'Looking for an assistant director to go to Cannes with me'. This is a post on a video job search site by a third-year production company that makes independent films and web dramas. Is this 'unfounded confidence'? However, when you learn that this production's first work was invited to the Cannes International Drama Festival this spring and has already been to Cannes, your thoughts will change. Furthermore, if it is a company made up of 100% young people, this is 'well-founded passion'. The name of this spirited production is 'Muam', and the head of this year is 33-year-old alumnus Hyeon Hae-ri.
“I’m the only one in my 30s among the staff. There are also people born in 1990, 1997, 1998, and 2001. This is the first time for all of us to have our names on the ending scroll.”
In an industry where careers are important, youth can soon be a weakness. However, Hyun Hae-ri, an alumnus we met at the Muam office in Samseong-dong on June 27, expressed her confidence by saying, “The content industry is a world where you can win with just one idea.” The Cannes International Drama Festival is an event where the Cannes Film Festival rolls out a pink carpet instead of a red carpet and targets dramas from all over the world. Muam broke through the market that is being watched by OTTs and broadcasting stations from each country with the low-budget independent drama “A Woman Who Only Worked as a Contract Worker 9 Times.” Hyun took charge of directing and overall production.
“We filmed it with our own capital without any commercial investment, and it doesn’t feature any notable celebrities, but the Japanese broadcaster Nippon TV, the Spanish broadcaster, and the BBC official production wanted to meet at Cannes. I asked them out of curiosity, and they said, ‘Isn’t Korea the most fun and hot country right now?’”
Although it is modest to say that it was fueled by the 'K-content' craze, 'The Woman Who Only Worked as a Contract Worker 9 Times' is somewhat unique. It shows the journey of the main character, a 20-something woman 'Jeong Gyu-ji', through 9 contract jobs in a short-form series of 15 minutes each. A convenience store part-timer who has to understand mysterious cigarette orders perfectly, a cafe part-timer who suffers from the tyranny of an influencer, a startup intern and a temporary civil servant who seem neat on the outside but are full of absurdities, etc. Without looking far, the script was written by collecting 'funny and sad stories' posted by young people on the Internet.
“I thought it was a comedy when I directed it. But people who saw the piece said it was too sad. The main character, Gyuji, is a character who works ‘soullessly’ without being angry or sad, and they felt that it was a dark satire.”
The protagonist, who takes on a contract job with a 'hit and run' attitude, is a portrait of the MZ generation who is enthusiastic about the amusement park part-timer who recites the safety rules with a blank expression but diligently, calling him 'Soulless Seat', and resigns from a large company because he doesn't want to be tied down to the company. Rather, he asks, 'You who have only worked at one job are more pitiful.' "Even if you get a full-time job, you change jobs after 2 or 3 years, and when recommended resignations are frequent, should we only see contract jobs as a form of employment? I thought that if we changed our thinking to 'a form of experience,' wouldn't it be a little more comfortable for everyone. It's pitiful and we want to help, but there are young people who grow in their own way through part-time or contract jobs. Our main actress (Son Soo-ah) is actually Lee Kyung-sil's daughter, and she dreamed of becoming an actress while working various part-time jobs without asking for help. She incorporated that experience into her acting."
A group photo of the filming crew for 'The Woman Who Only Worked as a Contract Worker 9 Times'. The lead actress, Soo-ah Son, is in the middle of the front row, and the third from the left is Hae-ri Hyun, who was in charge of directing and producing.
The path that Hyun Dong-moon himself has taken is also diverse. During his college days, when he only drew pictures from middle and high school, he lived “to the point where I was confused about whether I went to the hip-hop department or the art school.” He wrote his own raps in the hip-hop club ‘Bounce Factory’ and went on to perform at university festivals and ‘Show Me the Money’. After graduating, he joined MBN as the first open recruitment PD and created a current affairs and culture program. He also worked at a large company, but he quit and founded a production company in 2020. “I think I’m really a person who is different. I have to do my own thing and I’m not the type of person who can work under someone else.”
Starting with the production of promotional videos, the planning ability was outstanding. They even hired big-time investor Jim Rogers to shoot the video, and in the 'hip-hop cypher project' conducted with the Ministry of Unification, they brought in famous rappers and had the audacity to put a crooked hip-hop hat on then-Minister of Unification Lee In-young.
“We don’t have connections or experience. However, when experienced producers think about a safe direction, we tried to suggest a direction that others don’t take. If you want 2030 to talk about unification, a meeting-type meeting would be a safe method. However, I thought that in a world where everyone wants to do hip-hop and rap, if you shoot a music video with the minister, rap, and release an album, if the topic is peace and unification, many people would think about it and write lyrics. In fact, the response was good.”
Although it was successful enough to generate 1 billion won in annual sales in just one year, the work that started out of a thirst for 'something of my own' was 'The Woman Who Only Worked as a Contract Worker 9 Times'. "Even though my income was cut in half, the work that I poured my blood and soul into made it to Cannes and became a stepping stone for investment in the next work. I truly felt that if you do well, you will be rewarded."
So, what will happen to 'The Woman Who Only Worked as a Contract Worker 9 Times'? According to the 'spoiler' that was given, it is neither a disappointing story of frustration nor a story of vague success. The post-production is in full swing with the goal of an October release. The next work, 'The Man Who Only Worked as a Contract Worker 6 Times' (tentative title), is scheduled to be produced as a movie with support from the Korea Creative Content Agency, and a series of unique numbers await, such as 'Working as a Contract Worker 9 Times' and 'Business 6 Times'. "Wouldn't this be a source material that shows Korea in 2023?" he says with a smile. He is uploading some of the work as shorts on his YouTube channel 'Dramooam'.
The company name 'Muam' contains the meaning of 'growing explosively like basalt formed by a volcanic eruption.' Despite the difficult situation in the film industry, he said, "As the number of works has decreased, the probability of good actors and investors seeing my work has increased, so I think it is an opportunity," showing a firm determination like a rock.
“Young production company, it’s easy for the CEO to say, but it can be seen as a lack of experience. But helping them make up for that lack of experience is really helping young people. They are a generation that ‘bounces back’ from trying anything and failing, so I just want to tell them to ‘watch over us.’ We walked the pink carpet this time, so next time we should walk the red carpet (at the Cannes Film Festival).”
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