From the MBC drama ’21st Century Grand Prince’s Wife’ starring IU and Byeon Woo-seok, to the fresh horror movie ‘Salmokji’ capturing audiences’ hearts, and the Cannes International Series Festival official invitee ‘God’s Bead’, these hit works share one surprising commonality.
Global content group Westworld recently participated in the post-production of these major first-half hits, which balance artistic quality and commercial success. By showcasing detailed DI (Digital Intermediate/color grading) capabilities across romance, horror, and historical genres, Westworld has proven its competitiveness in creating distinct moods and emotions for each project.
In ’21st Century Grand Prince’s Wife’, which is gaining massive global popularity and high viewership, Westworld used delicate colors and tones to express the characters’ emotions within the unique setting of a ’21st-century constitutional monarchy in Korea.’ Specifically, they visually supported the cold and sharp atmosphere of Sung Hee-joo (played by IU), the second daughter of Castle Group, and the strong, determined image of Grand Prince Ian (played by Byeon Woo-seok), enhancing the immersive experience of the genre.
Westworld also proved its strength in genre films by participating in the horror movie ‘Salmokji’, starring Kim Hye-yoon, Lee Jong-won, and Kim Jun-han. Since color grading is a key element in amplifying fear and pressure in horror, Westworld meticulously implemented an eerie atmosphere and visual suspense to heighten the tension. Thanks to its solid screenplay, great acting, and overwhelming atmosphere, the film has become a box office hit, surpassing 2.6 million viewers.
Following these successes, Westworld also handled the color grading for the drama ‘God’s Bead’, which is currently making waves after being officially invited to the Cannes International Series Festival. The series is scheduled to air on JTBC, further raising expectations for this high-profile lineup.
Starring Ahn Bo-hyun, Lee Sung-min, and Soo Hyun, ‘God’s Bead’ was officially invited to the Rendez-vous section of the non-competitive category at the 9th Cannes International Series Festival. Set in 1258 (Goryeo Dynasty) during a losing war with Mongolia that lasted 30 years, it tells the story of a transport team’s heroic struggle to find the sacred object Gwanum-boju and a princess’s efforts to save them. Westworld enhanced the quality of the work by delicately implementing the weight and narrative density characteristic of a period piece.
Kim Hyung-seok, the head of DI at Westworld who oversaw all three projects, stated, “Starting with film color grading in the early 2000s, we have expanded our reach from theatrical movies to various platforms including TV dramas and OTT originals. Based on our infrastructure capable of handling everything from screen systems to the latest HDR processes, combined with the sensibility of our colorists, we will continue to improve the quality of various works.”
Westworld CEO Son Seung-hyun added, “DI is not simply about correcting colors on a screen, but an important process that completes the emotional texture and genre of a work. As our recent projects are receiving great responses, we will focus on increasing immersion across various genres such as romance, fantasy, historical, and thriller through further research and effort based on our post-production technology.”
Westworld is a technology-based content group covering overall content production, including VFX, DI, editing, and Virtual Production. They have participated in numerous hit works such as ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Sweet Home Season 1,’ ‘The Silent Sea,’ ‘Extraordinary Attorney Woo,’ ‘Exhuma,’ and ‘Queen of Tears.’ Leveraging their experience across various genres and formats, they are steadily expanding their position as a post-production partner that completes the atmosphere and emotional lines of a project.
