After Finishing Our Short Film

When our drama lecturer, Mr.Mark told us that we should make a short film, I was interested in it, but I worried that I might do some parts of the work. I know well that it is not easy and the length of 20 minutes is quite long for a movie, because making movies was a part of my work for last several years.

Anyway, I forgot the problem in detail and our short film proceeded one by one. Husna and Emma wrote a script, in which every character was expressed very well. However, it was just the script for the play. If we take a movie based on the script, it must be the video to record a play.

We needed more plan which are included the storyboard of every scene, the division of each cuts considered post-production and taking schedule. However, the filming day came to us so fast and we realized our lack in the preparation. Then, Golf and Husna wanted our movie would have good quality and be taken for enough time. I hesitated for a while because of editing facility, but I was persuaded by their passion. Mr. Mark entrusted everything to make our film to us, thankfully.

After that, I met Husna to listen to her opinion as the writer and the leader in our group about some scenes, especially the bridges to go from one scene to another. Originally, she wrote them in type of announcement and wanted them to be expressed in type of subtitles or announcements. I explained to her that we should make them act ot scenes without subtitles or announcements and it would be more effective. She understood my words very fast and agreed with my opinions.

The day to take our movie, I was very surprised at our members. They understood our script very well and every moment they knew their work well. Particularly, it was very impressive that whenever we finished taking all cuts in a scene, they changed their clothes. We laughed and discussed together all the time to take the movie, although it took over 10 hours for 2 days. They were the most enthusiatic that I have ever seen in KDU.

After finishing, I was in agony about editing our movie because my notebook was not working. Luckily, Golf borrowed Dusit's notebook and it was suitable to do editing. I spent all that weekend editing our movie. The first day and the second day, I did it in Golf's house because some of our group members wanted to know how to edit movie. They also gave me many ideas.

Before the Drama Competition, I showed our movie to our group members in our classroom. After they watched it, laughing aloud clapping their hands, they told me that it was easy to understand and very good. That time I could relax myself.

The result in the Drama Competition was not important for us, although we won the prize. We did our best and we already got a victory through it. I also never forget the time because it taught me the moral that only the people who set their target high and do their best could achieve bigger things. The chance to make a movie with foreigners from 4 countries will not come to me again, too.

So Hot Summer 10 Years Ago

According to people in my country, this summer is as hot as 10 years ago. 10 years ago, in 1994 what was I doing? I remember the year, the hot summer and the happiest days in my life.

At that time, I was a member of a young music group. We met every evening to sing our songs. Even though we were poor and not popular, it was no problem for us. We were really crazy about music and we enjoyed our life. In addition, we were in our twenties amd not worried about our future!

Since we got the 1st prize in a song competition in 1992, our pride and teamwork became stronger. In May 1994, I composed some songs for our street concert. After the concert, some people gave us good appreciative criticism and other people asked us whether we could make a CD for them to listen to our songs beyond the concert. Thus we were challenged to make our first album.

We chose the songs to put in the album, rearranged and composed a few new songs. When I went to arrange the contract in a recording studio, the engineer said to me, “It is so hot! Nowadays nobody wants to record. Will you be O.K.?” I answered confidently, “Sure!” Then we realized for the first time that the summer was really hot.

After we prepared for 3 months, sometimes confused whether it was day or night, we received the parcel full of our albums. That night, I couldn’t sleep.

Since that day, whenever my songs were remade by other singers, they invited me to their concerts. Nowadays, people ask me what songs I am composing and I answer, “I’m thinking.”

Yes! I’m thinking and I will be back with my new music.

A Korean’s Death in Iraq

During practicing for the drama presentation, a Korean was kidnapped in Iraq. The kidnappers, who were members of an Islam organization fighting for Iraq’s independence against the U.S.A., demanded that Korean troops leave Iraq in a day. They warned that unless the Korean government accepted it, he would be beheaded.

By the way, I was surprised to watch his appeal shivering with fear because a part of his speech was the same as Ms. Rabbita’s dialog in my script.

“… Your life is important, but my life is important, too. …”

The moral in my script was that one individual has to be sacrificed for a group. I wanted to talk with members in my group about this philosophical theme through the drama, so I told this event to them. Unfortunately, they were not interested in it.

Irresponsibly, the Korean government announced that nothing would be changed and it made him a victim for national interests. The Korean man, Kim Sun Il had worked for the U.S. Army and he believed innocently that his government would rescue him. Before dying, he screamed many times feeling betrayed.

“…President Rho! Moo! Hyun! I want to live. …”

After a while, the kidnappers had him beheaded and showed his head in front of the video camera. I was very shocked. Most of Koreans might also have felt the same. In the 20th century, we experienced enough of the cruelty of war. Nevertheless, why do our governments sacrifice young lives without reason? For whom are the national interests? I was so sad and ashamed of my government.