Making Enter the Savior –  A Memoir
Part 1/6

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The following is a very vivid personal recollection of making Enter the Savior (a documentary if you will), recorded by me, the filmmaker himself, Young-H. Lee.

If you are an aspiring filmmaker, read this.  It will give you a glimpse into the filmmaking process.  If you are already a filmmaker yourself, read this.  I think there are a ton of things you could learn that will help you in your own productions.  And finally, if you are just curious about the production, read this, you will be rather surprised at how much I went through to make this short 3-min film. 

In this article, I talk about everything from the frustrations of getting the idea, the conflicts I had with my crew, to the technical difficulties and the wondrous grace that was bestowed upon me that had made the film possible.

Introduction
All my life, I've dreamed of making film.  I don't know why, but it's just who I am.  It always frustrated me, however, that I never really did anything about it.  I was always the academic kid in school, who lived a life doing one thing, but always dreamed about living another.  My parents knew about this filmmaking ambition of mine, and finally decided that it was time to send me to film school.  I think they were hoping that after going, I would find that filmmaking isn't for me and that I would finally shut up about wanting to be a director.

However, it did quite the opposite.  The experience was incredibly stressful, yet exhilarating, all those adjectives with highs and lows - an adventure story full of twists and turns.  And in the end,  It changed my life.  I made a decision, that I will commit my life to making film.

The Beginning

It all began the summer of 2002.  I had just finished my third year at the University of Maryland and was on a nice long, three month break.  I had signed up for a one-month film workshop in New York city, which would take place in August.  The tuition was outrageous.  It came out to be about $5,000, including all the supplies and equipment rentals.  I honestly did not want to go because it just seemed so ridiculous, but, God bless my pop, he kept insisting that I did.

So the decision was made.  I was going to New York for a month to make film.  I was filled with excitement, but also tremendous pressure.  This would be the first real opportunity to try out real filmmaking.  And because so much money was being put into this, I wanted to be sure that I returned with a film product to show for, to show myself and my parents that film is definitely what I will do for the rest of my life.  If not, I would have wasted this investment. 

New York, Neeeew Yooooooooooork!
I vividly recall the day I left, bound for New York my last month of summer break on 2002.  As I got into the car with my mother, my father came to my side and said to me,
“God has a plan for you.”

As I pulled out, I looked at my father, filled with emotion.  He has always supported my dreams and goals to work in the media/film industry, and he was willing to pay the $5,000 price for this one-month long film workshop.  My mom and I arrived at the metro station, got my luggage and walked to the greyhound bus station.  After purchasing the ticket, I boarded the bus and awaited departure.  For fifteen minutes, I watched her wait at the gate until the bus left.  I felt deeply loved by my parents, and wished there was something I could do to repay them.

During the four-hour long bus trip, I prayed to God, asking Him to guide me and be with me during these four weeks.  I had been extremely anxious and worried for much of the summer because I was concerned that I wouldn’t be able to make the most of this extremely valuable opportunity and return only with a feeling of, “yeah, that was a good experience, I learned some interesting things about filmmaking.”

No, I wanted to return home with something to show for.
I wanted to return home and show my parents that the money they had invested was not in vain, and that I truly have made the most of this opportunity.  I remember as I prayed to God and asked Him to help me be the best filmmaker I could be, I was moved to tears as my heart was filled with peace.

Ground zero, one year later.

Soon afterward, I arrived at the Port Authority bus terminal.  I had gazed briefly at the skyline of New York as the bus arrived at its destination, and I remember feeling a sense of excitement and adventure, all mixed in with fear, because for the first time in my life, I was truly going to be alone in a big, big place.

There was also an added significance, feelings of quiet reverence and sadness about going to New York.  In the light of the events of September 11, 2001 that happened less than a year ago, I was going to the place where it all happened. 

I gave the people I was staying with a call, and they came to pick me up.

I was so lucky to have been able to live with these people, a young Chinese couple with two baby daughters, because I lived a mere 15 minutes away from the film school and at the same time, the apartment was located right on the edge of Times Square (49^th and 9^th avenue)!  Furthermore, they only charged me $200 despite my efforts to give them more!  As the month wore on, I would see just how incredibly blessed I was to stay in a room so close to school.

So, I arrived at the apartment and got settled into my room.  It was Saturday evening, and I had a day and a half to figure out how to get around the city before classes began.  So I spent all next day riding the subway around town, visiting Chinatown, my film school and various other places.  I even visited a nice church that Sunday too.  I came back Sunday night and prepared myself, for tomorrow was going to be my first day of film class.