Mingjin Yi - Martian hands

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Who is Mingjin Yi?

She is hypersensitive to surroundings but also has her backbone.
She is quite lazy but she tries to do anything she wants to.
She concerns so many things, but tries to focus on positive things.

What is Martian hands about?

Martian hands is about independence and love, effort and fantasy.
First, this story is that the Small Hands creates what she wants after she smashes her dependence, realizing the true meaning of love.
Small hands has been living by relying on the Big Hands, thinking she guessed she can not do her thing.
When big hands did not keep his promise, small hands felt angry because of her self-dependence. Her anger destroyed her things. Destruction is essential for renewal. After that, she is born newly.
She is to grow into an independent self, able to make what she wants.

Second, it is a story about love and labor. Love is not just emotional. What you love about is that you have to be responsible for it and strive constantly. Small hands labors in theme on love. To attach the paper, to make a piece of electrical works and work with a computer. The works are also love.

Third, It is also a story about love and fantasy. Small hands makes ​​people of Paper pictures (concept) out of the spell of magic. The electric piece sticking out from the inner travels. When she spells, rice comes out from the floor. In the bottom is a tree, a symbol of the hope. The last song is a paean to those fantasy and magic. Painful reality, even if it is shallow and tough, let us hold up it and realize the dream
it is said that the so-called love has part of magic, however, I believe that not such a glance but love based on independence and labor magically wil transform oneself and human race into uplifting beings.

Interestingly, big hands say, "love hands that knows on love is a magic hands" big hands does not give rice to small hands as an excuse to say that you can do anything. However, when she turns to be independent small hands creates rice. Eventually she becomes magic hands as big hands said. Whether she is the independent or not, it depends on the viewer.

How did you start with film? And do you have an educational background in art or film?

It is a long time memory that I wanted to talk about something about love. The start was actually fun.I shot the film on a whim after I put people together. But the end was a serious labour. It seemed to never end. It seemed that I thought of theme on work creating a set of works. I have might excused a severe labour for love.

I did not major in art or film. But I perform some plays in university. Also I liked to take classes of art and art history. I used to go to a cinematheque, where we used to shoot films and study film. After that, I worked as flash designer and writer.

Could you explain how you work, what themes or concepts you use and what is important to you?

The important thing to me is the character’s conflict or growth. Figures starting from the gap between ideals and reality come to be either side, the growth or decline. Of course, it is not so bad to do just works to capture the boredom of routine or those that accuse the pain of reality. However, people will be dead and as man running toward death, it is assumed to be essential to have growth or decline. As possible, I want to work with a growing human. Whether the perception of reality or their awareness of the growing, when he becomes aware of himself, He will grow. I like such a person to explore things he himself did not know.

But The story that can not help but ruin character exists. For example, figures such as Madame bovari is bound to be declined. The concept of decline is the story for social criticism. It is also important to me. No matter how personal awareness is, it will be difficult to have the massive changes of society.
Especially for me is not the preferred concept. By combining two or three contrasting concepts, it seems that I like creating another concept. For example, such as labor and fantasy, independence and love.

How long do you usually work on one project?

I usually tend to keep their deadlines when I get paid. But doing it myself is not limited to period.
Martian hands took more than 1 and half year. Because I do not know to operate the software ’After effect’ so I have to learn it and I have to work for living.

Do you carefully plan the production process or do you work more intuitive?

At first, Martian hands had been totally different. Even original title had been ’blinking, blinking’
But when I percieved some problem, I changed the work path several times. It grew up continually like a plant or a baby exploring new road.
I was far from careful worker. But I would resolve to plan carefully when the work come to no good.

How does the title relate to the work, and how do you find a fitting title?

On midst of working I read a book on the astrology. And I reckoned that I am full of martian energy and It fitted my story in terms of independence and destruction, also. Then the conclusion of the job came to me. And title was set. Because hands were already the main characters.
Once a conclusion is set, the title can be easily found. I do not know whether martian hands is a good title, but the title is the most vital and direct and candid for me.

Where do you get your ideas or inspiration from?

Sometimes there are inspirations in one of the cat’s body language, only one line at poem, a rhythm of the melody, one corner color of the painting.
Reading books and talking to other people are the most stimulating idea makers. Concepts can be obtained from books. And a specific inspirations can be obtained through staring people’s lives.

