LIM Syd, the Producer of THE HANDMAIDEN and LUCK-KEY

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Interview

Interview

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LIM Syd, the Producer of THE HANDMAIDEN and LUCK-KEY

Nov 15, 2016

Writerby KIM Hyung-seok
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“I, too am a member of the public”

Perhaps this year was the best one for LIM Syd, head of film production Yong Film Inc., whose films The Handmaiden by PARK Chan-wook and LUCK-KEY by LEE Gae-byok have recently received popular and critical acclaim, especially when it was success shared with two filmmakers whom he has enjoyed long-term relationships with.

The very first film he worked on as producer, Humanist (2001) was developed and written by PARK Chan-wook while Old Boy (2003) was a piece that LIM picked up the original story and proposed to PARK for a feature adaptation. He was also the producer of The Beast and the Beauty (2005), the debut feature of LEE Gae-byok who was the assistant director on Old Boy. We were able to get a few points on his personal take and principles on producing.

The Handmaiden and LUCK-KEY have received good reviews and enjoyed box office success. How do you feel about this?

I am happy, but there's nothing especially different. I won’t be laughing my head off alone under the bed covers. (laughs)

It was a great outcome for LEE Gae-byok who returned with LUCK-KEY in 11 years. How did you get to propose this film to him?

There’s something about LEE Gae-byok’s personality that I really like. He’s a warm person. I bought the rights for Japanese filmmaker Uchida Kenji’s original story, Key of Life, and during the course of developing it for an adaptation, I felt LEE Gae-byok’s kind of sensibility could make this project come to life.

Actor YOO Hae-jin as the male lead was the perfect choice for the film.

This is the first time for me to work with him, but we’ve known each other for quite some time as he’s from my hometown and we live nearby. I already knew his personality, taste and special characteristics which made me confident he’d be perfect for the role. One of his strengths is he makes a number of suggestions without crossing the line. The numerous ad-libs he performs are the result of suggestions based on a lot of serious contemplations on his part.

A number of your works are based on original stories or are remakes. Old Boy is from a Japanese manga, The Handmaiden is from a British novel. Couples (2011), The Target (2014) and LUCK-KEY are remakes, and The Beauty Inside (2015) is based on a TV ad. What are the inspirations when you choose a source for your films?

When I’m reading a novel or watching a film, I always put myself in the position of the reader or audience. I never intentionally look for a film source. In most cases, I find things by someone telling or showing me something. When I do encounter a potential film source, the story has to be attractive. Nevertheless, if I feel a film adaptation could never add more to the original story, I stop there. I approach a project when I see that it’s a good source which I can make in a different way.

It seems that the idea of ‘project developer’ suits you more than just producer. How would you evaluate your style as a producer?

I’m not sure. I don’t think there’s much in common in terms of the genre and themes of the films I’ve produced. However, instead of just taking whatever items a director or writer offers me, it’s clear I’m the type that decides the items first and then finds the director or actors afterwards.

The most important thing to the producer is the public. What position do you take when it comes to the public?

The public always casts a dilemma for me. Just give what the people want? But that’s just an assumption and desire that has no substantial entity. It’s something difficult to translate into numbers, and there always exists a gap between what each individual thinks. That’s why I try not to take interest in what the public likes in particular. I just approach things like I’m any other member of the public.

Your commercially-oriented genre films seem to stray slightly away from other mainstream films.

I thought I was mainstream…. (laughs) I guess it’s because I choose items that tell stories I like. Also, I try to make ordinary stories look special or bring out the ordinary from the special in an item during the development process.

You jumped into film producing right when the Korean film renaissance was just starting. Quite some time has passed, so what are your feelings when you look back?

There are areas which the film director’s ability matters, while there are other patterns where the acting talents and the genre play significant roles. Amongst this all, I think I was always considering how I would make films that showed my own style as a producer. I’m not a film director or an actor. And I think this is what helped me to focus on each item, and what enabled me to survive.

It must have been difficult to survive amongst the overwhelming influences of major capital.

The issue is how ‘fast’ you make a decision. When I look for a financier, I try to work with the company that has the best response to my project. I can accept a good opinion, but when there’s a proposition that doesn’t work well with the general tone of the film, I am quite decisive and efficient to turn it down.

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