A few months later, MILM.
Gyeong Chanhyeon checked the final CG for <Space Vagabond>.
The MILM employees looked expectant, waiting for Gyeong Chanhyeon’s first words after finishing his impressions.
“You worked hard. Everyone… with this, it should be possible.”
At Gyeong Chanhyeon’s words, the MILM employees’ faces brightened.
Final evaluation passed.
After living in the office for months, they hugged each other, and some even let out cheers.
“Now, really…… we can get out of this hell, right?”
“Hell? We made a movie at the level of a creator! This is heaven!”
At Taylor’s shout, the MILM employees all gave bitter smiles.
A bitter smile where you could not tell exactly what kind of smile it was. But because everyone had done their best, not even a trace of regret could be seen inside that smile.
“Ha ha… Taylor is right.”
“Yes… this is heaven. Ha ha… overtime heaven.”
“I can’t remember my mom’s face…”
At the employees’ words, Taylor said with a bright smile.
“But look at what we made! This is a miracle!”
Just as Taylor said, what MILM produced was close to a miracle.
So much manpower. And the result those people created by clinging to it for months.
<Space Vagabond> was at the level of a secret weapon MILM created.
Taylor looked at the result, then looked at Gyeong Chanhyeon.
The 5 billion won in investment they received from the toy company Sion Prime.
That money was invested entirely into MILM.
Staffing and adding equipment.
Because of that, the production period for <Space Vagabond> was shortened a lot.
While looking at him, Taylor, curious about what he had just said, asked Gyeong Chanhyeon.
“Director. There’s something I’m curious about…”
Taylor spoke to Gyeong Chanhyeon beside her.
“Yes?”
“What is possible?”
The final VFX cut of <Space Vagabond>.
In Taylor’s eyes, there had never been a movie like this.
It had a much cheaper budget than <Jurassic Park>, but a quality level that was incomparably superior.
If it were America, labor costs would have increased it by dozens of times.
Rather, it was possible because it was Korea.
So Taylor clasped her hands and asked, expecting Gyeong Chanhyeon’s answer.
“Ah, ha ha. Leaving it behind as a classic of space opera.”
At Gyeong Chanhyeon’s confident words, Taylor nodded.
“A space opera classic…….”
Taylor repeated his words and thought.
<Star Trek>, which Taylor loved but which went under.
If people accepted <Space Vagabond> the way <Star Trek> was accepted as a monumental work for her, then as Gyeong Chanhyeon said, becoming a classic of space opera would not be difficult.
“But what comes next is more important.”
“Yes…?”
At Gyeong Chanhyeon’s words, Taylor asked with eyes widened, as if flustered.
Even right now, a movie like <Space Vagabond> had never come out in the world.
But seeing him already thinking about the next chapter after a short exclamation in front of such a movie, Taylor’s spirit drooped for no reason.
“From now on…?”
“Yes. From now on, CG technology will advance without limit. It will become more precise, and more perfect.”
“I’ve never even seen a movie like this.”
At Taylor’s expression, with her lips pushed out, Gyeong Chanhyeon fell silent for a moment as if flustered.
Then he looked at Taylor with an awkward smile and said,
“Ah… ha ha. Yes, right now, a movie like this is enormous. It’s thanks to Taylor. Ha ha.”
“Right now? No, at this level…”
A quality that would require bringing in top tier Hollywood VFX engineers. Looking at Gyeong Chanhyeon as if he was dreaming other dreams even while watching CG of this quality, Taylor asked.
“Isn’t it an amazing movie?”
“Ah, well…”
As Taylor’s expression grew more serious, as if he had said something wrong, Gyeong Chanhyeon trailed off.
“…?”
Gyeong Chanhyeon, looking awkward, scratched the back of his head roughly.
Then he smiled awkwardly and said,
“People should always live looking forward. Ha ha. You must not be satisfied easily. Ha ha!”
At Gyeong Chanhyeon’s words, Andrew, who had been quietly listening beside them, nodded repeatedly.
“Yes. Taylor. Director Gyeong is right. From now on, starting with <Space Vagabond>, shouldn’t we produce works far better than this one!”
Seeing Andrew speak with his arms crossed, Taylor frowned.
“Gambler. That is obvious, but you also have to know how to be satisfied.”
“How long are you going to call me that? Now you’re the only one calling me that!”
“I’m going to call you that for the rest of my life.”
“Kheum…”
When Andrew frowned and sighed, Taylor looked at him with a playful smile.
Gyeong Chanhyeon relaxed, seeing Taylor’s mouth go back in, and laughed as he said,
“Now we’re really almost there. Ha ha.”
After watching the final VFX cut of <Space Vagabond>, my steps leaving MILM were light.
Of course, the future movies are in my head.
It had been a long time since I saw them, but because of technical limitations, they did not look perfect.
But this was the first step of MILM and Seonghyeon Production’s CG films.
Thinking that for a first step, we had stepped quite far, a smile formed on its own.
The things we could do through MILM from now on were limitless.
In visual art for film, George Lucas of <Star Wars> had ILM, and Peter Jackson of the original <The Lord of the Rings> series had Weta FX.
And in this world, for the first time, a visual art company linked with a film director, MILM.
It still seemed a long way off from replacing ILM and Weta FX, but even so, I could be sure it would have a big impact on the film industry going forward.
With those thoughts, I got into the car, and at perfect timing, my phone rang.
Ttiriring.
The name on the phone was Junseong.
With that familiar name, I answered, and a bright voice came through.
-Did you finish up at MILM?
“Yeah, I just watched through the final cut.”
At my words, Junseong asked.
-How is it? Is it okay?
“It’s not just at the level of okay. It’s a work that’ll be a revolution in the film industry here.”
-Here, film industry? What, did you come from another world? Ha ha.
At Junseong’s words, I realized I had misspoken, but Junseong, as if dismissing it as the usual nonsense, answered with a playful laugh.
-You’re overflowing with confidence sometimes.
“Isn’t it nice to see?”
-Nice to see… fine. More importantly, can we wrap it up on time?
What remained as the main focus now was editing.
The stage of finishing the film.
Thinking that once this was done, I could rest a bit, a smile spread at the corner of my mouth.
“I have to. I pulled in money to shorten time, after all.”
-You know it well. Still, do it while sparing your body. Are you sleeping well these days?
“I sleep well. Of course.”
Making catnaps a daily routine.
I could not even gauge properly when the last time I had slept deeply was, but I brushed it off roughly because I could hear worry in Junseong’s voice.
-Don’t lie, punk. Your voice reeks of lying.
But the lie was easily caught.
At Junseong’s worry filled voice, I laughed awkwardly and did not answer.
-Today, go home and sleep well. If only editing is left now, it’s more relaxed than before, right?
“Got it. I’m hanging up.”
After ending the call, I closed my eyes for a moment.
The finishing stage of the film.
Thinking that we were approaching final editing, a bit of nervousness rushed in.
“Hoo…”
For editing <Space Vagabond>, what matters is making the audience feel as if they are having an enormous experience.
For this film, the weight of editing was even more important than for other films.
Sound effects we had made through a skilled foley artist. And the music director Junseong brought in with a lot of money, too.
This time, the audience’s visual and auditory pleasure had to be the center.
But at the same time, the narrative we could not lose.
It was certain that <Space Vagabond> would succeed.
Because there had never been a movie this visually flashy until now.
A movie everyone, men and women, young and old, could enjoy.
Hoping it would become that kind of movie, I set an alarm, thinking I would take a short nap for a moment.
A few more months later.
Even the time put into editing was several months.
During that time, <Space Vagabond> was reborn into a perfect form, beyond comparison to before.
“Everyone worked hard.”
At my words, the team members in the editing room let out cheers again and again.
“A movie like this coming out of Korea!”
“This is insane. It’s insane…”
“Thank you for letting us put our spoon on a movie like this, Director Gyeong Chanhyeon.”
To the team members expressing thanks to me, I held out my hand and said,
“You all worked hard. What do you mean, a spoon. Ha ha. Each of you made at least one side dish.”
It was already late.
It had been a long time past the time everyone should have gone home, but with the heart to see it through today, everyone stayed in the editing room without complaints.
“Today it’s late, so let’s all head home. Before the screening, let’s get together once.”
“Oh, a wrap party!?”
Seonghyeon Production wrap party.
For some reason, the event you do when film production ends became famous.
“Wow, this is the Seonghyeon Production wrap party I only heard about.”
“We can bring family too, right?”
“Yes. Ha ha. It’s something you should be treated to as much as you worked hard.”
At my words, instead of leaving, they chatted in small groups.
“Not being able to go home for days, I can say it proudly.”
“Of course! I have to feed the kids lots of expensive, delicious food too.”
Leaving those words behind, I took my phone and stepped out of the editing room.
The person I needed to call was Junseong.
Because the work was finished perfectly, the busy part was now Junseong’s share.
-Hello?
“The work is done. Set the screening schedule.”
-Really? Nice. Kim Eunha’s movie is almost at the end now, so we can proceed right away.
Kim Eunha’s new work, <Corner>.
Her second film.
I had seen it at a preview screening, and it was a delicate piece that was like her.
This time, without my help, she made her film entirely on her own.
Maybe because of that, the delicate details I knew as uniquely hers were even more alive.
Kim Eunha was building her own film color like that.
“Yeah. Move it as fast as possible. Did Sion Prime contact you?”
-Ah, yeah. They said they made a sample.
“Good. By the audience screening, I’d like it if the quantity is filled to some extent.”
-By the screening? Why?
Junseong asked back.
“Yeah.”
-What are you going to use it for?
“Special event at the screening.”
-Like with <Night>?
“I can’t hand them out like that. I’ll give them to a few audience members.”
The best way to let people know that the figures exist.
For that method, the best thing in the end was word of mouth from the audience.
“Imagine a photo of Seunghun hyung handing over the Ryu Seongmin figure himself, printed in the newspaper. Wouldn’t it become a huge topic?”
-Oh, that’s not bad.
Junseong continued, sounding interested.
-Then I’ll ask Sion Prime separately and request that they do a small early production of a few first.
“Yeah. Let’s make a big incident.”
-Let’s blow up a mega hit! Waa!
A mega hit.
No, it had to be a total super mega hit.
This film had to be one that did not just become a topic in Korea but spread big enough to go across the sea.
Only then could it influence the world’s film industry.
T/N:
- Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is the premier motion picture visual effects company founded by George Lucas in 1975 specifically to create the groundbreaking, revolutionary special effects for the original Star Wars (1977). It has produced the VFX for every Star Wars film, plus major franchises like Indiana Jones and Jurassic Park.
- Wētā FX (formerly Weta Digital) is a premier New Zealand-based visual effects and animation studio founded in 1993 by Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, and Jamie Selkirk. Known for groundbreaking work on The Lord of the Rings, Avatar, and Planet of the Apes, they specialize in performance-driven, photorealistic creatures and characters.
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