“Sorry about Jung Hyun-gyu’s attitude issue” ‘Devil’s Plan 2’ PD responds to unfairness-intervention controversy[DA : Interview ①]
This season’s participants include ‘Baduk legend’ Lee Sedol, who won the match against AlphaGo, Kang Ji-young, an announcer and American Institute of Certified Public Accountants(AICPA)certification exam passer, Yoon So-hee, an actress from KAIST and an early graduate of a science high school, Seven High, a professional poker player and music producer, Lee Seung-hyun, a college student and Miss Korea winner, Jung Hyun-gyu, an influencer from Seoul National University who scored the maximum IQ score of 156 by Mensa Korea, Choi Hyun-joon, a model from KAIST, and actors Justin H Min, Super Junior’s Kyuhyun, and singer Chuu.Non-celebrity participants include plastic surgeon Kim Ha-rin, who beat out over 1,000 competitors to become the winner, 2021 International Physics Olympiad gold medalist Park Sang-yeon, M & A specialist lawyer Son Eun-yu, and board game master Tino.
Just like PD Jeong Jong-yeon’s previous works ‘The Genius’ series, ‘Society Game’ series, and the previous ‘Devil’s Plan ‘, we expected an exciting brain survival game of the talented.However, the finished product that was actually revealed was different from expectations.There were criticisms about some players’ bad manners, personality controversy, fraternization(?), and the production team’s unfair application of rules.This reached its peak in the last 3rd week.
For the netizens who are still full of curiosity, we are releasing the interview between Donga.com and PD Jeong Jong-yeon that took place on the 27th.The following is a Q&A(additional explanations were added to the questions, and the answers were written to the best of their ability).
Q After the final 3 weeks of ‘Devil’s Plan 2 ‘were revealed, the viewers’ reactions were hot.There were a lot of mixed opinions.
A I don’t look at all communities, but I’ve heard that people express their emotions a lot through DMs.I’ve heard about this and that.Some people ask about their parents and leave a lot of comments.In the case of Instagram, it’s more refined than communities, but basically, there were a lot of reactions like, “Isn’t the feeling a little bit dead?”
Q What do you think about the opinion that the sense of survival has largely died out?
A Now, I am not at the age where I can live, and I feel like I will die little by little.I am grateful for the opportunity to learn little by little every time I do something.’Devil’s Plan ‘was planned to have a different format for every season.It is true that I learned a lot from this season.I am also listening carefully to various feedback.If I do a season 3, I will prepare better, of course, but for now, I am preparing something different.
Q What do you think is the biggest cause of these(negative)reactions?
A The biggest change this season was that the living quarters were divided into the living quarters and the prison quarters.The main theme was the rivalry between the two groups, but while the prison quarters had a good narrative through the prison match system, the living quarters lacked a survival narrative because there was no rivalry system.There were parts of the living quarters that didn’ t receive much attention due to the content provided by the prison match.
There were reactions such as the lack of rewards for prison matches or the excessive rewards for hidden stages in the living quarters.There were also opinions that it was difficult for prison players to turn the situation around.I fully acknowledge that.
There are several reasons.It is important to do well in the daily main match every time, but in order to allow for a comeback easily, the game is designed to be easily reversed in the latter half so that the game is turned upside down.However, there are cases where people who do not have the skills survive and advance by doing well in one game at the end, so I thought that the cumulative performance of each main match was quite important.I thought it might have felt excessive from the viewer’s perspective.I think there may have been parts that were not balanced.I also admit it.
Q Are there any criteria for player casting?
A I like a feeling of being broken and diverse.I like people who make me think, ‘This is the first time I’ve seen someone like this.’It’s important to have people who can answer the quests we give in the game, but I think it would be good to have a diverse group of people.I think that a new story can be told only when there are new characters.When I met Kim Ha-rin in ‘Devil’s Plan 2,’ I liked it because it felt like I was seeing her for the first time.If it were me 10 years ago, I wouldn’t have cast her, but now I look for people like this.
Now, it is burdensome to cast politicians.Regardless of political affiliation, we have cast people who seem to be good at broadcasting and have a clear character.However, there are some parts of the program that are misunderstood, and there seems to be reactions from viewers depending on the results.I don’t particularly care about the job, but if you think you can do well, please contact us.
Q Before the public announcement, Master Lee Sedol’s appearance attracted a lot of attention.How did you, as a PD, watch when Master Lee Sedol was eliminated in the main match ‘Halloween Monster’ ?
A It is true that we put a lot of effort into recruiting Lee Sedol, but we didn’t give any special benefits to any particular guest.It’s nonsense to tell a guest about the ‘double-line’ rule in advance.I thought that someone like Tino might have noticed it because he has a different habit of reading the rulebook.I prepared hard, but it’s disappointing to hear such an evaluation.
Q There were many reactions that the game progress was unfair.Jeong Hyeon-gyu succeeded in ‘Knight’s Journey ‘by using oil paper on the hidden stage of the living room.
A I didn’ t think about it when I took out the oil paper.I didn’t think it would have a decisive effect on whether I could do it or not.At the time, I judged it that way and proceeded, but from the perspective of the viewer, it might seem unfair.I thought it wouldn’t have been of much help because the paper wouldn’t stay still due to the air conditioning system.
Q Wasn’t the hidden stage success reward ‘10 pieces’ that could be received whenever you wanted? After the main match ‘Balance of Mancala’, Jung Hyun-gyu said he would receive the piece reward after it was decided that he would go to the prison wing.Shouldn’t he receive the 10 pieces and go to the prison wing as scheduled? Why didn’t you raise an issue about the timing being off?
