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Director Yeon Sang-ho (47) stated, “All personnel, from actors to senior staff, worked at the minimum hourly rate applicable to the youngest employees.”

Director Yeon Sang-ho shared an exclusive behind-the-scenes story from his mystery film ‘Face’ (directed by Yeon Sang-ho and produced by Wow Point) during an interview with Sports Chosun on the afternoon of the 15th.

“Face” is a narrative centered around a blind individual who transforms into a master in various crafts, along with his son, and his wife and mother who have been entombed for four decades.

Director Yeon Sang-ho stated, “To be precise, the filming of ‘Face’ took place on the 12th and 5th episodes.” The final scene was completed before lunch. In contrast, during a major film project, I often faced time constraints, but this production was filmed at a more relaxed pace. Some of the actors had prepared thoroughly, and they all collaborated effectively due to their strong rapport. The filming process went smoothly because of the good chemistry among us. Naturally, it was beneficial because we were content with each other’s work, rather than feeling pressured to present results to the investors.

He recently saw the film ‘Second Semester’ (directed by Lee Il-hee) and ‘Master of the World’ (directed by Yoo Ga-eun) at the Toronto International Film Festival, and I was greatly impressed by both movies. I understand that these two films were also produced in a setting similar to ‘Face’. I was deeply moved by these recent works. Now, if I’m being a bit demanding, I hope this movie becomes a box office success, but I have many hopes. Korean film distributors also need a solution. A turning point is necessary, but more importantly, I want to clearly demonstrate the distribution of a quality film, showing that if a movie has the power of its content, rather than its scale, it can be successful.

Then, “Usually, theater films are made in a way that aims to minimize likes and dislikes. I don’t believe that’s the only way to create a good film. I think there should be some elements that provoke both likes and dislikes, and the work should have a certain sharpness, but the larger the budget, the less this is the case. In the future, theaters will attempt to produce many planned films that aim to reduce likes and dislikes, but I don’t think that’s beneficial. Now, we need to create a sharp and distinctive film. Shouldn’t the investment and distribution system also evolve to support individuality in the future? Even with a smaller audience, it must change,” he said.

Some believe the art director might have used his own funds. I’ve verified multiple times, but it’s not true.” He said, “I covered all the basic expenses. In fact, the main expense was labor costs. Actors and staff were given the minimum hourly wage for the youngest members. In Park Jung-min’s case, he expressed affection, saying he would act as if he had received the payment even if he hadn’t. Even during promotions, there are more self-proclaimed claims. Park Jung-min is going through a lot, and the more he does, the more his emotional debt grows. The photographer’s or art director’s team should have received much more, but they opted for a sharing method in the form of shares after the release. They are 100% satisfied, so this guarantee isn’t possible, but everyone agrees to some extent that they can make a movie with 200 million won. The break-even point was weak, but instead, the emotional debt increased. It’s hard to discuss the break-even point in numbers, but I think it can only be erased when ‘face’ mobilizes 10 million viewers.

Park Jung-min, Kwon Hae-hyo, Shin Hyun-bin, Lim Sung-jae, and Han Ji-hyun starred in ‘Face,’ while director Yeon Sang-ho, known for ‘Train to Busan’ and ‘The Peninsula,’ directed the film.