Interview with Director Jo Sung Hee, Discussing Song Joong Ki and the Making of SPACE SWEEPERS

Kapanlagi.com - SPACE SWEEPERS premiered on February 5, 2021 on NETFLIX. This film is the first Korean space film starring Song Joong Ki, Kim Tae Ri, Yoo Hae Jin, and Jin Sun Kyu. SPACE SWEEPERS is also the second collaboration between director Jo Sung Hee and Song Joong Ki after A WEREWOLF BOY.

SPACE SWEEPERS tells the story of life in 2092 where there is a spacecraft named Victory with a genius crew including Tae Ho (Song Joong Ki) as the pilot, Captain Jang a mysterious former space pirate (Kim Tae Ri), spaceship technician Tiger Park (Jin Sun Kyu), and a reprogrammed military robot, Bubs (Yoo Hae Jin), who successfully outperforms other survivors. At that time, Earth has become a nearly uninhabitable place. Therefore, a new habitat that is still pristine is created in space for the UTS residents. All these space journeys result in a lot of space debris, where the Spaceship Victory team survives by collecting the debris.

KapanLagi had the opportunity to interview the director, Jo Sung Hee, about his new film. Check out the full interview below.

Question: Did you discover something new about Song Joong Ki as an actor or personally when you were able to work together again after several years, and what factors did he show when portraying Tae Ho in this film?

Personally, I worked with Song Joong Ki about 9 or 10 years ago. Until now, he is still the same as before, a positive, cheerful, and friendly person. I think he is very similar to the character Tae Ho that I created, and in my opinion, he is very suitable for the character.

Question: It took 10 years to make this film script, what was your biggest challenge in developing the story and making it into a film?

I didn't realize the difficulties during the making of this film script. However, I experienced them during the filming. I found that Korean audiences might feel unfamiliar or awkward when hearing Korean conversations in outer space scenes. My biggest challenge was to make Korean language sound natural and familiar to the audience's ears. As much as possible, it should look natural and very distinctive with Korean actors.

Question: Is there any difference between the script you wrote and this film? Was there any difficulty in language communication during filming?

Long ago, I created a different character from the one I have now. There is a middle-aged man with a potbelly and a middle-aged woman who owns a restaurant, then I changed it to young characters played by young actors, that's what makes a big difference from the current film. And yes, I had difficulty in making the film in terms of language. We had difficulty in communication at first. But I tried to explain as much as possible, and the actors were also enthusiastic to understand it. It took a long time but in the end, we trusted each other and were able to complete the film very well.

Question: How was the process of creating outer space effects, how much CGI and studio setting were used?

Almost all of the outer space scenes used special effects (CGI), while shooting indoor or inside the spaceship, we used studio setting. However, specifically for specific scenes for wide areas, we used a combination of both, where the actors stood in the studio setting while we edited the background with CGI.

Question: As the first Korean outer space film, was there any inspiration from other outer space-themed films?

Not only inspired by films, but also games and anime, as well as space photos that can be inspiring. As for the techniques, I learned from Hollywood films.

Question: How can you create details of outer space scenes such as space debris, for example?

The most important thing is the design. We need to make sure we have enough time to create the design with the team. We discussed what we can do and what we can't. I want a maximum outer space concept, and the result of this film is a good collaboration of talented designer and CGI teams.

Question: Do you think the result of the film is perfect or even better than you imagined?

This film is very different from the scenario I wrote. However, whether it fails or succeeds is not something I should worry about. Film is about good collaboration between actors and creative teams. You will never know what ideas other teams have that can change the expected result. I think the result of this film is a destiny. Although the result is different from the scenario I made, but I am very satisfied. I also really enjoyed the process of making this film.

Who can't wait to watch the movie? Surely, throughout the film you will be brought into a tense, comedic, and even tearful atmosphere. Enjoy watching the thrilling action of Song Joong Ki, Kim Tae Ri, Jin Sun Kyu, and Yoo Hae Jin exploring space~ Before that, you can watch the trailer below. 

(kpl/mit)