‘Understanding K-pop’ is Easy, Making a K-pop Music Video is Not

[VIDEO::https://youtu.be/cCh16zcQdiM]

The music video group project challenged my creativity, communication, and patience.

From story writing, to filming, to editing, to dance practicing, to acting, the final product required devotion and communication. I was assigned in a group with nine other students and was given 7 weeks. It sounded like a lot of time. But, the work did not start until 3 weeks before the project was due. 

I held back my work ethic to see if my group wanted to lead; although, they were not proactive in the video production process. In the group chat, song and concept suggestions were thrown into the idea box. Listening to those songs and watching the music videos, I gave feedback and my thoughts because no one else was commenting. My impatience grew quickly on the day that it was three weeks before the deadline. I knew the work would be rushed. After communicating with the few members that were active, I took the director role. 

Even though I like K-r&b and hip-hop, I suggested NewJeans’ Attention because group members wanted a song they liked to dance to. Also, I was able to visualize how the music video could be filmed and edited. Compared with fast, aggressive K-pop songs, I thought Attention was doable and easy. 

With four years of amatuer videographer experience, I was able to quickly complete the project in five separate days. Three hours of story writing, two hours and 45 minutes of filming, and six hours and 30 minutes of editing, was the amount of work time. The total, 11 hours and 15 minutes, was considered impressive, my classmates said. And, I knew what to film and edit so the product could have qualities of a K-pop music video such as short clips, up close shots, camera movements, and more. In other words, the video technicalities must match with the song’s energy. Moreover, the music video must be a package, entertainment where good music and videography come together. In addition, I incorporated my style of capturing cinematic shots of sets and environments. The last day of filming and editing was also the due date and was when I had five hours of classes. Eventually, I sent the video in the last hour it was due. 

On the next day, I presented my project, sharing my production and showing the video. The professor and the class were amused. The video was given many good reactions. I was proud of my project, even though it was rushed and decent.

I knew I could have done better. Some camera movements should have been faster, colors needed to be adjusted, shots slightly cropped out actors, were some of my criticisms. Although, I still must be proud of the final product in a short amount of time. 

“Understanding K-pop” was a Yonsei University undergraduate class to learn the history and impact of the music entertainment industry on Korea and the world.