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From Wikipedia: “Sisyphus: The Myth,” also known as “Sisyphus,” is a South Korean television series starring Cho Seung-woo and Park Shin-hye. Labeled as “JTBC’s 10th Anniversary Special Drama,” it premiered on February 17, 2021, and is available for streaming on Netflix. Its estimated budget is approximately 18 to 22 million US dollars.
The drama is written by Lee Je-in and Jeon Chan-ho, with the following genre: drama, fantasy, mystery. It’s directed by Jin Hyuk whose previous works include “City Hunter” (2011), “Prosecutor Princess” (2010), “Master’s Sun” (2013), “Doctor Stranger” (2014), and “Legend of the Blue Sea” (2016).
“Sisyphus: The Myth” tells the story of a genius engineer named Han Tae-sul, who tries to uncover the truth behind his older brother’s death, and an elite warrior called Kang Seo-hae, who travels back in time to help him.
How I wrote these episode summaries with no spoilers
1. I assumed that you will be reading these summaries and watching the videos chronologically.
2. I narrated some of the main actions in each episode, without revealing the plot’s twists and turns.
3. At the beginning of each summary starting with Episode 2, I placed in a table a recap of the major twists and turns of the previous episode. But because you have already watched the video of the previous episode, they aren’t spoilers anymore.
4. With Episode 16 (Finale), however, I included spoilers. Reason — people who have not seen this drama want to know whether it has a good/happy ending or a sad ending before they invest their time in watching it.
Episode 1
As she’s about to go back to the past, Kang Seo-hae is warned by her father to start running once she gets there, not to trust anyone, and never to contact Han Tae-sul. She arrives in the past, lugging around a big suitcase, but she’s immediately pursued by mysterious men with weapons and handheld meters.
Han Tae-sul is a genius engineer, who’s the founder of Quantum & Time, a cutting-edge engineering company. But his profligate ways with pills and his mishandling of the company’s affairs force the board of directors to demand that he institute changes for himself and for the company. As he flies back to Korea, missing yet again another meeting with the board of directors to the consternation of his co-CEO Eddie Kim, the jetliner he’s riding on meets severe turbulence and begins to stall.
Months after the jetliner incident, Tae-sul is brought back to his house to recuperate. Meanwhile, Seo-hae has found shelter with Choi Jae-sun (Sun), the young caretaker of an eatery in a rundown neighborhood.
One night, on his way home with his bodyguard, Tae-sul meets on the street a dazed and badly beaten man. The man gives him a USB drive; on it is video footage of what really happened to the jetliner.
Episode 2
| Ep. 1 recap:
Tae-sul turned to pills because of his guilt over his brother’s death. To his shock, he finds out from the USB that it wasn’t a bird strike that crippled the jetliner; a suitcase and the body of his brother Tae-San hit the jetliner’s cockpit. The jetliner’s co-pilot, who gave the USB to Tae-su, dies when his car explodes. Based on his calculations, Tae-sul reaches a grassy field where he finds a suitcase. At the same time, however, Seo-hae tries to reach him on the phone and warn him against opening the suitcase. |
After finding a roll of film inside the camera, Tae-sul sets up an improvised darkroom and prints out the images. To his surprise, he finds not only images of his brother but also of his upcoming conference.
Seo-hae prepares to leave for Busan to find Tae-sul. But the Control Bureau agents have tracked her down in Sun’s apartment. The agents force their way in; Seo-hae fights them off, but as they’re cornered, Sun refuses to run anymore and gives up.
Tae-sul realizes that the key is for the safe in the first office that his brother built for him in an isolated spot. But as he searches for the safe, the Control Bureau agents arrive and surround the office.
Episode 3
| Ep. 2 recap:
The man who calls up Tae-sul finds out that he’s only pretending to be his brother Tae-han. Tae-sul finds among the images that he printed an image of him and a woman in wedding attire. In a vision, he sees the woman shot by someone. Based on the DNA test of the ashes from the columbarium, Tae-sul finds out that the ashes do not belong to his brother. Tae-sul is captured and interrogated by the Control Bureau. |
The news breaks out that Tae-sul has been kidnapped, but the police officers in charge of the investigation don’t have a clue as to who the kidnappers are. Meanwhile, the board of directors of Quantum & Time, led by Kim Han-Yong, urge co-CEO Eddie Kim to take over the company.
The Control Bureau officers investigate the crime scene and find out that the broker Mr. Park is involved.
