Taylor’s comment that there were not many people who liked space felt like a hard smack to the back of my head.
Space opera is a genre with enormous potential to create cult fans all over the world.
And the work that made the space opera genre a worldwide hit was <Star Wars>.
But unfortunately, in this world, the <Star Wars> series did not exist.
Because <Star Wars> did not exist, the problem that arose for the very genre called space opera was far bigger than one might think.
It was treated as a vulgar genre, something that at the same time gnawed away at the very status of science films.
Perhaps because of that perception, the space opera genre had fallen to being used only as material for cheap TV shows aimed at children.
If only I could change that perception…
Lost in that thought, I stared blankly at the space projected on the screen without saying anything, and Taylor spoke.
“You are the first person who reacted this positively, Director Gyeong. There has not been a work set in space since the 1979 theatrical drama film <Star Trek: The Motion Picture>.”
“Pardon…?”
With a bitter smile, Taylor told me things about this world that I had not known.
The 1966 drama <Star Trek> had gained sensational popularity until 1969, but after the 1979 theatrical film <Star Trek> that followed it failed miserably at the box office, no one had the slightest expectation anymore for works set in space.
She added that because of that, the space opera genre had slowly faded from people’s memories.
“Because of that film, the <Star Trek> series disappeared too. Now it has become a work that only people in the know are aware of. So investors became reluctant to fund any films set in space.”
“Hm…”
With the level of CG I had just seen, I could be confident that we could produce a decent space opera film.
But CG work basically requires enormous capital.
The thought that we might even have to pull in KMD’s capital on top of Seonghyeon Production’s made my head feel complicated for a moment.
“But right now there are only the two of you at the company, correct?”
“No, three…”
“Yes. There are two of us now.”
Taylor looked at Nick behind her with a puzzled expression.
“Melinda just handed in her resignation.”
“Ah…”
Taylor looked at me with an awkward smile.
“Two is correct, then.”
Just two people. With that number, it was out of the question to create the CG my film would need.
Even Director Bong Joonho’s <Parasite>, which you would not think had a particularly large proportion of CG, had over two hundred CG technicians working on it.
What I wanted now was space built on high quality CG.
That would require a number of people that could not even be compared to <Parasite>, and the corresponding massive budget that went with it.
“To create this level of quality, two people are not enough, right. If we want to churn out this much within a few months, we are talking at least in units of a hundred people.”
“If we build teams including rotoscope artists and motion tracking designers… and if we also have to do it within a few months… of course it depends on exactly what we are making…”
Taylor thought for a moment, then carefully opened her mouth.
“Do you have something in mind already?”
“Yes. A dogfight based on space opera.”
“A dogfight…?”
“Spacecraft fighting each other. At close range. I want to stage some really thrilling scenes.”
At my words, Taylor looked at me with an expectant expression, her eyes full of disbelief.
“But if you want to finish pre production within a few months… I think you would need at least three hundred people. And then the budget would be enormous…”
“That is true. But I have a friend whose job is to solve money problems. I will talk to him and then get back to you. He is someone who knows the business side of money inside and out.”
At my words, Taylor gave a slightly worried smile.
“But if we do go ahead with this project, I think it would be best if you came to Korea to work. Would that be all right?”
“If you tell me to pack, I can pack right now. And if you want me to immigrate, I will find a way to do that too.”
“Ah… haha. I would not go that far…”
“I absolutely, absolutely want to do this. Really. You are the first person I have seen who has this much interest in space… I really want to do this somehow.”
With an earnest expression, Taylor put her hands together as if praying desperately and spoke to me.
At the sight, James beside us looked at me with a flustered expression, not sure what to do.
“Uh, calm down for now. Nothing has been decided yet. The money is not something I can decide by myself. For now, give me your card.”
At my words, Taylor hurriedly took a business card from her pocket and handed it to me.
“Yes. My email and number are here. Please feel free to contact me anytime. I look forward to working with you.”
After lunch, for several days, Lee Junseong stared blankly at the completely empty seat where Gyeong Chanhyeon usually sat.
When he imagined how Gyeong Chanhyeon was probably having the time of his life in America right now, Lee Junseong suddenly felt like the lunch he had just eaten was sitting heavy in his stomach and not digesting.
“Tsk. Not even a phone call. His friend is busy to death because of some work crazed lunatic.”
Go Sangwoo kept sending work files to Lee Junseong at all hours and asking him to check them, and because of that, Lee Junseong ended up working late every night together with Go Sangwoo.
But thanks to that, GO Entertainment was finding its footing far faster than expected.
“Ha… ugh.”
Just as Lee Junseong stretched with a satisfying yawn and was about to get back to work, his phone rang.
The name on the display was Gyeong Chanhyeon.
“Talk about timing. It is like he is watching me from somewhere.”
He smirked and picked up the call.
“Hey, I thought you were dead. Are you having so much fun you cannot even think to call your CEO. How is it there. Is it nice?”
“I am working too. I am calling about work right now as well.”
“Work? Did Chester make you peel oranges or something. He did not seem like that kind of guy, though.”
At Lee Junseong’s nonsense, Gyeong Chanhyeon laughed like he could not believe what he was hearing and answered.
“It is nothing like that. I met a CG designer here, and I think it would be good to ask her to do the next film. But this is not something I can decide on my own.”
“A CG designer?”
“Yeah. Her name is Taylor Jean, and today I went to her company MILM and saw some space background CG. If we use it well, I think it could be huge.”
