Logging and Slogging

I have been working my way through the DVDs with the Quicktime files of the interviews and B-roll.

The good news is the B-roll looks fantastic. The bad news is that the last 3 interviews I did in Pusan may be unusable due to a loud buzz on the audio. This was my fault; I'd forgotten to change out the battery on the lav mic. It might be possible for a miracle in post that can clean that up. One other problem with the first two interviews I did in Seoul turned out to be the aspect ratio, which I thought was set correctly but apparently was not. I was using Chang's camera for those two interviews and was unfamiliar with it (it was a new camera to him and I had only used it once before).

But that still leaves 5 great interviews, technically speaking. They were all great interviews and each teacher did a fantastic job. The trick will be seeing what can be cleaned up and what can't.

This project got pushed to the back burner for quite some time as we had to contend with my Mom's situation. Things have been serious enough since February to warrant a complete shift in priorities. She's fallen 3 times in the last 2 months, the last fall breaking her arm. At this point we are working on finding a good assisted living facility for her that is here in Ithaca, so that she will get the care she needs and I will be able to worry less. I think my next film needs to be about the experience of having an aging parent with little to no resources! This experience is teaching me so much.

But I digress. It will take a good deal of time to log the rest of the footage. But now that I am into it and have it on my calendar for the remainder of the month, I hope to get it done as quickly as possible.

I am teaching a full-time intensive 5-week program at Cornell this summer, so during that time I don't expect to get much else done, but hopefully come August/September I will be able to finish up any logging and start some EDL and roughing. I also need to talk to Chang to get some editing strategies and scheduling laid out.

Oh, and it looks like I won't be on my way to Korea this October for KOTESOL. Perhaps next year will work out better with timing and resources. In the meantime, I will be cutting a trailer to use for obtaining finishing funds, which I DESPERATELY need.

That's the scoop for now. Thanks for your support and patience, everyone~

Fantastic Interviews

I've now done four of my seven Seoul interviews and I cannot express how pleased I am with the thoughtful, insightful responses my interviewees are providing. Truly, every one of the four guys I've talked to so far have eloquently articulated much of what's been rummaging around in my brain about being an ex-pat here in Korea.

I have one more interview today, then two tomorrow at 10 and 12. I am exhausted and will take a cat nap before the 5:00 interview and the dinner I've arranged for all the Seoul teachers to meet up (or as many as can make it).

Saturday's Thoughts

It's around 6:41 a.m. I've been up since 5:00. Today I will shoot three more interviews here at the apartment. I am rather relieved to be doing these interviews on my "own" turf as it were, rather than at the university, which is a bit of a schlepp from here when you're carrying bags of equipment.

Yesterday, both teachers I interviewed spoke about the feeling of freedom that comes with living in Korea. Here, you're outside the bounds of your own society, you're free to think and do without the burden of responsibility to the things that hold you in place back home. (The only common responsibility that no one can escape, it would seem, are student loans, which seem to be ubiquitous no matter the country of origin.) This freedom isn't about shirking responsibility - although certainly people come here looking for escape. It's about having the space to examine how you react to being in another culture, and taking away something about yourself from that. Learning about another culture, living aspects of that culture and language, create a new vantage point from which to see your own culture and your life. That theme was reiterated by both Eli and Noel yesterday.

Certainly, paying back student loans in an economy that allows you to do so without living like a monk is a huge draw, as are the plane ticket to get here and the free housing. The average "oegugin" (foreigner) who works here as an EFL teacher makes 2 - 2.3 million Korean won per month, which is around US$2000. That's a lot of money here, and most Korean managers don't make that much. The cost of living being what it is, it's very possible to pay students loans, save some cash, and still live well here.

Tomorow I will take a train to Ulsan in the afternoon, after my two last interviews in Seoul. From that point I'm not sure what my internet access will look like, so posts may come every couple of days. Please be patient if you don't see something new up every day. Oh, and also be assured that photos will go up when I return.

First Day of Shooting

Today was quite busy with riding the subway and conducting my first two interviews at Hanyang Univ. I will not be conducting any other interviews at Hanyang Univ., however. For one thing, it's a huge campus that is exteremely steep and hilly (makes Cornell look like the Great Plains), and the space I shot in wasn't anything to write home about. It wasn't bad, but there was a lot of echo and background noise. But on the bright side, the light was good, and the subjects were both fantastic.

Tomorrow's 3 interviews will be held here in the place I'm staying. Lighting may be a problem, though. I'm not sure what I'll do for that but I'll figure it out I suppose.

This is far more challenging than I'd supposed it would be. Location, equipment and transportation have all conspired to make this a more difficult task than I'd anticipated. I feel badly for the teachers that have been waiting for me to tell them where we're doing the interviews. I know how much I detest last-minute arrangements, and here I am doing it myself, although the circumstances have been beyond my control (too much to get into). Long and short is that when I do this again I will have more immediate and definite control over these kinds of factors. Everyone has been as helpful and wonderful as possible, but in the end, only I am responsible for my film. No one else is. Lesson learned.

I am exhausted and need sleep. I will try to get more posted soon.

The A-List

It was very difficult, but I chose a group of teachers from the pile of email and info I'd received, and I am now confirming an interview schedule (well, the email's been sent, and it's 5:01 a.m. there, so I'm waiting for responses).

I was sad to let some of the interested teachers go, but at the same time, I am greatly relieved at the much more humane schedule I now have for interviewing in Seoul. Particularly since I'm still not clear on WHERE I'm interviewing them. If I'm to be schlepping all over Seoul (one of the largest cities in the world by population), it's best to have a couple hours between interviews, at least.

My Pusan interviews aren't many, so they are easier to do in a day, and I'll be able to do a weekend trip to Pusan, perhaps with my friend Sujin (who was my roomie for a few months when I lived in Namchang in '02-'03).

I'm also still waiting on a place to stay in Seoul - but I'm not worried. I know something will come through. At the least, I'll be prepared to stay at a Korean-style hotel (a yogwan), which might actually be preferable because I won't be worried by other people's space. I'm open to whatever opportunity manifests itself.

Interviews / Seoul

I've had such a great response from teachers that I am now whittling down my list. I can't possibly interview everyone in the few days I have in Seoul. This is good news, though, since I was afraid I wouldn't have any! The hardest part is figuring out where I'll do the interviews - I have some ideas but I'm focused on getting my final list down for now.

Still looking for a place to stay in Seoul. I'd hoped to stay with a friend's uncle, but that didn't work out (he wanted me to stay for a month or not at all - to tutor his kids in English for free, no doubt). I'm waiting to hear some recommendations from Chang.

I've been working on pieces of the script, getting ideas down and playing with how I'd like to construct parts of the film. Of course a lot of that will be determined by what I get in the interviews and the B-roll.

More soon.

Thank you, teachers!

I've received a plethora of responses from teachers in Korea on Dave's ESL Cafe's Korea Job Forum. Thank you to all who are interested in being interviewed. Welcome to the blog - make sure you check out the Korea Dreambus! description at the top of the "related sites" sidebar.