Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: The Outsider Studies Filming
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The rough concept for the contest was set, so now it was time to nail down the specifics.
Normally, when you think about shooting a UCC video, your mind jumps straight to the filming location or schedule.
Surprisingly, though, it's better to decide those later.
Why?...
Because there are mountains of issues to tackle first—like what music to use in the video, what dance to perform, when the key performers can clear their schedules, and so on.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ First up: deciding on the music.
Since it's a concept featuring stunning high school girls dancing around tourist spots, the video's vibe will definitely be bright, upbeat, and energetic.
Plus, it's summer now, so the performers' outfits will naturally lean toward summer wear.
That means we need to hunt down 'free' music tracks that are bright, upbeat, energetic, and perfectly summery.
Of course, none of us are into music or composition, so we'll be diving in headfirst without a clue.
And after that comes the next hurdle: choreography.
The dance has to sync with the music's beat, so it's tough to finalize without picking a track first.
Again, none of us have any background in dance or choreography, so another blind dive.
Once music and choreography are locked in, the real headache hits: aligning the performers' schedules.
Not for filming.
For dance practice.
Obviously, we can't practice dancing under the blazing summer sun, so once schedules are set, we'll need to secure a practice space too.
These are foundational issues that hugely impact later decisions like filming locations and dates, so jumping ahead without solving them first would just mean revising everything later.
So...
Can't we hold off on the swimming pool idea until things progress a bit more?...
Is filming at a pool truly essential? Is dragging male classmates from our school to a pool normal behavior? What about pool water hygiene, sunburn worries, or the entry fees being a waste—
After considering all that and rethinking negatively, please pivot away from the pool option.
Please.
"No way. This was decided by majority vote as a legitimate exercise of my and So-mi's rights in this contest. Heck, your vote was forcibly cast in favor under my command authority, making it unanimous with full member consent. No room for dispute."
"Yi-an. If you hate it that much... how about we ditch this contest and take a beach trip instead? Book a seaside pension for 2 nights and 3 days, just us eating, sleeping, and hanging out. That sounds way better to me."
"..."
This is tyranny. Using command rights to override my opinion and call it 'unanimous.' So democracy inevitably leads to totalitarianism, huh.
Plus, Han Si-a, you already bought a bikini. From the perspective of a regressor from an era where bikinis went extinct at pools and everyone wore rash guards, a bikini is basically underwear!
What if this causes a 35-year-old outsider uncle who's regressed to accidentally ogle his two underage friends with impure eyes and die from guilt?!
With that in mind, I kept my mouth shut as a silent protest against the decision.
The so-called silent struggle.
But Han Si-a's mood shifted slightly upon seeing my reaction.
She tilted her head a bit, lips curling up, scanning my displeased face like she was savoring it.
Watching her do that reminded me of how she mocked and enjoyed tormenting me during midterms last time, sending a chill down my spine.
"Jeong Yi-an. If you keep acting like that, I'll use my command rights to drag you on a 2-night, 3-day beach trip."
"That's impossible! Command rights can't impose financial losses on the subject, so even if Yoo So-mi agrees...!!"
"Oh? I have plenty of allowance money, plus the prize from Daegwallyeong that I still have intact thanks to you. Can't I just compensate you and call it solved?"
"..."
This is bad. Thinking about it, if Han Si-a can invest unlimited funds, the 'financial loss protection clause' in the contract is completely nullified.
Now, as long as she gets Yoo So-mi's agreement, I have no grounds to refuse her commands unless they interfere with academics or health.
This is a loophole only a rich girl like Han Si-a could exploit, meaning the contract I thought was fair was actually one-sidedly skewed in her favor from the start—an unfair deal.
As I realized this and stared at her with trembling eyes, she grinned like she was dying of amusement at my reaction.
Her gaze was childlike in its playful mischief, yet beastly as it awaited the moment to break its prey.
"Jeong Yi-an. Answer."
"...Yes. We'll definitely include the Han River outdoor pool as one of the filming locations for this contest and proceed accordingly."
"Good boy. That's our Yi-an."
Han Si-a's pressure reeked of her sadistic tendencies.
No matter how much I squirmed, she seemed to enjoy it, draining my will to resist entirely.
Meanwhile, Yoo So-mi, who'd been watching our exchange from the side, murmured while looking at Han Si-a with faint envy.
"Si-a's so lucky. She looks like she's having fun... Sometimes it might be okay if Yi-an got a little forceful like Si-a..."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Our roles for this contest are crystal clear.
Who shows their face on camera? ☛ Han Si-a and Yoo So-mi.
Who practices dance before filming? ☛ Han Si-a and Yoo So-mi.
Who has to repeat the same dance multiple times in public spots under strangers' gazes? ☛ Han Si-a and Yoo So-mi.
So, naturally, everything else falls to me.
Their overwhelming looks are our biggest weapon for this contest anyway, so I need to handle the rest to let Han Si-a and Yoo So-mi focus purely on practice and filming.
Even if they're brilliant, they're still high schoolers with zero practical experience, so it's most efficient for me—the one with some experience and free time—to take on everything else.
Of course, I'll coordinate music, choreography, and schedules with their input maximized, but for all other issues, I'll handle them so thoroughly they won't need to lift a finger.
That's why, after the meeting ended and I got home, I dove into 'studying video filming methods.'
Since the other two will be on camera, I'm the only one left to film it.
We're using smartphone cameras as-is, so I just familiarized myself with basics like adjusting exposure and white balance on the phone.
To prevent color shifts in subjects across different locations from ruining the video's consistency.
For consistency, performers need to stay in the same screen position even if locations change.
Based on the smartphone camera, figure out the ideal distance in cm for the best visuals, then strictly maintain it every location switch.
Studying further, I learned things like planning choreography with 'cut points' for scene transitions in mind, and syncing elements for subsequent actions.
This is my first real video shoot, but with plenty of time before actual filming, steady study should make it smooth sailing.
By the way, I left music selection to the other two—hope they're making progress...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ —Han Si-a's Perspective—
The keywords for the music in this contest video are simple.
Upbeat and energetic vibe, plus a refreshing feel.
(Note: 'Refreshing' here means don't grab something like upbeat trot just because it's exciting.)
Also, to enter the contest safely, we need copyright-free tracks.
So, scour free music sites, listen to everything matching those keywords, and pick the best one.
.
.
.
But shortly after searching keywords on the site, I realized I'd completely misunderstood free music sites.
They were full of short 20-second clips—nothing substantial enough to slot into a full video.
Still, hoping to find a gem, I spent two hours sampling tracks... and came up empty.
That leaves us with three options.
First: Secure usage rights for decent commercial music.
Whether begging the copyright holder or paying up, rights mean no contest issues.
But organizers might want entries free of copyright drama for reuse, so fees could skyrocket.
Second: Make our own music.
No copyright worries.
But beginner-level production means low polish—might be worse than free clips.
Third: Use public domain music.
Copyrights last 70 years post-composer's death, so pre-1941 deaths are safe.
But old tunes mean ditching 'refreshing.'
As I leaned toward the third, a message from So-mi arrived.
She was probably pondering music too, so time to share ideas.
-Si-a! What do you think of this music?
-[MP4. ▶]
Playing So-mi's file, it surprisingly pumped out upbeat tunes.
Real music, not some 20-second snippet.
...
But when Japanese lyrics exploded after the intro, I smacked my forehead without thinking.
Context screamed it was from an anime she loves.
Anime OSTs have copyrights, and with national sentiments against Japanese media, a public entity like Seoul City won't approve.
I patiently explained to So-mi why we can't use it—from Japanese origin to copyright woes.
Her reply made me smack my forehead again.
-But I've never paid for anime...
-So can't we just use the music from it?
So-mi, that's because...
Sigh... Never mind. Looks like I'll handle the music solo for this contest.