I'm planning to do a Q&A video soon, if you have any questions for me about movies, TV, my process, or anything else, comment below and I might address it in the video! Thanks.
I'd be interested to know what cinematographical styles and tricks suit TV better than theatrical movies? I understand there are things that work on the big screen but not the small - but are is there an opposite? And is there any master of TV cinematography that you could highlight?
Hello Mr Flight - appreciate your work! Q: In your role as a creator/educator, how do you establish priority over the information you think is critical ie. the most important points to include in a video break down? I still think your essay on "Echoes in The Place Beyond the Pines" is about the best I've ever seen in terms of succinct, elegant and enlightening narrative analysis. Thanks.
It's insane how Bong Joon-ho literally storyboards all these shots down to the way the camera moves, pans, shakes, etc. Not to mention that he literally customizes his sets and uses camera angles to get the exact shot he wants to convey his message. Absolutely nothing in this film is unintentional. It's an example of a director who has complete control of his craft. Mesmerizing.
When Hollywood is filled with arrogants, we have this rare gem that is Joaquin Phoenix a pretentious load of crap. What makes him unique is He will eat burger with cow meat after saying not to milk cow and claim he ate vegan.
@@lickenhuntsman5338 Do you have any evidence of that? Because as far as I know, he's been vegan for 40 years and feels strongly about it. I highly doubt he would eat a burger with beef in it (knowingly).
The scene where Jessica is just smoking a cigar on the toilet haunts me. I know that feeling when the world is crashing down and you don’t care. Plus the cinematography is great!
One of my favourite don’t cross the line shots is when Kevin is lying on the grass outside and his feet are just crossing a line in the big glass window. Suggested he is almost dipping his toes into the new life he thinks he has
Or it suggests he's laying in the grass and there happens to be a window pane in the shot? There are some metaphors here and there but that's a stretch.
I just realized that in the beginning of the movie, the mom comically said “you should’ve brought food” when they received the stone from the son’s friend. This draws a parallel to when Jessica could have brought food to the man in the basement but instead the son brought the stone, causing the following murders.
Don't you think some of those are coincidental though? I can't imagine Bong put thought into every one of those. Some seem like a bit of a stretch. Edit: I'm still not a believer in most of those shots at 5:00 having any thematic significance with the line. I struggled to find where some of the lines were before they were drawn and I don't think the shots were framed with them in mind. If you search "modern architecture" on Google, you will find an array of homes that have 90 degree lines and square rooms. Having lines everywhere is just a characteristic of modern homes, so it was bound there were going to be some lines in the backgrounds of the shots. Even one of the most noticeable "line" shots in the movie, the first one shown at 5:00 which I actually think is intentional, wasn't even used in the storyboard to separate the characters: mobile.twitter.com/ponysmasher/status/1263202679053881344. I'm interested to see if any of those other shots at 5:00 have those specific lines featured in the storyboard. If they did, I might reconsider my stance. If they didn't, then I'd stick with it. Unfortunately I don't have the storyboard book so I can't see.
@PERFUME computer city They're supposed to show separation/disconnection between the rich and poor families. There's also the "about to cross the line" quote the rich father mentions on several occasions, so the visual lines are supposed to solidify the characters' places when it comes to social status. If the line is crossed visually, that sometimes means the characters crossed the line as well.
both dads wear plain color clothes, wear native American symbol, rushing to their youngest kids. Ki taek was never on the same side with mr. Park up to this point.
Mr. Park is wearing light colors while Mr. Kim is wearing dark reinforcing the light=rich/dark=poor theme of the movie. Mr. Kim also has red in his headdress that matches Jessica's blood and also foreshadowing the blood of Mr. Park that is about to be spilled. Mr. Park's blue headdress also matches Da-Song's shirt. Insane amount of detail for literally a one second shot.
Poetic Musing, I LOVED that shot. Had Mr. Park known that was Mr. Kim’s daughter, perhaps he would have been more understanding - or not. And then there’s Mrs. Kim being the badass that she is while Mr. Kim freezes, and actually taking out the assailant.
It should’ve but The Lighthouse should’ve still won the Award in my eyes. And Parasite should’ve won for editing even though Ford vs Ferrari has great editing.
4:49 , this scene has another really cool cinematography skill that wasn't discussed in this video. The conversation between Mr. Kim and Mr. Park initially progresses with a shot/reaction shot/reaction shot... pattern, until suddenly, Mr. Kim asks Mr. Park if "he still loves his wife". He had just crossed the boundary that Mr. Park was talking about a few seconds ago. The camera then *_pans right abruptly_* for the first time in that scene and Mr. Park burst out in laughter. In similar fashion, You can also find Bong breaking "the 180-degree rule" in this scene: th-cam.com/video/8PUageR2xhI/w-d-xo.html . The camera violently swipes behind Jessica and we get to see the terrified face of Mrs. Park. Jessica had just crossed the line and Bong will use every last filming trick he knows to make sure the audience understand what had just happened and why it is so crucial to the story and the theme of the movie. There are so many hidden visual motifs, and it's so great that there is someone who can discern this work of art for film students like me. We should have more people who understand the art of cinematography to make good analysis videos like this on TH-cam. I absolutely loved this video. I've been fan of this channel since the Bohemian Rhapsody editing video. Keep up the good work. Love your contents!
@Vindawg 49 seconds in, as soon as Jessica lied about Da-song's potential psychosis. The camera swiftly tracks around the back of Jessica and reveals Mrs. Park's reaction. Bong intentionally breaks the 180-degree rule and maintains this imbalance to create an anxious mood throughout. It also allows the cinematographer to smoothly pan to the Da-song's Basquiatic painting at a later moment. This is what cinephiles mean when they call Parasite "balletic". Every shot is storyboarded and crafted by Bong to make each scene perfect visual poetry. It's simply magnificent.
Look at this 2 minutes long, one-take 360-degree camera work in "Memories of Murder". This is near beginning of the movie: Below is the scene. th-cam.com/video/WcBVxaq3vOw/w-d-xo.html
I noticed how the lines are always giving more space to the Parks, like they're pushing the poor Kims off the screen. Amazing attention to detailing for symbolism. And when Mr. Park says Mr. Kim never crosses the line but his smell does, it says that he doesn't hate Mr. Kim. He hates his status(though he doesn't know that).
Come on man atleast mention the cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo by name once. He shot Mother and Burning too. The man deserves some well deserved love and recognition. It's not just the director you know.
Hong Kyung Pyo is talented but let's be real here: Bong Joon Ho's storyboards and instructions are so specific and precise that the DP's role is not as broad as it may be in othe rprojects.
@@methdxman We don't know what happened on the set. We don't know what the conversations were like. It's irresponsible and unprofessional for a channel with this much viewership not to mention the guy at all.
@@methdxman man I understand where you are coming from. But as a working cinematographer I assure you directors of Bong's calibre collaborate with artists like Hong to make these films. Storyboards change all the time. It's impossible to make boards independent of a location that captures ur vision. And it's near impossible to not have the frames crafted without a great DP who understands your vision. Can just one man do a waltz? It's like that. Take Deakins and Coen brothers/ Sam mendes or any other dir/DP duos from history . It's as vital just as an actor director relation. Also like Cat said, the viewing audience seldom think of cinematographers or the camera team behind a great film, and wonderful yt channels like these should give these Craftsmen their due
@@LeninMcDonalds While I do agree with you in regards to the mutual collaboration between the director and DP, and I'm very sure there is that in Parasite, too, Bong actually created both houses virtually in 3-D, had a virtual Alexa LF with Signature primes and blocked out both camera and actors in that virtual space, as well as figure out the art direction. Then production design used the dimension measurements of the virtual houses to make the actual set. So basically, the camera work, the actors blocking, location and type of furniture, and the specification of the houses were meticulously planned out virtually with little changes on the shoot days
I am so grateful to creators like you for making Parasite analysis videos. Makes me appreciate this first masterpiece of the decade even more. THANK YOU.
It's not the only masterpiece of the decade tho (except if you're British and you're talking about the 2020s cause it just got released there) but yh glad they are making essays about it
Wow I never realized the composition of the shots is what made the film feel so smooth. It's why the scenes didn't feel jarring or disconnected. There was a process of thought that went with the filming instead of stitching different shots from different angles.
The line analysis was interesting. In all of the shots above, the line exists between the two families, or if you wanted to include the shot with Ki-woo and the housekeeper waking up the sleeping mother, between classes. One really overt shot that I can't wrap my head around - but found it wonderful to look at - was when Ki-woo is retrieving his rock, and on the left is his father, illuminated in light, and on the right is Ki-woo, engulfed in darkness, occasionally lit up by the flickering light. This shot has a very clear line between light and dark, but has two members of the same family. Is it simply a cool shot, or does it have a deeper/symbolic meaning? I'm not really much of a cinema student, so feel free to - pun intended - beat me over the head with the answers.
In that specific moment, Kim Ki-Taek is trying to rescue belongings to the family, in the middle of losing everything in the flood, his priority is the emotional connections to those objects and how they relate to his family, that's what's important to him yet Kim Ki-Woo can only focus on the rock because it symbolizes the richness he aims to achieve for himself and his family, he can't let go of the rock and as he mentions later it has kind of become a part of him and those two states of mind are reflective through the lighting.
Can't remember Bong mentioned this or read it from reddit, but there's an interpretation that Ki-woo already made up -or being made up by the rock of desire- his mind to kill the family in the bunker at that moment and "take care of everything." As the darkness upon him shows it.
ikr I feel the same way it literally wants me to write an essay on it, everything is done beautifully and perfectly and I've never felt this way about a movie before. the combination of artistic talent + the issues bong joon-ho is bringing up just makes it all so meaningful
So glad bong won against such great directors. His blocking staging & storyboarding is so meticulous, I also recommend every frame a painting's videos on his films,
Parasite was my favorite movie of 2019, so amazing! The best thing about It I think was the pacing/flow of the movie. Bong Joon-ho is great at creating and maintaining a good pacing throughout the whole movie I think, glad it won Best Picture!
Rewatching the film I noticed that when the little boy looks through the window the line is not crossing any character. For me it reflects that he does not see the separation of poor and rich. He is explaining so much without even say anything, and most people didn't even notice. What a great director
An excellent, thoughtful essay - last November I watched a piece by Accented Cinema, where I first became aware of "The Line." He had even more examples (like a walk down a hallway early in the film, where even the ceiling lights were perfectly symmetrical on either side of The Line). Once you know this, you can't NOT see them over multiple views. Criterion is bringing this out on Blu-Ray, and I wish the disc contained lots of insightful essays like yours. Thanks.
When you started showing all the separate shots in which the characters are divided by a line, that gave me chills. Even if some of them where coincidence, there are so many of them that the overall theme is impossible to ignore.
As a Korean, I noticed that the beer they were drinking changed from Filite(4:00 Korean version of National Bohemian, so to speak) to Saporo(4:08). Such a small thing that demonstrates a change in their financial situation.
I love the way you illustrated the "cross the line" idea wordlessly. A lot of video-essay writers tend to patronize the audience by over explaining but you let it speak for itself which made it an interesting point without labouring it. Thank you, this taught me a lot :)
6:54 “Bong’s long takes or well-choreographed tracking shots aren’t there for show but because they serve each moment of the story best.” I agree 100%. And this is why 1917, imo, was very annoyingly overrated. Clearly those long takes were for a show and gimmickry. Take away those gimmickry and you are left with an empty story. The Academy was right in giving the Best Picture award to Parasite and not fall to the gimmicky traps of 1917.
1917 is a spectacular movie with astonishing visual but it's more like a gimmick because (as you said it), if we took out the gimmickry visual, 1917 is a bland war movie If it's not for the so-called one-shot take gimmicks, I'd definitely fell asleep
That's why this can be done with 11 million, if there is no secondary purpose, don't do it. Plus Bong does not do cover shots, that saves a lot of time and money and energy.
i mean yeah but it is called a movie, its an audiovisual art form, why would you take the visuals away, the cinematography works for the story and vice versa
@@hhh-kn5yn well, if a movie is being carried (for the most part) by cinematography alone, then it's something I have a problem with. And it's also the reason why I don't think cinematography belongs to the so-called *trifecta* of the most important aspects of the movie (for me it has to be DIRECTION, EDITING, AND SCREENPLAY).
That is the transcending feat of the film, it's like saying remove Heath Ledger from Dark Knight and it would be half of what it is. Sam Mendes truly changed the art form with his direction. The movie is not based on a story - it is purely a journey of the protaganist serving his dutiful mission all the while having stunning visuals. The no cuts in the movie also represent the relentless nature of the character - not stopping even once and to keep on going.
When you talking about 'hand held'.... it actuallly looks to me that is a loose head with some small crash zooms, to make it look hectic. The horizontal's are always horizontal... the camera is not floating, is paning fast and zooming fast, with the camera on a tripod or static dolly. Not hand held, though. Love the analisys and your work though!!!
I think you're possibly right about some of these moves. Although there are a few shots (I don't think I include any of them in the video) that do appear to have a little of that vertical "jiggle" associated with handheld, but it's hard to really tell due to the longer focal length and slow-motion.
I think the only confirmed hand-held camera use is when original housekeeper ran down the bunker stairs followed by Mrs Kim with the camera held behind Mrs Kim's head.
one thing i just realized is that at about the midpoint of the film, the Kim family is in their semi basement and the drunk guy comes back to pee and puke in front of their window and they go out to splash him with water and catch a video of it on their phone. I SWORE that this moment would come back somehow, that the footage would get out and reveal their lies. Though that didnt end up happening it was kind of a bait and switch that mirrored the later blackmailing with video footage of the family filmed by the former housekeeper, setting up the idea in my mind that their downfall could come from footage showing their true lives and lead them to do what they had to do to keep it a secret. Even if that wasn't intentional (which i doubt, since everything about this movie is), it's still brilliant. Did anyone else have these same thoughts when first seeing the movie?
I just realised when you said each scene has a purpose its depth & level of connections with the characterisations is immaculate. For instance, those hot sauce scenes are a story on their own: Foreboding Jessicas death- 1. When the father splatters hot sauce on the helpers tissue to frame her for TB. Note that this hot sauce packet was handed to him by Jessica earlier on. 2. Her brother splatters hot sauce on a pizza Jessica, mom & him are eating. 3. Jessica is stabbed to her eventual death and her blood splatters on the bread just like her dad & brother splattered hot sauce on the tissue & pizza. This is the same object- character connection for actually all the deaths in the film. 1. Maid died in her hidden bunker 2. Mr Park due to his aversion to smell. 3. Guan Sae stabbed by a skewer of food (the dog is then shown munching on the skewed sausage depicting his parasite like behaviour to scavenge for food from the fridge at night) When you think back for each of these character connections, the camera made sure it linked them up to the eventual blood bath scene. Bloody genius!!
I'm not even exaggerating. I watched the trailer in August And as soon as the jessica jingle scene came up, I closed my tab without even finishing the trailer and downloaded the movie. I don't know how to describe it exactly but it was the cinematography that kept me hooked. After watching the movie I realized that it was so subtle and metaphorical but for me it was only the cinematography
Some other youtuber pointed out the symbolic lines in those shots first. Cant remember who exactly, but it actually does make a lot of sense now that I look at it
My favourite most metaphorical scene of the film is after the family escape from the house and rush home in the torrential rain, the image of them drudging down the steep steps in awful weather, falling into abyss. It perfectly represents their demise back to poverty, from perfect bliss in a mansion, to literal shit all over them. Powerful.
Wow! Thank you for this video. It was fun to watch and I learned so much. Trying to get more into the craft of filmmaking. I think you might become the first person I support on patreon!
@@HBarnill What stupid answer, I'm not white and I love the movie, I don't care if an actor is black or white to enjoy a movie, and appreciate the hard work.
This is what cinematography truly is and should be. It is a means to aid and present brilliant storytelling not to serve as a distraction or to flex fancy camera tricks I see on youtube too often.
The ending works, among a lot of things, because of the planified contrast. The entire film was order and clean shots. Then, the climax is chaos and irregularities. It's a clever move to develop moods visually.
Thomas you keep making awesome videos, and you keep getting better and better. Can't wait for the next one! One question tho: What is the song that starts at 4:47 ?
Bong joon ho’s style reminds me of Hitchcock movies! The jjpaguri scene reminds me of the movie psycho where music plays an important role in potrying the emotion involved in a sequence. And the sequence just flows with the music. I was a huge fan of bong after watching memories of murder. So happy to see korean cinema shine on a global scale!
@@JiSunny-tk6xk all that hard work he put into this detailed and very intelligent breakdown/analysis that he shares with people for free and THAT was you took away? Man, you must be a total blast at parties. Talk about missing the point, my guy.
@@danferraro3598 Please calm down. It's good material but it's not as detailed or intelligent or professional as it seems if there's a big piece of information missing. Irresponsible and disrespectful.
Love your video! Thanks for pointing out the scenes where they DON"T cross the line. Would have been better if you showed scenes where they DID cross the line. (Kiu reading a book while lying down in the large yard & Kiu tossing water bottle to Jessica while taking a bath, bottle crosses lines of the floor tiles)
I remember just picking a random movie to watch. had no expectations, had no idea who Bong Joon-ho was and holy shit, what an expericence. I was utterly confused and shocked and in awe and crying all at the same time when walking out of that cinema.
The scene where the old housekeeper woke up Mrs. Park shows how she crossed the line. Then lo and behold, in the later part, she has indeed been crossing the line even before the Kims did.
My favorite moment in the movie is in the first scene, when the fumigator is on the street- the dad says they should keep the window open to kill the stink bugs. When the smoke comes in the whole family protests but the dad become stone faced and laser focused on the box folding video. Such a real, unsettling moment, foreshadowing the darker side of the family we're rooting for.
