Pak on Making Great Microbudget Films: Criterion.com

School of Film, Television, and Media Arts Associate Professor Ougie Pak spoke with Criterion.com about being an “Iron Chef” filmmaker.

Whether it’s New York City, Los Angeles, Greece, or elsewhere — Pak creatively utilizes what each filming location affords him as a filmmaker.

Three of Pak’s films became available on Criterion.com starting June 1, and he spoke about the uniqueness of making each of them on small budgets.

When you make something on a microbudget, you have to balance obstructions and creativity. For example, we know in the parks in New York City we can always film for free.

In Greece, Pak began making the critically-acclaimed Clytaemnestra without even knowing what the film was about and figured it out as filming progressed.

Every morning, the DP and I would break down the story, making a detailed scene list of what we need to get through with everyone because they’re all going back to Korea in two weeks. There’s about seventy percent of the film that we needed to get in that time, about two to three scenes a day. It was one of the craziest, but most creatively satisfying, things I’ve ever done in my life.

Read the full interview with Pak on Criterion.com.