For a moment, Lee Junseong said nothing at Gyeong Chanhyeon’s out of the blue words.
All of a sudden he was going on about space.
He had sent him overseas to get some inspiration, and now he wondered if the man had just gone completely crazy, when Gyeong Chanhyeon spoke again.
“Hello? The call did not drop, did it. Can you hear me?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah, it is fine.”
“We are talking about more than three hundred people. I am thinking of gathering CG capable people in Korea and going for a bigger scale on the next film. What do you think?”
“Three hundred people just for CG?”
“Yeah. Instead of outsourcing, I want to hand everything over to this Taylor Jean here and make it ourselves.”
Lee Junseong’s mind started working quickly.
But the problem he arrived at before long was, in the end, the astronomical budget.
Just the labor costs for this film alone would obviously be far larger than the total budgets of the three feature films Gyeong Chanhyeon had made so far combined.
“But at that scale… I think it will blow way past what Seonghyeon Production can afford. And you will not be able to rely on just standard investment either…”
“That is why I am asking you.”
“Do you have a script? You are not writing the script over there, are you.”
“The script will come quickly. Right now, preparing for the CG work is much more important. I already have the rough concept art all in my head.”
Thanks to his confident madman of a friend, laughter came out of Lee Junseong on its own.
He was a director who brazenly charged forward like this without even having a script yet, but that unique, slightly deranged confidence of his always had grounds.
“Hmm… do you remember <The Miracle of the Little Match Girl> that opened a few years ago?”
“Yeah.”
“The production budget on that alone was eleven billion won, and there were rumors that they used a lot of CG staff too, but even then they did not use three hundred people. If you use more than three hundred people… your new film’s production costs might go over twenty billion won.”
At Lee Junseong’s words, Gyeong Chanhyeon let out a deep sigh, then asked,
“Is it going to be too hard?”
“What, you think it is going to be easy? Do you think twenty billion won is somebody’s dog’s name or something. Do you think this is Hollywood. Sure, in Hollywood a film with a two hundred billion won budget would be called ultra low budget… but this is Korea. The average production cost for a feature film here is about four billion won. With twenty billion, you could make five feature films.”
As if he found Gyeong Chanhyeon’s words ridiculous, Lee Junseong fired that off once, then pushed his chair back and flopped all the way down into it.
Then, as if he were thinking about what sort of question he should ask Gyeong Chanhyeon, he closed his eyes for a moment and then spoke.
“Are you confident you can break even? Twenty billion is really not easy money. You know that, right. And even that twenty billion is just a rough estimate. Once you start shooting, there is no telling how high it will go.”
“I know. But this film is going to pioneer a genre. I am sure of it. Compared to how we sold the overseas distribution rights for <Jawol>, this film will sell for a price that makes that look like nothing.”
“You are saying you will make it back with overseas rights?”
“Yeah. The new film will not be one that grabs people’s hearts, it will be one that grabs their eyes.”
At the sound of Gyeong Chanhyeon’s voice, full of expectation, the seed of doubt that had been quietly sprouting in Lee Junseong’s heart vanished in an instant.
No, from the beginning, there had not been even the slightest doubt in Lee Junseong’s heart.
It was not like he had only once or twice ended up looking like an idiot after doubting what Gyeong Chanhyeon said.
Pulling his chair forward again and straightening his posture, Lee Junseong spoke.
“Fine. Have you ever lost out by listening to you? It is obvious that if I oppose you, I will just end up looking like a fool.”
“Then I will write the script as fast as I can.”
“Taylor, right? Was that it? Tell her that we cannot sign a contract right away, and that we will gather the money first and then sign. I will move as fast as I can.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
At Gyeong Chanhyeon’s thanks, Lee Junseong laughed and replied,
“Thankful my ass. Do not even say things like that. I am always ready to ditch you and run, and if you talk like that, I will just feel guilty when I do.”
At Lee Junseong’s words, Gyeong Chanhyeon just giggled wordlessly.
“Ridiculous guy… Anyway, I will check how much we can pull from KMD. When are you flying back again?”
“Three days left.”
“For now, just have some fun and come back. This is going to be a long term project anyway, so nothing is going to happen just because the script comes out right away. Take Sanghyeon out for some good food too. You should act like a proper hyung, man.”
“I am doing a good job as a hyung.”
After exchanging a few more playful jabs with Gyeong Chanhyeon, Lee Junseong hung up.
“Ha…”
The feeling that washed over him the moment he hung up was a mix of anxiety and expectation.
Twenty billion won.
At that immense figure, Lee Junseong’s heart started pounding.
It was an amount he would never even dare to consider if he were not working with a lunatic like Gyeong Chanhyeon.
But that amount filled Lee Junseong with excitement as well as fear.
When he thought of a space background film, the only thing that really came to mind was <2001: A Space Odyssey>, which Gyeong Chanhyeon was always praising.
It was a film full of all kinds of metaphors, not easy to understand, and one that split audiences.
But when he wondered what kind of film Gyeong Chanhyeon would make using space as a subject, a smile spread over Lee Junseong’s lips as if he were secretly looking forward to it.
“It makes me look forward to it for no reason.”
If people in Korea heard news that someone was spending twenty billion won on a film, they would obviously point fingers and call it madness.
But if he was going to receive that finger pointing together with Gyeong Chanhyeon, Lee Junseong thought maybe that would be all right.
“It is true, doing something truly crazy is the most fun when you do it with someone who is properly crazy.”
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