CHOA is a short documentary produced by award-winning cinematographers and filmmakers Nils Clauss and Adam Hobbs for the Underwood International College (UIC) of Yonsei University. It focuses on the story of a young female Korean ice hockey player, Choa Choi, who plays in an all men’s hockey team. Starting off by introducing Choa herself and her love for hockey, a little history about herself and why she chose hockey. It continues off with discussing herself being on the men’s team and whats it’s like, revolving around her life story as a female hockey player in Korea.
The short itself displayed a touching atmosphere by focusing on her journey to achieve her dreams. It touches the audience by creating a situation that everyone can relate to. The whole script of the short came together nicely with a clear beginning and. The fact that they managed to create an emotional connection is definitely a selling point too.
The unique thing about this piece was that it provided a new and different story. A female hockey player in Korea, something that you don’t hear about often, gives an interesting and inspirational story for the audience to take in – giving a brighter view of the equality of female rights. The way the short was presented makes it very endearing to watch and enjoy.
The whole atmosphere of the film was also supported with background music by Candlegravity called “With Many Tears” – an inspiring and emotional song that supports the story of Choa reaching for her dreams despite the odds.
Aside from its moving and touching approach, the camera works of the short was quite promising, providing an interesting and a variety of angles. The shots taken had good continuity making the film as a whole made sense; it created a continuous flow throughout the film. Some shots taken also help to create the mood of a scene, like the shot of her walking from behind, which gave a dramatic effect to the situation, which was according to the story itself. Other moments of the shots like the slow motion and out-of-focus also came in nicely to the whole dramatic and touching feel.
The film as a whole was well created and well did. It produced a well formed film with a good storyline and attractive images that created an emotional attachment to the character. How this film managed to not only makes the audience feel for the character, but also inspire us in a way, has a great effect towards anyone that views it. It also provides a good message for anyone to remember.
Text by Cesilia Faustina
