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American plugs Korea with music videos
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Michael Aronson
By Jun Ji-hye
By Jun Ji-hye
Michael Aronson, an expatriate from the United States, creates music videos to promote Korea.
He does most of the work necessary to create music videos himself ― writing, composing, recording, directing and editing.
“In total, I think I have made 20 music videos, and they are all about Korea,” said Aronson in an interview. “I made my first music video about Kim Yu-na, the Vancouver Olympics figure skating champion, right after the 2010 games were finished.”
Others include a video in which he praised the convenience of the Korean subway system. In the video, he used a Korean traditional song that plays over the intercom when trains approach transfer stations, after creatively remaking it with his rap.
He also made videos about gimbap, a Korean roll filled with steamed rice and vegetables, and hanbok, Korean traditional clothes.
“Other than ‘actors,’ I usually just have someone hold the camera and that is it. Also, one friend sometimes records guitar and bass parts. I do the all the rest from writing to editing,” Aronson said.
He first came to Korea as an exchange student in 2005 at Yonsei University, and then returned in 2007 to work.
“At first, I came because I was curious about Seoul life,” he said. “I really enjoyed the semester I spent here and thought I would be satisfied living and working here. This made me come back here to work.”
When asked what made him create his videos, he said, “I majored in East Asian studies. This was to learn about a culture I knew very little about, but was really curious to learn more. I also minored in creative writing and music. All of these fields have influenced what I do today.”
Aronson, who works as a writer and researcher at a publishing company that puts out textbooks, said distribution is the hardest part in creating music videos.
“I usually keep it simple, just through Youtube, Facebook and Twitter. But if it is a big music video, I try to link it to Korean video sites,” he said. “The popular sites keep changing though, and the title of the video has to be catchy to attract viewers.”
If people do not click on it at first, they will not be able to know if they like it enough to recommend to others, he said.
“It is getting harder and harder, the more things change,” he said.
He plans to work on several new song concepts and eventually release them. “I am really excited about them, because I think the concepts are clever. The music is better quality, and the video ideas will be more fun,” said Aronson.
To watch his music videos, visit
.