iAcademy Museum of Motion Pictures · Miracle Mile
Director's Inspiration: Bong Joon Ho
Over 100 objects from the Oscar-winning director's films, including storyboards, concept art, creature models, props and on-set photographs.
Bong Joon Ho kept a handwritten logbook of more than 300 VHS tapes for the Yellow Door Film Club he co-founded at Yonsei University. His 1993 club journal, comparing scenes from The Godfather and Breathless, is here, along with the poster he drew for the club's meetings.
You start with the comics he published in the student newspaper, which curator Michelle Puetz traces through every storyboard since, and the drafting desk where he still draws them is in the show. Around it, three rooms hold over 100 objects from his own archive: the suseok rock from Parasite, a full-scale model of Okja's head, The Host's creature, and a wall of posters for the 20 films he picked as his biggest influences.
The one gap is Mickey 17, which came out after the show was finalised. It's in the Wanda Gallery on level 2, free with museum admission ($25 adults), and runs until 24 October 2027. The museum is closed Tuesdays, with discounted entry after 4:30pm.
Look for
Okja's full-scale head
The centrepiece of the Okja section is a life-size model of the superpig's head, near the scuffed golden pig Mija offers to save her from slaughter.
The Host's creature model
Jang Hee Chul's grotesque, amphibious model of the river monster that Bong showed in full daylight in the film's first act.
The suseok from Parasite
The scholar's stone, a Korean good-luck object, sits with the Park family portrait and the drawings artist Zibezi made for the Parks' young son Da-song.
The poster wall
Bong chose the 20 films that shaped him, so Psycho, from his own collection, hangs beside Jaws, The 400 Blows, Fargo and The Silence of the Lambs.
Minister Mason's medals
The military medals on Tilda Swinton's suit in Snowpiercer, modelled on a photograph of Muammar Gaddafi, are shown with the film's bullet props.
Good for
- Nerding Out
- Out-Of-Town Guests
Skip if
You're coming for Mickey 17: the show was finalised before its release and leaves it out.
Free in the same building
Plan a visit to Academy Museum of Motion PicturesAlso at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
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Image credits
8
- Director's Inspiration: Bong Joon HoPhoto: Bong Joon Ho
- Made in AmericaCourtesy of Petersen Automotive Museum
- Legends of the DirtCourtesy of Petersen Automotive Museum
- Performance & Prestige: A History of Aston MartinCourtesy of Petersen Automotive Museum
- Academy Museum of Motion PicturesDowntowngal / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Petersen Automotive MuseumDavid Zaitz / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)ArchEyes Magazine / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
- Craft ContemporaryPaul Esposito / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain