ways to love him: AS composer cho
okay, here's chapter 13.... and this interview is with the composer of all those lovely music behind AS. hehe, can't remember the compaser's name? he's cho sung woo.although a interesting read, it's still kindda sad to be reading about how the korean public didn't quite take to the film. but think it's fair to preface that traditionally, melodramas do not attract as wide an audience as, say, a big-budget disaster movie or comedy. and... like who cho had shared, the theme of infidelity is also abit of a taboo in korea. in most countries, marital infidelity is just grounds for seeking a divorce. but in korea it's actually illegal. yup, it's a crime. so perhaps that had something to do with the public's perception and response to the movie as well.
but elsewhere, especially in japan and even in france, the movie has enjoyed rave reviews. the storytelling, the pace, the cinematography, the casting and acting, the music all thread together to tell a story about love, lost lost, love found again, and also of betrayal and pain.
anyway, here's the interview, translated into english by our sweet sister.
original in japanese: ways to love yonsama
translated into english: a sweet sister / bb's blog
pics added by: yours truly, bb!
Ch 13 Connected by Music
and a “Love of Music”
April Snow Music Director
Cho Sung Woo
Felt Pressure on April Snow
The fact that BYJ was starring in AS and that I was in charge of the music put considerable pressure on me.
In actuality, when I compose music or when director Hur Jin Ho and I are arranging a movie, we work pretty much the same as always, and we were able to work without being conscious of BYJ, but then, when I thought of his tremendous popularity in Japan, I could not ignore the fact that a huge number of viewers would probably be hearing my music.
But I did not have any special thoughts of appealing to the Japanese fans when I composed this AS music. I did not create the music with BYJ’s fans in mind either.
If I had created the music with BYJ’s fans in mind and had BYJ sing or play the piano, then BYJ’s fans might have been pleased, but I felt that my personal fans would have criticized me if I had done this.
A movie original soundtrack (OST) with BYJ songs and BYJ playing the piano may have sold a large number of copies but….
But that would be going too far with the “profit motive” wouldn’t it? If I had tried to do something like that, BYJ may have also thought of me as, “That Cho Sung Woo is trying to use me to make money” (laughs).
As a music director, I had the pure intention of having BYJ, in the role of Insoo, sing and play the piano.
I also arranged the scene in the Duelist where Kang Dong Won and Han Ji Won performed the duet. The director, Lee Myung Se thought this film was a melodrama and thought that the duet would fit into the film’s story. The two performed the song well. It is not uncommon for the setting of a film to show the leads singing.
But even if I had the pure intentions of wanting to have BYJ sing in AS, and then had him actually sing, it would have been so easy for my intentions to be considered as taking advantage of his popularity.
That is why in the end I decided not to go ahead with this idea. For BYJ, it may have been a regrettable decision.
Photo Taken After the Concert
The setting of the movie was BYJ playing Insoo, a lighting director.
The reason for this setting is that director, Hur Jin Ho was attracted to the emptiness and ever changing qualities of “light.” At the concert venues, the “lights” shine brightly but when the concert ends, the lights go out leaving a sense of emptiness. Director Hur Jin Ho’s thinking seemed to be to use the contrast of light to express what appears in AS, during a colorful period of time and what happens after the emptiness passes.
When Director Hur Jin Ho and I created One Fine Spring Day I created the idea of Yu Ji Tae, playing a sound technician, because I thought that a technician that collected these sounds, matched the film’s storyline because even here, sounds were limited to certain locations and disappeared. Even in AS, BYJ playing the role of Insoo and the type of work he did, came out of such thinking.
Director Hur Jin Ho and I created the concert scene at Yonsei University’s open air theater showing Insoo in his working element. For BYJ fans, it certainly must have been a very memorable scene having participated in the film as concert viewers.
But despite this scene being created strictly for the movie, there were voices attacking,
“That scene was created for BYJ fans.” That was strictly not our intention though.
Yonsei University’s open air theater is a very wonderful venue, and I had previously seen a concert with artificial snow, which produced such a wonderful atmosphere that I had an obsession about using that venue someday. This venue is not rented out to the general public but because director Hur Jin Ho and I are graduates, the University cooperated with our efforts.
After this concert scene was filmed, I was sleeping on a bench when BYJ came quietly sneaking up and photographed me. I thought to myself, he got me! (laughs). BYJ may have thought that photographing me after seeing me worn out by the concert, was his way of saying, “Thanks for all your hard work.” He also should have been fatigued. You know, I still have not received that photo yet. I am thinking that I still have to ask for that photo.
What is BYJ’s Karaoke Repertory?
I was also with BYJ when he was on the film set and in Japan for the Saitama Super Arena event. I think that he is a warm hearted person. He is a super star but we are able to associate like brothers in a relaxed way. He jokes a lot and is a humorous guy.
Until we worked together I felt a lot of pressure but once I got to know him, our relationship turned into a familiar, “college senior- junior” relationship.
At fan meetings, BYJ will hardly ever display his singing voice but when he drinks, he would often be singing to himself. He often went to karaoke with director Hur Jin Ho and the staff. And no, I did not go together with them.
From what I have heard, he often sang the title songs from the movies I composed, or Zoo’s “Wings of Happiness” (To My Wife) and “Hidden Compass” from Last Present. He seems to like my songs. I have heard that he has a fun time singing these songs. He also sang songs by Kim Kang Seok, who died at the early age of 32. (“Around 30”).
It is a well-known story that BYJ is very proficient at playing the piano. When he had the time, he would sometimes play the piano. That is why I thought that it would be nice if he could play the piano at the Saitama Super Arena event, but he seemed to think that he needed more time to practice if he was to play for the fans. I think that it would have been a heartfelt, emotional piano performance.
Why AS Was Unpopular in Korea
It was unfortunate that the reviews for AS in Korea were unsatisfactory. The total number of moviegoers was about 900,000. The movie’s theme of “infidelity” carries a generally strong negative image. The result was that the viewers rejected the sordidness, dishonesty, and secrecy that accompany the image of infidelity. Because of that general image, the viewers were expecting the movie to be the same way.
If I were to speak on behalf of director Hur Jin Ho, he would say that AS is a movie about infidelity, but also his attempt to express “true love” in which he aimed to create moderation in the images he used. This is while maintaining the director’s style.
But the result may be that this message did not get conveyed to the moviegoers. I think the most heartbreaking part for director Hur was being told that he himself surrendered his creative style as an author to BYJ. There is no truth to this statement, and I think the director has continued to be respected for his directing style including AS.
Certainly, because of BYJ’s extreme popularity on the film set, I think things were difficult. Before filming began, I think the director was confident that he would be able to show the natural appearance of BYJ. But it must have been difficult for him to always let BYJ keep re-shooting until BYJ was satisfied. Despite this, I think that the director filmed the movie in his own style.
That is why director Ho and I do not think that AS is inferior to any of the previous projects. When AS was released in Korea, and the movie was severely criticized, we did not expect it and we were bewildered. Even now, we still consider it to be a fine film. *bb: me too, me too!
Because the reviews were so bad, there are times when I no longer want to think of AS and there are times when I think of remaking it and re-releasing it (director Hur Jin Ho’s re-edited complete “Director’s Cut” will be released in Japan in September 2006), it fills me with mixed feelings. It is just so strange why the movie got such negative reviews.
Memories of the AS Music Concert
The reviews also rated the music I created for AS as “ordinary”. When I look back on it now, perhaps the music ended up that way because the movie’s theme portrayed a common and ordinary “infidelity.”
It was not the result of composing simple songs so as not to disappoint the fans of BYJ. AS is a quiet film so I was intent on composing music that would match that mood.
Luckily, the music of AS was also well received in Japan and I received offers to appear in AS film concerts from a Japanese promotion company. I wanted to do concerts which would include not only the one project of AS, but that would also include all the other film projects I had worked on, and so I discussed this with the promotion company.
In the end, it was decided that we would do a concert featuring the music of AS as the highlight, and we would also introduce ten other edited works from the movies I had created. I also traveled to Japan to perform and act as guest conductor. I was happy to hear reactions from concert goers that, “It was very moving.”
It was quite a while since I had played the piano in a public performance. Well, I couldn’t perform as well as I did in the past. But what I lacked in technique, I tried to make up for it by putting my heart into the performance. I hope everyone enjoyed the performances.
The name, Cho Sung Woo and the music I have composed is well-known in Korea. There is even a “Cho Sung Woo Mania”. though small in number. As a result of giving performances in Japan, I have also given many interviews.
My CDs were previously sold in Japan, but with the impetus of AS, I have become more known. A fine opportunity to hear my music has been presented.
For those people who came to the AS concerts, they may at first have come to the performance thinking the concert was by “Yonsama’s music director” but I believe they left thinking, “Korean film music is really nice,” or “Cho Sung Woo’s music is really nice.” I hope that my concerts were the stimulus that will spur interest in the music of Korean films.
I also have many friends in Japan. Before AS, there are many musicians that I associate with. For example, I have worked together with Matsutoya Yumiko on One Fine Spring Day and recorded with Shinozaki Masatsugu, the violinist (NHK Famous Japan Peaks). My closest friend is Kawai Kenji (Running Wild). We call each other hyeong (aniki, older brother), and tongseng (otouto, younger brother).
Other friends are pianist, Sasaki Isao, who is famous in Korea, Joe Hisaishi, and CD producers. I think that the Japanese have a cool, sophisticated approach to creating music. Korean music, especially my music, I feel, when compared to such people may be lyrical. The Korean people may perhaps be more passionate when it comes to music.
Director Hur Jin Ho, I and BYJ Gave Our Utmost
Director Hur Jin Ho and I were philosophy graduates of the same university. Because there were few philosophy students, we were close to all of our classmates. But while director Hur Jin Ho was the only student among 20 classmates, it was not a case of him enthusiastically discussing movies and music together with everyone.