6:47 "There's clear intention behind every shot but wonderfully, these things don't draw attention to themselves. Bong's long take or well-choreographed tracking shots aren't there for show but because they serve each moment of the story best." This is precisely why I like this movie to win Best Picture over 1917. 1917's shots just screams "look how cool this shot is" at every scene and effectively taking me out of the movie from time to time. Parasite's genius is that every filmmaking technique is invisible. You're just there to watch the story unfold.
Probably just to show the scale of the environment. For example, we get to see the toll the flood is taking on the neighborhood when there's that overhead shot of the raft, or how much chaos was caused at the birthday party when Kim is running. Edit: Not a tracking shot, but there's also that overhead shot of the Parks doing foreplay. That's probably to emphasize how close the Kim family really is by showing the scale of their environment. Bong probably also needed that angle so the camera could move in a linear way and make the fade to the next shot smoother, he storyboards everything so he probably thought about that. I'm not saying there's nothing metaphorical happening with the camera, but I don't think every camera angle is a message. Some angles just work better for blocking and cleaner editing.
Those are important points, actually. It’s part of the main theme of Parasites: human beings seen as cockroaches surviving on scraps, running for cover, helpless and storm-tossed. The privileged literally look down on the poor in society.
Love the film beyond words but writing this to say bravo for the analysis - seriously impressive. Brings even more insight, enjoyment & admiration to what's a contemporary masterpiece
Thomas, thanks for these beautiful breakdowns and studies of the cinematography in asian cinema. I always learn a lot from your videos and aspire to one day create films with similar visual language. Thanks for all your work. It’s both inspiring and extremely educational. Much appreciated
thank you for making this video! also thank you for not having some pretentious title and thumbnail, just cinematography is good! and that's what it was about!
Awesome video essay but you forgot to include the very impressive juxtaposition of the opening and end scenes where the camera pans down from the Kim house's window to Ki-woo. I think each scene is trying to contrast each other, e.g day vs night, bustle in the street (full of life) vs quiet/cold, Ki-woo's lighter mood vs bleakness, mobile communication (optimism) vs traditional letter/paper (nostalgia). Both scenes have the same pacing, too.
I knew that scene in the beginning when the house keeper wakes up Ms park in the garden but couldn't quite figure out why. This video make clear for me thanks!
And this is why if Parasite was nominated for Best Cinematography, it'd won for sure but I'm going to be happy anyway because Parasite already raked for 4 Oscars including Best Picture and I believe, Best Picture is already covering all of the aspects (Cinematography, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Film Editing and Original Score)
I'm planning to do a Q&A video soon, if you have any questions for me about movies, TV, my process, or anything else, comment below and I might address it in the video! Thanks.
Irishman: 0 Oscars
Taxi Driver: 0 Oscars
King of comedy: 0 Oscars + Flop
Shallow Joker: 2 Oscars + Billion dollars.
Scorsese must be mad. Lol.
@@lickenhuntsman5338 Scorsese doesn't care about Oscars or Rip-off joker movie.
I'd be interested to know what cinematographical styles and tricks suit TV better than theatrical movies? I understand there are things that work on the big screen but not the small - but are is there an opposite? And is there any master of TV cinematography that you could highlight?
Q&A question: Do you analyze films and make videos on them because you want to become a filmmaker? Have you made any sorts of films already?
Hello Mr Flight - appreciate your work! Q: In your role as a creator/educator, how do you establish priority over the information you think is critical ie. the most important points to include in a video break down? I still think your essay on "Echoes in The Place Beyond the Pines" is about the best I've ever seen in terms of succinct, elegant and enlightening narrative analysis. Thanks.
It's insane how Bong Joon-ho literally storyboards all these shots down to the way the camera moves, pans, shakes, etc. Not to mention that he literally customizes his sets and uses camera angles to get the exact shot he wants to convey his message. Absolutely nothing in this film is unintentional. It's an example of a director who has complete control of his craft. Mesmerizing.
When Hollywood is filled with arrogants, we have this rare gem that is Joaquin Phoenix a pretentious load of crap.
What makes him unique is
He will eat burger with cow meat after saying not to milk cow and claim he ate vegan.
@@lickenhuntsman5338 Do you have any evidence of that? Because as far as I know, he's been vegan for 40 years and feels strongly about it. I highly doubt he would eat a burger with beef in it (knowingly).
That’s why they’ve coined the term ‘Bongtail’. Bong detail
What's even crazier is he still thinks he can't draw....
@@reginalunaraea he's probably right to think so if he sees what he draws as not properly communicating his vision.
The scene where Jessica is just smoking a cigar on the toilet haunts me. I know that feeling when the world is crashing down and you don’t care. Plus the cinematography is great!
That shot will stick with me forever. Top 10 greatest shots in cinema history.
I thought it was a cigarette
Did you notice that pre-housekeeper vomit into toilet at the same time.
Sam Powell it was
I didn't know what to feel in that shot. Should I feel sorry or should I feel she's badass? Nope, I didn't know.
One of my favourite don’t cross the line shots is when Kevin is lying on the grass outside and his feet are just crossing a line in the big glass window. Suggested he is almost dipping his toes into the new life he thinks he has
Adam Savage I noticed that too! Can’t get enough of this movie
Adam Savage it can also represent the fact that he’s “crossing the line” by reading someone else’s private diary, and lying in a yard that’s not his.
Can't find it
@@sidmichael1158 1:31
Or it suggests he's laying in the grass and there happens to be a window pane in the shot? There are some metaphors here and there but that's a stretch.
I just realized that in the beginning of the movie, the mom comically said “you should’ve brought food” when they received the stone from the son’s friend. This draws a parallel to when Jessica could have brought food to the man in the basement but instead the son brought the stone, causing the following murders.
this is the third time im seeing you comment this on a parasite related video 😭
Great connection
I will stay with the theory that he went there to kill the guy.
Victor Gutierrez this parallel doesn’t dispute that theory
bruh
I knew there was something with lines going on, but I didn't realize just HOW MANY LINES there are in this movie. Work of genius.
Don't you think some of those are coincidental though? I can't imagine Bong put thought into every one of those. Some seem like a bit of a stretch.
