넷플릭스 시리즈 〈오징어 게임〉과 히치콕 영화 미학

Abstract

<Squid Game> directed by Hwang Dong-hyeok is a Netflix original series that has achieved worldwide success. Although the story is developed using the same method as a television drama, cinematic aesthetics are conveyed through excellent video directing. The success of <Squid Game> is, above all, in the suspense plot setting and elaborate mise en scene that are optimized for Netflix viewing. The excellent power of immersing the viewer into the image is similar to Alfred Hitchcock's cinematic aesthetics. Hitchcockian suspense is an effective device for the Netflix viewing method called ‘binge-watching’. The Hitchcockian suspense that begins with ‘the audience knowing more information than the characters’ is repeated throughout the Squid Game series. The effect of suspense is enhanced through directing which dilates time and limits space. In <Squid Game>, plots and subplots are elaborately connected. The subplot is an effective device that connects the stories of each episode and creates a ‘binge-watching’ viewing experience. The gaze of ‘voyeurism’ penetrating the entire central narrative is a production optimized for Netflix individual viewing, also known as ‘solitary binge-watching’. The most important factor in Hitchcock's films is the ‘audience’. He uses suspense to manipulate the audience's reactions and emotions. Hwang Dong-hyuk also directs a game with the audience in <Squid Game>. Hwang Dong-hyeok understands the essence of Netflix's viewing method, ‘binge-watching’ and ‘solitary binge-watching’. <Squid Game> stands out with the clever suspense created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, who directs the audience by evoking the emotions and reactions of the audience like Hitchcock.