Actor Akihisa Shiono appeared on stage with lead actress Kumiko Aso at a press conference held in Tokyo on April 18th for the drama "Mamono" (TV Asahi, Friday 11:15pm *excluding some regions), which he stars in and which started that evening. In relation to this Japanese-Korean co-production, they discussed the differences in filming styles between Japan and Korea.
The director of this film is Jin Hyuk, known for films such as "Master's Sun" and "Lady Ok: False Identity, True Life". Aso said about Jin's technique, "He simply told me what he wanted to shoot. Japanese people are serious, so they make sure the connections are tight, but (Jin) doesn't care about the details as long as he gets the shot he wants. But when I saw the finished product, I didn't care at all." Shiono also nodded and said, "As Aso said, he has a great obsession with the scenes he wants to shoot. I really feel that he is very considerate towards the actors."
Aso also mentioned that "the number of lighting staff is completely different," to which Shiono replied, "Rumor has it that Director Chin asked at the beginning, 'Are there 10 people in the lighting department?' But in Japan, there are (usually) 3 to 4," expressing surprise at the difference in the number of lighting staff. Executive producer Uchiyama Seiko, who also appeared on stage with Aso, revealed with a wry smile, "The number of lighting staff depends on the film, but Director Chin was surprised (at how few there were)."
However, Shiono said he also realized the excellence of Japanese drama producers, saying, "I felt it was amazing that they could release such a great work with a small number of people and limited time. If they can add something dynamic (Korean style) to it, I'm sure it will become an incredible work."
The drama is an original work jointly produced by TV Asahi and SLL, a major Korean production company that has produced global hits such as "Itaewon Class." It is a love suspense drama in which a solitary lawyer, Ayame Hanajin (played by Aso), falls in forbidden love with a murder suspect, Toya Minamoto (played by Shiono). SLL's production representative Park Jun-seo also attended the press conference.