Edit: I'm still not a believer in most of those shots at 5:00 having any thematic significance with the line. I struggled to find where some of the lines were before they were drawn and I don't think the shots were framed with them in mind. If you search "modern architecture" on Google, you will find an array of homes that have 90 degree lines and square rooms. Having lines everywhere is just a characteristic of modern homes, so it was bound there were going to be some lines in the backgrounds of the shots. Even one of the most noticeable "line" shots in the movie, the first one shown at 5:00 which I actually think is intentional, wasn't even used in the storyboard to separate the characters: mobile.twitter.com/ponysmasher/status/1263202679053881344. I'm interested to see if any of those other shots at 5:00 have those specific lines featured in the storyboard. If they did, I might reconsider my stance. If they didn't, then I'd stick with it. Unfortunately I don't have the storyboard book so I can't see.
@@visualsforyou7120 Knowing how filmmaker's minds can work, yes I do think a good majority was deliberate
I did not understand the point of those lines ?? What do they mean. Can someone explain?
@PERFUME computer city They're supposed to show separation/disconnection between the rich and poor families. There's also the "about to cross the line" quote the rich father mentions on several occasions, so the visual lines are supposed to solidify the characters' places when it comes to social status. If the line is crossed visually, that sometimes means the characters crossed the line as well.
@@visualsforyou7120 ohhhhhhh
4:40 The camera focused on both dads running to their kids' rescue. Quick but brilliant shot.
why is that a brilliant shot?
There’s a symmetry to it I suppose; whereas the majority of the film has one man looking down on another, here they are equal
both dads wear plain color clothes, wear native American symbol, rushing to their youngest kids. Ki taek was never on the same side with mr. Park up to this point.
Mr. Park is wearing light colors while Mr. Kim is wearing dark reinforcing the light=rich/dark=poor theme of the movie. Mr. Kim also has red in his headdress that matches Jessica's blood and also foreshadowing the blood of Mr. Park that is about to be spilled. Mr. Park's blue headdress also matches Da-Song's shirt. Insane amount of detail for literally a one second shot.
Poetic Musing, I LOVED that shot. Had Mr. Park known that was Mr. Kim’s daughter, perhaps he would have been more understanding - or not. And then there’s Mrs. Kim being the badass that she is while Mr. Kim freezes, and actually taking out the assailant.
the best part of this film is the fact that you can watch it multiple times in a row and still not grow old of it.
Should have been nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Purposeful and magnificent. Worthy Best Picture winner.
Good cinematography is when certain shots can make you genuinely feel something. I definitely did when I saw the "ghost" poking out of the basement.
It should’ve but The Lighthouse should’ve still won the Award in my eyes. And Parasite should’ve won for editing even though Ford vs Ferrari has great editing.
@@War_Maker The lighthouse was phenomenal. But I think 1917 completely deserved best cinematography
agreed. The great Hong Kyung-pyo (but nobody would know his name from watching this strange video)
@Ji.Sunny I was happy to learn he did the cinematography for Burning too, another really well-shot movie.
4:49 , this scene has another really cool cinematography skill that wasn't discussed in this video.
The conversation between Mr. Kim and Mr. Park initially progresses with a shot/reaction shot/reaction shot... pattern,
until suddenly, Mr. Kim asks Mr. Park if "he still loves his wife". He had just crossed the boundary that Mr. Park was talking about a few seconds ago.
The camera then *_pans right abruptly_* for the first time in that scene and Mr. Park burst out in laughter.
In similar fashion, You can also find Bong breaking "the 180-degree rule" in this scene: th-cam.com/video/8PUageR2xhI/w-d-xo.html .
The camera violently swipes behind Jessica and we get to see the terrified face of Mrs. Park.
Jessica had just crossed the line and Bong will use every last filming trick he knows to make sure the audience understand what had just happened and why it is so crucial to the story and the theme of the movie. There are so many hidden visual motifs, and it's so great that there is someone who can discern this work of art for film students like me. We should have more people who understand the art of cinematography to make good analysis videos like this on TH-cam.
I absolutely loved this video. I've been fan of this channel since the Bohemian Rhapsody editing video. Keep up the good work. Love your contents!
That video seems to be available. Which scene with Jessica are you referring to exactly?
@Vindawg 49 seconds in, as soon as Jessica lied about Da-song's potential psychosis.
The camera swiftly tracks around the back of Jessica and reveals Mrs. Park's reaction.
Bong intentionally breaks the 180-degree rule and maintains this imbalance to create an anxious mood throughout.
It also allows the cinematographer to smoothly pan to the Da-song's Basquiatic painting at a later moment.
This is what cinephiles mean when they call Parasite "balletic". Every shot is storyboarded and crafted by Bong to make each scene perfect visual poetry. It's simply magnificent.
@@roberts1425 Ok yes I remember that shot. Thanks dude!
Look at this 2 minutes long, one-take 360-degree camera work in "Memories of Murder".
This is near beginning of the movie:
Below is the scene.
th-cam.com/video/WcBVxaq3vOw/w-d-xo.html
@@TheGoodfella2012 I just keep loving this movie more and more every day. Truly a masterpiece. Seen it six times.
I noticed how the lines are always giving more space to the Parks, like they're pushing the poor Kims off the screen. Amazing attention to detailing for symbolism. And when Mr. Park says Mr. Kim never crosses the line but his smell does, it says that he doesn't hate Mr. Kim. He hates his status(though he doesn't know that).
Come on man atleast mention the cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo by name once. He shot Mother and Burning too. The man deserves some well deserved love and recognition. It's not just the director you know.
Thank you. What a strange video.
Hong Kyung Pyo is talented but let's be real here: Bong Joon Ho's storyboards and instructions are so specific and precise that the DP's role is not as broad as it may be in othe rprojects.
@@methdxman We don't know what happened on the set. We don't know what the conversations were like. It's irresponsible and unprofessional for a channel with this much viewership not to mention the guy at all.
