as well. The remodeling took place in the Imperial Palace of the T'ang Dynasty. Shilla's characteristic colors were applied covering the remnants of the T'ang Dynasty and every little structure of the palace was changed to create the most realistic Imperial Palace of the Shilla Dynasty. At the end, even the set manager of Heng Dain was surprised by its beautiful grand transformation.
COSTUME DESIGN:
The Shilla Dynasty had the most brilliant and complex costumes in the history of Korea. A woman's simple dress consisted of at least 3 pieces of skirts. And each rank of warriors had its own decorations and fashion. Moreover, the royal crown, the belt, the dress ornaments, along with the royal dresses for the Emperor and the Empress were the most intricate and magnificent work of art. To re-create the marvelous fashions of the Shilla Dynasty, someone with great expertise on costumes and a thorough skill on research and investigation was needed.
Over 2,000 costumes were individually designed by Professor PARK Seong-min at Esmod Fashion Design School through a thorough research. Then, an award winning costume designer ZOU Zian-hua with her 300 assistants dyed and embroidered total of 1,200 sets of costumes.
MARTIAL ARTS CHOREOGRAPHY:
For 7 months, the cast and crew members submerged themselves in the ancient world of spirits and sword fighting. To transform himself to a great general of Shilla, JEONG Joon-ho (Biharang) spent hours each day practicing his action choreography based on ancient art of taekkyon and horseback riding. Moreover, on the high wall of Heng Dain set, KIM Hyo-jin (Jaunbie) diligently worked on her wire descend from 30m above ground. She also practiced free falling off the 15m high cliff into a cold lake without any supporting gear.
Actors went through the grueling training of wire actions, equestrian martial arts and even scuba diving for underwater scenes. No action moves came easy in . However, with 110% of everyone's devotional efforts and never-ending practice, the magnificent film that tells the story of the 1000 year old curse and the inevitable fate of the mighty kingdom and the tragic love and battle of a man was finally brought to life. This 6 billion won grand scale project of passion, history and mythology would've only existed in the world of imagination if not for the enormous efforts and challenging spirit of those who participated in it. Through the courage and confidence of the director, the crew and the actors, has become the greatest film of 2003.
CGI SPECIAL EFFECTS:
CG production for took 6 grueling months to finish. Even the initial release date of the film was pushed back in order to achieve and to present to the audience the most fantastic computer graphics.
The ultimate goal for the CG designers was to create unique effects that will best represent the special characteristics of . Since it is a fantasy film based on Korean history, the designers strived to create its own original style, rather than assimilating Hollywood style. As the result, the graphics blend beautifully with the historic architectures and the mystical landscape of the ancient kingdom.
With its subtle and delicate CG work that perfectly supports and complements the story of the film, opens the door to new genre of film called 'Korean fantasy.'
Finally, the one of a kind CG for Korean films has been created. Through , everyone will see and appreciate the new style of CG which will change the future of Korean cinema.
Film Facts:
