Clubhouse Conversations — Decision to Leave

Cinematographer Ji-yong Kim is joined by interviewer Patrick Cady, ASC in this episode about his work on Decision to Leave — the dark and twisty new romance-thriller from prolific Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook.

Decision to Leave follows Jang Hae-jun (Park Hae-il), an insomniac detective investigating the mysterious case of a man who plummeted to his death from a mountaintop. Hae-jun's work is complicated when he finds himself attracted to Song Seo-rae (Tang Wei) — the dead man's widow, who may also be his murderer. This strange predicament exists somewhere between dreams and reality, and Kim and Park's striking use of transitions — among other visual flourishes — helps to blur the thin line between those two realms.

In this interview, Kim shares how he shot the film from a variety of different perspectives; the techniques he used to make the audience feel the passage of time; his unconventional approach to moonlit exteriors; and the cinematography advice he would give to his younger self now that he's further along in his impressive career.

Ji-yong Kim is a Korean cinematographer known for his work on A Bittersweet Life (2005) and The Fortress (2017).

Patrick Cady, ASC studied filmmaking at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and has since carved out an extensive cinematography career in both film and TV. He broke out in 2000 after shooting his first feature, director Karen Kusama’s award-winning drama Girlfight, and went on to shoot many series including Cold Case, Rectify and Insecure, for which he earned a 2018 Emmy Award nomination.

You’ll find all episodes in our ASC Clubhouse Conversations discussion series here.