[Exclusive]"'Yumi's Cells' Even the Buttocks' Groove Was a Concern" – 'Animation Studio' Locus Hwang Su-jin (President)'s Detail [★Research Lab] [Interview ②]

*This content was translated by AI.

[Editor’s Note] [★Research Lab] StarNews meets the people who drive the entertainment industry, uncovering their unique know-how and success strategies. We introduce the practical experience and philosophy of those who quietly pave the way behind the glamorous stars.

'Yumi's Cells' The 'Cells' characters, who received great love in the series, were backed by Locus's persistent concern and technical prowess that did not miss even the smallest details.

'Yumi's Cells' Locus introduced a production method that combined live-action drama and animation for the first time in Korea through the 'Yumi's Cells' series. Locus produced the animation using Unreal Engine based on its own real-time animation technology 'LORA'.

'Yumi's Cells' Visual implementation was the biggest challenge from the early stages of production. Hong Seong-ho (President) recalled, "Initially, we were heading toward a webtoon-style 2D approach," but added, "From our perspective, we judged that high-quality 3D would best complement the live-action drama."

'Yumi's Cells' The actual production process was a continuous series of detail work. Hwang Su-jin, Executive Vice President of Locus, pointed out an unexpected point as the area where the most thought was invested. He smiled and said, "Rather than technical difficulties, the part we paid the most attention to was the buttocks." He continued, "The cells were wearing tights, and if the buttocks' groove was emphasized too much, the back view would look too suggestive."

'Yumi's Cells' Conversely, reducing the expression created another problem. Executive Vice President Hwang Su-jin explained, "When we removed the buttocks' groove, it became impossible to distinguish between the stomach and the buttocks." He added, "We had a very serious debate to find a balance that was neither too exaggerated nor too flat. The band next to the cells' faces also needed careful consideration; if it was too thin, it looked awkward, and if it was too thick, it resembled a bandage, so finding the right balance point was crucial."

'Yumi's Cells' Efforts continued to preserve the original work's sensibility in even a single facial expression. Locus analyzed thousands of frames from the webtoon to categorize emotional expressions for each cell and then reinterpreted them in Locus's unique style. Hong Seong-ho (President) stated, "When people watch 'Tale of the Nine Tailed' or 'Yumi's Cells,' they say the characters seem to be speaking Korean naturally. We wanted to create details different from the existing method of simply dubbing Korean over foreign animations."

'Yumi's Cells' Technologically, Locus also endured a difficult production environment. Due to the nature of drama production, a vast amount of content had to be completed within a short period. Executive Vice President Hwang Su-jin explained, "A 450-minute runtime is equivalent to five theatrical animated films, yet we produced it in just one year and ten months. This became possible by adopting a real-time production method based on Unreal Engine."

'Yumi's Cells' Initially, they continued overnight work while battling unforeseen errors until just before the broadcast. However, Locus's own production system has now been established. Hong Seong-ho (President) emphasized, "A schedule like this would not have been easy for other companies. The technology we value is ultimately practicality. If it takes too long or costs too much, it cannot be considered good technology. Locus's strength lies in optimizing through trial and error."

'Yumi's Cells' What Locus emphasizes is not the technology itself, but the role of the person handling it. Executive Vice President Hwang Su-jin stated, "Even when using AI, I believe human correction and hands-on work are absolutely necessary. We aim to utilize it to reduce repetitive work time and increase quality accordingly."

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*This content was translated by AI.