Chung Chung-hoon gave The Handmaiden a visual opulence that mirrors the story's layers of deception. The Japanese estate sequences are lit with painterly precision — warm candlelight through paper screens, deep lacquer reds reflected in polished wood, jade greens from the garden filtering through every window. Chung shifts the color temperature subtly between the three parts, each retelling recasting the same scenes in different light. For Fujifilm, the richness of the palette demands strong Color Chrome and careful white balance control.
Recipes
Paper Screen Light
Warm candlelight diffused through Japanese paper screens, lacquer and silk
Film SimulationClassic Chrome
GrainOff
Color ChromeStrong
CC FX BlueOff
White BalanceIncandescent
WB ShiftR+2 / B-2
Dynamic RangeDR200
Highlight-1
Shadow+2
Color+1
Sharpness+0
Noise Reduction-2
Clarity+0
ISOISO 800-1600
Garden
Lush green garden light filtering through the estate, jade and gold
Film SimulationVelvia/Vivid
GrainOff
Color ChromeWeak
CC FX BlueOff
White BalanceDaylight
WB ShiftR+0 / B-2
Dynamic RangeDR200
Highlight+0
Shadow+0
Color+2
Sharpness+0
Noise Reduction-1
Clarity+1
ISOISO 200-400
Shoot this look
These recipes run on Fujifilm's film-simulation engine — any current X-series body will do. A pairing to start from: