How I Wrote Parasite - Writing Advice from Bong Joon-Ho 

Talk about Parasite and filmmaking on our official Discord server: discord.gg/xxTqXXd

This is definitely how I write Parasite when I'm Bong Joon-Ho

You're really good at letting filmmakers speak for themselves. You don't inject any second-hand analysis, which I super appreciate.

What is most personal is most universal. This screenplay and film will become one of the greatest in history.

The slowmo, sunlit shot of Jessica with the peach is so mesmerizing, memorable and just plain gorgeous and haunting. I love it so much.

Another tragedy to me was how isolated the wealthy family were. I don't know if this is rare among the wealthy, but I could believe it in the context of the story. They depended on the house's former owner to recommend a house keeper, and a former tutor to recommend a substitute, and so on. They had no "friends" of their own status to ask for help. Plenty of people did come to the party, but they probably felt closer to their help than to any of their peers.

Watched this movie yesterday, still in shock, can't believe how Shakespearean it was

i really didnt think much about the native-american props used in the movie, so i was surprised to hear that there was meaning behind it. this was really eye-opening and goes to show the amount of thought that went towards making the film.

Bong Joon-Ho. That’s the comment.

That comment about making a film for yourself is very true. I recently rented a hotel room for two nights to take the time and write a script. On the day I was due to checkout, I realized that the direction I’d taken the story into made for a decent film but not something i’d personally resonate with. I spent the rest of the day thinking about what it is exactly that I wanted to see and feel with the characters and then began a new script. It’s already 10x better.

Correct me if im wrong. I think One of the best subtle storytelling in this movie is how the rich father doesn't make any physical contact with the kim family member, except when he got stabbed

Honestly, I hate it when people keep saying that Parasite is about the evil rich family and the message is 'eat the rich!' I personally took a message how there's no solidarity between working class when it comes to money, job, etc and how they destroy each other just to serve a higher class society

I love bong joon ho's movies, it's great that he's getting so much recognition in the west now

Wow.. You summarized his comments so well!! How many Bong's QnA conversations you've watched? lol Thanks for making this good video!!

Great movie.

And this is why I love this movie.

It's awesome that you reply to the comments. Keep doing that, it gives off a good vibe and will make people want to comment more.

Someone described this movie as "Shakespearean" and I couldn't agree more. It really put me into shock for awhile after watching it!

Just wanna say that you're doing a great job at making these inciteful videos on a more consistent basis recently, keep it up!

The movie came together beautifully. The ebb and flow of the juxtaposition between the rich and poor. Also such an unexpected ending. Listening to this collection of interviews opens up a greater understanding of the characters. Parasite feels so grounded in what happens. Even with the strange tragedy at the end. Thanks for your work. Looking forward to the next video.

Another awesome channel that talks about writting stories, but this time you let the directors speak, I can't even imagine the amount of work you put in thoses videos but thanks you !

My favourite shot of the film (and one of my favourite movie shots ever) was once they escaped the house and descended down the steps in the rain, going back to their low class lives in such devastating fashion. The zoomed out shot of them running down is so beautiful and metaphorical.

Yo man, thank you so much for bringing this video. I’ve been thinking a lot on how Bong wrote this and his thought process. This was an amazing video. Thank you!

Fuck yeah, I have been dying for a video on my fav movie of 2019. Thank you so much!

The genius of parasite is in the structure of the narrative and the space itself. How the architecture of the story and also the physical space the characters occupy in it affect their lives more than their own personalities. That is our society.

God damn RU-vid not notifying me when my favorite channel uploads

I don't know how this guy got all this footage together so cohesively. As a proud Korean, I approve.

what a nice explanation, love it!

Thanks for your usual high quality videos! I am never disappointed

Great editing showing the three families!!

Your approach is so great that I can now understand the filmmaker's intent for this film.

Ah cool, thanks for making video about Parasite. Btw i think you should make video about Your Name and Weathering with You

Bong Joon hi is a MASTERPIECE

I think they used all concepts of story telling all in one film. Great!

The movie doesn't show it but it must've been a tragedy for the rich family too. I feel really bad for the rich mom. She is so clueless and ditsy. Just imagine yourself in her shoes, having no single clue what is going on an BAMM there s a massacre in her house. And she lost her husband. It's a tragedy for both family, but in a way, the rich family doesn't deserve this.

