Table of Contents
Jung Myung Kim introduces himself as a man who takes pictures of Korea. For over forty years he climbed cliffs and mountains in pursuit of wildflowers, and in Yoo Lee's short documentary A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers, that pursuit becomes something larger β a meditation on passion, mortality, and the pull that keeps a person reaching for one more photograph.
Working from four terabytes of footage Kim entrusted to her, Lee weaves live action with stop-motion animation to build a portrait that never centers his illness, only his devotion. The result is a film that asks its audience to slow down for thirteen minutes and appreciate a man who gave his life to the natural wonders in front of his lens.
Key Takeaways
- Built over two years from four terabytes of Kim's own photographs and video, the film blends live action and stop-motion animation in the documentary category β a deliberate statement that medium is just medium.
- Kim, diagnosed with terminal cancer at the film's start, watched the finished work with his loved ones in a Seoul theater rented by his family before his passing.
- Backed by the Proof of Concept Accelerator and executive produced by Cate Blanchett, Coco Francini, and Dr. Stacy L. Smith, the film is now Oscar Qualified.
A conversation with Yoo Lee about honoring a life, earning an emotional arc, and following her heart without waiting for permission.
Interview
What drew you to make this film, and why this story, why now?
By telling the life story of Jung Myung Kim, I am not solely honoring him; rather, I am celebrating individuals like myself, who choose to pursue their passions and thread paths not conventionally paved for them.
If I can encapsulate this documentary with brevity, weaving through Jung Myung's prolific body of work β four terabytes of pictures and videos that he entrusted to me β in a way that resonates with the audience, I believe I can achieve anything. That plus what Jung Myung told me recently: he finds comfort in knowing that there is at least one person in the world who truly appreciates his work β me, working on his story. I intend on making the orbit of appreciation wider, much wider.
What surprised you most about the filmmaking process?
It was difficult finding how to make the story out of the several terabytes of his work that he entrusted me with. It's when I received the Proof of Concept Accelerator grant and invaluable mentorship from Coco Francini, Cate Blanchett, and Dr. Stacy L. Smith that the story really came together.
Coco especially pushed me to earn the emotional arc of the story hard. I am so grateful. She also taught me there is a note behind a note, and I am finally learning how to receive and process constructive criticism as a storyteller.
What was the hardest creative decision you made while making the film?
It was both the easiest and hardest decision. The main subject of the documentary received a terminal cancer diagnosis at the start of the film. I was determined not to make the film about his disease, but instead about his passion. It also meant we were on a very strict timeline, so that Kim could watch it before his passing.
I am happy to share that Kim was able to watch the finished film with his loved ones in a small theater rented by his family in Seoul before his passing, and that event allowed his family, friends, and admirers of his work to share their heartfelt tribute.
What moment in the film feels most like you, or like something only you could have made?
That the film was made in the Korean language, using stop-motion animation to fill in the gaps in making the story flow and to interview him β gaining the trust of his family and himself. The whole process really, which took two years.
What tool, technique, or mindset shift helped most during production?
I used stop-motion animation to help the story flow and honor the footage that the late Jung Myung Kim entrusted me with. All the wonderful cast and crew who helped make the film joined the project because they saw pieces of themselves in Kim. The project was guided by the incredible financial support and mentorship from the Proof of Concept Accelerator, spearheaded by Coco Francini.
I always believe that animation, especially stop-motion, is no different from live action. The process of making the film is exactly the same β the only difference is time, which takes a lot longer. So to have our mixed-medium short documentary shown at HollyShorts in the documentary category, not the animation category, reaffirms my belief that medium is just medium. It's always about the story at heart. I believe A Man Who Takes Pictures of Flowers will transport the audience to a meditative setting where we get to appreciate the natural wonders and slow down a bit, even for thirteen minutes, to appreciate a person who was so passionate about the wildflowers of Korea.
What is the greatest strength of independent filmmaking, and what breakthrough would you share with others?
It's simply that I made this film because I wanted to make it. I wasn't waiting for a studio's approval and didn't need it. It was going to be a short documentary in Korean using live action and stop-motion animation that was going to take two years to make. I made it without compromising my vision or aesthetic.
I am so proud of the end project. It has profoundly made me into a better human being, not just a filmmaker, and I elevated as a storyteller. So follow your heart, always. There is always going to be a way to make the film you want to make, if you work hard at it.
What does it mean to have your film selected for HollyShorts, and where do you see it going next?
This will be our Los Angeles premiere, our home base. It means all the hard work our cast and crew put into it means something and will have an audience at a premier festival in our own backyard. We are so grateful and happy. I am most thrilled that the late Jung Myung Kim will get to travel to Hollywood in spirit with his family.
So far, the film has reached all continents and will travel to several more festivals overseas. It is already Oscar Qualified by winning at two Oscar-qualifying festivals, and, not going to lie, it would be a dream to see it go far with the Oscars. This film also inspired me to finally attempt a longer format using live action and stop-motion animation β that's next for me, along with three more shorts I am working on.
Main Cast & Crew
- Writer/Director: Yoo Lee
- Executive Producers: Cate Blanchett, Coco Francini & Dr. Stacy L. Smith
- Producers: Yoo Lee, Shinae Kim, Shengluo Zhang
- Composer: JΓΆelle Nager
- Editors: Yoo Lee, Mengyao Mia Zhang
- Sound Designer: Matthew Schoenfeld
- Sound Mixer: Duncan McRae
- Art Director: Yoo Lee
- Directors of Photography: Aaron Wise, JungMyung Kim
- Cast: Jung Myung Kim
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