2023.08.17

‘Three Reasons Why I Adore Jung Hae-in’ Behind-the-scenes stories shared by the sound staff of DP2 (英語)

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The show titled 「Actors on a Journey (2023)」 promises to showcase the trip to Scotland taken by two whiskey enthusiasts born in 1988, actor Yim Siwan and Jung Hae-in.

「俳優は旅行中」イム・シワンとチョン・ヘイン2人の特別な旅、配信は？

With only about 10 days left until “Actors on a Journey” starts, from August 23, 2023, teaser videos are being released gradually. While searching for them on YouTube, I stumbled upon a Korean channel titled “What is a Review? (리뷰가 뭐고?)”.

This week’s theme on the channel was an interview with the person responsible for the sound work on DP2 (whether she is an engineer or director is unclear, but she seems to be responsible for the dialogue editing of the drama DP).

“What is a Review?” YouTube Channel’s main content revolves around behind-the-scenes stories of DP2 sound mixing, comparisons between season 1 and season 2 of DP, and some anecdotes about the actors.

Being a relatively niche channel, all the content was in Korean without subtitles, so I wanted to share the content with the Japanese and the global audience(hence doing the English translation here), especially fans of Jung Hae-in.

If you’re curious about the sound-related workflow after film shooting and actors’ recording processes (especially Hae-in), keep scrolling and read on!

Contents

DP Season 2 : the sound director’s thoughts and reviews about the series.
- Is DP2 too detached from reality? Her POV
- DP Season 2: Top performances by the actors.
Netflix DP2 – Sound Mixing and Working with the Actors (Jung Hea-in)
3 reasons to love Jung Hae-in from Netflix DP
Being a fangirl(of Jung Hae-in) is a part of her job!
- What is a Review? (Talking to the sound staff about Jung Hae-in – or rather, about DP2) – YouTube (Korean Only)

DP Season 2 : the sound director’s thoughts and reviews about the series.

Is DP2 too detached from reality? Her POV

About two weeks have passed since the release of DP2, and feedback on the storyline is emerging within South Korea.

On Korean social media, comparisons between seasons 1 and 2 of DP are common. There seems to be a prevailing opinion that season 2 is too far removed from reality.

To some audiences, it may look like Jun-ho bangs his head against a wall(the military), and DP2’s story line may depict situations that are unattainable in real life as main characters attempting to change their realities.

While season 1 closely reflected reality, which is problematic in its own right(it is brutal), season 2 is centered more around its characters’s attempts, as director Han Jun-hee intented.

Behind the scenes of DP2. Photo by Netfilx Korea

This sound staff was also in charge of DP season 1.

She mentioned that while season 1 was “too realistic”, season 2 added “more dramatic elements”. With the action scenes increased, the genre felt entirely different to her. When she received the final edits, it was impossible for her not to binge-watch the entire season 2 as the episodes were so interlinked.

Given that there was no original plan to have a sequel after the 1st season, the level of completion in season 2 is testament to the relentless effort of director Han Jun-hee, the actors, and the entire production team.

DP Season 2: Top performances by the actors.

Season 2, which emphasizes the characters more than season 1, provided more entertainment in watching the actors’s performances.

俳優「ぺ・ナラ」DP2初ドラマ出演、デビュー10年でLGBTの脱走兵ニーナ役、彼の兵役時代は？経歴・プロフィール

The “What is a review?” team discussed actors like “Bae Nara“, “Jung Suk-Yong“, and “Ji Jin-hee“, who showed different sides of their acting skills from their past movies and dramas.

Actor Ji Jin-hee, known for portraying kind-hearted characters, challenged himself with a completely different role in DP2, while actor Jung Suk-Yong, known for his kind and warm presence, portrayed a ruthless villain.

A scene where he jumps and kicks Ho-yeol while trying to capture Jun-ho became a hot topic among the actors, most of them thought it will be acted by a young male in his 30s when they read the script.

Now they saw Jung Suk-Yong’s acting in DP2, the consensus was that the role suited him perfectly.

Netflix DP2 – Sound Mixing and Working with the Actors (Jung Hea-in)

After filming for DP Season 2 was completed, there was a period of 2-3 months to work on sound after receiving the final edit.

During this time, many actors would come to the studio to dub lines that were not captured well during the actual filming.

Especially for DP, the dialogue can be more sensitive with many lines expressing emotions. It was mentioned that they had to re-record almost as much as Hollywood movies that dub almost every line.

Notably, for the role of Shin Ah-hui(Choi Hyun-wook) in DP Season 2 Episode 10’s “The Charred Remains”, all of the lines were re-recorded to match the final edited version’s tone of voice.

I knew that many of the same scenes would have to be acted out repeatedly during the filming, but it was surprising that many scenes would have to be voice-recorded again.

Of course, the actors would dub their own voices, not other’s but they are almost like voice actors. It’s also probably a lot of edits and engineering involved by the sound staff after the recording.

The actor Kim Sung-kyun apparently even did push-ups to evoke the same emotions he had while filming, which is amusing. haha… And, the sound staff mentioned that she just adores the lead actor, Jung Hae-in(which, in a way, is expected, right?) after working with him in the recording studio.

3 reasons to love Jung Hae-in from Netflix DP

While many actors came to the studio for recording, when asked who the sound staff liked the most in DP Season 2, she repeatedly mentioned Jung Hae-in’s name without hesitation.

So, why the fondness? Her three reasons were:

He’s incredibly gentle.
He’s very sincere.
He has great stamina (and he’s good-looking, handsome).

While these reasons might seem very ordinary, they tell us how disciplined he is as an actor. The sound staff says that even after he had extensive recording sessions, often for 5~7 hours of recordings none stop for several days, he is never seemed to be tired and can keep going at the same pace until his part is completed.

In addition, when she asked for a selfie, while most actors would position themselves to make their face appear smaller in the photo, he put his face forward. This gesture deeply impressed her.

Being so close face-to-face, it’s a quite intimate photo with Jung Hae-in(and Koo Kyo-hwan & Son Suk-ku)!

The evidence is here↓

「彼女が仕事をする理由」チョン・ヘイン、く・ギョファン、ソン・ソック氏との写真(YouTube動画スクショ） — 「The reason why she loves being a sound staff」from ‘What is a review?’

Hearing these stories about Hae-in only raises popularity among his fans. “He really loves spicy food like tteokbokki,” she said with a big smile.

She always hopes Hae-in would spend more time in the studio (Obviously). When reviewing scenes for DP2, even in scenes without dialogue, she thought of including his breathing sound to elevate the intensity of the scene (of course, this is all professional and deemed necessary for the drama).

As she watched the final edits on a big screen in the recording studio several times, it became clear to her that no matter the angle, his face was “too perfect” she unabashedly gushed.

Being a fangirl(of Jung Hae-in) is a part of her job!

For those outside the drama and film industry, it’s unclear how to get a job related to sound and acoustics. Though this video contains serious discussions on her dedication to sound and addressing criticisms about Korean films having low volume, working with actors is undoubtedly the highlight of the job. What was great about watching this video:

Learning about the unknown world of sound and acoustics in the film and drama industry.
Behind-the-scenes insights into how actors are involved in the production of dramas and films.
Glimpses into the lives of actors, especially Jung Hae-in.

Honestly, watching a masterpiece like DP and working with so many actors seems like a dream job. The video “What is a Review?” that shared this story is a place for interesting discussions to look forward to in the future.

Thank you for reading 💖

Check out the original video here ↓