Published by ARIRANG TV on September 12, 2013
Category Archives: Articles/Interviews
KBS Classic FM Interview: Secret Love Affair Pianists Kim So Hyung & Song Young Min
Secret Love Affair OST Special aired on All the Music of the World, KBS Classic FM, July 21, 2014
Translator: @seungshinl
Note: Videos of Kim So Hyung and Song Young Min playing the OST are embedded where the translation indicates their performance.
HYE WON: (voice-over) “I went back to school after reading teacher’s letter…
‘Come back. You are my most outstanding student’…
I had nowhere to stay but I always practiced wherever I could…”
DJ: A while ago a TV drama captured the eyes and ears of the viewers with a beautiful story and beautiful music. We are hearing the sounds of a scene from the drama.
This is a special broadcast of All the Music of the World program.
As advertised, for part two of our program today we will be joined by two pianists who were hidden in the drama but about whose future career we are very interested in.
We have pianist Kim So Hyung-ssi, who was the classical music supervisor and a stand-in for Kim Hee Ae in Mil-Hwe. We also have someone who is better looking than Yoo Ah In, who played Yoo Ah In’s stand-in, Song Young Min-ssi. We have the two of them in the studio.
Ahn-nyoung-ha-se-yo.
KIM and SONG: Ahn-nyoung-ha-se-yo.
DJ: So good to see you here…now…
KIM: Why do (you) only compliment Song Young Min? But not me?
(laughter)
DJ: This is not a live broadcast, but we are filming the broadcast so that it will be broadcast through YouTube or other media in the future.
Let me tell you, I do not lie. (Kim So Hyung is) as beautiful as Kim Hee Ae-ssi, but I am not saying more than…
(laughter)
Yes…
…and (Song Young Min is) is as cool as Yoo Ah In… The two young pianists are here.
(laughter)
Given the success of the show, some listeners might have seen you before, but I’m sure there are those who have not. So for their benefit, can I ask you to give a short greeting as we begin the program?
Kim So Hyung-ssi first…
KIM: Yes, an-nyoung-ha-se-yo. I am Kim So Hyung. I am a pianist. I was the music supervisor and a stand-in for Kim Hee Ae in Mil-Hwe.
DJ: There is something strange about calling you a stand-in. Yes, you played in their places and played the same roles as them, but you also did something they could not do themselves.
There is something a little off about being referred to as stand-in’s.
KIM: Perhaps it’s something we could discuss ourselves (off air).
DJ: Song Young Min-ssi too. Please introduce yourself.
SONG: Yes, it’s good to be here. I’m the one who played a stand-in pianist for Yoo Ah In in Mil-Hwe, and I am Song Young Min.
DJ: Yes, it’s good to have you both here.
Usually our guests on All the Music of the World program are from other countries and I find it difficult sometimes.
So it’s nice to have beautiful people like you who are similar to me in age, and to be able to converse in our language. It makes me very warm and comfortable inside.
KIM: We are also relieved that you are not from another country (laughs).
DJ: Yes, so good to have you both here.
I’m interviewing (you) as though I’m interviewing Yoo Ah In-ssi and Kim Hee Ae-ssi.
KIM: I think you will have to get creative about our faces (our look).
DJ: We don’t have that kind of technique in our show yet.
It’s been two months since the drama ended. How have you spent the time? If you can go first Kim So Hyung-ssi.
KIM: We’ve been so busy preparing for the OST that I don’t feel the drama has really ended, at least until very recently.
I’ve had to do some performances as a pianist. I am also working on a book on classical music which will be released in September. So I’ve been quite busy.
DJ: We will be speaking more on this a little later but…
… Because Mil-Hwe created such a firestorm, I am aware of two OST CDs that have already been released. But they were (different) recordings of the music played in Mil-Hwe by various other performers, right?
KIM & SONG: Yes…
KIM: Actually, we were under such time pressure while filming the drama, we did not have the wherewithal to produce the OST at the same time.
So we decided to collect the pieces of music in the drama that also have been played by well known performers and release those versions first. It is only now that the OST is ready to be released.
DJ: Then will the (upcoming) OST include performances by Kim So Hyung-ssi and Song Young Min-ssi?
KIM: Yes and (Mil-Hwe) Musical PD Lee Nam Youn’s music. They are so beautiful aren’t they?
DJ: Yes they were incredibly beautiful.
KIM: They are like gems.
DJ: I thought they were by Rachmaninoff.
KIM: Is that right?
DJ: Yes
KIM: I thought they were theme music from some movies at first. Yes…so with Musical PD Lee Nam Youn’s music at the core, we have been working together to release the OST at the end of July.
DJ: Yes… Song Young Min-ssi has been busy as well?
SONG: After the drama was over, I had a request for a few performances so I did those. Once the OST release was confirmed, we had to re-record the music chosen for the OST, so I had to practice for that. I have also been teaching students in Seoul again. This is how I’ve spent the time.
DJ: As we have said earlier, you two were stand-in’s in the drama, but in actuality your own profiles are quite outstanding.
In Kim So Hyung-ssi’s case, I understand you graduated from Yewon School and also studied in Vienna, Austria for a long time. You only returned to Korea in 2009.
In Song Young Min-ssi’s case, (you) did a solo performance in Russia at the age of 14. You were a real prodigy.
SONG: No I was not at all. It’s just that things worked out that way and I was asked by a teacher.
DJ: You studied at the Mussorgsky Russian National Music School? In Russia?
SONG: Yes, I graduated from Middle School and High School in Russia.
DJ: Ah…it’s difficult to name them all, but it’s clear you have been on many of the great world music stages, side by side with some of the best.
The fact that we could hear these two performers in the drama, beyond the story and the acting, it really is a happy event.
So!… How did it happen that you were able to be involved (in Mil-Hwe)? (I am) very curious about that.
SONG: You want me to go first?
DJ: Yes.
SONG: I have a nuna pianist I know, and out of no where one day she asked me, “What is your height?”.
DJ: How tall you are?
SONG: Yes… So I told her I am 178 cm. Then she said, “You are the right match.” and told me that they are looking for a pianist to play for Yoo Ah In.
She asked me if I was interested, and if I was she would connect me (to the team). I said, “Without question, of course I’m interested.” That’s how my phone number went to Kim So Hyung seonsangnim. She then called me and asked for a recording, a photo, and my profile.
DJ: So Kim So Hyung was already in place as the (music) supervisor?
KIM: Yes, yes. Four years ago the discussion came up and I had already agreed.
DJ: Four years ago?
KIM: Yes… I had signed on already then, but the Script had not come out (until later). So the real work really started last December…is it December of this year? No last year.
DJ: Yes, Yoo Ah In had a turtle neck on at the beginning (laughter) so it was when it was still cold…so it would have been last winter.
KIM: Yes…but it was four years ago that I was given the task of being the (music) supervisor. It’s been four years already.
DJ: I see. Now, (we know) we are filming this program and the reason why I say Song Young Min-ssi is such a good looking guy…
SONG: Really I am not.
DJ: … The reason is, I am not just saying this, a friend of mine who is a pianist also auditioned for the part. Yes, my friend had an audition.
SONG: Ah…for this (Mil-Hwe)?
KIM: Ah…such a small world.
DJ: But because he looked physically so different from Yoo Ah In, he was not given the role.
So when I saw that, I realized…ah…Song Young Min must look similar to Yoo Ah In.
I’m sure the listeners are thinking the same.
SONG: No, that’s too big of a compliment.
DJ: Let us talk about the music some more.
(I’m sure) it was the case for the people who know classical music, but even for the general listeners, each piece of classical music in the drama was just so exquisite.
KIM: Yes…
DJ: For myself, when I saw Yoo Ah In perform Brahms’ Intermezzo in his concert performance… Wow!
The way Brahms’ heart was directed toward Clara, that feeling was conveyed so well (by Yoo Ah In) in that piece. I was so moved by that.
How was the music chosen? Did you prepare each piece? I am curious (about that).
KIM: There are so many great music pieces and we couldn’t possibly choose them all.
DJ: Of course…there is a limit.
KIM: So to start with, I, myself, had to “fall into” Seon Jae’s and Hye Won’s characters and continuously follow their emotions and feelings.
(I had to think to myself) “If I were Hye Won or if I were Seon Jae, what music would be able to console (me)?”
“With what music could I deliver (our) lover letters?” I had to think of these non-stop.
Then I selected this piece and that piece, so on and so forth.
The important thing was, because the actors had about two days of practice before filming, it had to be something that was reasonably easy to learn.
Also, the music had to be something which when cut into different parts, was a good fit (with the story of the drama).
So I had to consider all of that (at the same time).
DJ: So it could not be simply because they were beautiful pieces of music.
KIM: No, no.
DJ: It required complete preparations and…
KIM: Yes…so we had to continuously correct and modify a number of times until they were all selected.
The fact that they (music choices) have been so well received by so many (of the viewers) made us feel very proud and satisfied.
DJ: I write a music column twice a month and I wrote a very short piece on Mil-Hwe. I felt that for each and every piece of music that was included (in the drama), their beauty was magnified by many folds. I talked about how moved I was by them.
KIM & SONG: I see…
DJ: I am sure a lot of people felt the same.
OK, the conversation has become a little long.
We would now like to request a live performance.
Schubert’s Fantasy in F Minor D.940 for four hands is our first piece.
I think this is the one that is most remembered by the viewers.
What scene is this piece from?
SONG: This is when Seon Jae goes to Hye Won’s house for the first time and performs all his solo pieces and then asks if he could play one more.
(laughter)
SONG: Hye Won felt that if he didn’t get to play another one he might not leave her house, so she brings the music sheets and they play the piece together…this was in Episode 2.
DJ: It was after playing this that we heard the famous line…
DJ, SONG, KIM: “teuk-geup-ching-chan” (a top compliment).
(laughter)
DJ: I know it now.
We will hear the real performers from the drama.
We will hear the live performance of Schubert’s Fantasy in F Minor D. 940 for four hands by pianists Kim So Hyung and Song Young Min.
(applause)
(Kim and Song perform Schubert’s Fantasy in F Minor D. 940)
(applause)
DJ: Wow! We’ve just heard the music from Mil-Hwe.
The very well known Schubert’s Fantasy in F Minor D. 940 for four hands.
It was played live by Mil-Hwe’s pianists Kim So Hyung-ssi and Song Young Min-ssi.
I give you ‘teuk-geup-ching-chan”.
(laughter)
KIM & SONG: Thank you very much.
DJ: Wow!…listening to it next to you, I felt in a strange way like I was watching the drama.
It was so well done, I’m sure a lot of the listeners are sending you ‘teuk-geup-ching-chan’.
(laughter)
KIM: (I was) going to do a tiny little bit of acting (laughter).
DJ: Acting?
KIM: But acting is…
DJ: Oh, I thought you were going to hug each other at the end!
(laughter)
KIM: I am a married woman.
(laughter)
DJ: So for you when you are playing, do you feel like you are making the movements and actions the main leads were expressing?
KIM: Yes, yes. In the case of Yoo Ah In-ssi, I showed him a video of a number of well known performances and asked him to choose which performer he liked the most.
DJ: So who did he choose?
KIM: He did not choose.
DJ: Yeh?
KIM: I don’t think he watched them.
(laughter)
But after I had given him lesson (practice) materials and he had finished (practicing) them, (I saw that) his facial expressions, the shape of his lips, the strength in his arms, shoulders and back, all showed distinct motion.
So we decided make that come alive.
And since Ah In-ssi was very busy having to do all the other scenes, I basically pushed Young Min-ssi to the limit because (we decided) he (Song) had to match Ah In-ssi’s (movements).
SONG: So I worked to match Ah In-ssi’s motions closely and that’s how we played the piano.
(laughter)
DJ: The one who was supposed to teach ended up being the one having to learn.
SONG: Yes. He (Yoo Ah In) would come so perfectly prepared.
After all, Yoo Ah In-ssi was the one who was acting as Lee Seon Jae.
He would totally master the motions Kim seon-sang-nim prepared for him.
So it was only right that I worked to match him (Yoo Ah In).
DJ: Those who are not well versed in (classical) music performance may feel the motions were a bit exaggerated, but those who know (classical) music well and perform it themselves have said that their (Yoo Ah In’s and Kim Hee Ae’s) actions and expressions were very very natural.
SONG: Yes, very natural.
DJ: Something I was very curious about throughout the drama is this.
When we see the fingers performing on screen, (now I know you performed them), but are they Young Min-ssi’s or Yoo Ah In-ssi’s?
Are they Kim So Hyung-ssi’s or Kim Hee Ae-ssi’s?
I just could not tell at all. So whose were they?
KIM: The hand movements where they look like they are really performing on keyboards, all of them are our hands.
But in the second half of the drama, Yoo Ah In-ssi became a “half pianist” so he was doing the finger movements very well.
So when we came under such time pressure, we would ask him to do the “trail” movements because you just had to shake them.
And he did them just like a pianist. He was even better.
DJ: So it was edited in parts…
KIM: For filming, we would record the music performances first.
Yoo Ah In-ssi and Kim Hee Ae-ssi would then do the motions to the music while listening to it.
DJ: So Kim So Hyung-ssi and Song Young Min-ssi recorded the music first.
KIM: Yes, yes.
DJ: And then the actors would use the music to do the hand movements and the acting.
SONG: Yes, yes.
KIM: Yes, yes. And it’s not done cold.
When the Script comes out, we would choose the music and work out the motions, and then we would practice them and work out the lessons and hand them over to the actors.
And then the actors would practice them by watching the video, and then from there we would go to the set. There they have a set coach.
DJ: Uh…
KIM: He/she would literally say, “bend your body forward” and “here raise your arm”, and so on and so forth…
(laughter)
…“and here go faster” and “here turn the page”. And then in the editing process, the music from the set is taken out and the music (from the pianists) is added in.
DJ: Uh…so in reality, what is the two actors knowledge of piano music? They are not here so…
(laughter)
SONG: They may be listening to us somewhere…
KIM: …I did not call…
(laughter)
… Um…they cannot play.
Kim Hee Ae-ssi really loves piano music very much and she listens to it every morning.
So she seems to be very familiar with the music but she doesn’t play the piano at all.
For Ah In-ssi…at the beginning, I asked him to do the Apassionata (yul-jeong).
(sounds out the music)
The notes for the piece go from high to low and I thought it would be easy to do so I asked him to try it, and he went from the lower keys to the higher ones.
(laughter)
So at the time, ah…things looked very bleak.
We had not even started the first episode and I didn’t know what to do.
But three days later, he came with the assignment done perfectly.
DJ: Indeed they are veteran actors.
KIM: Uh…(yes). I was shocked. And then I was able to have expectations that even if we gave him difficult pieces he would be able to handle them.
DJ: You know if they knew how to play the piano well, we would be less impressed, but since they don’t know how to play at all, this is really amazing.
KIM & SONG: Really amazing.
KIM: Yes you are right. The important thing is not whether they played or not (in the drama), it’s that when you see them on the set, (you had to ask) “how can people who do not play, feel the music, express the actions on their faces, and remember all the motions?”.
It is just incredible. It is really something impossible (they did).
At the beginning, PDnim (Ahn) made us do a lot of acting.
DJ: Instead…you two were put through the hardship.
KIM: Yes, and it really was not easy to do at all.
DJ: OK…this is so interesting, so the conversation is getting long.
We want to request another live performance.
And once again, it will be just great.
What piece will you be performing?
KIM: The next piece of music is Mozart’s Piano Sonata in C Major K.521.
DJ: What scene is this from?
SONG: This scene is from Episode 5. This is after…
KIM: They get playful.
SONG: …Seon Jae gets “severely punished”… But it was not a real punishment.
(Seon Jae) played solo pieces and Hye Won starts feeling more relaxed.
Then the two play together and become very playful.
DJ: Ah…where (Seon Jae’s) fingers cross over the other’s (Hye Won’s)!
SONG: The fingers…
KIM: Yes, yes, yes.
(laughter)
In order to research that we even recruited a nuna from next door…
DJ: Ah, it’s a real work of art.
KIM: (I was) asked to come up with an “in love” piano performance.
Well I was not just asked, I was ordered to do it.
And the nuna from next door to where Young Min-ssi practices said, “Women like things like this.”
(laughter)
SONG: So that nuna gave us the idea (for fingers crossing over).
DJ: Ah, when I saw that scene, I thought I should find a woman who knows how to play the piano.
(laughter)
OK, this is great. I’m sure that’s a scene many remember very clearly.
The music in that scene is Mozart’s Sonata in C Major No. 521, Allegro.
We will listen to Kim So Hyung-ssi and Song Young Min-ssi performing it live.
(applause)
(Kim and Song perform Mozart’s Sonata in C Major K. 521)
(applause)
We have just heard “teuk-geup” (top) performance by “teuk-geup” (top) pianists we have here as our guests…
…and we are meeting beautiful classical music from the drama Mil-Hwe.
We are with pianists Kim So Hyung and Song Young Min.
The live performance you just heard is…Mozart’s Sonata in C Major, No. 521, Allegro.
So when you just played, did you do that “tong tong tong” (fingers crossing over)?
SONG: No we didn’t.
(laughter)
That is acting so honestly it is difficult.
DJ: Of course.
KIM: (It required) precise timing “from where to where” to put the left hand and the right hand.
Things like that had to be written in. But in the OST you would notice that those parts are not included, so we didn’t do the acting (here either).
Should we show the acting separately?
DJ: No, it’s OK.
(laughter)
Listener 8496 says, “Kim Hee Ae’s and Yoo Ah In’s innocence and passion, a mind/heart that jumps with total abandon.” Because of this (s/he) enjoyed the drama very much. (He/She) wanted to know who was performing the music right from the beginning of the drama so he/she checked the internet to confirm the identity (of the pianists).
Listener 5181 says, “I fully expected that these two (Kim and Song) would be on this show sometime. Through the drama I got to know so many pieces of music.”
Listener 5623 says, “I am cheering hard for them in Teuk-Geup Mil-Hwe fan cafe.”
SONG: Thank you very much.
KIM: Thank you very much.
SONG: I know that cafe very well.
KIM: (laughs)
DJ: Through the drama both of you gained many more fans.
How has it been for you Song Young Min-ssi?
Does it feel real to you, Song Young Min-ssi?
SONG: I blog once in a while and I’ve posted a diary about the filming of Mil-Hwe and about classical music as well.
So many people have written and visited my blog and almost all of them are Mil-Hwe fans.
DJ: I see.
SONG: As you said earlier, they (the visitors to the blog) are members of Teuk-Geup Mil-Hwe fan cafe, or from Mil-Hwe Gallery (Naver). Numerous people have visited, so I want to sincerely express my appreciation (to them).
DJ: Kim So Hyung-ssi.
KIM: As for me, I don’t know if it’s because I am an ajumma, but in my neighbourhood when I go to a local restaurant, they give me more food.
And people ask me for autographs, but my environment is different than Young Min-ssi’s.
He is good looking (the DJ agrees) so almost all of them (his fans) are female (laughs).
DJ: If the owner of the restaurant in Kim Seonsangnim’s neighbourhood is listening, we ask you to (continue) to be good to (her) in the future.
There are so many pieces of music that spilled (aired) within the drama.
The Schubert and Mozart pieces we heard today and Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, and so many more.
But as a pianist, what are the pieces that are especially precious to you?
Of the ones that were aired…
KIM: Schubert has always been my favourite but I never could play them (the pieces) because I did not have a partner (laughs).
DJ: Now you have.
KIM: Yes, I had no idea I would meet (him) this way…(laughs).
And for me, I love Rachmaninoff’s Paganini very much but even more than that is a piece by Tchaikovsky at the beginning in Episode 2.
This is where Kim Hee Ae is standing by the window and Seon Jae is playing the piece for her as a background music.
Tchaikovsky’s April Snowdrop (The Seasons Op. 37b)… I love that piece very much.
DJ: Uh…I think many people are checking the internet right now
(laughter)
What about you Song Young Min-ssi?
SONG: For me I like them all, but one that I feel a special attachment for is Beethoven’s Apassionata (Piano Sonata No. 23 In F Minor Op.57 – III. Allegro Ma Non Troppo).
DJ: Uh…
SONG: It’s because that was (my) audition piece…
DJ: Yoo Ah In’s?
SONG: …for the role as Yoo Ah In’s stand-in.
I had never played it even once before, so I practiced until 5 am in the morning, and it’s a piece that I practiced the most (in the drama) so it is something I feel for the most.
DJ: Uh…I think it was fate.
SONG: Thank you.
DJ: That the meeting between Song Young Min-ssi and Mil-Hwe happened is fate.
KIM: Yes.
DJ: Right now outside the (studio) window, our staff is holding beautiful flowers.
I think they are from fan clubs of yours.
SONG: Thank you.
DJ: Yes.
KIM: What an honour.
DJ: If I knew this, I would have done everything to get into Mil-Hwe, even if I had to sing a song!
(laughter)
Today, we have pianists who performed for Yoo Ah In and Kim Hee Ae.
Beautiful pianists. We are talking with them.
The time is passing so fast. We would like to hear one more live performance.
A piece titled Four Hands.
KIM: Yes, this piece is written by PDnim Lee Nam Youn.
DJ: You are speaking of Mil-Hwe’s Music PD?
KIM: Yes, yes yes. She is a woman. It’s a piece among many musical gems in the drama.
DJ: I understand this is the first time this is being performed live anywhere.
KIM: Yes, yes.
DJ: And this is a debut performance before the OST CD’s are released.
SONG: Yes, yes.
DJ: This is something really special.
So!… When would the OST CD’s be released?
SONG: As of now, pre-orders are possible on the internet.
It will be released on July 31st. But it is possible to order them online already.
DJ: Uh…I will make sure to get one for (our) listeners.
SONG: Thank you
DJ: From someone who has given us a lot of music in dramas, Lee Nam Youn Music PDnim, this is Four Hands.
It will be a beautiful melody performed by Kim So Hyung-ssi and Song Min Young-ssi in its first ever live performance.
Let’s meet (the music).
HYE WON: (voice-over) “ee-geh teuk-geup-ching-chan-ee-ya” (this is a top compliment).
(Kim and Song perform Lee Nam Youn’s Four Hands)
(applause)
DJ: We’ve just heard a song written for Mil-Hwe, composed by Music Director Lee Nam Youn.
When Mil-Hwe drama was on the air, our show received so many requests for this theme song but we couldn’t play it because it had not been released.
I did not know we would get this opportunity to hear it live in the studio.
We are hearing from so many listeners (now) who are so moved by this theme song.
SONG: This is the first time, I’ve played the lower keys and (Kim) seonsangnim performed the higher keys.
DJ: Ah…
SONG: Usually I play the higher keys but we switched our places.
DJ: May be because of that…
KIM: Did it sound differently?
(laughter)
DJ: So this drama Mil-Hwe and the actors who act out the performances of the pianists…
… When you were all together there must have been a lot of interesting episodes.
Is there something you remember in particular?
SONG: Do you mean when I was playing the piano with Ah-In-ssi?
DJ: Yes, yes, yes… something like that would be good, or in the drama.
SONG: Yes, when we were filming.
Actually, yesterday (Kim) seonsaengnim and I had a discussion exactly about this kind of thing. There was an episode that went wrong.
DJ: Oh it went wrong.
SONG: Not sure if it will be too long or not, but when you see the concert performance scene in Episode 14, when Seon Jae goes from the14th to 15th (movement) and he is desperately looking for Hye Won…
DJ: Yes of course.
SONG: He looks all around (for her) and he misses a beat ever so slightly, and goes in a split second late. So the scene when he is looking around, it was for Ah In-ssi to act out.
No one told me to do anything, but all on my own I felt like I should be acting out the part as well. So I did while I was performing.
I was concentrating on the acting so much that I completely missed the note.
Suddenly, we had an NG and we had to stop filming.
PD (Ahn) said to me, “Yah (hey) don’t try acting, just play the piano.”
(laughter)
DJ: You really became Yoo Ah In.
SONG: Yes and no one even told me to do it. So we had that sort of thing happen.
DJ: The passion (in the drama) was so good.
For me, the most memorable scene is the one on the Han River bridge when Seon Jae is performing alone, imagining his visit with Kim Hee Ae.
SONG: Yes I remember.
DJ: Did you actually perform that scene?
SONG: Yes…how that happened is, the main acting was all done by Ah In-ssi.
On the bridge we turned on the music and I actually played the scene at 4 am in the morning.
DJ: For real?
SONG: Yes for real. At 4 am in the morning, it was very very cold.
DJ: Are you saying you had the piano on the bridge?
SONG: No, you saw that we were playing on the railing of the bridge.
DJ: Ah…to film the fingering on the bridge…ah.
SONG: Yes, to include the fingering on the bridge.
DJ: Yes, yes, yes.
SONG: Kim seonsaengnim had to play the scene with just a very thin shirt on.
She must have been freezing.
DJ: Wow!
KIM: In bare feet, with just a shirt on.
We filmed the whole performance, but I think there was like one second of us shown on the screen.
(laughter)
DJ: Do you feel short changed?
KIM: I just realized what broadcasting was all about. I felt that to the bones.
DJ: You did all the work and the applause went elsewhere?
KIM & SONG: No.
SONG: Ah In-ssi did all the scenes too.
Ah In-ssi played the whole scene. And after that I did the ‘stand-in’ part.
DJ: I see.
KIM: Most of it was on finger movements.
So anything below the forehead is our playing, the view from the back is that of the actors.
The finger movements are of us.
DJ: If it’s possible, can we have the view of Kim So Hyung’s back? This is Kim Hee Ae’s…
Today, you are not a stand-in’s for Yoo Ah In-ssi and Kim Hee Ae-ssi.
This stage is for the pianists Kim So Hyung-ssi and Song Young Min-ssi.
So please do not in any way feel short changed.
KIM: Ah, this is such an honour.
DJ: I hope you will remember our program.
Not only the drama but all the music in the drama was so well loved by the viewers.
As you said earlier, the OST for the drama will be released later this month, so there will be an opportunity for many listeners to get closer (to the music).
I understand there are plans for concerts?
KIM: Yes, it’s been a bit late in coming, but we are preparing for the official concert to mark the release of the OST.
We also have had a great response from the regions (outside of Seoul) so there is a plan for concert performances in the regions as well.
DJ: So have we confirmed the dates?
KIM: We will confirm the dates later.
DJ: And locations?
KIM: Locations too, later.
DJ: Later…ah, please invite me (to the concert).
KIM: Of course.
SONG: It will be an honour and we are grateful.
DJ: I know quite a few invisible (backstage) staff from Mil-Hwe.
KIM: That’s right.
SONG: I see.
DJ: So I want to go at least once and listen to the music.
We are close to the end (of the program) and it will be time to say goodbye soon.
Not as the stand in’s for Yoo Ah In-ssi and Kim Hee Ae-ssi, but as pianists and as musicians, starting with Song Young Min-ssi, I would like to hear about the drama.
SONG: I have been given so much from being a part of Mil-Hwe.
Honestly, South Korea is a country with a numerous number of great pianists.
DJ: Yes of course, we are Number One.
SONG: Yes, I believe we have the most in the world.
I am so deficient in so many ways so I am truly grateful for having been chosen.
I’m a pianist who has a lot of work and researching to do still.
So I will continue to practice a lot and meet our audience in concert performances.
This is my wish.
DJ: I expect a lot (from you).
Song Young Min-ssi has (you have) the looks and great performing talent, so you will gain a lot more fans once you start performing on the stage.
SONG: That is an over-compliment.
DJ: How about you Kim So Hyung-ssi?
KIM: I feel good that we were able to get close to the mass audience (through Mil-Hwe).
I will be able to do more to promote K-Classic through this.
We have much more road to travel ahead. And I will be releasing a book in September.
DJ: I wish future happiness and success for Song Young Min-ssi and Kim So Hyung-ssi.
I am sorry to let you go. There are so many gems in the drama.
I will be choosing one by one and playing it on the air and sharing it with the listeners of this show.
Be healthy.
We will say goodbye with Book, the title song of the OST.
We ask for more performances from you in future.
SONG: Thank you for inviting us. Thank you.
KIM: Yes, thank you.
DJ: We will wrap up the show with Book.
(plays Secret Love Affair recording of Kim and Song performing Lee Nam Youn’s Book)
Today we heard live performances from the lead pianists from the drama, Mil-Hwe.
Song Young Min and Kim So Hyung were here with us.
You’ve also just heard the main theme music from the drama, Book composed by the Music PD of the drama Lee Nam Youn.
This music will conclude our All the Music of the World program today.
I wish you a day that will conclude with the thought of a special life, that is as happy and beautiful as the drama.
PHOTOS & FULL INTERVIEW] Yoo Ah In’s Interview on High Cut Vol.121 [part 2]
Originally published as PHOTOS & FULL INTERVIEW] Yoo Ah In’s Interview on High Cut Vol.121 [part 2] on Yoo Ah In SikSeekLand, June 28, 2014
Author: Furbabe
Continue reading PHOTOS & FULL INTERVIEW] Yoo Ah In’s Interview on High Cut Vol.121 [part 2]
Yoo Ah In, “Pianist of a Pure Soul” Interview Excerpts – High Cut, Vol. 121, March 2014
Translator: @seungshinl
High Cut, Vol. 121, March 2014 – Excerpts via mydaily
유아인 “김희애 노출신, 다른 여배우보다 훨씬 파격적”
Yoo Ah In: “Kim Hee Ae’s revealing scene, so much more exceptional than any other actress”
Yoo Ah In Interview with TV Sohu, China, May 27, 2014 – Part 2
Part 1 of Yoo Ah In Interview with TV Sohu, China here
Translator: @seungshinl, Subtitles: @blindd
Substantial: Subbers on Secret Love Affair and the Craft of Subbing
Yoo Ah In Interview with TV Sohu, China, May 27, 2014 – Part 1
Director’s Cut: Ahn Pan Seok Speaks on SLA – Part 3
Part 2 of the Director’s Cut: Ahn Pan Seok Speaks on SLA here
Translator: @seungshinl
Exclusive Interview of Secret Love Affair PD Ahn Pan Seok – Part 3
– 취재팀 maxmovie.com 5.20.2014
When No Styles Stand Out You Really Have a Great Production
Let’s move on to production. I remember talking to you about an overexposure from too much sunlight coming through the windows on the set of “Wife’s Credentials”. At the time, you said you could not make those scenes perfect so you had to go with the next best choice. There seems to be similar scenes this time around as well.
