[464 International's Eye] The Curious Case of Deric

   I am Deric, a French student of 25 years old, studying in the film department of Dongguk University in 3rd year. I initially studied management and business administration for five years, three years in France, and two years in South Korea as an Erasmus student (European program to study abroad). But during my first year in South Korea, I discovered a country, a culture, and a language that I truly liked. Also, I got time to focus on my hobbies, mainly photography and travel. After this year, I learned Korean and made good friends; I absolutely wanted to come back to get even better and stay in touch with my friends. I could come back the year after to Dongguk University, where I also discovered the film department and photography and videography school clubs. The combo of all that made me realize that I was more interested in movie-making than business. 

   I chose the film department, and specifically the one at Dongguk University, for many reasons. As stated earlier, I wanted to study filmmaking, and during my Erasmus year at Dongguk University, I learned the film department was very good. Hence, I decided to go all in, as I had learned Korean for the past year and had gotten a sufficient level to take classes, as I already knew a lot about cameras and cinema. Furthermore, because I already knew Dongguk University and had friends from Erasmus, I thought it was a perfect combo for me to study in a good environment in a field that interests me. The Korean cinema industry is becoming increasingly popular abroad, so I think it is a good thing for me to study in Korea and become a potential asset for the future. 

   After I was accepted to Dongguk University’s film department, I finally started studying cinema. It is a very wide field, with theory, analysis, and practical exercises. Of course, some things interest me more than others; I love preparing a shoot and being on the set. But theory and analysis of light and directors’ style are necessary, and I know I need them to be able to produce good movies in the future. Until now, there has been no class or content I have not been satisfied with, as I consider everything to be good knowledge anyway. These are things I will always use at some point in my career and in my movies. Even though I do not know it yet, I am patiently learning it all and waiting for the opportunity to use it.

   The future is still uncertain, but I am counting on the next two years left in Dongguk University to help me make decisions. However, I definitely want to be on sets, prepare for shootings, and participate in movie-making. For now, I have a bit more interest in the camera and producer roles that I find more attractive. But I should still learn about lights a lot, and also decoration which looks very interesting too. I am looking forward to the upcoming years and the opportunities that will show up. For now, everything went well, and I have already had some opportunities to shoot in Korean teams. I think more will appear in the future. I just have to make sure to become bilingual to avoid communication problems, but other than that, I am quite confident. Even if there are a lot of opportunities for foreigners to work in Korea, my ultimate goal is to integrate a movie-making team with whom I would often shoot movies or dramas.