The story behind the making of Blackpink: Light Up The Sky
MANILA, Philippines — Caroline Suh, the director of Netflix’s first K-pop documentary film Blackpink: Light Up The Sky, had unprecedented access to the highest-charting female K-pop group of all time.
As a result, Caroline brings Jisoo, Jennie, Rosé and Lisa’s never-been-seen moments and footage from childhood, trainee audition, to the 2016 debut and the successful concert tour thereafter. Then there are never-been-expressed thoughts and soundbites from the four members about finding themselves and finding support in each other amidst the frenzy of fame and celebrity.
Premiering tomorrow, Oct. 14, Light Up The Sky is the ultimate gift to the fandom a.k.a. Blinks. At the same time, it offers a closer look into the K-pop music business and how these K-pop idols are born through the lens of this girl group who, in the span of just four years, has grown to become one of the frontrunners of this cultural phenomenon sweeping the world.
Meanwhile, the documentary’s title was taken from the lyrics of How You Like That, the first pre-release single from the group’s first studio record, The Album, which was dropped early October.
The Philippine STAR had an exclusive phone interview recently with the American-Korean director (also known for the Emmy-nominated Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat docu-series on Netflix) to talk more about the behind-the-scenes, the challenges and the fun part of making Blackpink: Light Up The Sky.
“You know, doing something that involves a lot of music — that’s really fun. And also a lot of kind of visual material that’s fun — that just made the project really enjoyable to do,” the New York-based filmmaker told The STAR.
Here’s the rest of the interview:
How did you get involved in this project?
“Okay, so Netflix, who I’d worked with on a couple of projects, had been working with Blackpink to do Netflix’s first K-pop film, and they approached me to direct. And I’m Korean actually so, you know, I love doing projects, I love going to Korea and it was interesting to me to do something about a K-pop group so I said yes and we met with YG (Entertainment, Blackpink’s management label) and it all kind of came together.”
How much did you know about K-pop prior to doing this docu-film?
“I actually knew very little about K-pop. What I knew was from my nephew who’s in high school, who’s a huge K-pop fan and knows everything about K-pop. So, once I knew I was doing the project, I kind of dove in and learned as much as I could very quickly.
“(As preparation) Well, I listened to all of Blackpink’s music and I watched their music videos and I read about them. I also just read about K-pop in general and the history of how that industry started and I kind of took it from there.”
How much actual time did you get to spend with the group?
“So we shot for two blocks of time in Korea with them. So we shot in the fall of last year and in February of this year. So in that time, we were able to see what they did in their downtime and kind of hang out with them and be in the studio with them. The touring footage was all kinds of original footage shot by the Blackpink (team).”
What was the first day of filming like?
“The first scene that we filmed was actually the scene that’s at the end of the film in the restaurant. It was interesting for I don’t think that the Blackpink members had ever filmed anything like this before in this way. So it was kind of explaining why we were doing things the way we’re doing and they kind of felt pretty comfortable, very quickly.”
You had incredible access to Blackpink but what were the challenges you encountered in doing this documentary?
“I think making everyone feel comfortable at the beginning. And then, I think one big challenge was taking this huge amount of archival footage shot over years and years and years and kind of figuring out what we wanted to use and how we could use it to tell the story.”
Can you recall your first meeting with Blackpink and what were your first impressions of the members?
“Well, I met them all at the same time very briefly, and they were all very friendly and bubbly and warm. And then as I got to know them, I came to realize that they’re also very strong-willed and determined. And that’s really the secret to their success.”
How tough was it to make them act natural and organic in front of the cameras? How did you handle the restrictions that come with such a popular group?
“You know, it was very easy. Um, I think once they felt like they could trust us, they kind of became very candid and natural. There really weren’t many restrictions. YG was very hands-off in terms of our making it. They really deferred to what the girls wanted to do. And they really weren’t involved at all so that made the making of the film very easy.”
You made them watch a lot of old footage. What was your intention and what was their reaction to their past videos?
“Yeah, I think that when they were in the theater and they watched themselves, I think they were very surprised and they thought it was very funny. I wanted them to react to their younger selves and also see each other in their audition tapes. So, they got a big kick out of it and then they, you know, wanted us to show them kind of as children to tell their story so, they actually provided all of that material for us.”
Did you ever get to see them perform live and what is your favorite Blackpink song?
“I saw them perform at the Prudential Center in New Jersey, which was really fun and that’s when I really got my first view of their fans and how, you know, intense the fans are and how much the fans love them. And my favorite song I have to say is Whistle, which is their first song.”
How did this experience impact you as a filmmaker with Korean descent?
“I think that was part of my affection for it, is that I am Korean. So, it was fun to tell the story of like kind of young Korean women who are, you know, working hard and trying to realize their goals. I think that made me feel very connected to their stories, in a different way and also kind of understand the culture maybe more than someone who is not Korean would, like the way they address each other and I had kind of an understanding of that.”
What do you hope audiences in general, not just the fans, can take away from this documentary?
“I hope that people see the Blackpink members as real people, and that they also find some inspiration in their story of working hard to attain their dreams.”
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