We had similar issues this time. There was limited space on the set and we had a number of sets to build so there was no unused space once we were done. We could not possibly have done more than what we did with the space we had.
Inevitably that seemed like the style you had to settle with.
I do not think style is important. I believe it is only right that the Script determines the style. If a style stands out, then the parts that are awkward or clumsy would look like a style. So I find it embarrassing when I hear such things. A really well made project has to be one where the style completely disappears. I try repeatedly to achieve that but due to the inadequacy in my skills I do not succeed completely.
During “Wife’s Credentials”, you revealed your decision to use distances to create screen aesthetics in order to take advantage of Kim Hae Ah’s acting style, which uses her entire body so effectively when acting. I find this time when some objects or the background are hidden, the acting really seems to come to the fore.
That was also not a style but an effort to draw the viewers’ attention by making things appear less visible. That really was not anything extraordinary. If you use close ups, things do become automatically larger so the viewers have no choice but to pay attention to the things they see.
But if you use waist shots (from the waist to the head) or knee shots (from the knees to the head) viewers can not see things in as much detail. In order to ask the viewers to pay maximum attention to the scene, or a situation when things are not so visible, many artists all over the world use all kinds of equipment. Lamps, lanterns, and lightings are used for this purpose for example. It was my desire to cleverly draw the attention of the viewers that I filmed it that way. When things are covered a bit, people want to see more. Wouldn’t you agree?
In Episode 2 there was a scene where Hye Won notices that Seon Jae is playing a Bach piece without using the pedals. Seon Jae said, “I like the sounds ending short.” “I feel like this piece is written to be played like that. Between the Notes.” Then Hye Won said, “I’m asking for your interpretation, not your preference.” What is the meaning of this scene?
About that Scene, pianist Kim So Hyung told us that pianists normally use the pedals to perform. There is a side point to the reason why Seon Jae was not using the pedals. The writer wanted to show that his attitude toward music is not conventional and that he approaches it with his own thinking. It is not just a feeling but a conscientious interpretation of the music to end the Notes short.
In Episode 8, finally the scene where Seon Jae and Hye Won had their first physical relationship. It was so unique it’s became a story event.
I really liked that scene. Originally the Script description said “sizzling heat, all the objects in the room have gently closed their eyes. Below, only audio, no video to be used.”
When I read the Script and saw, “objects gently close their eyes,” I imagined those inanimate objects coming alive like you see in Disney animations where the objects become human-like and peek around the room. So I filmed it as though they were giving the couple side glances, sneaking a peek at them. I didn’t want them to completely close their eyes and not be able to see, unlike what was written the Script.
In truth, it is not easy for a man and woman to have their first physical encounter. In everyday, life even if someone was doing business in a washroom he/she is startled when someone comes near by. Even among lovers, it is not something that works all the time. Whether we know it or not, it happens at that very moment when the world around you helps you along. Even the inanimate objects have to help you. It is that difficult.
That Scene in Episode 8 was the last filming of the day. I said to the actors that we would take care of it. I sent them home with a round of “end of the filming day” applause. And the editors did such a great job. They had the right lighting and filmed the objects found around the room: spice bottles, shoes, electric meters, and such. When I saw the scene all put together later I was pleasantly surprised. It was exactly in order of what I had imagined in my mind. I realized then that when people focus and think about something really important, they come up with similarly minded results. It was such a fun experience.
Something unexplained in the “Secret Love Affair” narrative that I am curious about is the story of the marriage between Oh Hye Won and Kang Joon Hyung. In the past, Joon Hyung was probably not the snob that he is today. But still, why did Hye Won choose him as her husband? I would think, even in her 20’s, she would have given herself the supreme task of ascending to high society. If so, would she not have chosen a partner who was more useful to her?
Writer Jeong writes a very meticulously detailed synopsis before we go into production. It is the“core” of the Drama so to speak, and it is something that we endlessly refer to while filming. Included is an intimate detail of the circumstances of Oh Hye Won’s past. Basically she thought of her marriage as a way to get in to high society but her family circumstances were such that she could not have become a daughter-in-law to a jae-bul (high society) like the Seo Han family.
Her parents presented her with possible marriage prospects of those not so well off but on their way up. It would not have been bad for her to choose that path because she might have become affluent. However, she would have had to endure the negative chatter and scorn behind her back because of her less advantaged circumstances. She also might have been able to marry a professional like a lawyer/prosecutor, but she would not have been satisfied with the situation. It would have been difficult for her to do what she wanted to do with her life after marriage.
Kang Joon Hyung was someone she would have chosen gradually. His family was not well off but he was from a music (cultured) family. So, from the outside, they would have been looked upon favorably. There was nothing about him that would have disqualified him from being a part of an “ideal picture couple”. Therefore, we could conclude that her marriage to Joon Hyung was Hye Won’s bowing her head to snobbish affectation. In the final analysis, she would have had that in mind from the beginning of her marriage.
Writer Jeong had several images in her mind when she was writing the Script for “Secret Love Affair.” Oh Hye Won with the terrible hair cut being called “wickedly sexy” is one of them. That image and those words were on our minds.
The fact that the identity of “Makgui Hyung”, who Seon Jae met on the Internet, was Hye Won was never revealed.
That was fun material to work with, and it was I who suggested we do not reveal the identity. During the series, there was a number of occasions when it was almost revealed but for some reason I wanted it to be concealed to the end. From the regular viewers’ points of view, “Makgui Hyung’s” character was very likeable. He was curiously reliable, and for Seon Jae who did not know his true identity, it was someone he wanted to meet at least once. In the world where there seemed to be so many people who seemed less than human, “Makgui Hyung” seemed to be the most humane of them all. For that reason I wanted to leave him alone.
Fundamentally there was this premise. Hye Won knew the identity of the “Genius” but Seon Jae did not know the identity of “Makgui Hyung”. Regardless, I trusted that Hye Won would not use “Makgui” to her advantage even when she might have needed to, so I wanted to leave him alone. She lived a life of immorality and lack of justice but she had that small touch in her where she could be trusted as “Makgqui Hyung”, and that might have been what saved the identity of “Magui Hyung” from being revealed.
Where did you get the idea that the people of high society played Majong?
It was really a matter of convenience. When the drama begins, all eyes focus on the people within and around President Seo’s family circle. We had to emphasize the “out of ordinary” quality about this group. We thought playing Majong could show this effectively within a very short space of time.
It is a game that ordinary people do not engage in, but it appeared to be such a regular ritual to them. It seemed grotesque in one way, but showed how President Seo spread his wealth and influence around. The people sat around him to collect the “crumbs” he handed out. The idea came from Writer Jeong of course. She really is someone who has vast knowledge about so many things. When you see her bookcases, there are books about all things imaginable. Of course there is a book on Majong too.
Looking at the Director, the Script, the main leads, and of course the world philosophy of “Secret Love Affair”, it almost seems like an extension of “Wife’s Credentials.”
As I told you before, I did not have “Wife’s Credentials” in mind when I began this project. At the most, I might have thought “since the sequence went like this before, let us go in this different direction” while producing “Secret Love Affair.” That would have been the extent of my awareness of the previous project. The reason is that it is such a difficult task to create the manufactured world of a Drama. To have the story structure in mind first, and then to try to fit this or that subject into it, is not an easy thing to do.
First you have the main character, then the first event that moves that main character. When you have this, you touch your heart and begin. Whatever happens after that is something you leave to fate. I am not saying you vaguely go along with things but that you follow the internal direction of what is in the Writer’s mind. I believe that is the most important thing. When you keep following that internal direction, inevitably, you will have created a world.
