넷플릭스의 새로운 영상 미학: <오징어게임>을 중심으로

Abstract

This study aims to discuss new visual production that fits the OTT platform video viewing method. Director Hwang Dong-hyeok's <Squid Game> presents new visual aesthetics for a novel viewing method. Rather than developing episodes centered on stories and dialogue, <Squid Game> produces videos based on film aesthetics. Netflix's characteristic of personal viewing immerses the audience on a small screen. It overcomes the limitations of a small screen by emphasizing simplicity and clarity through the production of colors and lighting. The close-ups used in <Squid Game> are not simply ‘speaking faces’ that are commonly used in television, but devices that produce the emotions of characters. The editing of various rhythms reminiscent of Eisenstein's montage also replaces the dialogue and emotions of characters. The violent and sexual scenes that appear in <Squid Game> attract the attention of the audience, but they do not remain as mere pleasure of sight. Director Hwang Dong Hyeok shows cruelty and neutralizes it. The fairytale-like and fantastical scenes along with the violent and sexual scenes are devices that distance the audience from cruel or stimulating materials. They show disparate things side by side and deliver the director's message. The elaborately directed images and sounds easily make the audience more immersed in the narrative. It is not just about the pleasure of watching. <Squid Game> leads the audience to think about society and the world.