The house in the film "Parasite" was actually specially designed by Bong Joon Ho and his team.
Who doesn't talk about the Korean film directed by Bong Joon Ho that won Best Picture at the Oscars 2020? In addition, the film also took home three Oscars in other categories: Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Film. One fascinating aspect of the movie "Parasite" is the luxurious house used as the setting in its production. Here are some interesting facts about the wealthy Park family's residence in the film "Parasite."
1. Architect of the "Parasite" House is Fictional
In the movie "Parasite," the modern Park family house is said to be the work of an architect named Namgoong Hyeonja. In reality, the house was conceived by the production designer of "Parasite," Lee Ha Jun. "I am not an architect, and I think there is a difference in how an architect envisions space and how a production designer does it. We prioritize blocks and camera angles, while architects build spaces for people to actually live in. So, I think the approaches are very different," said Lee.
source : indiewire.com
2. The "Parasite" House Was Built Using an "Open Set" Method
During the Cannes Film Festival, jurors like Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, Yorgos Lanthimos, and Kelly Reichardt believed that the film's setting was in an actual house. However, Bong Joon Ho requested his production designer to create an "open set" built on open land.
The Park family home is one of the most stunning production design works in recent cinematic history, and the story behind its creation adds complexity to the great work of director Bong.
source : indiewire.com
3. From Story to House Concept
Bong meticulously designed the Park family home. The concept was to create a universe within the film "Parasite." Each character and team had spaces they could infiltrate, as well as secret spaces they didn't know about. So, the dynamics between the team and the spaces could be closely related. This combination truly created intriguing elements for the film "Parasite." "We had a lot of conversations looking at the floor plan sketches that director Lee made while writing the script," said production designer Lee.
source : indiewire.com
4. Director Bong Joon Ho Created Multi-Level House Concepts for Blocking in Filming
Director Bong had already thought about location blocking elements when writing the script, how the actors would walk through the living room and garden, descend from the second floor to the dining table, find positions that allowed the actors to carefully observe the kitchen, etc. Design planning included the staircase from the second floor, the pathway from the kitchen to the basement, the path from the basement to the secret bunker, the path from the garage to the living room, and so on.
source : indiewire.com
5. The Concept of "High and Low"
Because the story is about the rich and the poor, this approach was taken to design sound and lighting in the scenes of the film. The analogy is that the poorer you are, the less sunlight you can access. "We really used natural lighting for scenes in 'Parasite.' All our sets, the rich house and the poor house, were built on open land," said Bong.
The Rich House is depicted as having spacious areas for natural light.
source : indiewire.com
6. The Front Garden Concept Depicted as a Family TV Screen
"This is why the first-floor living room of Mr. Park does not have a TV. Director Bong mentioned that the architect in the story, Namgoong Hyeonja, built the first-floor living room to appreciate the garden. So we made the window wall with a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and I wanted a large living room and a garden that looked like a beautiful picture on the screen," said Lee.
Living Room Film Parasite
source : indiewire.com
Making the film "Parasite" was clearly no easy task, and it's no wonder it won several Oscars. For those curious, you can watch this film directed by Bong Joon Ho.
source article indiewire.com
