Yoo Il-seung

Yoo's hometown is Masan, South Korea.^[1] Yoo was drawn to cinema as a teenager, citing frequent trips to bigger city to see movies such as Shunji Iwai's Swallowtail Butterfly.^[2] He relocated to Cheonan to enroll in the film program at the Dankook University' School of Theater and Film.^[3]

In 2006, during his fourth year of college, Yoo collaborated with classmate Choi Young-jun on the short films Merry Christmas and When Love Is Needed More Than Ever. Directed by Choi, Merry Christmas explores the lives of a "goose father" and a foreign worker during the Christmas season, highlighting the challenges they face while being away from their families. Shot in 35mm color, the film won the grand prize at the 2nd Korea University Film Festival, competing against 20 other finalists. Yoo received the Best Cinematography award for his work on both films. He also demonstrated his acting talent, having received a 2 million won scholarship from the Eastman Kodak Student Scholarship Program.^[3][4]

That same year, Yoo came across a posting seeking the youngest member for the cinematography team of the film Love Exposure [ko], led by cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo. He applied, was accepted, and became Hong's mentee, collaborating on several films. One notable experience was working on Bong Joon-ho's Mother, where Yoo observed Director Bong's approach to acting and his adaptive storyboards.^[1]

Following his participation in Kim Min-seok's Haunters (2010), Yoo returned to his studies^[1] at the Korea National University of Arts. He remains a member of Hong Kyung-pyo's team, working alongside critically acclaimed directors on films such as Na Hong-jin's The Wailing (2016) and Lee Chang-dong's Burning (2018).^[2] Additionally, Yoo has served as cinematographer on several short and independent films. In 2015, he won Best Cinematography at the 52nd Grand Bell Awards Short Film Festival for the short film Green Door.^[5]

In 2020, Yoo made his feature-length commercial film debut as the cinematographer for Park Sang-hyun's film Innocence. The film tells the story of a group of men in a rural village funeral hall who drink pesticide-laced makgeolli and suddenly begin to vomit. Jung-in (Shin Hye-sun), the eldest daughter and a successful lawyer in Seoul, rushes home when her mother, Hwa-ja (Bae Jong-ok), becomes the prime suspect in the ensuing chaos, prompting her quest for the truth. Innocence shifts between crime thriller, courtroom drama, and a poignant mother-daughter narrative, underscored by the vivid and precise performances of its veteran cast. The disciplined cinematography, which draws close to the actors' expressions, is a hallmark of Yoo's work in this debut.^[2]

The following year, Yoo served as cinematographer for Jo Jin-mo's film Waiting for Rain, written by Yoo Seong-hyub. Starring Kang Ha-neul and Chun Woo-hee,^[6] the film is a love story about two individuals who have yearned for each other for a long time but could not meet due to various circumstances.^[7] This work earned him the Best New Cinematographer award at the Golden Cinematography Awards.^[8]

In 2024, Yoo made his terrestrial television drama debut with the KBS2 series Perfect Family, which was directed by japanese director Isao Yukisada. They worked on the drama with a tight schedule of 70 days. The director reportedly chose Yoo following a recommendation from Bong Joon-ho.^[9]