Thanks, I appreciate the film so much more after seeing this and hearing all the insights from BJH himself.

can't wait till you get 1M subs!

thank you so much for the insight directly from the director. Thoroughly enjoyed him guiding us through his thinking process

To get more behind the scenes and screenwriting content, follow me on twitter: twitter.com/ntjrdn

Just discovered your channel in those hard times, it's amazing ! I do not write myself (other than some reviews as a hobby) but I've always being interested by the process of creation, how the screeenwriters managed to create this particular scene and how they could create some emotions throught characters and dialogs, and your videos provide a valuable insight on those questions. I do hope your channel will attract many more subscribers. Keep on the (very) good work ! Since you have done Parasite, may I suggest other foreign movies, like the mexican/spanish Pan's Labyrinth or the german Lives of others ? I would also love to see some others americans classics, such as Chinatown or Eternal Sunshine of my Spotless mind.

“And that’s when the idea hit me” So cool to hear how he hops on his ideas

I saw Parasite for the first time last night. To say I was blown away is an understatement. The tonal shift in the film really struck me when we went from the farcical sequence of the family hiding in the living room, to the sewage water flooding their apartment. The moment of Ki Taek looking around his apartment, clutching his belongings as the water flowed in was too much. I felt physically and mentally pained watching that scene. I'm pretty sure that moment and feeling are going to haunt me for some time. Thank you, for this absolute gem of a movie.

This is one thing I was looking for from bong-joon-ho thanks! Keep uploading this it’s very helpful!

How Bong Joon-ho wrote Parasite? Easy,because he's a genius

your channel is a gem

this is how art manifests when your name starts with Bong

Very enlightening video. Can you do another one of Bong Joon Ho's films such as Memories of Murder?

Bong Joon Ho more than a director, he was a great revelation at the Oscars because, no one thought that a foreign filmmaker was going to win at a ceremony as important as the Oscars, and that's why makes him so special. About Parasite, I find it a little a black comedy for moments but with tensions's scenes that capture your attention in any moment. and like the own film director said, these three families are parasites because, they depend on the others to live and feed.

I wise woman once said "Do it clockwise"

Winner Of best movie of the year, making history by doing so (house m.d please)

My DVD player is broken, but I believe that for this film alone I will be replacing it with a new on or possibly with a Blue Ray just so I can own this film!

Bong Joon Ho more than a director, he was a great revelation at the Oscars because, no one thought that a foreign filmmaker was going to win at a ceremony as important as the Oscars, and that's why makes him so special. About Parasite, I find it a little a black comedy for moments but with tensions's scenes capture your attention in any moment. and like the own film director, these three families are parasites because, they depend on the others to live and feed.

Underrated video

still can’t believe this channel hasn’t blown up yet. keep this shit up

The whole plot hinged on the same idiot kid not being navigate a stair case twice. Genius at work here.

Thank you I was waiting for this!!

I love your videos, they're an absolute inspiration for us in the narrative craft. It would be great if you could add more subtitle options, perhaps in spanish? Or maybe enable the function so users can add subtitles in their own languages too, so we can share with non english speakers 🙏🏽

everything in this movie seems to function circularly in time....even down to small details like technological descendent from wifi to morse code.

Awesome loved this film so much.

Sensational story

Bong Joon Ho is a master nice work

FEAR EATS THE SOUL .

Thank you for this video. :)

Love these videos so much 👏

learn, Hollywood. Good scripts take time.

Man, this proves that epiphanies are real. What's more impressive is that Bong actually utilized them!

I think the peak of hubris for the main poor family is not when theyre drinking in the house, but when they tell the old house keeper "we're not needy like you"

I never watch movies keeping an eye on " story development".it's so difficult to do so

I would really appreciate it if you made a Video "How I wrote Jojo Rabbit - Screenwriting Advice from Taika Waititi" I am very interested in his thought process behind the adaptation. How did he decide what to use from the source material and what story points to add by himself and why?

