The Last Waltz in “Old Boy”. It was with this catchy tune that Shim Hyun-jung first won the recognition of the film industry and gained unprecedented popularity - this track became one of the biggest classics of Korean film music.
The idea behind her film music is putting the most suitable music with the right scene in order to transmit the implicit messages of the film. A priority in scoring is the amplification of story and character, using innovative musical effects. With her solid training in classic music, she freely exploits various music styles such as electronic, jazz, and pop, in a refined combination of sounds that can be heard in such films as “Old Boy” and “Everybody Has a Secret”.
With “World of Silence” and “Once in a Summer”, she shows a ripened cinematic sensibility, while keeping to her principles: making music that is relevant to the whole story and facilitating the public’s empathy and compassion towards the main characters.
Perhaps the most striking characteristic of her music is how she seems to bring different styles together in a seamless, harmonious way. Observing her career path, that’s not surprising at all. With an undergraduate classical music composition degree under her belt, she went to New York City, the mecca of intellectual filmmaking, where she studied film music composition.
Meanwhile, she developed her own style of music compassing classical to popular music, all the while with an Asian sensitivity to Western modernity. All of this process can be attributed to her continual endeavor to discover the best way to communicate with the larger public. Naturally, she seeks for her inspirations where ordinary people breathe – and she knows just how to transform such inspirations into the type of music which touches a person’s heartstring.
One other thing – she doesn't like dwelling in the past. With a thirst for sharing her universe with the public, Shim Hyun-Jung aspires to extend her own boundaries from film to the theater, dance hall, concert platforms, television, video games, and beyond.
FILMOGRAPHY
- Score -
Mother Never Die (어머니는 죽지 않는다)
2007, Dir. Ha Mueng-Jung (하명중)
HMJ Production (하명중 영화제작소)
World of Silence (조용한 세상)
2006, Dir. Cho Ei-Seok (조의석)
LJ Film/Prime Entertainment (엘제이 영화사)
Once in a Summer (그해 여름)
2006, Dir. Cho Keun-Sik (조근식)
KM Cultures (케이엠 컬쳐)
Sa-kwa (사과)
San Sebastian Film Festival, 2005
San Francisco Film Festival, 2005
2005, Dir. Gang Lee-Kwan (강이관)
Chungeoram Film (청어람)
Everybody Has Secret (누구나 비밀은 있다)
2004, Dir. Jang Hyun-Soo (장현수)
Taewon Entertainment (태원 엔터테인먼트)
Old Boy (올드보이)
Grand Jury Prize,57th Cannes Film Festival, 2004
제 회 대한민국 영화대상 음악상, 2005
2003, Dir. Park Chan-Wook (박찬욱)
Show East Film Production (쇼이스트)
- Additional Music -
Ardor (밀애)
2002, Dir. Pyn Young-Ju (변영주)
Berlin International Film Festival, 2003
Fun & Happiness Film Production (좋은 영화사)
H (에이치)
2002, Dir. Lee Jong-Hyuk (이종혁)
Seattle International Film Festival, 2003
b.o.m Film Production (봄 영화사)
SHORT FILMS 1
Late Spring (늦은 봄)
2007, Dir. Hwang Won (황원)
One Late Night (어느 늦은 밤)
Competition, 36th Tampere Int’l Short Film Festival (2006, Finland)
Dir. Kim Sun-Hee (김선희)
She, flies for 8 secnods (그녀, 8초간 날다)
2005, Dir. Kim Jea-Eye (김제의)
Twentidentity (이공)
Sutt Da (섰다)
2004, Dir. Kim Eue-Suk (김의석)
20’Project for Film Academy in Seoul
Feel Good Story (잘돼가? 무엇이든)
First Prize & Best Actress Award, 3rd Mise-en-scène’ Genre Film Festival (2004, Korea)
2004, Dir. Lee Kyung-Mi (이경미)
Come Close to Me (자전거 경주)
18th Fribourg Film Festival (2004, Switzerland)
Wide Angle, 8th Pusan Int’l Film Festival (2003, Korea)
2003, Dir. Park Un-Kyo (박은교)
His son and Lover (아들과 연인)
Busan Asian Short Film Festival (2004, Korea)
2003, Dir Lee Moo-So (이무소)
Aratha (아럿사)
Director’s Award, 1st Asiana Int’l Short Film Festival (2003, Korea)
2003, Dir. Hwang Won (황원)
Scent of April (4월의 향기)
2003, Dir. Rue Sueng-Jin (류승진)
Audition (오디션)
2003, Dir Lee Kyung-Mi (이경미)
Understand? (이해하지?) 2003, Dir. Park Un-Kyo (박은교)
Watch Your Back (뒤통수를 조심해라)
1st Mise-en-scène’ Genre Film Festival (2002, Korea)
Dir. Rho Jin-Sung (노진성)
Super Glue (순간접착제)
17th Fribourg Int'l Film Festival (2003, Switzerland)
16th Leeds Int’l Film Festival (2002, UK)
Dir. Lee Suk-Hoon (이석훈)
Out of Bounds (저 푸른 초원)
Competition, 24th Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival (2002, France)
Competition, 2nd Jeonju International Film Festival (2001, Korea)
Dir. Rue Sueng-Jin (류승진)
Rotation (돌고 돌고)
1st Mise-en-scène’ Genre Film Festival (2002, Korea)
Jeonju International Film Festival
Dir. Rho Jin-Sung (노진성)
Tune In Korea - Asian Society
2001, New York, NY
educational documentary
TV
Nanking Masscre (난징 대학살) - 2006
Documentary TV Series (MBC)
PERFOMING ART
First Tango(퍼스트 탱고) - 2001
Theater Choo (떼아뜨르 추), Seoul, Korea
music director/ concert
Love Letters (러브레터) - 2001
Dir. Lee Young-Ju
Theater Choo (떼아뜨르 추), Seoul, Korea
composer / play
Sleeping Man - 2000
Context Theater, New York, US
Choreographer Ryan Park, Dir. Lee Myung-Se
composer / dance performance
Unspoken - 2003,
International New Music Consortium, Assisi, Italy
ensemble
Beyond - 1999
NYU Composer’s Seminar, Low Theater, NYC
ensemble
Cloud - 1997
NYU Composer’s Forum, Low Theater, NYC
dance piece
More
with Wuppi the hippie and his dog
program from Tip Berlin magazine
with Manuel and Rudolf at Ufa Fabrik
Memorial church in Berlin
In front of the Klaus Kinski bar
Old Boy poster in front of Ufa Fabrik
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