@@methdxman man I understand where you are coming from. But as a working cinematographer I assure you directors of Bong's calibre collaborate with artists like Hong to make these films. Storyboards change all the time. It's impossible to make boards independent of a location that captures ur vision. And it's near impossible to not have the frames crafted without a great DP who understands your vision. Can just one man do a waltz? It's like that. Take Deakins and Coen brothers/ Sam mendes or any other dir/DP duos from history . It's as vital just as an actor director relation. Also like Cat said, the viewing audience seldom think of cinematographers or the camera team behind a great film, and wonderful yt channels like these should give these Craftsmen their due
@@LeninMcDonalds While I do agree with you in regards to the mutual collaboration between the director and DP, and I'm very sure there is that in Parasite, too, Bong actually created both houses virtually in 3-D, had a virtual Alexa LF with Signature primes and blocked out both camera and actors in that virtual space, as well as figure out the art direction. Then production design used the dimension measurements of the virtual houses to make the actual set.
So basically, the camera work, the actors blocking, location and type of furniture, and the specification of the houses were meticulously planned out virtually with little changes on the shoot days
I am so grateful to creators like you for making Parasite analysis videos. Makes me appreciate this first masterpiece of the decade even more. THANK YOU.
It's not the only masterpiece of the decade tho (except if you're British and you're talking about the 2020s cause it just got released there) but yh glad they are making essays about it
2:20 apparently they timed the whole shot with that bus passing by
Wow I never realized the composition of the shots is what made the film feel so smooth. It's why the scenes didn't feel jarring or disconnected. There was a process of thought that went with the filming instead of stitching different shots from different angles.
Omg didn’t even realise there’s bunch of ‘lines’ throughout the movie
The line analysis was interesting. In all of the shots above, the line exists between the two families, or if you wanted to include the shot with Ki-woo and the housekeeper waking up the sleeping mother, between classes. One really overt shot that I can't wrap my head around - but found it wonderful to look at - was when Ki-woo is retrieving his rock, and on the left is his father, illuminated in light, and on the right is Ki-woo, engulfed in darkness, occasionally lit up by the flickering light. This shot has a very clear line between light and dark, but has two members of the same family.
Is it simply a cool shot, or does it have a deeper/symbolic meaning? I'm not really much of a cinema student, so feel free to - pun intended - beat me over the head with the answers.
In that specific moment, Kim Ki-Taek is trying to rescue belongings to the family, in the middle of losing everything in the flood, his priority is the emotional connections to those objects and how they relate to his family, that's what's important to him yet Kim Ki-Woo can only focus on the rock because it symbolizes the richness he aims to achieve for himself and his family, he can't let go of the rock and as he mentions later it has kind of become a part of him and those two states of mind are reflective through the lighting.
Can't remember Bong mentioned this or read it from reddit, but there's an interpretation that Ki-woo already made up -or being made up by the rock of desire- his mind to kill the family in the bunker at that moment and "take care of everything." As the darkness upon him shows it.
this is one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's crazy how obsessed I am
Same. I've watched it 5 times and it gets better with every watch.
ikr I feel the same way it literally wants me to write an essay on it, everything is done beautifully and perfectly and I've never felt this way about a movie before. the combination of artistic talent + the issues bong joon-ho is bringing up just makes it all so meaningful
Parasite has some of my favorite cinematography I've seen in a while. It really aids with the storytelling.
When the Oscars best picture actually went to the best picture
Definitely amazing cinematography!
So glad bong won against such great directors. His blocking staging & storyboarding is so meticulous, I also recommend every frame a painting's videos on his films,
Parasite was my favorite movie of 2019, so amazing! The best thing about It I think was the pacing/flow of the movie. Bong Joon-ho is great at creating and maintaining a good pacing throughout the whole movie I think, glad it won Best Picture!
@lilmil What is in your opinion then?
This film will be a case study in many film school classes. Everything has meaning, everything is intentional
4:53 Love this montage of scenes not "crossing the line"! Beautiful.
Rewatching the film I noticed that when the little boy looks through the window the line is not crossing any character. For me it reflects that he does not see the separation of poor and rich. He is explaining so much without even say anything, and most people didn't even notice. What a great director
There’s a lot of foreshadowing and deep meaning in every shots that’s why everyone keeps coming back to see this masterpiece
An excellent, thoughtful essay - last November I watched a piece by Accented Cinema, where I first became aware of "The Line." He had even more examples (like a walk down a hallway early in the film, where even the ceiling lights were perfectly symmetrical on either side of The Line). Once you know this, you can't NOT see them over multiple views. Criterion is bringing this out on Blu-Ray, and I wish the disc contained lots of insightful essays like yours. Thanks.
When you started showing all the separate shots in which the characters are divided by a line, that gave me chills. Even if some of them where coincidence, there are so many of them that the overall theme is impossible to ignore.
1:30 son crossed the line
As a Korean, I noticed that the beer they were drinking changed from Filite(4:00 Korean version of National Bohemian, so to speak) to Saporo(4:08). Such a small thing that demonstrates a change in their financial situation.
Just watched Parasite tonight. I'm mindblown. Never have I wanted to learn cinematography more.
I love the way you illustrated the "cross the line" idea wordlessly. A lot of video-essay writers tend to patronize the audience by over explaining but you let it speak for itself which made it an interesting point without labouring it. Thank you, this taught me a lot :)
Danke!
Wow didn't notice the creeping camera. And I LOVE those longer shots in Parasite. Great video, as usual!
6:54 “Bong’s long takes or well-choreographed tracking shots aren’t there for show but because they serve each moment of the story best.”
I agree 100%. And this is why 1917, imo, was very annoyingly overrated. Clearly those long takes were for a show and gimmickry. Take away those gimmickry and you are left with an empty story. The Academy was right in giving the Best Picture award to Parasite and not fall to the gimmicky traps of 1917.
1917 is a spectacular movie with astonishing visual but it's more like a gimmick because (as you said it), if we took out the gimmickry visual, 1917 is a bland war movie
If it's not for the so-called one-shot take gimmicks, I'd definitely fell asleep
That's why this can be done with 11 million, if there is no secondary purpose, don't do it. Plus Bong does not do cover shots, that saves a lot of time and money and energy.
i mean yeah but it is called a movie, its an audiovisual art form, why would you take the visuals away, the cinematography works for the story and vice versa
@@hhh-kn5yn well, if a movie is being carried (for the most part) by cinematography alone, then it's something I have a problem with. And it's also the reason why I don't think cinematography belongs to the so-called *trifecta* of the most important aspects of the movie (for me it has to be DIRECTION, EDITING, AND SCREENPLAY).
