Case Studies
Squid Game: Season 2 – exploring the creative journey with DoP Kim Ji-yong and colourist Park Jin Young
Squid Game, the South Korean dystopian thriller from creator Hwang Dong-hyuk, took the world by storm with its high-stakes premise and striking visuals. In December, the much-anticipated second season dropped on Netflix, delivering seven new episodes of life-or-death drama.
For season two, cinematographer Kim Ji-yong teamed up with Baselight colourist Park Jin Young of Dexter The Eye to craft the show’s bold, cinematic look. We spoke with them to discuss their experience and creative collaboration on the new season.
Park Jin Young on the weight of Season 2
Season one of Squid Game had a huge global impact, so colourist Park Jin Young did not take being part of season two lightly.
“Among the many creative elements involved, it was one of the rare works where we gave deep thought to the role that colour can play,” says Park Jin Young. “With Korean content gaining increased exposure in the global market, I felt a great sense of responsibility being part of season two—and at the same time, it was an exciting opportunity.”
“The challenge was to carry over the iconic symbolism and colour identity from season one while creating a deeper and heavier visual tone—which became the most fascinating part of the project for me,” adds Park Jin Young.
15 years of creativity
Kim Ji-yong and Park Jin Young have been creative partners for over 15 years and have worked together on a variety of projects, such as The Age of Shadows (2016), The Fortress (2017) and Decision to Leave (2022).
“We collaborated closely here, grounded in mutual trust and understanding,” says Park Jin Young. “In our initial conversations, we agreed on respecting the vivid colours from season one while shaping a more moody and high-contrast tone to reflect the main character Gi-hun’s emotional evolution, as his inner transformation is central to this season.”
Throughout the shoot, the colourist and DoP duo would review the footage together in the grading suite and make decisions about the direction of colour grading based on each scene’s atmosphere and emotional context.
Visual goal across seasons
The colour and visual identity of season one were vital elements of the first successful series. For season two, the challenge for Park Jin Young and Kim Ji-yong was to honour this existing look while visually reflecting the evolution of the main character, the story, and the rest of the characters.
“Since the show is already known for its vivid colours, which many people appreciate, I didn't feel the need to create a new look,” says cinematographer Kim Ji-yong. “Instead, I believed it was important to establish a moodier aesthetic with stronger contrast overall.
“It was important that Squid Game was still recognisably Squid Game and that we retained the powerful visual identity already established while also bringing this new element to season two,” says Kim Ji-yong.
Utilising the colours on set
“During testing, we discussed ways to create a more organic texture on screen,” says Kim Ji-yong. “We decided against creating any special on-set look-up tables, opting instead to accurately capture the original colours of the set.”
“Gi-hun looks the same on the surface, but compared to season one, his facial expressions are more serious and sombre,” explains Park Jin Young. “The sets and spaces are similar, but the narrative is heavier. I thought that this shift should be expressed through enhanced contrast and controlled brightness.
“To do that, we deepened the overall mood and focused on harmonising the colours of the set, costumes, and lighting in a refined way. This helped guide viewers more intimately through Gi-hun’s emotional journey and the narrative progression.”
Using colour to depict emotion
The colour palette for season two maintained a general consistency but shifted in tone and style intentionally to reflect specific scenes or characters’ emotions.
“In the dormitory, where characters sleep and vote, we created a clear distinction between night and day using strong amber tones for night and subtle blue tones for daytime,” explains Park Jin Young.
“In the Russian roulette scene between Gi-hun and the Recruiter, we used red neon lighting to express heightened tension and emotion. These shifts in colour helped emphasise each character’s emotional state and added to the overall storytelling atmosphere.”
Kim Ji-yong also adopted this approach through the cinematography.
“I am most proud of the close-up of the Recruiter during the Russian roulette game. The red neon light from outside the window reflects in his right eye, making it look bloodshot, which enhanced the intensity of his performance. I believe we successfully showcased Gong Yoo's face in a way that had never been seen before.”
“The motel room in the final scene of episode 1 was designed to be quite realistic while subtly incorporating the signature colours of Squid Game in an expressive manner,” says Kim Ji-yong. “I carefully set up the lighting with colours that were visually and narratively appropriate, ensuring it didn't overpower the scene.
“With the footage offering many possibilities for post-production, talented colourist Park Jin Young brought these potentials to life, creating a rich visual experience,” adds Kim Ji-yong. “The shadows were dark but not monotonous, while vivid red stood out in the midtones.”
The voting scene
The voting scene among the game survivors is one of the most captivating elements of season two.
“To enhance the visual impact of these scenes, I chose to design the lighting in the mass dormitory, where the voting takes place, differently from the previous season,” says Kim Ji-yong. “The colours of the O and X on the floor were extended to illuminate the entire voting scene so that their overlapping colours could add both symbolism and visual depth.
“To bring this idea to life, I changed the colours of the pre-selected S60 lights on the ceiling to red and blue, allowing them to blend in the centre while still maintaining the distinct red and blue hues on either side.
“This concept was later refined and enhanced in post-production with the expertise of Park Jin Young,” adds Kim Ji-yong.
Enhancing emotion with Baselight
Park Jin Young utilised many tools in Baselight to support the emotional colour journey of season two.
“Baselight offers powerful grading functions and a flexible workflow, which allowed us to precisely adjust the tone of each scene to match its emotional context,” says Park Jin Young. “I frequently used a range of the primary grading tools like Video Grade, Curve Grade and Film Grade to support the grade.”
“We also focused on narrowing the gap between bright highlights and deep shadows in HDR to create smoother contrast. To prevent the image from feeling overly digital, we used Baselight to soften the sharpness of the image or add grain where needed.”
Cinematic quality
Squid Game season two was shot with the ARRI ALEXA 35, one of the highest-quality digital cinema cameras available.
“This meant we had to bring out the full potential of the image while also preserving the unique atmosphere and colour identity of the sets and art direction,” explains Park Jin Young. “This balance was a major challenge.”
“The large scale game arenas demanded precise colour adjustments to convey spatial depth and visual diversity. My personal goal was to express a more elevated cinematic quality, even though the sets, costumes, and overall structure remained continuous from season one.”
“I see this as a basic duty for any colourist,” adds Park Jin Young. “The differences may be subtle—something only I might recognise—but to me, that made the work even more meaningful and rewarding.”
Highlights
One of the aspects Park Jin Young enjoyed most about this project was preserving the unique colours and atmosphere of the set while enhancing the realism and spatial texture of each location.
“The larger game arenas in season two offered a broader visual playground, and I’m proud of how we brought them to life,” says Park Jin Young. “Each chapter of the story has its own visual identity, and I feel the diverse colour treatments helped package those segments in a way that was both cohesive and emotionally engaging.”
“With Korean content gaining increased exposure in the global market, I felt a great sense of responsibility being part of season two—and at the same time, it was an exciting opportunity.”
Colourist Park Jin Young
DoP Kim Ji-yong