Director’s Cut: Ahn Pan Seok Speaks on SLA – Part 2
Part 1 of the Director’s Cut: Ahn Pan Seok Speaks on SLA here
Translator: @seungshinl
Exclusive Interview of Secret Love Affair PD Ahn Pan Seok – Part 2
-취재팀 maxmovie.com 5.20.2014
The Best Reality Makes the Best Fantasy
“Oh Hye Won’s” Character:
When you compare Oh Hye Won with the main characters in “Ajumma”, “White Tower” or “Wife’s Credentials”, more so than any of them, she is a leading lady in a “grey” zone. In contrast, the characters around her in “Secret Love Affair” are role models of the diverse colours within their own little world.
Artistically speaking there can only be one main lead in a drama. We have to deal with one life. And if we save one life, we save the entire world. There is a saying in “Book of Poetry” by Aristotle, “even though a drama is about telling a story of one’s life, you can not tell a story from when one is born to when one dies”. You have to tell a story about an event in one’s life that causes an enormous pressure, a compression.
When you create a main character like this in a Drama, you have to draw out the thoughts embedded in her mind. And you have to ask “what kind of characters would draw those thoughts out of Oh Hye Won’s mind, one by one?” So the secondary characters around her are built and placed in a way that would most effectively accomplish this task. If the main character’s thoughts are simple and straightforward, the secondary characters are easy to build as well. But when it’s so grey like Oh Hye Won’s, you need to include more clever and adroit characters to draw them out of her.
Even if the secondary characters around her are “traditional” it is not always so black and white. In most instances there is an emphasis in a drama like this to show the contrast between the “decay” of the Jae-Bul (the wealthy) with the healthy, upright lifestyle of “every day” people. But when you look at the people in the Teachers’ office in Seon Jae’s High School or the Village Office where Seon Jae served his civilian military duty, they also were all wrapped up in their own prejudices and shortcomings.
The Challenge of telling the Love Story:
The reason why I thought it was impossible to produce this drama was because a story about a 40 something woman truly falling in love with a 20 something man is too fantasy-like. I did not have confidence that I can make this love story understandable and acceptable. So how was this to be done?
We had to get the viewers to feel they have fallen into a small world that seems very real, by surrounding Oh Hye Won with people who are as real as people we see around us in everyday life. The story itself does not lend itself to such reality but we had to take the necessary time to show it on the Screen. It was in our strong effort to display that reality that we were able to get the acceptance of this fantastical love story. Clearly, it was going to be a challenge but I thought if we were able to accomplish that in Episodes 1 and 2, the task would become easier going forward.
The most important scene in “Secret Love Affair”:
So what specifically were those scenes? The scene when Hye Won and Seon Jae meet for the first time and get to know one another, I felt that was going to be the most important scene. Producing a scene of a 20 year old man stealing looks of a 40 year old woman seem as natural as possible.
The piano scene in Episode 2 was not simply about Seon Jae becoming attracted to Hye Won’s female charisma. It was also about Seon Jae’s desire to be recognized for his talent being satisfied by Hye Won that would make it possible for the love story to begin to unfold. Yes, That’s right.
I remember talking to Writer Jeong about that part of the Script and saying this to her. I had a university friend named Yooha who is now a poet and a movie director. One day in class we were sitting side by side and he was drawing in his scrap book. I wasn’t paying attention to the class so I was looking at his drawings and noticed writings on the side of the drawings. When I looked at them carefully, it was a poetry. It was very well written.
I was a student of Literature, so I was familiar with the language of literary criticism. Barely 23 years old it is embarrassing to think that I used such serious literacy language but I spoke to him in that way. For this and that reason it was well written and such. He turned bright red and confessed he had been writing poetry since he was in middle school and showed me other poems he had written. It was a singular moment. By giving him my sincere thoughts on his poetry our relationship changed just like that and it changed his life.
Blown away by Yoo Ah In’s acting in Episode 2:
In Episode 2, after he plays the piano for Hye Won in her house, there is a scene where Seon Jae is walking and running down the street with his heart full of emotion. Even before we filmed the piano scene, I wanted to shoot that scene first. I was worried. Yoo Ah In is still a young actor. How would he think of this scene? I thought it would be better to just spring it on him so I went about 100 meters up the hill to speak to him.
While the lights were on and the camera was on standby, I told Yoo Ah In about Yooha’s story. He understood immediately. Perhaps he was interpreting the scene this way as well. I was blown away by his acting of the scene. At that moment, I saw that this love story could be told.
It is not that Seon Jae was totally unaware of his own talents until Hye Won brought it to his senses. It’s just that he didn’t know to what extent his talents measured up to the rest of the world. His internet ID was “genius” as we know and he was right about that. Whether he was formally educated or mastered the techniques by himself, when someone gets to that level, he has to be aware of his own ability.
It’s just that he could not articulate it himself. He wanted to talk about it and hear about it from others but because of the environment in which he lived, he was not around people with whom he could. So basically in Episode 2, Oh Hye Won “pressed the button” and something burst from inside of Seon Jae and opened up the flood gate. That is the backdrop, a beginning of their love story.
A Complicated Love Story:
When you look at it this way, we see that compared to “Wife’s Credentials” the arrangement of the love story or the operational pattern of the love story in “Secret Love Affair” becomes very complicated. The love story in “Wife’s Credentials” was straight forward. A man and a woman in a similar age group falling in love with each other is something any one can understand.
Because the love story in “Secret Love Affair” is much more complicated we needed a more exquisite interpretation and elaborate apparatus to explain it to the viewers. But once established, the explosion was going to be greater and its passion much more intense.
We needed the meticulous detail not only of the relationship between the lovers, but things like the scenery in the little restaurant downstairs of Seon Jae’s apartment, the small everyday discussions among the teachers at the school etc. All the feelings and expressions had to build upon neatly, one by one, culminating in the maximum effect of the fantasy around the two lovers playing the piano together. That’s right. It is on such a foundation that the love story could be understood and accepted.
Writer Jeong Seong Joo is highly skilled in creating a reality within a brief space in the Script. The conversations in the Teachers’ office at the Music Academy? They were only a few exchanges but even by hearing a few words, we are immersed into the reality of the world being created.
The Music Choices in “Secret Love Affair”
Why Rachmaninoff:
Let’s talk about the music choices in “Secret Love Affair”. It is easy to surmise the reasons for Schubert’s Fantasie which Seon Jae and Hye Won played together or Beethoven’s Piano Sonata #23 (“Apassionata” Sonata). Dvorak’s Piano Quintet and Mozart’s Rondo which appeared later were also explained in various conversations.
However the choice that had quite a significance in the drama, Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini was not given a particular comment. Writer Jeong is a classical music maniac so she chose a number of pieces herself initially and then wrote them into the Script. She used them where it was pertinent to create the ambience in a scene or provide relevant history in the drama. Where she was uncertain, she would consult with one of our piano supervisors, Kim So Hyung, and they would choose the pieces together.
However, no matter how able a performer is, no one can play all of the important classical pieces at the level expected of a “prodigy”. One can be very good with one piece or one composer but he or she may not have the suitable style or technique for another. It is not possible for one pianist to have a full repertoire of Beethoven, Rachmaninoff and Liszt…
In “Secret Love Affair,” pianist Song Young Min played all the piano music for Yoo Ah In. We could not have different pianists for each piece even if one pianist might play a piece better over another. Experts would know when they heard it. They would know if Lee Seon Jae was not playing all the pieces as one person. That would have been intolerable. So we had to choose a repertoire Song Young Min was comfortable with and that was why Rachmaninoff’s Paganini was chosen. Song Young Min is a Russia trained pianist.
Park Jong Hoon played Mozart’s Rondo for Yoo Ah In:
There were two scenes where we went against this principle. First was Mozart’s Rondo toward the end of the series. Going through all the life changing events he did in the drama, Seon Jae had become more mature by this time. Accordingly his musical sound had to be mature as well. Song Young Min played very well but he could not produce a sound that was markedly more mature in later Episodes than he did at the beginning. That made sense since it was not Song Young Min who had gone through all those experiences.
Another reason was because even though the Mozart pieces sound simple, in reality, only those who have received that particular training can perform them well. It is not something you can play with just a feeling or a different style. It requires a very difficult technical training. Different from that which Song Young Min had received. So for Mozart’s Rondo and Ah! vows dirai-je, Maman (‘twinkle twinkle little star’), pianist Park Jong Hoon (Professor Jo In Seo) played for Yoo Ah In.
Why Ah! vows dirai-je, Maman (‘twinkle twinkle little star’)?:
According to pianist Kim So Hyung’s interview, Ah! vows dirai-je, Maman was chosen by PD Ahn. There was no particular reason for that. Seon Jae was playing all kinds of different music for Hye Won. I did not want to see all the pieces be ones that only avid fans of classical music could appreciate. We thought we needed to have him play something different. Something that was played well but an ordinary person could hear on the main street and recognize. That’s how we came to choose Ah! vows dirai-je, Maman.
The process is more important than the result:
It appears that given all the music performance scenes, “Secret Love Affair” would have taken many more hours to produce than previous dramas. Not necessarily. Normally a drama series like this would take 60-80 days, sometimes rotating with additional teams (Team B, Team C) and so on. But I don’t like producing that way. In producing a work of art the consistency of the “same eye” is important. I think one PD should complete the project from beginning to the end. And for me the process is more important than the result.
Furthermore, every art project exists for humanism, so it is important to me that we do not ignore the individual rights of actors and staff or their daily happiness on site. This is more important to me than the quality of the project, whether it be success or failure. So I made sure everyone was given the time to rest, sleep, wash and play. My first goal is to protect those needs. I was careful about making sure there was time for all of that. That is always my first goal. I feel I have done a good job in protecting that and I feel boastful about it. We slept very well, ate well and had a lot of fun with each other right till the end.
PD Ahn’s way of production:
What were the reasons for making all that possible given that it was a project that required a lot of devotion to all things? As I stated earlier, when I get asked “how much music should we put on the Screen?” I don’t say “approximately 2 to 30 seconds”, I say “exactly 22 seconds”. We could go off a bit sometimes but when that happens we all feel it acutely. When we need extras on the set, I don’t say “approximately 2 to 30 people,” I say “we need 22 people.”
If you decide in one way and it is too much or too little you will never forget it, it gets imprinted in your memory…Ah, 25 people is right. I have been trained from seeing the results of making judgments precisely, whether it be the length of music performance, the number of people on the set or location requirements etc., these are ingrained in me. There are not too many ways things can go wrong anymore, nor the need for more time than planned. The work gets done rather quickly.
This kind of elaborate and detailed pre-planning way of doings things must have been achieved through years of experience. I have done it for 27 years. It is something I have done since my days as an assistant PD right up to today. If from the beginning I started by estimating “2 to 30 extras” on the set, or made decisions on approximate terms, I would never have improved in 10 years or even in 100 years. But if you make decisions once and take responsibility for the result in a precise manner than you would not make mistakes next time. You can imagine how complex a drama production can be. If you work on every part one by one this way, you would become very precise. Perhaps I will still improve next time.
Part 3 of the Director’s Cut: Ahn Pan Seok Speaks on SLA here
Director’s Cut: Ahn Pan Seok Speaks on SLA – Part 1
Translator: @seungshinl
Editor: @junebugg and @dualnon
Exclusive Interview of Secret Love Affair PD Ahn Pan Seok – Part 1
– 취재팀 maxmovie.com 5.20.2014
Not One Note, Nor a Finger Movement Was in a Wrong Place
One question into the interview, PD Ahn Pan Seok jestingly begins with a wave of his hand, “I have told the story in 16 Episodes what more could I say?” We are reminded that he is a man of presentation; to be understood by his exemplary work on screen alone. We get that his involvement with Secret love affair too, was an enduring affair, given that he had encountered the early versions of the script nearly 6 years ago. When his initial dismissal, to speak about his newest sterling production, bounces off, we hear more about the calculated synergies and the intense ‘process’ that went into giving us the Secret Love Affair we deeply cherish today; his style, or the lack of it that he refuses to acknowledge as his own; his partly intimidating obsession to model a scene with little else, but perfection. Lastly, we hear him speak of the stunning details – the absorbing silences, the long shots that drew us to the poetic mise-en-scene – that dictated the microcosm of Secret Love Affair.
What is he most proud about Secret love affair?
I’m most proud of having completed Secret Love Affair while giving plenty of time for the staff to eat, sleep, and rest.
How he got involved in Secret Love Affair?
It’s a long story; it goes back to 2007-2008. At the time, I was under contract with ‘Drama House’ production company. It had been approached by ‘Future One’ production company to collaborate on the adaptation of the novel ‘Tokyo Tower,’ written by Ekuni Kaori. Writer, Jeong Seong Joo was there at the meeting, I was invited to discuss this project. At that time, I concluded that this story could not be dramatized. I felt that a drama adopted from a novel, mostly based on feelings and emotions, did not have enough story to go on. The story itself was too short. If the casting was not perfect, I knew it would be the end of it.
But, ‘Future One’ did not want to let go of the project. They had a lingering attachment to this project. They had consulted other writers, but had returned to Jeong Seong Joo again. Writer Jeong decided that in order to do this right, the script had to be re-written. She discarded all previous versions of the Script and started again from scratch.
Last June, with a new three book script of the story, she asked to see me. When I listened to her, I began to see a possible value in producing the story. I believe Writer Jeong had a story she wanted to tell in a melo format. She had an idea of an imaginary couple in a secret affair that turned into ‘Mil Hwe.’ ”
How were the lead actors chosen?
Actress Kim Hee Ae, was already established for the role, from her previous work like “Wife’s Credentials.” When I met with Writer Jeong, Kim Hee Ae was there too, so she was in the project right from the beginning. From there, we had to really think about who the main male lead should be and at top of the recommended list was actor, Yoo Ah In.
How did you decide, if an actor or a professional performer should play Lee Seon Jae?
The problem was that the main lead had to play the piano. If the piano performances did not turn out right, it would have been a shame. Whether the project was a success or not, we could not risk being an embarrassment. Moreover, the pianist had to be a prodigy. And, how do we address this situation? I cannot tell you how horrifying the predicament was. We even interviewed an actor who had completed middle grade level piano training.
However, we realized that was not enough. Even for those who finished high school grade piano training, we could not air their music sound and piano hand movements; not even for 5 seconds. Just after one piano note, the experts in the field would know that the act wouldn’t suffice.
Kim So Hyung and Park Jong Hoon (the pianist who played Professor Jo In Seo,) our piano supervisors for Secret Love Affair, concluded, within seconds of the performance, that they could not tolerate such clumsiness. They were adamant and refused to have it aired.
For example, let’s say there is a scene where the pianist is supposed to make a mistake. It had to be a mistake that viewers could see and detect. However, if it’s the kind of gaffe that the viewers could understand, it would be a mistake that could end a performing career. Then we asked the professional performers what would qualify for a small and admissible blunder? When we saw the demonstration of it, we could not tell it from the well played parts.
The situation looked bleak, as we understood what was being asked of us. But the piano supervisors convinced and showed me the way. And with that, we decided that all the piano performances in Secret Love Affair – from start to finish – had to be of the standard that would be accepted and acknowledged by professional experts.
We went so far as to feel that there could be no comprise between the script and the scene when it came to the piano performances. Usually, in dramas like this, the scene goes through iterations of compromises between the PD’s and the advisory experts. It happens all the time. But in Secret Love Affair, with the exception of the scenes dealing with corporate corruption and company (Seo Han) operations, we didn’t have to settle for less, between the actual piano scenes and what was expected of it from the script, and this we achieved with the guidance of our experts.
How were you affected by the need for professional piano performances?
To be honest, I changed during this process. Of course, it is good if the viewers understand everything that is in the story. That’s when its most effective and efficient. I felt it when I was working on the “White Tower” project too. I wondered if we should insert subtitles or captions to provide more information to the viewers. I questioned, if we should provide more explanations of the esoteric subject matter? In the end, though we did not do that, we did compromise. But now, I feel it is ok if the viewers do not understand everything. They can still follow the story without knowing all the details of the subject matter expert.
For some, they may be able to understand everything and get the enjoyment out of it. For others, they may gain new understanding when re-watching the scenes. And that is a lot of fun too.
Your thoughts on the having gone with an actor?
In the end, we decided to go with an actor as the main lead, rather than a professional pianist. It is also then that we had the realization that it would not be easy to produce a sound (and performance) on the screen at the same standard that would be acceptable to the professionals in the field. From beginning to end, there is no performance scene in this drama (Secret Love Affair) where each finger movement and positioning is in a place where it shouldn’t be. It’s 100% synchronization. This project is so complete it makes you want to research and confirm there hadn’t been one such project in the past.
How was 100% synchronicity was achieved?
Every piano scene was performed in exactly the same space (setting) using exactly the same instrument (for actors and professional performers.) For example, if you want to know the secret, there is a scene in the final Episode in which Seon Jae is performing Dvorak’s Piano Quintet. That particular piece is very very long. If one was to listen, learn and perform the entire piece, a year would not be enough to film the whole thing. Normally, a performance scene like that would be filmed in entirety. When you do that, it is inevitable there would be a mistake in the performance.
The reason why we were able to have complete synchronicity, without an error, is because there was total unity between the portions that were aired and the portions that were performed by the actors.
For instance, if we were airing 18 seconds of a performance we only practiced the same 18 seconds. We pre-planned which part will be aired and we practiced that part to death. Even the Inchoen Orchestra (who performed the concert scene,) picked out the portion of the music piece that would be aired and practiced only that portion of the piece.
Once we decided to go take this approach, it turned out that the portions we needed to practice was not that much. Even if the scene had different angles, we only had to shoot18 seconds, in total, for a given piece.
We would first record the performances by professional musicians that would be aired. Next, we recorded the actors to synchronize with the sound in the performances. At this stage, the actors can hear the professional recording while they were playing (synchronizing) and the piano supervisors were to help them with the timing to align their act with the beat. With this arrangement, it was possible to sync the professional performance and the acted parts.
In Episode 2, Seon Jae performs a number of pieces at Hye Won’s home. So only the parts that were aired were played?
We pre-planned and marked off portions of the pieces that would be played, down to the exact second.
Then it must have been difficult to choose a piece of music and decide which parts of that piece to air (and play)…
It was very very difficult. We had to choose not only the parts and pieces of music, but also had to choose the precise length of each piece. We did not say somewhere between 2 – 30 seconds. We had to choose precisely ’22 seconds’ of a piece. It was scary to make such precise judgment. What if we were wrong? But it could not be helped and even then, we had to make that decision.
It was quite unexpected to see Professor Jo In Seo’s part to be played by the pianist Park Jong Hoon, especially when he was not required to do a lot of piano performances.
It was not because I wanted to contrast amateur actors with real actors surrounding him. It’s because I wanted to minimize actors who were imitating professional performers (in the Academy.) That’s why other than the two main leads, I decided to cast real professional performers for the rest of the character roles.
In particular, when I saw Park Jong Hoon’s interview, he came across as being calm and composed. Those types of people make good actors.
Some people have said Park’s acting was warm but awkward, but my evaluation is that he acted very well. Unknowingly, we have become biased from watching TV drama and hence, consider such acting as awkward. What we perceive as good acting, may be superficial acting.
It could be that people are not used to it, but judging by my own criteria, both Park Jong Hoon and Yan Min Young (Professor Kim In Joo) did very well. As I stated earlier, my intention in casting them was not to have a non-homogeneous cast.
Have you seen the writing on Secret Love Affair by Son Yeul Eum?
I have always enjoyed Son Yeul Eum’s columns. Not only myself, but Writer Jeong likes them too and never misses them. We are both her huge fans. We also enjoyed reading her writing about Secret Love Affair.
Perhaps, it is unfair, but really, didn’t Lee Seon Jae “drop out of the sky” just like Son Yeul Eum described in her column?
Seon Jae became what he is through self-discipline and rigorous training. From elementary school he practiced Bach on his own, even if it was in a way that was outrageously uncouth (not using the pedal) for some. But, I don’t think it’s a false accusation. We work within the force of habit when it comes to thinking how a typical prodigy should be portrayed in the Drama world and I am part of that world so I am responsible for that as well.
Putting aside Seon Jae’s prodigious piano skills, his way with words is the characteristic that makes him a prodigy. His sense of justice and about what is right and wrong, his unwavering attachment to the truth comes through in his words. When he speaks, he does not hesitate to speak what he needs to say. He is a man of his words.
Some may think he is a ‘또라이’ (ttorai – a crazy fool). Sometimes, I think that too. He looks at the world through his own eyes and he thinks in his own about what he sees and speaks what he thinks. That is a prodigy. If his seeing, thinking and speaking is intervened by the conventional norm that would no longer make him a prodigy. He as a whole being is a prodigy because he is his own man.
Even when he could be wrong, he believes in himself. What meaning would there be if he was one of many thousands. He has to be one and only. If a person is unique he doesn’t have to jump through the hoops 100 thousand times. He just has to be himself. As long as he is true to himself, he is unique and he is peerless. That is a prodigy.
About Seon Jae’s peculiar way in which he moves his body and the way he hesitates when he speaks – was that Yoo Ah In’s idea?
Yes it was. He (YAI) is a natural born actor. If I were to speak about Yoo’s special quality, he is extremely intelligent and honest. If there is anything at all superficial or untruthful, he is unable to tolerate that feeling even a tiny little bit.
He doesn’t just act with his feelings, but he has a way of pinpointing the exact amount of emotion required and controls and regulates the same when he is acting. At his age too…
How did you come to include Seon Jae’s foot fetish?
If you look at the lectures by Lee Tae Joon on sentence strengthening, he claims that the most difficult letter to write is one without “concreteness”. Even if one were to be a great writer, if he/she is asked to write a general “comfort letter*” to a soldier serving in the military it would be difficult. However, if one is asked to write a letter to his/her father to send money, everyone becomes a great letter writer.
More specifically, Lee goes further. If one were to write a letter to the father returning the money that was not spent, one could say “I have spent the money you sent me very well, I am enclosing the remainder of the money I did not spend,” and it would be acceptable. But, if one were to write “I have spent the money you sent me very well and I am enclosing 3,250 won remaining with this letter,” the reader would get a better feeling about what one is trying to say and it quickly becomes more real.
A reference to the foot fetish in Secret Love Affair is similar to that principle. One can claim repeatedly, “she is beautiful”, “she is pretty,” but it would not go beyond commonplace convention and will remain a cliché. It is hard to get at the actual feeling. But, once you make a mention about the attraction to her feet, you get the sense of it much better. It’s an artistic technique.
Part 2 of the Director’s Cut: Ahn Pan Seok Speaks on SLA here
* South Korea has a mandatory military service. Young students and even the general population are encouraged to write “comfort letters” to soldiers serving in the military.
밀회 PIANO CONVERSATIONS 