29 August - 4 September 2010
DMZ FILM CAMP
Paju Book City, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
Back in August, I got a call from someone in CUK if I am interested to join the DMZ Film Camp. It is the 1st Film Camp wherein it involves 20 Koreans and 20 Foreigners to talk about Communication, Peace and Environment; which will then be made into a short film. This is in line with 2010 Seoul International Documentary Film Festival.
I joined the camp for 1-week. It was held in Jijihyang Hotel in Paju Book City, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. We were divided into 4 groups and 2 teams per group. We had some talks, workshops, a lot of brainstorming, etc. For me, it was really hard because my teammates can speak very little English and when I speak in English, they do not speak even if I welcome their ideas in Korean... So I changed the orientation. I asked them to talk and I listen and participate which turned out to be a success.
We made a film entitled Message. To view, click on the link:
Synopsis: Miscommunication happens to anyone. This film illustrates how messages can be misinterpreted by people in any kinds of medium as well as viewers of a film.
During the week's activity, we also went to the DMZ (again). But this time, in the village near the tallest South Korean Flag which I mentioned in my previous blog (http://karinachua.blogspot.com/2010/04/north-and-south-korea-dmz-demilitarized.html). The village chief said it is 100m high. Again, this is an area wherein without special invitation, no one can enter. Our passports were collected prior to our entry. This area is not a tour course or its not even so exciting to go there but the experience and the fact that we can stand on that land speaks a lot. The people living in this village are not subjected to any kind of taxes in South Korea. They said that people living here are the richest amongst all. They are the original "inhabitants" of the place and the government is protecting their ownership in those places. No other people from outside can live there unless your clan/family has been a resident there since the early days.
Some of our Western friends were really surprised, confused and bothered about the North and South Korean conflicts wherein people from the North or South cannot cross the borders. Why can't you? Why can't we?
Some of the remains from the War in Imjingak:
This is the environment we had in the 1-week stay in Paju Book City:
The new structures in the newly developed Paju Book City.
It feels like highways in U.S.A.
This was my first time to really make a film from scratch - from concepts, ideas, stories, acting, editing, post production! I understand now how hard it is to do a film. Without the brains, time and technology, it is impossible to make one good film.
We were not able to sleep just to finish the film. We thought for 2-days approximately. We shoot for 1-day. We edited for 1.5 days (without sleeping!).
Our films are then combined and made into one film to be screened in the 2010 Seoul International Documentary Film Festival, specifically on 10 September 2010, 11am.
It was one good experience! =)
8:02pm Korea Time
11 September 2010
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