▲Dexter Studios
The movie “Jung-E,” which Dexter Studios helped produce using its VFX technology, was recently released on Netflix. Dexter Studios has been showcasing its potential as Asia’s top VFX company by participating in a string of Netflix’s sci-fi projects out of Korea, including “Space Sweepers” which debuted back in February 2021.
Visual effects (VFX) and content company Dexter Studios announced on January 26 that it has indeed worked on the movie Jung-E, which tells the story of a dystopian future in the 22nd century that met its fate after enduring some rapid changes to its climate.
In the movie, the protagonist – robot Jung-E – is based on the best battle mercenary in the world, Yun Jungyi, who led numerous victories in the ongoing civil war. She had fallen into a coma during a fateful operation, and 35 years later, his daughter Yun Seo-hyeon is the head of the research team at Chronoid, a military AI developer. The story then goes on to depict the conflict between Chronoid and Yun Seo-hyun over a project to copy Yun Jungyi’s brain.
Jung-E went viral even before its official release thanks to its director – Yeon Sang-ho, who directed the films “Train to Busan” and “Peninsula” as well as TV series “The Cursed” and “Hellbound” – and featured actor – Kim Hyun-joo, a renowned and respected actor. It also became the last production to feature the late Kang Soo-yeon, a beloved actor for the past five decades and a multiple-time winner of best actor awards at leading domestic and overseas film festivals.
Hong Jeong-ho, Supervisor at Dexter Studios, who oversaw this VFX work, said, “We worked closely with the production company, martial arts team, and art team from the VFX pre-visualization work to the implementation of the action sequences of the mechanics and actors and mechanics and mechanics that appear in Jung-E.” He added, “Especially, at filming sites set up for scenes featuring a large number of mechanical components, we attached motion capture sensors to members of the martial arts team who were tasked to perform the action movements. Using that we could capture and render their dynamic movements based on real data.”
Currently, Jung-E has recorded 19.3 million viewing hours in just three days after its release on Netflix, and took first place in the global TOP 10 movies (non-English) category on Netflix. It is now on the TOP 10 list in 80 countries/regions, including Korea, the United States, Germany, Spain, Taiwan, and Singapore. As of last month, the total number of Netflix subscribers reached 231 million.
Meanwhile, Dexter Studios says it plans to work on another upcoming project with Climax Studio, the production company that planned and produced Jung-E. Last November, Dexter Studios signed a contract worth KRW 6 billion with Climax Studio to supply VFX technology and services for a new TV series (title undetermined). Climax Studio has successfully produced a number of successful TV programs, including “D.P.,” “Hellbound,” and “Bargain.” Naturally, its consumers are keen on seeing what the company’s next project is going to be.