That is the transcending feat of the film, it's like saying remove Heath Ledger from Dark Knight and it would be half of what it is. Sam Mendes truly changed the art form with his direction. The movie is not based on a story - it is purely a journey of the protaganist serving his dutiful mission all the while having stunning visuals. The no cuts in the movie also represent the relentless nature of the character - not stopping even once and to keep on going.
Man everytime you highlighted a line in the scene I got chills, this movie is fucking masterful and I'm so glad it's getting such recognition!!
When you talking about 'hand held'.... it actuallly looks to me that is a loose head with some small crash zooms, to make it look hectic. The horizontal's are always horizontal... the camera is not floating, is paning fast and zooming fast, with the camera on a tripod or static dolly. Not hand held, though. Love the analisys and your work though!!!
I think you're possibly right about some of these moves. Although there are a few shots (I don't think I include any of them in the video) that do appear to have a little of that vertical "jiggle" associated with handheld, but it's hard to really tell due to the longer focal length and slow-motion.
I think the only confirmed hand-held camera use is when original housekeeper ran down the bunker stairs followed by Mrs Kim with the camera held behind Mrs Kim's head.
one thing i just realized is that at about the midpoint of the film, the Kim family is in their semi basement and the drunk guy comes back to pee and puke in front of their window and they go out to splash him with water and catch a video of it on their phone. I SWORE that this moment would come back somehow, that the footage would get out and reveal their lies. Though that didnt end up happening it was kind of a bait and switch that mirrored the later blackmailing with video footage of the family filmed by the former housekeeper, setting up the idea in my mind that their downfall could come from footage showing their true lives and lead them to do what they had to do to keep it a secret. Even if that wasn't intentional (which i doubt, since everything about this movie is), it's still brilliant. Did anyone else have these same thoughts when first seeing the movie?
the compilation of the literal lines between the park and kim family literally blew my mind. excellent video!
The vertical lines = social distancing! :)
Absolutely brilliant! An great movie! Just incredible cinematography! That line detail is amazing! Good stuff! 😁👍🏻
I just realised when you said each scene has a purpose its depth & level of connections with the characterisations is immaculate. For instance, those hot sauce scenes are a story on their own: Foreboding Jessicas death- 1. When the father splatters hot sauce on the helpers tissue to frame her for TB. Note that this hot sauce packet was handed to him by Jessica earlier on. 2. Her brother splatters hot sauce on a pizza Jessica, mom & him are eating. 3. Jessica is stabbed to her eventual death and her blood splatters on the bread just like her dad & brother splattered hot sauce on the tissue & pizza.
This is the same object- character connection for actually all the deaths in the film.
1. Maid died in her hidden bunker
2. Mr Park due to his aversion to smell.
3. Guan Sae stabbed by a skewer of food (the dog is then shown munching on the skewed sausage depicting his parasite like behaviour to scavenge for food from the fridge at night)
When you think back for each of these character connections, the camera made sure it linked them up to the eventual blood bath scene.
Bloody genius!!
This movie is just AMAZING! The more you know about filming the movie the more interesting it gets. 🔥🔥
I'm not even exaggerating. I watched the trailer in August And as soon as the jessica jingle scene came up, I closed my tab without even finishing the trailer and downloaded the movie. I don't know how to describe it exactly but it was the cinematography that kept me hooked. After watching the movie I realized that it was so subtle and metaphorical but for me it was only the cinematography
one of my favorite feelings: looking up a topic on TH-cam and finding out Thomas has made a video about it
can't gush enough about this movie. It has so many layers and brilliance to everything especially the cinematography.
you're killing it with these parasite analyses!
Some other youtuber pointed out the symbolic lines in those shots first. Cant remember who exactly, but it actually does make a lot of sense now that I look at it
My favourite most metaphorical scene of the film is after the family escape from the house and rush home in the torrential rain, the image of them drudging down the steep steps in awful weather, falling into abyss. It perfectly represents their demise back to poverty, from perfect bliss in a mansion, to literal shit all over them. Powerful.
Wow! Thank you for this video. It was fun to watch and I learned so much. Trying to get more into the craft of filmmaking. I think you might become the first person I support on patreon!
This was one of the bigger snubs this year, the cinematography should have been nominated, certainly over Joker or The Irishman.
Over Joker? the cinematography was the most beautiful thing in that movie it deserved that nomination, apparently is now a trend to hate this movie
norm2014 Because it’s a shitty movie for white people.
norm2014 because the movie was nothing special.
@@HBarnill What stupid answer, I'm not white and I love the movie, I don't care if an actor is black or white to enjoy a movie, and appreciate the hard work.
@@bruhdudebruh3852 Maybe for you, but certainly it was special for the judges of Venice.
Great video essay/ explainer. I watch this film last night just so I can watch this video. And oh boy this was a good movie.
This is what cinematography truly is and should be. It is a means to aid and present brilliant storytelling not to serve as a distraction or to flex fancy camera tricks I see on youtube too often.
this is genius! great work man.
i love how much attention this amazing movie gets. korean cinema is so great and with this amount of success we hopefully get tons of movies like that
Hong Kyung-pyo. Say his name please. Obey.
Mr. Hong, you feed us and house us with phenomenal cinematography in The Wailing, Burning, and now Parasite. RESPECT!
The ending works, among a lot of things, because of the planified contrast. The entire film was order and clean shots. Then, the climax is chaos and irregularities. It's a clever move to develop moods visually.
These analysis videos are so great! Keep it up!
this movie is sincerely a masterpiece in almost every aspect
Thomas you keep making awesome videos, and you keep getting better and better. Can't wait for the next one!
One question tho: What is the song that starts at 4:47 ?
@@soonomi2224 Awesome. Thank you very much.