Episode 4
| Ep. 3 recap:
During the conference, Tae-sul presents his company’s technology of teleporting a substance from one place to another. The broker Mr. Park from Asia Mart kidnaps Tae-sul and Seo-hae. Later, he brings them to an isolated warehouse where, to his shock, Tae-sul sees a person being transported from the future to the present. |
Seo-hae wanders around the deserted streets, picking up whatever resources that she can.
The present ...
As Control Bureau agents raid the warehouse, Seo-hae attacks Mr. Park and one of his men. Tae-sul escapes, taking with him the man who had just been downloaded from the future.
The past ...
Two police officers investigate a complaint by a store owner about a half-naked man who tried to rob the store. The junior police officer goes into a dark alley and finds the half-naked man; as they fight, Control Bureau agents arrive.
The present ...
Eddie Kim signs the board resolution dismissing Tae-sul as CEO of Quantum & Time.
Using a stolen car, Tae-sul and Seo-hae take the downloaded man to his house; Seo-hae explains to Tae-sul why people from the future risk going back to the past and why he’s being hunted down. Later, the man tells Tae-sul how he can meet Tae-san, but the Control Bureau agents arrive and attack the house with gunfire.
Tae-sul and Seo-hae escape from the house. The Control Bureau, however, coordinates with the police to block their escape routes; it also sends drones to chase them.
Episode 5
| Ep. 4 recap:
The downloaded man was the junior police officer; he confesses to Seo-hae that he became a Control Bureau agent assigned to track her down. He went back to the past in order to make things right with his sick mother. Seo-hae tells Tae-sul that, besides the Control Bureau, a group known as “Sigma” is hunting him down. She also says that she will do everything to prevent him from inventing the uploader. Tae-sul and Seo-hae get cornered at a dead end bridge. As they jump into the river below, Seo-hae is shot by one of the Control Bureau agents. |
The next morning, Tae-sul withdraws money from an ATM and tells Seo-hae to live her own life so that he can continue looking for Tae-san. Seo-hae warns him that he won’t make it alive and then walks off in anger.
At their headquarters, Control Bureau officer Hyun-seung tells policeman Hyeon-gi about what the bureau is and how Seo-hae is responsible for his mother’s death.
Flashback ... Seo-hae and her father scavenge for whatever they can find in an abandoned grocery store. But the gang that controls the area arrives and engages them in a firefight.
Tae-sul goes back to his home to get the key to the safe and prepare for the party where he hopes to find Tae-san. But when the alarm system becomes offline, Eddie Kim and the security men arrive.
Episode 6
| Ep. 5 recap:
Seo-hae agrees not to interfere with Tae-sul’s desire to meet his brother. Seo-jin remembers that in her interview, Tae-san mentioned Sigma. Hyeon-gi’s senior officer, Kang Dong-Ki, is Seo-hae’s father. Hyeon-gi becomes part of the Control Bureau, with the primary mission of killing Seo-hae. |
At the chairman’s party, Eddie Kim recognizes Seo-hae. As Seo-hae sees and follows Tae-san, Tae-sul meanwhile finds the transfer technology agreement between Quantum & Time and Sigma. As he tries to strangle the chairman, he’s knocked out with an injection by Seo-jin.
Tae-san warns Seo-hae to stay away from Tae-sul. As the Control Bureau agents chase after her, Seo-hae runs outside of the house, but she’s shot by Hyeon-gi.
Tae-sul wakes up in a hospital, with Eddie Kim and Seo-jin beside him. It’s August 19th, four days after he was shot during the conference.
Episode 7
| Ep. 6 recap:
Seo-hae escapes from the Control Bureau with the help of Sun, the young man to whom she gave the winning lotto numbers. Seo-jin is the chairman’s daughter; they’re helping Sigma to acquire Tae-sul’s technology in order to help Seo-jin’s sick mother. Seo-jin drugs Tae-sul to find out where the key to the suitcase is; she also tells Eddie Kim to just do what he’s told to do if he wants to be the CEO of Quantum & Time. Through his computation of the moon’s azimuth, Tae-sul confirms that Seo-jin has been deceiving him; it’s September 15, one month after the Busan conference. He escapes from the house and ends up in a tool market. The men from Sigma catch up with him, but Seo-hae shoots them down. |
After failing to contact Tae-sul, Seo-hae goes to Asia Mart to make a deal with Mr. Park.
Despite being warned by Seo-hae to stop looking for Sigma, Tae-sul confronts the chairman of Quantum & Time.
When the chairman fails to appear at the press conference, Eddie Kim reads aloud before the reporters the Quantum & Time board resolution ousting Tae-sul as the company’s CEO.
