, downplayed the injuries she suffered while shooting for the film. "I just had my bones in my leg and chest fractured, and nothing more," she said, referring to the injuries she sustained.

The film, a joint production between Doosaboo Film and CJ Entertainment, is set to hit local theaters in July.

(insight@heraldm.com)



By Yang Sung-jin