It was by chance that I came to compose music for Director Hur Jin Ho. After he graduated college, he began working for a company, quit that company, and enrolled in film school where he heard that I was composing music, and asked me if I would do the music for his short film. This is a story that took place quite a few years after we graduated from college. Up until then, we had a really normal college relationship as classmates.
Once we began working together, I found out that director Hur Jin Ho and I are really similar. From our personalities to our thoughts, to even our favorite foods, we are very much alike.
That is why when we work or whether it is regarding music, there is not much discussion, comments, or complaints. Even if there were no discussion, the interpretation of the project would be the same by both of us (laughs). I am also working on director Hur Jin Ho’s latest project, Happiness (starring Jeong Min Hwang, Im Soo Jeong).
Director Hur Jin Ho is skillful at getting fine performances from actors. Shim Eun Ha in Christmas in August, Lee Young Ae and Yu Ji Tae in One Fine Spring Day, director Hur Jin Ho helped them all to develop as actors. Rather than always saying a movie is a matter of working with skillful actors, these were cases where the actors became better because of the director.
For BYJ, who is passionate about acting, I believe that because he understood this, he undertook the project under director Hur Jin Ho. BYJ is always an actor that acts giving his utmost efforts.
In Korea, there are many talented film actors such as Sol Kyung Gu, (Rikidozan, Silmido), Song Gang Ho (The Host) and Jeon Do Yeon (Untold Scandal), and BYJ is also an important actor for the Korean movie world. He should not be considered just a film actor. It may be best to say that he is a valuable key man for spreading Korean films and dramas throughout Asia.
After working together with BYJ on AS, I keenly realized what a perfectionist he is and what a sincere person he is. As an actor, he shows good judgment and he fulfilled his role as an actor to the utmost of his abilities.
BYJ, director Hur Jin Ho and I, each of us fulfilled our individual roles to the utmost of our abilities, and I believe that we produced a fine piece of work.
p.s. actually i love the music in AS. i can still remember when i first heard the oboe (instrumental) version of the road, i had fallen in love with it immediately. the rest, like the accident, breathe and practically every song and every tune was just too lovely to boot.
you can download the road here. for a complete download list of the AS ost, click here. but hey, these are just for sampling... support and respect original works please!
also, click here and here to read what i had to say after the AS superlive concert at yonsei uni back in april 2005.
and... click here to download the BTS segment from the asia tour DVD where wuri yong was playing the piano.
p.p.s. incidentally, i love love love the movies mentioned in this interview! last present starred lee young ae and lee jung jae, two of my faves. and i also enjoyed one fine spring day, christmas in august and also art museum by the zoo.
posted by bb @ 11/28/2007 05:40:00 PM
1 Comments:
Ah, bb! Sweet sister!
Cho Sung Woo!
Wow!
Me too, bb, love, love, love the AS OST! When I listen to the orchestral version of The Road and I hear the oboe, then the clarinet, then the flute, and then, when the violins swell...wow! And the other pieces, too! I wish CSW would know that, for me, all the music he composed for AS is so wonderful, I often forget about BYJ when I listen to it!
If I don't have time to wind down before going to sleep, I put on that CD and it brings me a lovely peace of mind. This is something no other CD can do.
You know, I have to say I was a bit disappointed when I first saw the Saitama Arena concert. I don't normally go out of my way to see YJ in settings other than his primary work but I caved in on that one because of the music being performed live. You see, I was expecting the camera to focus on the players in the orchestra, especially the oboe-clarinet-flute sequence. But it didn't :(
Must say, though, in passing, that everything else I saw more than made up for my minor disappointment, including CSW's broad smile as he came on stage.
I'm glad he explained about director Hur not surrendering his creative style in AS because there is a lingering impression that since YJ was somewhat conflicted about his role, the movie was edited so as to alleviate his worries. In fact, I think that this gem of a movie leaves so much room for interpretation that we all bring to it our own values and experiences and this colours how we understand it. Add to it knowledge about how our favourite actor felt as he impersonated his character and about which scenes were deleted, and it's easy to link those into false causes and effects.
Perhaps Director Hur and CSW should just think that, for Korea in 2005, AS was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I wish they would both be heartened by the success elsewhere, notably in Japan - although they attribute it mostly to YJ's immense popularity -
and also in France, where this is definitely not the case.
As for the theme of infidelity, I think this movie brings a fresh view by disecting the "ha-ha" moment when the betrayed pair understands that it wasn't something lacking in them that led their spouses astray but, rather, feelings we usually deem beautiful. I interpreted this as a "walking a mile in someone else's shoes" message.
It's interesting to be reminded that what may happen casually, if discreetly, elsewhere still carries such a stigma in some parts of the world, including seemingly modern Korea. Over in Canada, I think the feelings about infidelity is that it's morally wrong but, hey, it happens and who are we to judge others?
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