To be completely honest I didn't approach this film with intentions of emotional resonance. This film was simply an ode to a deceased bird from my childhood that I never had the chance to actually see. The poor bird was crowded by groups of rowdy children and I often wondered what the bird looked like and how it had become a spectacle. I am a bit of a hypocrite since I too have created a spectacle out of the bird, but in the end it is my way of paying respects. I decided to think little of what i wanted to portray and more of what felt right in the moment. I'm glad my film has been able to resonate with viewers emotionally as a result.
While my writing and storytelling tends to be more spontaneous, I generally have greater intentions behind the medium and look of my films because I feel that it is the only thing I truly have control over in filmmaking. To better access my subject matter I decided to choose media that I had frequently used in my childhood and made multiple material tests. I also had to be aware of my limitations so I was keen to avoid materials that may require too much time or cause me to focus on unnecessary details. A large part of my film was the more gory nature of the innards of the bird. In Korea one of the first drawing materials I used was cray-pas or soft oil pastels and it had the exact texture I intended. Watercolor was probably the first medium I had in mind for the film because I had used it so much as a child in Korea. The delicate nature of it also provided an ideal contrast to the imagery of the organs. I wanted to speak on the curious yet "gross" experience of seeing roadkill for the first time as a child and being faced with mortality. Looking back, I wonder if this may have been disrespectful to the bird...
While sound and music in film is something I am passionate about, it was always my weakness when making work. I had a small collection of instruments and recorded a series of sounds that I uploaded into Logic Pro and within the program I mostly improvised based on what sounded "good". Lacking confidence within my skills, I referred to what I imagine I would hear when replaying a memory or dream; an environment where everything sounds whimsical yet mirrors reality.