Wow... The part about the line was brilliant. Gave me chills.
Terrific analysis and learning, thank you. Great eye for detail.
Bong joon ho’s style reminds me of Hitchcock movies!
The jjpaguri scene reminds me of the movie psycho where music plays an important role in potrying the emotion involved in a sequence.
And the sequence just flows with the music.
I was a huge fan of bong after watching memories of murder.
So happy to see korean cinema shine on a global scale!
Yes, Bong was inspired by Hitchcock since he was 8!
phenomenal work on this video.
Not quite. The video fails to mention Hong Kyung-pyo by name.
@@JiSunny-tk6xk all that hard work he put into this detailed and very intelligent breakdown/analysis that he shares with people for free and THAT was you took away? Man, you must be a total blast at parties. Talk about missing the point, my guy.
@@danferraro3598 Please calm down. It's good material but it's not as detailed or intelligent or professional as it seems if there's a big piece of information missing. Irresponsible and disrespectful.
Love your video! Thanks for pointing out the scenes where they DON"T cross the line. Would have been better if you showed scenes where they DID cross the line. (Kiu reading a book while lying down in the large yard & Kiu tossing water bottle to Jessica while taking a bath, bottle crosses lines of the floor tiles)
I remember just picking a random movie to watch. had no expectations, had no idea who Bong Joon-ho was and holy shit, what an expericence. I was utterly confused and shocked and in awe and crying all at the same time when walking out of that cinema.
The scene where the old housekeeper woke up Mrs. Park shows how she crossed the line. Then lo and behold, in the later part, she has indeed been crossing the line even before the Kims did.
My favorite moment in the movie is in the first scene, when the fumigator is on the street- the dad says they should keep the window open to kill the stink bugs. When the smoke comes in the whole family protests but the dad become stone faced and laser focused on the box folding video. Such a real, unsettling moment, foreshadowing the darker side of the family we're rooting for.
You know what I feel for the people who made this movie and for you for making this essay? RESPECT!
6:47 "There's clear intention behind every shot but wonderfully, these things don't draw attention to themselves. Bong's long take or well-choreographed tracking shots aren't there for show but because they serve each moment of the story best." This is precisely why I like this movie to win Best Picture over 1917.
1917's shots just screams "look how cool this shot is" at every scene and effectively taking me out of the movie from time to time. Parasite's genius is that every filmmaking technique is invisible. You're just there to watch the story unfold.
A pure masterpiece
This is great. Thanks! Your videos help me so much, they're great! Love them
I loved the birds eye view tracking shot that Bong uses a few times throughout the film. Any thoughts on why he uses those specifically?
Probably just to show the scale of the environment. For example, we get to see the toll the flood is taking on the neighborhood when there's that overhead shot of the raft, or how much chaos was caused at the birthday party when Kim is running.
Edit: Not a tracking shot, but there's also that overhead shot of the Parks doing foreplay. That's probably to emphasize how close the Kim family really is by showing the scale of their environment. Bong probably also needed that angle so the camera could move in a linear way and make the fade to the next shot smoother, he storyboards everything so he probably thought about that. I'm not saying there's nothing metaphorical happening with the camera, but I don't think every camera angle is a message. Some angles just work better for blocking and cleaner editing.
Those are important points, actually. It’s part of the main theme of Parasites: human beings seen as cockroaches surviving on scraps, running for cover, helpless and storm-tossed. The privileged literally look down on the poor in society.
He loved Hitchcock's Psyco
especially the scene where Bates carried his mother (near the staircase?) with the camera high above...
Love the film beyond words but writing this to say bravo for the analysis - seriously impressive. Brings even more insight, enjoyment & admiration to what's a contemporary masterpiece
Thomas, thanks for these beautiful breakdowns and studies of the cinematography in asian cinema. I always learn a lot from your videos and aspire to one day create films with similar visual language. Thanks for all your work. It’s both inspiring and extremely educational. Much appreciated
I would love to see a similar break down of park chan wooks visual language
thank you for making this video!
also thank you for not having some pretentious title and thumbnail, just cinematography is good! and that's what it was about!
I remember seeing 6:15 for the first time and being blown away, it's so visually stunning.
simply beautiful, beautifully simple
This video blows my mind n calms me at the same time. Thank you!
Awesome video essay but you forgot to include the very impressive juxtaposition of the opening and end scenes where the camera pans down from the Kim house's window to Ki-woo. I think each scene is trying to contrast each other, e.g day vs night, bustle in the street (full of life) vs quiet/cold, Ki-woo's lighter mood vs bleakness, mobile communication (optimism) vs traditional letter/paper (nostalgia). Both scenes have the same pacing, too.
I watched the movie just 6 hours ago and now your video is a blessing to me
This is a great analysis and explanation, thank you!
This is just AMAZING! I'm a filmmaker and your videos are priceless!! Many thanks for your hard work !
"I Am Deadly Serious"
The best film analysis I've ever seen, thank you
That kill makes so much sense now, after all those lines. I mean I got the idea of what motivates him to do that, but this is great.
The line element blew my mind!
I think the "slow creep foward" also had the effect of viewers unintentionally leaning into the screen and towards the edge of their seats.
honestly this movie would be perfect for teaching beginning college students in cinematography. it's classic
This video is edited so well wow
As per usual another excellent video, thank you.
I knew that scene in the beginning when the house keeper wakes up Ms park in the garden but couldn't quite figure out why. This video make clear for me thanks!
Nice detail catch here.
omfg the line thing is so mf CLEVER
And this is why if Parasite was nominated for Best Cinematography, it'd won for sure but I'm going to be happy anyway because Parasite already raked for 4 Oscars including Best Picture and I believe, Best Picture is already covering all of the aspects (Cinematography, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Film Editing and Original Score)
Choi wo sik is also a cast of the korean movie the witch part 1 which is one of the best thriller movie I've seen.
Great vid brother
Thanks!
I'm just learning the basics myself...This director is astonishing!!
How does someone even know this without being told it from the director himself? Are people's analytical skills that good? It's insane.
The sin is me getting a trailer for Fantasy Island before I could watch this video aha