K E N T M A T S U O K A
K E N T M A T S U O K A
Is Korea ready for Hollywood?
I have just returned from a FAM tour of Korea courtesy of the Korea Film Commission & Industry Network (KFCIN) and have been asking myself “is Korea the next hot new Hollywood filming destination?”
With an internationally respected local film industry, recent high profile Hollywood projects such as "Avengers: Age of Ultron" and "Sense8" filming in Seoul, the prestigious Busan Film Festival touted as the "Cannes of Asia", and one of the most generous incentives in East Asia, what's not to love?
Korea has been an East Asian favorite location for many years, with many Chinese and Japanese features being filmed there or co-produced with Korean companies, however much work is still required by KFCIN both internally and externally in order to for them to effectively realize their goals.
To start, there seems to be a bit of political in-fighting between the partner provincial film commissions and the regional powerhouses of Seoul and Busan that will need to be addressed.
My tour in particular did not include Busan whatsoever, and only a limited introduction to Seoul due to a desire of KFCIN to placate the provincial commissions who have been grumbling about the fact Seoul and Busan receive the majority of both local and international filming and their desire to be recognized.
Had this been addressed with the participants beforehand, we would have been prepared and understood the limitations of the tour. Unfortunately, many of the participants had never been to Korea before and having left without seeing Korea's best locations, went home frustrated believing they had wasted their time driving around on a bus for 5 days to far flung locations that while beautiful, not worth bringing Hollywood all the way to Korea for.
Fortunately, I had some prior knowledge of Korea and upon receiving the itinerary, asked to extend my trip to include Busan and additional time in Seoul at my own expense. It was only through this personal initiative that I discovered the diversity and scope of locations that I believe would justify a trip for any Hollywood project with an Asian element or plotline.
Second, whether it was something lost in translation or political double-talk, none of the officials we met were able to offer concrete answers to any questions regarding incentives, logistical concerns, or equipment availability.
A little detective work was required in order to discover a website listing the details of the available incentives in clear and simple terms that should have been item number 1 in bold on any literature handed out.
All this leads me to question if they're truly ready to accommodate a big budget Hollywood feature, or if they're simply trying to give the impression of being film friendly without actually being invested in the process.
If you're willing to bet yes as I am, I would highly recommend looking at Korea as an alternative to Tokyo or Hong Kong any day.
Check out some selected images of my trip at : www.kentmatsuoka.com.
Monday, November 2, 2015