Hello, can u make a video about how to write scripts. I have so many ideas in mind about the stories that i have imagined but i don't know how to make a complete meaningful story out of them. So...

love the way you edit your videos! i thought this was taken from a phone interview you had with bong joon ho 😅 they're incredibly cohesive and insightful. keep it up!

yessssssssssss

The question of the film is "why and how does all of this happen when no one had malicious intent"

"RESPECT!"

The piano playing in the background sounds so beautiful, what is the piece called?

What's the background music? The part ar 5:30 is beautiful. I also thought the film was excellent in all quarters!

Great music choice. Can I get a tracklist?

So...Bong Joon Ho was good at math!

the more I watch this movie....

Anyone know the name of the music piece at 2:46?

Anyone know what the music is in this video? It's beautiful!

Does anyone know why the original maid looked all beat up when she came back for her husband? Is it implied that she got roughed up on the streets because she no longer had the protection of the Park’s luxurious home?

What plugin is used at 1:47?

With pencil.

Thank you for the vid, but please fix the korean subtitles

U sound like Tyler

I disagree with the idea that there are no villains. Although the poor family was in desperate need of money, the poor mother still kicked a woman down a flight of concrete stairs. Before the worst thing anyone has done was lie and steal food. Therefore I feel like this is a story of anti heroes

Hey! I just made my first short film, and was wondering if you could provide honest feedback about it? Thank you!!

First

Joker is cute. compared to Parasite

What the rich primarily wants is poor people limited time and talents devoted to their own welfare and interests. In return the poor gets something that’s rather very impersonal out of rich as money.

전세계가 패러사이트 ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ

I think you should make a video about Bollywood movies..

I HAVE BEEN SCREAMING TO ANYONE WHO WOULD LISTEN TO SEE THIS MOVIE!!!! I was lucky enough to have a colleague invite me to the premiere. I don't have any social media accounts since I landed my dream job from (lil Jewish dude#2, who was given his dream job from lil Jewish dude#1& I am just skinny Swedish gal #1) a joke few know. IM KITTI is a dear human that I love. I know so many friends that put this movie on their top 10 list of movies to see in the 2000's! I added it to #1 of top 10 movies to see in 2000's & it is #3 of my top favorite movies ever under, The Royal Tenenbaums & the movie EVERY HIGH SCHOOL KID MUST SEE...Requiem for a dream. This movie is THAT good!! Movies are not entertainment anymore. Production companies are looking for brilliant writers to put their scripts into streaming t.v. shows & are filming said scripts movies..ie...Mr. Robot, True Crime, The Leftovers, for examples. I don't think I will see a better movie than this in my lifetime & I am happy a dear human, Steve Golin got to see this movie before he passed away last year. YES THIS IS HOW THE WORLD WORKS, THE STRONGER PREY ON THE WEAKER, THE RICH F@@K THE POOR & lastly THE MAD WILL INHERIT THE EARTH, eventually. Maybe not in my lifetime but it will happen. I was overwhelmed when it won so many awards. They missed the one for editing!!!! It is worth your time to see this movie, especially now, when movies are nothing but noise in the background while I am doing something ELSE!!! Wes Anderson's new movie I heard will be good. It won't BE PERFECTION! He doesn't know this is me so I can say....NO MOVIE WILL EVER BE PERFECTLY APPEALING...VISUALLY, MENTALLY AND WILL LEAVE YOU TALKING ABOUT IT AS MUCH AS I DO & I don't waste my time ever!!! IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT, I will depart w/ a quote from ANOTHER TOP TEN MOVIE.... “The possibility of physical and mental collapse is now very real. No sympathy for the Devil, keep that in mind. BUY THE TICKET, TAKE THE RIDE!"

I know everybody's going to over think this movie, but it was just freaking good.

뇌피셜 늘어놓는 채널인줄 알았는데 진짜 인터뷰였네 ;;

I did not like the tragedy at the end of the climax, that’s the only weak point for me. Loved everything else.

What's up with the subtitles? I find it difficult to read that one inch wall.. No seriously, it's a bit weird. Long paragraphs and all, I am the only one?

korean subtitle is messㅜ.ㅜ

In my humble opinion, the characters were very unrealistic (more like caricatures?) and the "metaphors" of the story were literal and uninventive. It doesn't really strike me as an iconic film and I honestly don't think it deserves the degree of praise that it's gotten. There I said it.