Episode 8
| Ep. 7 recap:
Seo-hae gives Mr. Park the key to the safe, but all that’s in the safe is Tae-San’s letter to Tae-sul; the letter warns Tae-sul that Sigma was close to them from the beginning. The chairman of Quantum & Time takes his own life. During the press conference, Tae-sul dares Sigma to come after him. |
At the Control Bureau headquarters, Mr. Park is beaten up. One of the officers threatens his family, but he also threatens the officer.
Tae-sul and Seo-hae track down the man he suspects of being "Sigma" by using the database on facial recognition. They end up in an apartment where, through a painting, Tae-sul finally learns the meaning of "Sigma."
Flashback ... 2035, on her birthday, Seo-hae goes to the amusement park where she and her mother went to when she was a young girl. Later on, she sneaks into a hospital to get some antibiotics; an orderly finds her, however, and the guards chase her.
Episode 9
| Ep. 8 recap:
"Sigma" refers to the Greek myth of Sisyphus, who was condemned to an endless punishment of rolling up a stone up a mountain, only for the stone to roll down back again. In a grave with two skeletons, Seo-hae finds a diary in which the 2020 Seo-hae pleads with her to rescue Tae-seul. |
As the Control Bureau agents surround and try to capture Seo-hae, Sigma calls up Tae-sul and tells him to choose between saving Seo-hae and saving the world.
While being held captive in the Control Bureau headquarters, Seo-hae flashes back to the day when South Korea was attacked and destroyed in a nuclear explosion.
Episode 10
| Ep. 9 recap:
While Tae-sul is talking with the young Seo-hae at the ice cream stand, Seo-hae (from the future) meets her mother. The Control Bureau official injects Seo-hae with a drug that will scramble her gene structure and make her disappear forever. Mr. Park threatens one of the Control Bureau agents, saying that he and his men will escape the next day and kill everyone in the Bureau. Tae-sul deduces where the Control Bureau might have taken Seo-hae; he finds out that the bureau’s headquarters is in the lower floors of a hospital sponsored by Quantum & Time and where Seo-jin works. With Sun’s help, he takes control of the hospital’s computer server. |
Present times ...
As Tae-sul rescues Seo-hae, the illegal entrants escape from their cells and attack the Control Bureau agents.
At the Asia Mart, Mr. Park tells Tae-sul about the advance group of men and women who were downloaded from the future. He also tells Tae-sul that someone from the advance group — a woman named Agnes Kim — is the only one who can save Seo-hae from certain death.
Tae-sul and Mr. Park leave Asia Mart to find Agnes Kim; meanwhile, Seo-hae’s father has taken his former partner Jung Hyeon-Gi captive and asks him, at gunpoint, why the Control Bureau is looking for his 9-year old daughter.
Episode 11
| Ep. 10 recap:
Tae-sul visits Seo-hae’s parents and, through Seo-hae’s necklace, explains to them about the uploader and downloader. Later, he brings Seo-hae’s father to Asia Mart to see Seo-hae. 2035 ... Despite her father’s warning, Seo-hae decides to go back to the past and try to stop the war. In the orphanage for illegal entrants, Tae-sul finds out that Agnes Kim is Kim Seo-jin. As they’re talking, Sigma arrives. |
Back in Asia Mart, Seo-jin tells Tae-sul that he must travel back to whatever timeline Seo-hae is in and inject the antidote into Seo-jin at the timeline nearest to the present; if he fails, he will wander around forever in space-time. She also warns Tae-sul that he cannot change the past or the future.
Tae-sul and Seo-hae wander around in their past timelines, reliving his regrets; meanwhile, Sigma appears in the Control Bureau headquarters.
Episode 12
| Ep. 11 recap:
The Control Bureau works for Sigma. Tae-sul injects Seo-hae with the last antidote, condemning himself to wander around forever in space-time. But later, Tae-San appears and gives him the antidote. |
Present ...
Seo-hae reunites with her father.
Mr. Park orders his men to buy guns, dried goods, medicines, and other supplies. On the other hand, Tae-sul and Seo-hae study the painting they found in Sigma’s apartment. After finding a clue, they go to his elementary school, but the Control Bureau tracks them down there.
Episode 13
| Ep. 12 recap:
2035 ... The gunman who Seo-hae and her father meet turns out to be Tae-sul’s bodyguard. Mr. Park returns to his neighborhood where he sees himself abusing his wife. Sigma is Seo Won-ju, Tae-sul’s abused and bullied classmate from elementary school. After learning from Tae-sul how sodium mixed with water causes an explosion, he prepares the materials in his room; after his drunken father forces open the door to his room, the combined materials explode, the house catches fire, and his father dies. Later, at the playground, he tells Tae-sul that he will kill everyone. |
Flashback, 2035 ... On their way to the underground uploader, Seo-hae and her father engage in a firefight the thugs who have been tracking them.