How important is sound in film, and if you use sounds, do you create your own or use existing?

Sound is very important. In working with video, sound seems to occupy 50% of the film. The image is too limited for just the character’s inner representation.
I create a sound at times. I can also play or sing. However, slight variations of existing has its own fun.

How does content relate to the form of your work?

I create a form based on the content. I usually get the shape from a content than the content from a shape. It might be because I am not expressionist but a worrier. It may be appropriate for comparison with structures. If the content is skeleton of building, form is the same as decorations.
The decorations without skeleton is caos, the skeleton without decoration looks like a cold and desolate monastery. When you tie them together, you can get the rich results.
Of course, I like each of the monastery and caos. Monastery alone may be boring, only chaos may bring the spirit of the wild. But anything can good if it goes extremely.

What possibilities of the web are yet to be explored?

In reality, I do not know them. If I knew something concrete and feasible to do, I would earn a big money. However, little dreaming of the possibility of impractical ideals, I want to be Kusanagi jumping in to the network in Ghost in the Shell. In many SF, the human souls and spirits to jump in network live forever. I always be jealous of it. Could the day come before I die? Someday it would be possible.

Did the web changed your view on art, or your career?

Web allow us to extend infinitely our expression field. For example we can make our gallery, library, music hall, theater on web. From young age I have thought that everybody needs where any person can express his emotion. Web did not change my thoughts but arrange realistic field.

Thanks to Web, the artists have many benefits But I do not care too much about those professionals.
I care common people to take advantage of their creativity more enjoyably. South Korea is one of the fastest speeded countries when it comes to internet. However, owing to an emphasis on speed, I think they are drying up and their lives are poor rather than rich.
If things does not go on as their will, they are angry.
They are thinking the same thing and dress up the same way as the robot.
They are a little afraid of being different. During two or three months, every Korean bought smartphones, they enjoy it in their hands. If you do not have smartphone, people will ignore you. Even primary school student has to have a smartphone. They upload a picture of food on their own blogs. Everybody that sees it goes to eat the food.
But that is all. Endless different possibilities of web and life are not being realized.
As Korea is the country that has so much pressure and every day Koreans need the tremendous amount of labor to survive, Usually people can not take advantage of web for their creativity. It is difficult that they pay attention to abundant expression of their lives.
It’s because the whole driving atmosphere of South Korea and I do not like it. In fact, it is said that the web gives us expanding of our possibilities, but still the fundamental problems do not be solved.
Of course, tweeter has changed the political atmosphere. More young people becomes progressive and influential through tweeter. It is satisfying.
If this speeding period is gone, could a lot of people take advantage of the web to enrich their lives?
I hope desperately the time that everyone can afford to enjoy his life comes.
As for my career, when web was activated, I became a flash designer.
It was very exciting. I had so much fun. I had severe labor compared to a ridiculously small pay. But I was able to glimpse into the infinite possibilities of Web.

Where would you place your work; cinema or art. And what is the difference between those according to you?

My works are films and arts. If they are screened in cinemas and people together see them, they are films. If you see them at home alone, they are arts. In terms of production of films and art, You will never see the difference. The difference from these comes from acceptance form of the audience.
The movie has gotten Many people to laugh and cry together in the theater. It resembles Concerts and performances.
However, an art has a strong personal side that you go to galleries to watch an work oneself and talk with a couple of friends, enjoying a cup of coffee. It seems to be like books.
From 30 years ago, as people could be at home watching a movie, they also have seen movies alone. Now, the difference between movies and arts is disappearing. Whether watching movies on the web or DVD, we can see them all at home. So I think movie becomes art.

How influential is the reaction to your film by the audience?

I do not invent something depending on the audience’s reaction.
I just do my best as an audience shows its best reaction.
I think I am lucky if the audience likes. If the audience does not like it, I will work harder next time.
I have a conviction that When I work with fun, people would be fun to see my work. So, first I will have to be able to work happily.

What is your next project about?

I am making a comics. It is about a boy called empty grain. Actually he has no brain. The story is about him and his friends. They overcome their deficiencies through their wisdoms and fall into hell because of their ignorances. I plan to make flash animations with it.



Copy the interview with Mingjin Yi