This documentary is one of the most meaningful projects I have made in my life so far. 15 minutes is not enough time to encapsulate what I have seen and experienced during my time in Tanzania. I hope you enjoy this project that has been made from the depths of my heart.
What we do not have
OVERVIEW
Individual
TEAM
TIMELINE
1.5 weeks filming
3 days editing
TOOLS
Adobe Premiere Pro
A 15 minute documentary telling the story of Morogoro, Tanzania, the people living there, and a Korean missionary who left his life in America for the sake of the gospel.
videography | Storytelling | Creative direction
context
Given this incredible opportunity to go to Africa, I knew I wanted to make a documentary and use my love for videography to capture my experience. I didn’t know the exact story I wanted to tell, however, as I spent time with Chang-sik Choi, the Korean missionary, the story found me instead.
Summer of 2023, following my college graduation, I had the opportunity to go to Morogoro, Tanzania for missions with my home church in Queens.
Every morning, my team and I were able to hear the life stories of Missionary Choi. Most of them were about his struggles adjusting to his life in Africa and what he learned along the way.
Chang-Sik Choi, or also known as Missionary Choi, has moved to Morogoro, Tanzania to found a seminary school that will raise up the next generation of pastors in Africa.
FINDING THE STORY
From stories of him scavenging his water for 15 years to his brutal honesty of regret moving to Africa, I was so touched by Missionary Choi’s humanity. The documentary became my attempt to express the awe I felt listening to his story. This documentary became something that has been created from my heart because I realized deeply during the process that God uses weak people like us to do big things for His kingdom.
After spending a week of hearing crazy life stories from Missionary Choi, I knew I wanted to focus on his life’s journey and God’s faithfulness as the string that would hold this narrative together.
This place is named "Mile 18," located in the outskirts of Morogoro.
One of my favorite moments was capturing the beauty of a slow life. Many Tanzanians live by the motto, "polo polo" or "slowly slowly."
The people
Experiencing first hand a glimpse of life in Tanzania, I was able to capture moments and people who deepened the story of my documentary. I was able to talk to people who have been affected by the ministry of Missionary Choi and see the fruit of his sacrifice.
The opportunity to build relationships and do life with these seminarians for a week, deepened my perspective on Missionary Choi’s story.
Here are a few of the seminarians I had the opportunity to walk the roads of Morogoro with. We bought bananas from a fruit cart after a long day of visiting homes. Fortunately, they loved the fact that I carried a camera with me and wanted me to take videos of them!
REFLECTION
Where else would we hear these stories except through the people who have been there and experienced the fullness of its beauty? I am so honored to have made a tangible artifact of Tanzania and I know that I want to continue to tell the stories of hidden places and people. Next time, I want to focus more specifically on my craft in video making, like the quality of my production. I want to try using a stabilizer and try more advance audio recording techniques.