Jeamin Cha

Almost One
Single channel video installation, 2018, FHD video, 28minutes, color/sound

A camera stands in a classroom in Seoul, where aspiring child actors are taking an acting class. The children mostly follow their instructor’s directions without much anxiety or doubt. Such adaptability of the children makes the training process efficient: their flexibility in learning itself is regarded as a talent. Child actors, however, sometimes cannot fully grasp the situation and the emotion that a given character experiences. One pedagogical method in such a case is to induce the children to evoke an emotion pertinent to a context different from the given situation and have them apply that emotion to the script. While this may seem manipulative, all education attempts, to some degree, to manipulate the emotions of the learner; it is a common property of education. Almost One focuses on the children’s subtle and instinctive facial expressions of refusal captured during the class. This work reflects on the responses to persuasive attempts to disguise ignorance as intelligence, and the will to escape ignorance.

A Film by
Jeamin Cha

Cast
Teacher Jiyeon Cho
Student Harin Kang, Jiwoo Kim, Chaeyeon Park, Junbeom Gabriel Lee, Woojin Jang, Baekho Ju

Producer Shinjae Kim
Production Assistant Shinhyung Kim
Director of Photography Gookhyun Kang
Sound Design Morceau. J. Woo
Sound Recording Seung Namgung
Camera Assistant Jisoo Kwon
Clapper Loader Yuchae Cho
Translation Jihye Park

Location
Seoul Dance Center

With Special Thanks to
Jiyein Cho, Hyunin Lee, Jinyoung Shin, Jinkyung Kim, Hyunjae Lee, Youngsoon Lee, Youkyung Lee, Yoonhee Choi, Jihyun Lee, Dael Kim (Seoul Dance Center)

Supported by Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture