Aura of a Genius Actor - Chapter 98: The CF Shoot

༺ The CF Shoot ༻

A sharply tailored suit.

Plain, silver-rimmed glasses.

Unstyled hair that was neatly combed back.

Park Jinhee doubted her eyes as she looked at the figure standing in the middle of the office.

The images she had of him as Bohyung and Phantom had completely vanished, replaced by a man so ordinary that he seemed like someone you’d pass by without a second glance.

‘Is he really the same person?’

This was one of the strengths of the actor Shin Yoomyeong.

His plain but neat face was like a chameleon that could take on various roles, depending on the makeup.

It was fascinating how naturally he fit the character in the advertisement, seamlessly transforming into an office worker in his third or fourth year.

Of course, Park Jinhee was unaware that he was deliberately minimizing his presence.

“Let’s start from the first cut of the ‘Mask’ phase scene.”

Mask / Unmask.

The shooting was divided into two phases.

Today’s indoor scenes were part of the Mask phase, and scenes marking the transition point where the mask was removed were in the Unmask phase.

The Mask phase would capture the daily life of an ordinary salaryman as he struggled through a busy day.

The director directed various movements for those around such as the team leader, assistant, and various office staff filling the space.

At five seconds, someone behind a partition should yawn; at seven seconds, another would take a call, while someone else would stagger under the weight of documents piled up to the height of their head.

The directions were detailed down to the second and were far more elaborate than in dramas or movies.

‘Commercials have to convey an abbreviated image in a short time, so the details have to be emphasized.’

Gook-cheol was a well-known CF director.

He was renowned for bringing narrative branding ads to life, and it was also surprising that he was Director Ki’s university classmate.

“Mr. Yoomyeong.”

Having finished directing the first cut, he now approached Yoomyeong.

“As you’ve seen in the storyboard, there are two versions: a 3-minute and a 15-second one.”

“Yes.”

“We’ll pull the 15-second version from the takes for the 3-minute version, so don’t worry about the shorter one. It’s mainly image-based anyway.”

“Understood.”

Unlike the 15-second version, which ends with the transition from Mask to Unmask, the 3-minute version was a longer narrative that returned from Mask -> Unmask -> Mask.

Naturally, it featured a much more detailed storyline than the 15-second version.

“And we’ll try shooting in various styles: a stiff, business-like character, a tired and sensitive one, and even a macho, charismatic one. The ‘Mask’ concept fits the first one, but having a variety to choose from and combine seems best. Is that alright with you?”

“Yes, that’s fine!”

It was a common practice in commercial shoots to capture as many versions as possible. Since reshoots were difficult, the ideal situation would be to have a range of shots to choose from to ensure the client’s satisfaction.

“Good. Just remember that you need to appear ‘competent’ no matter which character you play. You’re someone who works hard but knows how to enjoy life after work.”

“Please don’t worry.”

After finishing with the movement directions, the director returned to the camera.

The actors took their positions and waited for their cue as the crane made a mechanical noise, moving for an overhead shot.

“Ready—”

Yoomyeong focused on his character to deliver a ‘short but intense acting.’

“Action.”

*

RRR—

In the bustling office, a phone rang loudly.

Currently, only one phone was ringing in front of Yoomyeong. But in the final product, multiple phones would ring together, accompanied by various office noises in the background.

Yoomyeong quickly grabbed the receiver as soon as it rang.

“Hello, this is Deputy Manager Park Joo-won from Samjin Trading’s logistics team.”

Park Jinhee nodded unconsciously as she watched from the sidelines.

It was the tone of a seasoned employee. Gentle, yet firmly leaving no room for unnecessary arguments. It was kind enough to prevent complaints, but also ready to cut off any unreasonable demands—how could a 25-year-old know this tone so well?

“Yes.”

“Yes—”

Even while taking a call with the phone wedged on his left shoulder, Park Joo-won’s gaze remained fixed on his monitor, his fingers rapidly typing away. It was the perfect image of an employee swamped with work.

Then, his voice suddenly rose.

“What—?”

His eyebrows furrowed slightly, and his voice swiftly shifted into a combative stance.

“What do you mean? Why is that shipment there…? Pull it out right now. Redirect the other shipment? That’s not going to work. Yes. No, it can’t happen. Absolutely not. I can give you two hours to sort this out. If you don’t get back to me within that time, I’ll have to report this to the team leader.”

His voice quickly became firm, and his tone escalated. Meanwhile, his speech was precise.

The audience would be able to grasp the character’s personality just from his voice.

He had a meticulous work style that was uncompromising to either himself or his colleagues.

Despite it merely being a scene of a mistake in the workplace, tension suddenly enveloped the surroundings as if it were a directive from a spy movie.

Director Gook-cheol was thrilled by the scene.

‘I planned to extend the scene and use cuts… but there’s nothing to cut, though? I didn’t expect the emotional arc to rise so sharply all at once.’

Park Jinhee felt the same.

Though every day in the life of an office worker seemed to repeat monotonously, countless battles, both big and small, occurred.

Demands came from all corners: the clients, other teams, and even within one’s own team. Quickly deciding what to accommodate and what to reject, engaging in power struggles—this was the ‘typical office worker’s battle.’

Haaa—

Yoomyeong ran his hand through his hair after hanging up the phone.

The slightly annoyed expression on his face quickly returned to neutral, and he began to type at the speed of light again. The screen, filled with daunting numbers in an Excel sheet, was closely captured over his shoulder.

“Cut—”

One battle had ended.

The observers finally relaxed, shaking their heads in disbelief.

“I almost thought this was a real company.”

“Did that actor work in an office before debuting?”

“What? But he’s only twenty-five.”

“Twenty-five? At that age, most people find that wearing a suit feels awkward. But why does he seem so naturally worn out by life? Ah, it reminds me of the nonsense from the management support team this morning. It almost got me angry.”

Then, Yoomyeong raised his voice to ask.

“Director, is this tone okay?”

“Yes? Oh- yes, it’s very good. Let’s try another shoot with a tired atmosphere this time.”

“Okay!”

The director couldn’t help but remember the words of his friend, Ki Do-han, who claimed that he wouldn’t have much to do.

*

‘A day in the life of Park Joo-won.’

What the Mask phase depicted was an unusually challenging day for the ordinary office worker, Park Joo-won.

He had to deal with a mess created by a team leader from another related department, and his team leader threw him the task of covering for a coworker who quit without notice. Add to that a clueless assistant who kept asking the same questions over and over again.

It was just an ordinary, tiring day for the silent office worker who was enduring another day at work.

However, the Park Joo-won that Yoomyeong portrayed was ordinary yet extraordinary.

{Is it fun? Haha.}

‘Yes… this is new.’

Miho couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of the excited Yoomyeong, his face slightly flushed.

It felt novel.

This was like shooting the ‘character buildup’ phase.

Typically, Yoomyeong would gather as much relevant information and emotional context as possible upon receiving a script, brainstorm various character interpretations, and then develop one.

But shooting a commercial involved capturing every possible character interpretation for a single scene.

Despite the short shooting schedule and the necessity for the final product to be concise, the fact that the final decision maker was the advertiser and not the director meant that everything possible had to be captured.

To Yoomyeong, this felt like shooting the ‘preparation phase,’ which was both refreshing and enjoyable.

He quickly switched his emotions when the camera stopped, preparing to reshoot the same scene with a different character.

He changed his facial expressions and small habits to differentiate them, pouring out all the newly created settings once the camera rolled again.

‘He’s incredible… What an actor.’

Park Jinhee was nearly mesmerized as she watched Yoomyeong perfectly deliver subtly different characters in the same outfit and dialogue with each cut.

When she looked around, she noticed that the agency’s AE, CD, and ad production staff were all in a daze.

A proud smile spread across her lips.

It was the kind of proud smile that a mother would have when her child got admitted to Seoul National University.

‘Ah… I want to tell everyone that’s my actor. I want to snatch the SD card and spread it as a teaser. Get a hold of yourself, Park Jinhee! Keep it professional.’

During the break, her keen eyes caught the agency’s AE hurrying out with a phone. Pretending to go to the restroom, she stepped into the hallway and overheard the AE’s urgent voice.

“Yes, team leader. It’s a huge success. For the Angel Duty Free competitive pitch, I strongly recommend proposing Shin Yoomyeong as the model. His fee has gone up due to his rising popularity, but it should be fine since Angel has stated they want only top-tier actors regardless of the cost. Because he’s not an A-list actor? You’ll realize his value once you see the final footage. This actor is bound to reach or surpass A-list status within this year or the next.”

‘That won’t happen.’

Park Jinhee smiled triumphantly.

Angel Duty Free was known for its typical style of just showcasing the actor’s face in their image ads.

Yoomyeong, who had only reluctantly agreed after seeing her ambitious project, was unlikely to settle for such a mundane advertisement.

Today, Park Jinhee felt particularly proud of her discernment.

Both of his roles as Bohyung and the Phantom were great, but she felt like becoming a true fan of the versatile actor ‘Shin Yoomyeong’ from now on.

Returning to the set with a buoyant mood, Jinhee overheard Yoomyeong’s suggestion to the director.

“Director, how about a character who always wears a ‘professional smile’?”

“A professional smile?”

“Yes. You know, like those people who always seem to be smiling stiffly while they work…?”

“I get it. But there needs to be a clear contrast in the scene where the character’s mask comes off. Going from a smiling face to another smiling face might not provide enough of a gap…”

“Hmm… maybe if we could differentiate between a conventional smile and a genuine laugh…?”

Yoomyeong’s comment made the director think deeply.

Theoretically, it made sense. However, conveying the difference between the two types of smile in a short time was challenging. Despite being impressed by Yoomyeong’s acting skills, this was a challenge unique to CFs due to their brief nature.

“It might be difficult… CFs are often just glanced at, so showcasing the difference between two expressions in such a short time might be tricky.”

“Oh, is that so…?”

“Let’s try it, Director.”

Park Jinhee interjected.

“After all, we’ve already shot six versions. Adding one more won’t be much of a burden. Given actor Shin Yoomyeong’s impressive acting skills, this could turn out to be a great concept.”

“Alright, Team Leader.”

Although she might melt in front of Yoomyeong as ‘Emperor Bohyung,’ Team Leader Park was known for being strict and competent within the industry. Director Gook-cheol nodded without further objections, respecting the ‘client’s’ wishes.

And so, Yoomyeong stood on set again.

His reason for suggesting this concept was, of course, inspired by memories of Lee Bang-won.

Not all contrasts needed to be as stark as black and white.

Similar hues could also be richly expressed by altering the temperature, brightness, saturation, and texture.

Though the director’s point about the convenience of using complementary colors for effective contrast in a short time was valid…

Yoomyeong focused, summoning the sensitivity he had honed over the past few months to adjust the intensity and depth of his portrayal.

After some time,

A mechanical, emotionless smile appeared on his face.

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