'Chaser,' 'Wailing' director shoots short film with Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone

• Published date: 28 February 2023
• Publication title: The Korea Times

Director Na Hong-jin, center, who filmed the short film "Faith" using Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone, speaks during the film's premiere at Megabox theater in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul

By Baek Byung-yeul

Film director Na Hong-jin was impressed with the camera capability of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone, he said Wednesday, adding he was able to capture textures, vivid images and sounds without much difficulty when shooting the short film "Faith."

"I tried to capture all the elements in the frame with the smartphone. The camera caught the texture of the paint on actor Ko Jun's face, scratches on the key and dust on the glasses worn by actor Choi Moo-sung. In some cases, it showed much better results than a film camera," the director said during a premiere event for the short film "Faith" at a theater in Seoul.

For the short film with a 10-minute running time, Na, famous for his previous works "The Chaser" (2008), "The Yellow Sea" (2010) and "The Wailing" (2016), used about 10 S23 Ultra smartphones.

Director Na Hong-jin, center, who filmed the short film 'Faith' using Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone, speaks during the film's premiere at Megabox theater in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul

Director Na Hong-jin, center, who filmed the short film 'Faith' using Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone, speaks during the film's premiere at Megabox theater in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul

A poster for "Faith," directed by Na Hong-jin who used Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone for shooting, is displayed on a big screen at Megabox theater in Seoul, Wednesday. Korea Times photo by Baek Byung-yeul

To promote the newly launched smartphone's camera capability, Samsung worked with Na and Academy Award-winning director Ridley Scott who also directed the short film "Behold."

"Faith" is about a man who has achieved what he wants to have without giving up his faith, Na elaborated.

When he agreed to shoot the short film with Samsung, he was not sure about the theme of the creation...