Present times ...
Seo Won-ju (the future Sigma) is a struggling painter, who’s consumed by his jealousy and hatred towards Tae-sul. Using a fake name, he harasses Tae-sul online.
At the Quantum & Time laboratories, Eddy Kim berates the engineers for again failing to make the uploader work. But Seo-jin offers him a way to succeed.
A package meant for Seo-hae has been downloaded at the Asia Mart. Despite his assistant’s protest, Mr. Park wants to deliver it personally to Seo-hae.
Frustrated with his life, Seo Won-ju decides to hang himself inside his small studio.
Episode 14
| Ep. 13 recap:
Tae-sul’s former bodyguard rescues him and Seo-hae. Later on, before he disappears, he gives a small can to Tae-sul and tells him to use it as a last resort. Seo-jin brings Eddie Kim to a meeting of Korea’s top government officials. Presiding over the meeting is Sigma, who tells everyone about the impending missile strike. Tae-sul and Seo-hae track down Seo Won-ju in his small studio. But before they can kill him, Tae-sul gets a call from Sigma, who blackmails him about losing Seo-hae. When Mr. Park arrives, Seo-hae sees her father’s severed hand inside the package. In rage, she shoots Seo Won-ju pointblank. |
Unable to find Seo-hae, Tae-sul stops by a bridge. He remembers what his bodyguard said about the can being the last resort; he opens the can and finds inside some ashes.
Mr. Park goes back to his old neighborhood to see what’s happening to his wife; as he sees his past self abusing his wife, he grabs his gun.
Seo-hae goes to the bunker, carrying her father’s severed hand. As she looks around, she flashes back to her days growing up in the bunker.
Sun searches for Seo-hae by going back to the Chinese restaurant. But he’s captured by the Control Bureau.
With the war only a day away, the top government officials who met with Sigma leave the country.
Episode 15
| Ep. 14 recap:
Tae-sul experiences the Time Paradox when he touches the ashes inside the can; his bodyguard had found his grave and placed some of his ashes inside the can. At the bunker, Tae-sul tells Seo-hae that he had the bunker prepared for her and her parents. As the Time Paradox begins to take effect on him, he locks Seo-hae inside the bunker. Sigma forces Sun to help find Seo-hae by threatening to bring his mother and sister back to Korea. After buying some guns from Asia Mart, Tae-sul goes to the Quantum & Time building and calls up Sigma. |
Present times ... Tae-sul traces Sigma to the basement of the Quantum & Time main office. Meanwhile, Sun gets Seo-hae out of the bunker and immediately drives her to the airport. But Hyeon-gi finds out their location by monitoring the Control Bureau communications.
2035 ... Seo-hae and her father engage the security men in a firefight, using a steel barrier as a battering ram as they run towards the uploader.
Episode 16 (Finale)
| Ep. 15 recap:
After killing Sun, Hyeon-gi goes to the Control Bureau and confronts Team 7’s top official. During the firefight, Seo-hae’s father is shot in the leg. But, excited by the challenge, Sigma allows Seo-hae to go back to the past. Seo-hae arrives at the church, but Sigma holds Tae-sul hostage; he mocks them, saying that he has manipulated them every step of the way. |
After Sigma is shot dead, Tae-sul and Seo-hae go to the basement where the uploader is located. They wait until Eddie Kim leaves before they use the uploader with the help of Mr. Park and his assistants. But Tae-sul has tweaked the code so that the uploader can only be used once.
Tae-sul and Seo-hae come back to the present several hours before the incidents with Sigma in the church. To her surprise and relief, Seo-hae finds out that Sun is alive.
Based on Tae-sul’s instructions, Seo-hae’s father searches for Seo Gil-bok (aka Seo Won-ju) in the park. He finds Seo Gil-bok cowering in a corner and, in act of kindness, gives him his jacket.
Using the sniper rifle that Tae-sul got from Asia Mart, Seo-hae shoots Sigma.
Tae-sul tells Seo-hae that his vision of the future ends there. As they’re saying goodbye, Eddie Kim arrives and shoots Seo-hae. He threatens to kill Seo-hae if Tae-sul doesn’t finish the code for the uploader.
With Seo-hae bleeding to death and Eddie Kim continuing to threaten them, Tae-sul decides to take his own life to save Seo-hae and the world. Before shooting himself, Tae-sul pleads with Seo-hae to somehow find him. After he dies, the missiles on the way to hit Seoul disappear, the nuclear power station doesn’t explode, and the world continues on.
