디지털 기술과 한국 현대사 영화 속 군중의 스펙터클

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the dynamics between the development of digital cinematographic technologies and the spectacular crowd images in Korean modern history films. Examining the mechanisms at work in the representation of crowds in contemporary Korean modern history films is as important as grasping the meaning of interpretation and representation. Nevertheless, most existing studies on Korean modern history film have focused on issues of memory and representation of the historical past. From A Petal to May 18 to A Taxi Driver to 1987: When the Day Comes, Korean cinema has undergone significant industrial and technological growth and change. Therefore, in order to explore the representation and characterization of historical events in popular cinema, it is necessary to consider the industrial context. To this end, we examine how the image of the crowd has changed in contemporary Korean modern history films. Massive crowd scenes are a hallmark of the film industry's success. Before the advent of digital technology, the mobilization of thousands of extras was a prerequisite for blockbuster films. We can see that crowds, which were simply background or mise-en-scene elements before the 2000s, have gradually emerged as a major element responsible for cinematic spectacle with the development of digital film technology. Through the textual analysis of A Taxi Driver and 1987: When the Day Comes, it is shown that the spectacle of the crowd becomes a cinematic dominant element that organizes the order of the work and plays a leading role. In conclusion, this study argues that just as ancient Rome became a privileged site for the display of technology in Hollywood epic films, Korean modern history films have chosen the crowd spectacle as an effective genre to fascinate audiences through the display of digital technology and production scale. The spectacular image of the crowd is not necessarily unique to Korean modern history film. However, the prominence of the spectacle of the crowd in recent Korean modern history film is a result of advanced digital technology and its aesthetic demands. This is not just a case of technological advancement, but of the industrial desire to produce spectacle films to appeal to the masses, which is manifested in the crowds in modern historical films.