Rodowick finds the essence of the medium of film in its cinematic experience, its timeliness, and the way of perception it produces, not just limited to the physical presence of film. He especially insists that film embodies a ‘virtual life’ and that its virtuality can continue in a new form even in the digital age. (Rodowick, 2015 ,p.17) This is an idea suited to Hong Sang soo’s attitude toward making films.
The long take of the film directed by Hong Sang soo is not a choice for mise-en-scène but a method to immerse the audience in the unbroken passage of time. It minimizes virtuality and emphasizes ‘realism’. That is why most scenes capture dialogue and even trivial actions. One of the most significant characteristics of director Hong Sang soo is realism. Rodowick said that movies are a medium that encompasses both reality and virtuality. (Rodowick, 2015, p.32) In his films, Hong Sang soo emphasizes ‘reality’ by minimizing virtuality. This is for the audience to experience the reinvented reality, and the audience feels as if they are listening to the story of the documentary’s main character, not the narrative of the film. Through the long take, audiences create new virtual spaces and narratives beyond the representation of reality.
This aligns with the essence of Rodowick’s digital age. Rodowick said that cinematic thinking and expression must continue to the end even after the era of film, and Hong Sang soo’s film is a film that maintains the cinematic essence even though the era of digital film has come. In other words, he recreates the world of film through digital but uses classical film language by using long takes, which is in contact with the idea of the essence of Rodowick’s digital age. Rodowick said that even after the era of film, cinematic thinking and expression must continue to the end. (Rodowick, 2015, p.5)
By borrowing Rodowick’s theory to understand Hong Sang soo’s long take, we can realize that his film is not just a formal experiment but a deep exploration of the nature and possibilities of the medium of film. Hong’s long take shows the continuity of time and reality, asking questions about the cinematic identity of the digital age while allowing the audience to immerse themselves in the time in the film, thereby realizing the ‘virtual life’ of the film.
Bibliography
Rodowick, D.N., 2015. What was cinema. In: The Virtual Life of Film. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, pp. 25–88.
References
Jiho Lee 33764256
Digital Audiovisual Media Class Blog 
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