In-depth analysis of the cinematography of “Sisyphus: The Myth”
I was intrigued when I found out that Jin Hyuk was directing this drama. I saw and liked “Brilliant Legacy” aka “Shining Inheritance,” his award-winning directorial debut in 2009. As part of my synopsis for “Brilliant Legacy,” I wrote about its excellent cinematography; thus, I wanted to find out how Jin Hyuk’s visual style has evolved through the years. (Besides “Brilliant Legacy,” he also directed “City Hunter,” “Prosecutor Princess,” “Master’s Sun,” “Doctor Stranger,” and “Legend of the Blue Sea.”)
A. Just like “Brilliant Legacy,” “Sisyphus” uses a lot of arc shots (in layperson’s terms, the camera moves in an arc or completely around a character). The arc shots are oftentimes used in combination with tracking shots, push in. push out, rack focus, etc.
1. Continuous or uninterrupted shot of the fight scene on the street in Ep. 4 using arc shot and tracking shot
Tae-sul helps Hyeon-gi escape, but they’re accosted by a Control Bureau officer. The camera arcs almost 360-degrees around the officer, and as a Control Bureau car arrives, Seo-hae shoves the officer aside. The camera tracks Seo-hae as she fights off the agents. This uninterrupted shot lasts around 37 seconds.
Continuous or uninterrupted shots create an immersive experience; they make the viewers think and feel that they’re part of the scene. But uninterrupted shots, especially of a fight scene, take a lot of practice and good coordination for the actors and the cinematographer. If the actors forget the fight’s choreography or the cinematographer is out of place, they would have to reshoot the scene again. That's expensive and time-consuming.
The video below shows the continuous or uninterrupted arc shot and tracking shot of the fight scene beginning at the 0:54 mark.
2. After he’s captured in Ep. 2, Tae-sul waits anxiously in a Control Bureau cell, tries to get a signal on his smartphone, and reaches for his pills. This GIF of the scene shows two arc shots; the arc shots (which aren't smooth) help create in the viewer’s mind Tae-sul’s confusion and helplessness.
3. Same scene in Ep. 2: The Control Bureau official and agents arrive; the camera arcs around Tae-sul, pulls out to a wide shot, pushes in, and then arcs around again to show the official taking his seat opposite Tae-sul. Again, this creates in the viewer’s mind Tae-sul’s confusion and helplessness.
4. Arc shot of Eddie Kim during the press conference where Chairman Kim fails to appear and he has to announce that Tae-sul is no longer the CEO before a hostile crowd of journalists.
5. Arc shot around Tae-sul and then the camera pushes in towards Eddie Kim who’s at the dining table. (Tae-sul and Seo-hae had sneaked into the house, but the alarm system alerted the security.)
6. Tae-sul opens the door, and the camera arcs to the left. The camera pushes out, and as he starts to move forward, the camera pushes in.
7. The camera arcs around Seo-hae; at nearly the end of the arc shot, the camera is against the light. The camera then slowly pushes out for an establishing shot of her bleak surroundings.
8. Arc shots, shooting against the light, and shaky cam
(Note: See “I” below to learn what “shaky cam” is.)
In Ep. 6, Seo-hae calls up her mother but hesitates when her mother answers.
(a) The shot is against the light, and thus the colors look desaturated. As camera arcs to the left, there’s also a subtle shaky cam (unless I’m mistaken because I always get nervous staring at Park Shin Hye’s beautiful face).
(b) After the close-up of Seo-hae’s hands, the next shot is a wide shot, showing Seo-hae sitting at the bench. Notice that the camera subtly arcs to the right.
(c) The next shot of Seo-hae is also against the light, but then the camera subtly arcs to the left until the shot is no longer against the light; although a lens flare is still visible, the colors now look saturated.
I think the last arc shot was used to indicate a change in Seo-hae’s mind; later on, she goes to Asia Mart and gives Mr. Park the key to Tae-san’s suitcase.
| The Problem With Action Movies Today |
Action scenes in recent Holywood movies have been criticized because of their excessive use of fast cuts and “shaky cam” that produces unrealistic, sometimes incomprehensible, scenes. As you can read from the following articles, the problem started when directors misapplied the shaky cam and quick edits as used in the “Bourne” movies directed by Paul Greengrass: “How One Movie Trilogy Ruined Action Fillms Forever”; “Have Directors Forgotten How To Film Action?”; and “Let’s Talk About Shaky Cam.” The action scenes in this drama, on the other hand, are quite realistic; we can actually see Park Shin-hye fighting with the bad guys through the use of tracking shots, medium shots, and wide shots. In the action scenes that do not use tracking shots, there’s still clarity in who does what, where, when, and how.