A In a personal interview before the announcement of the results, Jung Hyun-gyu said he would use the compensation.He said to do it at ‘that timing’ to make it look dramatic.From the viewers ‘perspective, it may have seemed unreasonable and inadequate.Since Jung Hyun-gyu had planned to use it in advance, (the production team)thought it was okay.They asked the production team when to use it, and they said,’ If I use it later, the situation and the picture will be overwhelming, so let’s do it later.’ I definitely knew what this guy meant.It wasn’t Jung Hyun-gyu’s mistake.
Q Through the cookie video of Episode 10, ‘Balance of Mancala’, Kyuhyun knew about Jung Hyun-gyu’s hidden stage reward ‘10 pieces’ and also knew that Jung Hyun-gyu would not be eliminated.Why did you reveal it as a cookie video instead of editing it or showing it in the main story? (※Because many viewers missed it when moving on to the next episode due to the Netflix system)
A I think that even if it wasn’t broadcast, the story would have come out and become a target of digging.Isn’t it just hiding it to hide ‘Did Kyuhyun and Yoon Sohee know?’ ? I thought it was the right way to show it.It was right that Jung Hyun-gyu hid it and said ‘the benefit for the finals’, so it became a target of attacks from players.If it’s ‘10 pieces’, doesn’t that mean one spot in the finals is empty? As a target of the alliance, they can go to the finals together and it’s not a burden.
(It may have been a mistake by the production team.) I think it made the story more interesting.I think it could have been neutralized.It is a critical part, but it can be overlooked in some ways, but I prefer to turn the subtle parts into cookies.
Q In the main match ‘Unknown’, what was the situation when the dealer made a statement that drew the line when Son Eun-yu mentioned incorrect information?
A It wasn’t the dealer’s doing it himself, but I told him to do it.There was no time or reason to bluff.The game wasn’t progressing at all, and I thought it wasn’t a mistake in the move, but a misunderstanding.I judged that the game could be ruined because of that, so I intervened.
Q The scene in ‘Mancala of Balance’ where Jeong Hyeon-gyu asks Choi Hyeon-jun, a KAIST mathematics graduate, “Do you know how to do arithmetic?” was also very controversial, but it wasn’t edited out in advance.
A It was the point where Choi Hyun-joon’s aggression toward Jung Hyun-gyu ignited.The comment about the mountain was clearly the most hurtful thing Jung Hyun-gyu could say, but it was a context in which aggressive words could come out.They could have removed it because it was not good for Jung Hyun-gyu’s image, but then Choi Hyun-joon’s narrative would be deleted.Even if you want to protect someone, if you have a fundamental dislike for this person, you have to show the cause.Since there is a reciprocal aspect, that part is a dilemma.
Q In particular, Kyuhyun and Yoon Sohee, who formed an alliance with Jung Hyun-gyu and supported him, received a lot of criticism.In particular, Yoon Sohee, who faced Jung Hyun-gyu in the final match, backed down more easily than expected when the situation became deadlocked.There were even jokes that she “gave up the championship.”
A It is understandable that Yoon So-hee maintained the alliance until the 11th round under the strategy of ‘going to the finals together’.However, I was surprised when she gave up the last bet during the recording of the finals.After listening to the interview, I think that’s possible, but I also felt regretful.The system itself that prevents such behavior is impossible in survival.
I casted Kyuhyun and Yoon Sohee because I knew their personalities.They both have a strong desire to keep promises once they make them and it’s not easy for them to break them, but they came in with the intention of taking on a challenge.When I went to Seven High while leaving Choi Hyun-joon and Jung Hyun-gyu behind during “Balanced Mancala,” it didn’t suit my personality, but it was a moment when I thought, “I’m here, so shouldn’t I try something?”
It is not easy to change the way you have lived in society.There are players who are good at it, but it is difficult to betray and lie to the point that this program demands that you only look at victory.There are players who cannot overcome it, and there are players who do well, so I hope you will see it that way.Even if you are not a player who only looks at victory like Jeong Hyeon-gyu, Choi Hyeon-jun, and Son Eun-yu, there were many players like Kyu-hyun and Yoon So-hee in the previous program.I hope you will be lenient.
I don’t think that everyone’s casting is necessarily right.The parts that we talked about throughout this season made me think a lot.I have the power to decide, but my heart is heavy when I see the contestants being criticized for their character.I’m sorry that they came into my system and got criticized.Shouldn’t the criticism and blame be directed at me?
Q Were there any requests or complaints from the cast regarding the editing direction? What was their reaction?
A After filming, I met many of the cast members and had many video calls with Hyun-jun and others.After the screening was released, all I heard was, “Thank you for editing so well.” I don’t think I did a good job, but I think I thought it turned out better than I had worried.
Q Do you feel responsible as a production team for the criticism of the cast?
A I feel sorry.I didn’t think Jung Hyun-gyu’s attitude issue would become this big.There were some parts that I was worried about and some that I felt sorry about, but I viewed it favorably as one of the participants.I also feel uncomfortable that the arrows that should have been directed at me are directed at the participants.There’s no way to stop people from leaving hateful comments, but if something needs to be resolved legally, Netflix or us will do our best to help.
If viewers think about it from the perspective of the cast, there will be some parts that they can understand.I also think about those parts while recording, so there are times when I miss them.I hope the cast members will be generous and point their sharp standards at me.
Reporter Jeong com -yeon, Donga.com shine2562@donga
Photo courtesy of Netflix
This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.
