Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1316365
www.postmagazine.com 17 POST NOV/DEC 2020 OUTLOOK O DIRECTORS LEE ISAAC CHUNG Minari, Lucky Life, Abigail Harm, Munyurangabo The American/Korean director/writer/producer grew up in Lincoln, AR, on a small farm in the Ozark Mountains. His first feature film was the ultra-low budget Rwandan family drama Munyurangabo, which pre- miered at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival to great acclaim. His next two feature films, Lucky Life and Abigail Harm, raised his profile on the festival circuit, and his new film Minari, a poetic evocation of his rural childhood, looks certain to cement his growing reputation. STRENGTHS: "I really enjoy the transition of personnel that occurs when produc- tion shifts to post production. With the passing of the baton, everyone involved in post brings fresh energy and perspective to the film. It gives the film a chance to be reborn. I usually crash at the end of a film shoot, so this feeling of renewal does wonders for my own approach to the material. Another aspect I like is the more reflective nature of post, done in commu- nity. As a writer/director, writing feels very solitary and lonely, but editing a film adds the dimension of dialogue with an editor, mixer, colorist and so on. After finishing a film, I look back and realize that some of my favorite memories come from the conversations I've had in edit rooms and mixing bays." WEAKNESSES: "It feels like a miracle when a large team of people can agree that a film is completed. Some of this is due to the different perspectives every- one brings in the industry with increasing- ly varied goals, but I feel another aspect is the increasing level of choice in post production. Every year, there are more ways of changing and perfecting material, so it is harder to arrive at a point in which there's nothing left to do. This endless array of choices is a weakness on the audience side as well. There are so many ways that a film will be viewed, that it's difficult to work toward the best viewing experience for every platform." OPPORTUNITIES: "This is an important caveat to the idea that having too many choices is a weakness. It could very well be an opportunity. I'm amazed by the prog- ress of technical innovations in post year after year, and there's a genuine artistic innovation behind all of that. Thanks to digital artists, we are gaining more tools to up the magic in the game of thrilling, mys- tifying and moving an audience. I think all of this adds to the language of cinema and allows the craft to evolve and grow." THREATS: "My first thought goes to people. As post processes become more computer driven, I worry about automat- ed processes overtaking post production jobs. There are a lot of personnel who add to the process through their pres- ence and working relationships with the entire post team — even if some of their work might become replaceable through innovations in automation. Unfortunately, it's hard to put a number on these in- tangible contributions, so I worry about what might be lost for the sake of cost savings. In some ways, I think this relates to how we think about the people we put on-screen as well. I think much of the magic of cinema resides in actors' per- formances and their beautifully-flawed individuality; I think we lose something if we give too much over to digital manip- ulation to control what we end up seeing of actors on the screen." OUTLOOK: "I think a lot about this, but honestly, I don't know. We're all being forced to be adaptive in our processes, and I think we're up to the challenge. Our current uncertainty in the industry hinges on what's happening outside in the world, and it's important that we let whatever is happening in the world affect the way we work. The world is changing, and that means our stories and processes must change too." Lee Isaac Chung's Minari is about a Korean family that moves to Arkansas.