Concept Brief

OVERVIEW
In the primary stages of developing my idea for my Culminating Video, I elected to delve deeper into the issues that my Sound Research project "Hangul" was tackling. I am very interested in aspects of the South Korean culture, in particular the core values of respect and dignity as well as the identity crisis that plagues many Korean Americans. The main visual themes that I'll explore in this final video will be identical to those in "Hangul": isolation, confusion, nostalgia, and darkness. It's important to me to expose viewers to a different perspective and a foreign mindset. The American culture is a very informal one, much of the courtesy and respect now absent from our customs. My final video project will aim to highlight the struggles of another young adult and the inner-conflict of an equally important culture.


While I am still continuing to develop all of the specifics, the general details of the project context are clear. I will showcase a Korean student who resorts to boxing in order to relieve his stress and cope with his internal struggles. The concept was actually born from fact, as my good friend Zach Han did start boxing and sparring by himself in order to lower his stress level. An important contrast in the Culminating Video will be the alienation and familiarity that the audience will feel towards the character and the situation. What prompted Zach to start boxing are mutual issues that all young men face and cultural issues specific to the Korean people. Zach explained that the principal of respect is integral in the Korean culture, and created a lot of stress in his life. Youth must always respect their older hyungs, or brothers, even if they are merely a year older. To Koreans, respecting your elders means constant bowing, taking orders, and expected courtesies, and defying these often-strict social customs is highly frowned upon. In Zach's case, he was actually physically assaulted by a self-righteous elder after he refused to bow or show him respect. Zach was 14 months younger than the hyung. In talking with Zach, he said that he took up boxing shortly after the assault, and it helped him build confidence and expend his aggression. Zach made it clear that, as a Korean American who doesn't speak his own language, he felt isolated among those Koreans who are more akin to their culture. "Am I a Korean or an American?" he asked, a very poignant question highlighting his identity crisis. After our conversation, I saw several strong connections between his situation and the general conflicts that plague Koreans. Foremost, there is great irony behind his actions as well, particularly in the constant presence of violence. Zach begins to practice violence in order to avoid and oppose it. Violence has become a mainstay theme in Korean existence, the lives of people constantly threatened by bombs and bullets from their enemy to the North. Much like North and South Korea, Zach and the hyung that assaulted him are brothers of the same origin,   affiliated by an act of pointless violence. Even in America, Koreans are fighting each other over petty indifferences. Struggle and oppression are seemingly unescapable. 

Needless to say, there is a ton of significance behind the idea that I have really only begun to scratch the surface of. Once paired with the equally significant sound piece, my Culminating Video will be a dynamic and gutsy piece. It will be a pleasure honing aforementioned principals into a concise motive through the juxtaposition of sound and image. As a senior, I'd like to go above and beyond with this final project. I want to create a polished piece that really reflects my interests. In Time Arts, I have spent the semester developing my skills in abstract and ambient art forms, and appropriately in this culminating project, I will combine my new affection of abstraction with my prime abilities of narrative storytelling to create an aptly psychological piece. Specifically, I will utilize abstract visuals, audio, and editing to construct a dream-like sequence with narrative tendencies. I will reenact Zach's situation and approach it with a duly conflicted perspective, reflective of his conflict and confusion.


LOCATIONS
I will focus my shooting in three chief locations around the Syracuse campus. The primary location will be a lower gym in Archbold Gymnasium with a lone boxing bag. The room is appropriately dark and isolated, the only windows up at the top of the high ceilings. Very little light gets into the room and the place is deathly quiet. It will be fantastic for evoking central themes of isolation and contemplation.  

The two secondary locations will be a stone gazebo near the Law building and an alleyway between Archbold Gymnasium and the backside of the Carrier Dome. These locations maintain the dark, industrial visuals utilized throughout the piece; an abundance of drab grays and exaggerated, prison-like geometry. The alleyway is where Zach will be assaulted, and evokes a strong sense of entrapment as he walks between the high cement walls. The gazebo will act first as something of a throne for hyung, where he and his posse sit and hang out. Later in the piece, I want to this gazebo to resemble a stone cage, too, where Zach eventually confronts his demons.    

I've obtained permission and an official memorandum from Archbold Gym to film for two hours in the lower gym. The other locations are in public but isolated areas, and my shooting in those locales will be dictated mostly by the Carrier Dome event schedule (in an attempt to avoid crowds).


AESTHETIC

The piece will be very tonal and reliant on its visual aesthetics in order to communicate its motives. The locations will all have varying attributes but will also share the same tonal characteristics of isolation and darkness. Shots in the lower gym will have the heaviest shadows and will play with darkness the most, while the secondary locations will rely more on their color and geometry. Likewise, my compositions will adhere to the themes of the motive. I will utilize strayed compositions, dutch angles, and an omniscient perspective to create the abstract, psychological aesthetic. I will use an abundance of shots-in-motion with dolly shots, tilts, pans, and slow motion to emphasize the flowing, dream-like aura. My visual strategy is simple but specific, and it can be difficult to put into words. I will utilize tone, color, and geometry to create my desired aesthetic.   


PROCESS
I have already reserved video and audio equipment with the film cage for the first week after we return from Thanksgiving. I have a small crew slated to assist me with sound recording, dolly grip, camera, etc. Zach will play himself in the "leading role" of the piece. Our mutual friend Jae Wook Ryu and two of his underlings will play hyung and his posse. Zach and Jae both have previous acting experience. Jae actually is a hyung in real life (although not an abusive one) and his friends are his "younger brothers". This works out well in my favor since all of my actors are playing either themselves or characters in very similar circumstances to their own. 


I will shoot during the week of December 1st over a period of two days. I have already conducted camera tests at on location with Zach and considered the obstacles of the locations. The alleyway, for example, is something of a wind-tunnel, so that could great affect any audio recording I do there. I'll be sure to bring appropriate tools like a wind filter to the shoot. The biggest potential problems will be, as usual, actors and being able to coordinate people's availability and make sure they actually show up. I will be diligent in communicating constantly with Zach, Jae, and the other guys. In terms of timeline, I would like to be done shooting by December 3rd. I will adhere to any Time Arts deadlines as they are made clear. I spent the last week finishing up pre-production, hope to end production by December 3rd, and hope to finish post-production by December 10th.