Fighting back with film

Hit ‘dis’ rap just part of Sonny’s repertoire of viral videos and expat talent showcases


One viral video deserves another.

Both Koreans and expats here were shocked in late August at the YouTube video of a foreigner attacking ― first verbally and then physically ― a much older Korean couple on a bus. In a nation where the foreign community is dogged by accusations of law-breaking and disregard for Korea’s customs, fears spread that the footage would perpetuate negative stereotypes.

Creative members of the expat community, however, were not long in forming a response. This came in the form of “See These Rocks,” a song in which two artists in Korea’s foreign community, Sonny and Pinnacle TheHustler, used hip-hop to make clear that expatriates were as unhappy with the bus rider’s behavior as Koreans.

The video, which appears on YouTube as “Angry black man on Korean bus ― music video response,” was directed by Sonny, filmmaker and CEO of Sonny Side Films. Originally from Minnesota, he has been in Korea off and on for three years, and said that he has been “dedicated” to the craft of filmmaking for about two.

Since he began posting at his site last August, he has made videos of a wide variety of genres, including in comedy, travel and music.

“Rocks” is not his first entry into the hip-hop genre; see also his “Seoul Cypher” series highlighting the capital’s hip-hop talents. It was not his first video to go viral, either; “You Need to Get Off Facebook,” a critical appraisal of the social networking giant posted last December, is still the leader among his videos at more than 2.2 million YouTube views.

“Nothing’s really off-limits,” he said recently. “I like to try everything.” 

As he has been producing more and more of his own films, though, he said he has gravitated toward “short, punchy” videos meant to be viewed online and create an impression right away.

That’s certainly what happened after the bus video circulated. Sonny, who called the attacker’s actions on the bus “disgusting,” responded by teaming up with rapper/radio show host Pinnacle for a hip-hop staple: the “dis” rap.

“This guy did something, I wanted to call him out on it, and I thought we could get it out quickly while it was still relevant,” he said. Sonny handles the first half of the video’s rapping, and does so using a deliberately nerdy image, complete with a thoroughly buttoned polo shirt.

This, however, belies his own background in the genre, as a former member of a hip-hop duo and producer of instrumentals in the genre.

“I don’t present myself as cool, or tough, but I do have experience,” said Sonny.

Since its debut, the video has drawn more than 200,000 views on YouTube and mostly positive feedback.

“We wanted to entertain people and … give people something to think about,” he said. “Some people did say, ‘Thank you for saying what I was thinking.’ We’ve also gotten positive feedback from people who are seeing a more positive perspective of foreigners, black or white.

“We’re thankful to everybody who has visited the video,” he said. “I’m glad that the statement’s gotten out there and there’s been a lot of validation.”

Pinnacle has nothing but good to say about Sonny’s abilities behind the camera.

“Sonny is a wonderful director, he has a very straightforward style, which I definitely appreciate him for because when he’s shooting you, you don’t have to guess about what he’s thinking or what direction he’s going,” he said via email.

“Also, he’s always been very professional. He does his job efficiently and he puts in a lot of time in to making sure that the final product looks good. It’s been a pleasure to work with Sonny and I’m excited to see what he does next.”

In addition to his own videos, Sonny is the founder of the Seoul Filmmaker’s Workshop, which takes place every second Sunday at Laughing Tree Lab near Noksapyeong Station in central Seoul.

Lasting from 5:30-8:30 p.m., the workshop features about 20 minutes on an educational component, such as acting or special effects, before allowing participants to have their own films screened and analyzed.

“It doesn’t have to be great, doesn’t have to be polished,” he said of participants’ offerings. “We offer feedback, critique and, most importantly, how it can be improved.”

More can be learned by visiting his website at www.thesonnyside.com, and by searching the Seoul Filmmaker’s Workshop on Facebook.

“See These Rocks” is now available for purchase on iTunes.

By Rob York (rjamesyork@heraldcorp.com)