'City of Dramas and Movies' Mungyeong

연합뉴스 / 2022-07-11 15:51:19

▲ This photo, provided by Mungyeong City, shows Mungyeong Saejae Open Set. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo, provided by Mungyeong City, shows a film shooting at Maseong Open Set. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo, provided by Mungyeong City, shows the open set inside Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo, provided by Mungyeong City, shows the indoor studio. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

▲ This photo, provided by Mungyeong City, shows the Ssangyong Cement Mungyeong Factory. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

SEOUL, July 11 (Yonhap) -- With Mungyeong City, North Gyeongsang, steadily promoting the video industry for more than 20 years, it is being reborn as a "city of dramas and movies" nationwide.

According to Mungyeong city on Monday, Mungyeong has both indoor and outdoor filming sites, and is possible to shoot historical and modern films at the same time, which its why it is considered as an optimal location for filming.

Mungyeong city filmed 5 works including "The King of Tears, Lee Bang Won" and "Bloody Heart" over 70 times this year at the Mungyeong Saejae open set, and 4 works including the drama "Alchemy of Souls" at the Gaeun open set more than 20 times.

Additionally, filming is also available at the Mungyeong Indoor Filming Studio, which opened in May, and Ssangyong Cement Mungyeong Factory, a legacy of modern industry.

This city, which attracts drama and film crews by taking advantage of its location as it is located in the center of the country, has excellent accessibility to the metropolitan area, has beautiful outdoor shooting spaces including the Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park and trails.

The city has prepared institutional grounds by enacting the "Video Industry Promotion Ordinance" in 2019 to brand the city as "Mungyeong, a good city for filming."

Based on the ordinance, the city supported on-location filming, implemented an incentive system for film and drama filming, established an indoor filming studio, and hosted an open set in Maseong.

◇ It started in 2000 when the drama "Taejo Wang Geon" was filmed.

Mungyeong City entered the video industry in 2000 while building a filming site for the KBS drama "Emperor Wang Gun."

As the popularity of the drama increased, the city's interest in the filming set also increased. The number of visitors to Mungyeong Saejae Provincial Park, where the filming site is located, increased 6.6 times from 500,000 in 1999 to 3.32 million in 2002.

With the historical drama craze, the city additionally built the Gaeun Open Set for the filming of the drama "Yeon Gaesomun" in 2006, and then renovated the open set of Mungyeong Saejae for the filming of the drama "The Great King, Sejong" in 2008.

As it was established as a filming location for historical dramas, it led to the revival of the Mungyeong video industry.

◇ Full-fledged support for filming, including enactment of video industry promotion ordinance

Mungyeong City decided to use movies and dramas as new tourism resources after 2019, and began to provide administrative and financial support in earnest.

In April 2019, as Mungyeong City Video Industry Promotion Ordinance was enacted, incentives of up to 10 million won are provided to drama and movie filming teams set in Mungyeong.

When necessary, the city makes a filming contract with the production company to support the use of the set and reduction of usage fees.

Additionally, it is working hard to brand the city as "Mungyeong, a city loved by movies and dramas" through various ways including on-site support, a tour for the staffs, and the operation of the Video Promotion Committee.

On-site support is a customized system that minimizes inconvenience to the filming team by discovering filming locations, providing filming materials, and supporting filming permits.

The public officials will be guiding the production team on-site from the very beginning to provide convenience for the crew. This year, this service was provided to 15 drama and film production companies.

Mungyeong City Video Promotion Committee was also formed based on the enactment of the ordinance. With the deputy mayor as the chairperson, the promotion committee consists of 15 members, including city councilors, videographers, and experts. It serves as an advisory function for the overall video policy.

◇ Incentive support for film and drama shooting in the region

As an incentive for movies and dramas, the city provides 20% of the expenses including accommodation, food, fuel, auxiliary expenses, and heavy equipment usage in the local area of the filming team when the film, whether domestic or foreign with a net production cost of 200 million won or more is film 5 times or more in Mungyeong.

The amount of support is up to 10 million won, and the support is differently provided until the relevant budget is exhausted.

In 2019, the first year of implementation, the two dramas, "My Country: The New Age" and "Joseon Survival Period" were provided with this incentive.

Even in a situation where drama and film production reduced due to COVID-19 in 2020, three films, namely "Kingmaker: The Change of Destiny," "Train" and the movie "Alienoid" were filmed in Mungyeong.

In 2021, four dramas were supported including, "Lovers of the Red Sky," "The King's Affection," "Moonshine" and "The Red Sleeves."

"The production cost support relieves the financial burden on the filming team and contributes to revitalizing the local economy such as nearby restaurants and lodging facilities," said an official from the Mungyeong city. "The Incentives are gaining popularity among drama and film crews."

◇ Former Ssangyong Cement Mungyeong Factory… Creation of urban regeneration model

Ssangyong Cement Mungyeong Factory, the first cement factory in Korea since liberation, was established in 1957 as part of the post-war aid project of the United Nations Korean Reconstruction Agency (UNKRA) and closed in June 2018.

The city is creating an urban regeneration model by purchasing the factory site and using it as a filming site for domestic and foreign films.

Last year's drama "MINE," "Moebius: The Veil" and online video service platform contents were filmed here 22 times for 6 episodes.

The former Ssangyong Cement Mungyeong Factory is in the spotlight as a filming location as it allows the filming crews to shoot modern and future films with the background of the rotary kiln and silo, which was used for cement production in the past.

Director Choi Dong-hoon, who directed the movie "Assassination," filmed his new movie "Alienoid," here from August 2020 to January 2021.

The sci-fi action fantasy "Alienoid," scheduled to be released on July 20 is expected to promote the region of Mungyeong through scenes in the movie with stars including Ryu Jun-yeol, Kim Woo-bin, Kim Tae-ri starring in the movie.

"In Mungyeong, there are three open sets including an indoor shooting studio, and the former Mungyeong Factory of Ssangyong Cement, so one will be able to shoot without restrictions on the external environment, including the weather," emphasized Mungyeong Mayor Shin Hyeon-guk.

"I will do my best to make Mungyeong, a city loved by dramas and movies, by continuing to attract film and drama shoots to publicize Mungyeong shooting spots," he said.