(1) Fight scene, Ep. 9 at the amusement park; there are two tracking shots, separated by the shot of Seo-hae's mother panicking and calling out for the young Seo-hae.
The video below shows how this fight scene was filmed.
(2) Ep. 2 is famous for Seo-hae’s close quarters, hand to hand fight with the Control Bureau agents inside Sun’s room. As you can see in the GIFs below, the whole action scene uses two tracking shots.
(a) First tracking shot: The fight begins as one Control Bureau agent points his gun at Seo-hae, who sweeps it aside. The shot lasts for about 47 seconds, ending just before Seo-hae smashes a gun against an agent’s face shield. Note: the GIF program that I use limits GIFs to 30 seconds, and so I had to divide this tracking shot into two GIFs.
(b) Second tracking shot: Seo-hae tries to get to Sun, and as an agent grabs her, she smashes a ceramic object or something on the agent’s head. The shot, which lasts around 23 seconds, ends with Seo-hae and the agent crashing through a wooden partition and on to the floor.
Note: As Seo-hae and the agent struggle, there’s a close-up of the agent’s body as Seo-hae tackles him. Next thing we see is the agent hitting the ceiling; there may have been a cut there, which could mean that the next shot of Seo-hae crashing through the (breakaway) wooden partition could have been done by a stunt double for Park Shin-hye. Notice (1) before the crash, we can’t clearly see Park Shin-hye’s face; (2) after the crash, there’s a cut to Sun; and (3) after the cut to Sun, there’s a cut to Park Shin-hye getting up from the floor. The cut to Sun would have been unnecessary if Park shin-hye herself crashed through the partition and landed on the floor.
I couldn’t find the BTS video of the Ep. 2 fight scene, and I don’t read Korean; so, I stand to be corrected on whether it was a stunt double or it was Park Shin-hye herself who crashed through the (breakaway) wooden partition and landed on the floor. But if I were the drama’s director or producer, I would have insisted that a stunt double, rather than Park Shin-hye, crash through that partition and land on the floor.
The video below shows the Ep. 2 fight scene; try to see if you can spot where the tracking shots begin and end.
(3) Ep. 2 fight scene, outside the door of Sun’s apartment, lasting around 28 seconds; besides tracking shot, the cinematographer also uses a whip pan to show (a) Seo-hae firing her gun, (b) the agents in the other house, and then (c) back again to Seo-hae.
Fight scene at the door:
Whip pan (swish pan):
(4) Ep. 2 fight scene, up the stairs and on to the roof, lasting around 30 seconds; there are two tracking shots with the first ending when Seo-hae pushes Sun towards the lower roof. From the way the scene is edited, however, it looks like it’s only one tracking shot. (Actually, there could be three tracking shots, the third being when Seo-hae jumps from the upper roof down to the lower roof.)
Fight scene up the stairs and on to the roof:
Whip pan or swish pan (after Sun lands on the lower roof, the camera whip pans to Seo-hae):
The video below (starting at the 1:32 mark) shows the Ep. 2 fight scene from the door, up the stairs, and on to the rooftop; try to see if you can spot where the tracking shots begin and end. You can also see the camera operator executing the whip pan at the 3:37 mark. (Notice that at the 2:36 mark, there’s a stunt double on standby, but Park Shin-hye does the stunt herself and seems to be enjoying herself doing the stunt.)
(5) Ep. 12, school fight scene, two tracking shots; Seo-hae is attacked by a female agent of the Control Bureau; the first tracking shot lasts for around 13 seconds. As the agent spins Seo-hae towards the staircase, there’s a cut, and the second tracking shot, lasting around 8 seconds, ends with the agent lying at the bottom of the staircase. (It could have been just one tracking shot, but I tried slowing down the video and studying it, and there seems to be a cut when the agent spins Seo-hae towards the staircase.)
C. Not all the fight scenes in “Sisyphus” use tracking shots; other scenes use “cuts” aka “edits.” (A cut is “the point at which one shot ends and the next begins. Usually made by splicing two pieces of film together.”) Despite the fast cuts, especially in the Ep. 8 fight scene, there’s still clarity in who does what, where, when, and how.
Fight scene in Ep. 4: There are five cuts showing a Control Bureau agent hitting Seo-hae on the back and Seo-hae reacting in pain.
Fight scene in Ep. 6: There are five cuts showing Seo-hae fighting off two Control Bureau agents during the party.
Fight scene in Ep. 15 between Seo-hae and Hyeon-gi: Despite the 18 to 20 fast cuts in this scene, there’s clarity in who does what and how.
Fight scene in Ep. 8: There are around 29 cuts in this fight scene between Seo-hae and the man who ran away from Sigma's apartment. (Note: I had to cut the scene because of the 30-second limit of the GIF program that I use.)
The video below shows how this fight scene from Ep. 8 was filmed.
D. Cross cutting in Ep. 4: “Cross cutting is taking two or more scenes and cutting between them as they progress; it is used to establish actions taking place at the same time, whether in the same place or not.”
In Ep. 4, Tae-sul tries to escape with Hyeon-gi from the Control Bureau agents by hacking an electric car’s computer system. Meanwhile, on the street, Seo-hae is fighting off the agents. The scenes cross cut between Tae-sul fiddling with the electric car’s system to start the car and Seo-hae fighting off the agents; the cross cutting makes the scenes comedic and exciting at the same time.
E. Chiaroscuro (interplay of light and shadow): In Ep. 10, Tae-sul goes to the orphanage looking for Agnes. After he’s captured, Sigma arrives. Notice the beautiful interplay of lights and shadows as Sigma goes through the door and approaches Tae-sul.
In Ep. 11, again, notice the beautiful interplay of lights and shadows as Sigma leaves the orphanage.
Thie video below (at the 3:30 mark) shows the beautiful chiaroscuro as Sigma enters the orphanage and approaches Tae-sul.
F. Camera roll: The article “Types of Camera Movements in Film Explained: Definitive Guide” from Studio Binder explains:
“The camera roll is a rotational camera movement that rotates the camera over its side on its long axis. Rolls can be dizzying and unnatural. For this reason, filmmakers use it to disorient the audience or create uneasiness. It’s specific effect makes it a very intentional camera movement that should only be used when wanting to elicit a discomfort in the audience.”
In Ep. 7, Sun runs from store to store in trying to bet on the lottery with the numbers given by Seo-hae. To reinforce in the viewer’s mind Sun’s state of desperation as the deadline for that day’s lottery is about to end, the cinematographer uses a “camera roll.”
G. Dutch angle shot of a moving subject
The GIF below does not show a “camera roll”; it's a Dutch angle shot of a moving subject. Oftentimes, a Dutch angle or Dutch tilt shows a static subject, but in this case, the shot shows Seo-hae walking forward towards the camera. (It seems also that the camera is pushing in towards Seo-hae.)
H. Push in and push out
Tae-sul and Seo-hae tripped the alarm system as they sneaked into the house. The camera pushes in towards Tae-sul and Seo-hae and then pushes out showing the corridor leading to the door, with Tae-sul and Seo-hae looking at each other as they form a natural frame for the corridor. The camera then pushes in to show Eddie Kim and the security men arriving. (Notice that, at the very last moment, Cho Seung-woo gives a side eye to the camera operator.)
The video below shows how this scene was filmed. Notice that Cho Seung-woo and Park Shin-hye had to move aside as the camera operator moved forward in between them.
I. Shaky cam
Studio Binder in its article titled “The Handheld Shot in Film — Definition and Examples” states:
“The handheld shot is notorious for being the overly shaky cam used in modern action films. But filmmakers have utilized it, tweaked it, and innovated the shot in new ways to help them tell their story. From shaky cams, to shoulder mounts and easy rigs, the handheld shot is a type of shooting that does not rely on a fixed camera position.”
The article lists three reasons why a handheld shot is used: (1) to establish subjectivity; (2) heighten intensity or chaos, and (3) create intimacy between the characters.
(1) In Ep. 6, Tae-sul confronts Chairman Kim when he finds out that their company Quantum & Time has entered into a techonology-transfer agreement with Sigma. Notice the subtle camera shake as he and Chairman Kim argue about the transfer agreement; the shaky cam heightens in the viewer’s mind the tension between them.
(2) In Ep. 11, Seo-hae cries as she thinks that Tae-sul died while trying to save her. Notice the subtle camera shake as she cries after Tae-sul becomes conscious; the shaky cam heightens Seo-hae’s emotions and builds intimacy between them. (To better see the subtle shaky cam, look at the background rather than at Seo-hae or Tae-sul; with the shots of Tae-sul, the shaky cam is almost imperceptible.)
J. Rack focus: an object in the foreground is in focus, while an object in the background is out of focus (or vice versa); the object in the foreground then becomes out of focus, while the object in the background becomes in focus (or vice versa).
