Seoul City to Create 'Immersive Studio' for Non-Face-to-Face Performance Video Production at Namsan

Zero Energy Building Remodeled into Comprehensive Creative Support Facility Opening in Early 2022
Equipped with Advanced Filming, Stage, and Sound Equipment... Practice to Filming to Editing All in One
Supporting Artists Facing Technical and Equipment Challenges, Expanding Quality Performance Opportunities for Citizens

Namsan Creative Center Exterior View

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government is establishing an advanced, non-face-to-face performance video content dedicated "Immersive Video Production Creative Studio (tentative name)" equipped with cutting-edge equipment on Namsan.

It is a comprehensive creative support facility where everything from practice to video shooting and editing can be done in one place. The former "Namsan Creative Center," which had ceased operations, will be remodeled into a zero-energy building and open in the first half of 2022.

The "Namsan Creative Center" was used as a tennis practice court, a gymnasium facility, in 1995. In 2007, its purpose was changed to a cultural facility and it was used as a creative practice room for performers in artistic genres such as musicals and plays. However, due to building aging and structural safety inspection results, operations were suspended from last year. From famous K-pop singers to world-renowned orchestras, stages moved online, and companies specializing in online concerts were established. In a contest held last year by the Seoul Metropolitan Government to support artists affected by COVID-19, more than half of the originally planned 947 face-to-face performances were converted to 537 online performances.

According to the Korea Culture and Tourism Institute, among a sample group of 1,223 artists, 40.7% responded that they participated in online and non-face-to-face content from January to August last year. Among them, 56.5% answered that the necessary support for future activation of online and non-face-to-face content was "support for spaces, facilities, and equipment to produce online and non-face-to-face content."

Furthermore, according to last year's National Culture and Arts Activity Survey, citizens' use of online video services increased from 27.4% in 2019 to 38.8% in 2020. This means that during the COVID-19 era, when it was difficult to watch performances in person, more citizens watched performances online.

Accordingly, the upcoming "Immersive Studio" will be equipped with shooting equipment capable of producing high-definition (8K) videos, as well as state-of-the-art stage, sound equipment, and lighting. It is expected to enable video production across all cultural and artistic fields including music, dance, Korean traditional music (gugak), theater, musicals, as well as arts education, exhibitions, films, and advertisements.

In particular, Seoul plans to provide dedicated spaces for artists who lack video production technology and have difficulty acquiring equipment, while allowing citizens to enjoy high-quality performing arts videos.

This studio will be remodeled into a zero-energy building with two above-ground floors and a total area of 1,966.2㎡. It will include a studio (315㎡) where productions can be staged as if on-site, rehearsal rooms (165㎡ and 265.7㎡), post-production editing rooms, and control rooms.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government will establish detailed construction plans reflecting the opinions of cultural and artistic circles and video production experts. Based on this, facility design will be completed in the first half of this year, construction will take place in the second half, followed by pilot operation at the end of the year, and full-scale operation will begin in the first half of next year.

Yoo Yeon-sik, Head of the Seoul Cultural Headquarters, said, "In the post-COVID era, performing arts are expected to coexist in both face-to-face and non-face-to-face formats. Seoul is establishing the non-face-to-face performance video content dedicated 'Immersive Video Production Creative Studio (tentative name)' so that artists can freely use a studio equipped with cutting-edge equipment and showcase various performing arts." He added, "We hope that the studio being established this time will not be a simple video production facility but a representative facility that comprehensively supports artists' non-face-to-face creative activities and provides citizens with high-quality non-face-to-face cultural arts."