Interview with the member of Prism X

Student club is definitely one of the most enjoyable parts of campus lives that students look forward to. Underwood International College – UIC – also has numbers of student clubs. It is true that UIC students can enroll other clubs other than UIC based ones. However, UIC based clubs have an advantage that they are mostly English based communities, which is convenient for students who are not yet used to using Korean fluently. Korean students who wish to be more exposed to foreign languages might also benefit from UIC clubs as it will increase your opportunities to interact with foreign students.

There are 11 student clubs under UIC according to the official homepage. Various clubs covers diverse fields such as music performance, academic sessions, and basketball club. Among them, this journal will present the interview with Lee Yejin (STP, Class of 17), the current member of “Prism X”, to examine their activities and progress.

Hello! Please briefly introduce your club ‘Prism X’ and yourself. What does your club do and how many members are in it currently?

Hello! We are the one and only English based film making club, Prism X! I am Lee Yejin the current treasurer of the club. Currently, there are 17 members working hard for our club and we meet on every Thursday to discuss our short films. Our club takes our meetings in Songdo DFK, which is quite a benefit to the freshmen.

When and why did you join ‘Prism X’? And how does your club select new members? Do you have any official tests or interviews?

I joined Prism X two years ago in the spring semester of 2017. Since then, I have been one of the most active members in not only production but also management of the club. 

At the start of every semester, we send out announcement in kakao group chats and our facebook page for recruitment. You may send a short application form if you are interested, and you will receive an email detailing the interview date. Please don’t get scared! We only mean to see if you are really interested and is willing to dedicate your time with us. Film production is a team work, and it gets difficult when members are uncooperative. We also ask for a certain level of English skill (since all our meetings are conducted in English), but as long as you can get your point across, we don’t mind some grammar errors or your lack of vocabulary!

**Is there any piece of your club that you would like to share with freshmen or other potential new-comers? **

Prism X has produced many films and videos of different genre. For example, Stock-home Syndrome is a story of a kidnapped girl who has fallen in love with her kidnapper; 36 Questions to Fall in Love with Your drunk self, on the other hand, is a funny youtube video we experimented on. If a member has an idea, we all work together to make it happen!

Tell us more about your film producing process. How do you select the plot and main director? And does your club have private camera and other facilities?

When someone has an idea for a video, that person gets to be the director and oversees the whole project. He or she will submit their idea and brainstorm it with other members, recruiting writers, actors, and other producers on the way. 

The club does not own any camera, aside from the lighting equipment from the DFK. We either use our members’ private camera or lend it from rental stores. The money is mostly subsidized from school club support funds.

What is the best part of ‘Prism X’? And what is the hardest part of ‘Prism X’?

The best part of this club is having friends who share your interest. Everyone here loves watching and talking about movies, and we actually meet unofficially to watch films together. Film making is a hard work, but with good friends, it is so much fun. However, sometimes members can be uncooperative and cause trouble by not showing up to meetings. We try to give as much free pass because we understand students can be very busy with school work, but it can get frustrating sometimes. It is up to the director to negotiate and plan ahead.