Example of rack focus from Ep. 11: Eddie Kim (background) is in focus, while Seo-jin (foreground) is put of focus. Then Eddie Kim becomes out of focus as Seo-jin becomes in focus. About two seconds later, Seo-jin becomes out of focus again as Eddie Kim becomes in focus.
Example of rack focus from Ep. 2: The tomato in the foreground is in focus; as the camera moves to the right, the tomato becomes out of focus, while Seo-hae becomes in focus. (When the camera moves parallel to the subject, it's called a “trucking shot.”)
K. Panning, arc shot, and rack focus
The camera pans (moves on a horizontal axis) from Chairman Kim to Seo-jin; as the camera arcs to the right and as Seo-jin turns to her right, she becomes out of focus, and the family portrait in the background becomes in focus.
L. Miscellaneous observations
(a) This GIF shows Sigma and a Control Bureau officer as they go through a door and walk through the corridor. The shot begins with a bird’s eyeview of them going through the door; as they continue walking, the camera tilts upward to keep them in frame.
(b) This shot begins with the camera pointing upward at the Asia Mart store sign and then tilts down (or is it a pull out?). As the camera starts to push in, Mr. Park’s assistant enters the frame; the camera continues to push in, tracking him. Notice that the camera stops moving once it reaches the door; this makes me think that the camera was on a crane.
This shot reminds me of a somewhat similar shot from “Brilliant Inheritance”:
(c) Tracking shot by drone
In Ep. 5, Seo-hae becomes angry and confused when Tae-sul tells her to live her own life and not bother him. She refuses the money that Tae-sul offers and walks away. As she starts to run, a drone tracks her in between buildings and out into the streets.
Drones have been used in cinematography for several years now because they are far cheaper to use than helicopters; they can also be used in places where a helicopter can’t be used.
The article “Eye in the sky: how drone technology is transforming film-making” (The Guardian, August 2020) says: “The aerial shot has become a cinematic cliche – but French drama Les Misérables gives airborne cameras a powerful new role.” The article describes the 2019 French movie “Les Misérables” directed by Ladj Ly where a young man, who uses a drone to spy on women, accidentally records a crime. The movie won the Jury Prize in the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Oscars. The article concludes: “The film indicates a future for the drone in cinema: as part of the action itself rather than a slick, stylistic embellishment.”
The article compares the movie to Brian De Palma’s 1981 movie “Blow Out” starring John Travolta. In “Blow Out,” John Travolta’s character, a movie sound effects technician, records audio about an assassination.
“Blow Out” was based on Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1966 classic film “Blow Up.” The movie tells the story of a fashion photographer (played by David Hemmings) who thinks that he caught on film a murder in the park. The movie is famous for its enigmatic ending — as two mime artists play tennis in the park, David Hemmings’ character begins to smile. When I first saw “Blow Up” in the late 1970s, I couldn’t understand what it was trying to say, but it piqued my interest in learning how to process black-and-white film and to print pictures in a darkroom. (It was only after I read Francis Schaeffer’s book “Death in the City” did I come to understand what Antonioni was saying in his movie, that is, everything is relative. and that there are no absolute standards in the world.)
M. Things I’m still learning about are the differences between zoom in/zoom out and push in/pull out.
As a photographer, I’m used to zooming in or zooming out of my subject (my favorite zoom lens during my film-based days was the Vivitar 28-200 super zoom lens). Thus, I find it difficult to distingush between zoom in/zoom out and push in/pull out. With the two scenes below, I thought that the cinematographer zoomed out, but a film major told me that these shots are pull outs (with the first scene involving a change in focal length).
Lessons in photography from “Sisyphus: The Myth”
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| Shallow depth of field, foreground and background blur |
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| Out of focus highlights |
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| Low angle shot, juxtaposition |
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| Background blur |
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| Low angle shot, shooting against the light |
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| Dutch angle, leading lines |
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| Sidelighting, background blur |
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| Low angle shot, Dutch angle |
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| Low angle shot |
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| Warm colors, foreground and background blur |
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| Dutch angle or Dutch tilt |
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| Lens flare |
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| Dutch angle or Dutch tilt |
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| Lens flare, keystoning |
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| Sidelighting, background blur |
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| Reflections |
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| Baroque diagonal (Dynamic Symmetry) |
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| Lines of direction, background blur |
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| Compressed perspective, background blur |
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| Dutch angle or Dutch tilt |
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| Dutch angle or Dutch tilt |
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| Low angle shot |
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| Baroque diagonal (Dynamic Symmetry) |
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| Extreme close-up, Dutch angle or Dutch tilt |
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