Capstone Update #4: Chasing Ghosts and Finding Heritage
What's been happening since the start of the semester:
I have been doing quite a lot of research and outreaches to historians and cultural folklorists and the like. As I mentioned in my last update, I had been experiencing some burnout. This past week was my breaking point and I needed to temporarily step away from everything to focus on my mental health and recenter my vision for my project. I think I'm good as far as my timeline goes, but I can only afford a few more off days like that before I start getting really behind.
My interview with Dr. Chun went really well and he told me something so impactful that I ended up crying (more on that later).
Something that I thought would never happen was that Dr. Michael Dylan Foster responded to me! Our interview was on March 4th and he has been extremely supportive of my project and offered some incredible insights on Japanese Folklore. He also pointed me in the direction of Dr. Margaret Magat, an Asian American folklorist whose research focuses on the folk practices of the Filipino diaspora. She will be an incredible resource once she gets back to me and is willing to do an interview. I am still on Cloud 9 that someone as busy as him was willing to talk to me.
I've conducted more archival research, through the 'Ulu'ulu archives at school and the Japanese Cultural Center of Hawaii.
No wonder I feel burnt out, I've been constantly on the move!
What's coming up for the next two weeks:
I have a trip to the Lyman Museum on the Big Island planned for March 17th. I don't expect to find anything "supernatural" related, but finding footage or pictures that depict plantation life would be extremely helpful.
Working with my friend Kelli to set up a meeting with her father, Edmund Akioka, a Big Island resident with deep plantation roots. After this interview and a potential one with Dr. Magat, I think it'll be time to move onto my post-production phase.
Until then, I have a lot of footage to go through and edit and color correct and the like.
Hiccups/Hurdles/AHA Moments:
The Hurdle: In a twist of irony, Lopaka Kapanui, the legendary storyteller and Hawaiian folklorist, has ghosted me. Being dropped like this reminds me of a bad online dating experience. I don't know if it’s a timing thing or a business thing, but I’m done chasing ghosts. I’m taking the loss and moving on.
The AHA Moment: As mentioned earlier, my interview with Dr. Chun ended with me in tears, but in a good way! The impactful quote from him that made me emotional:
"Only when you lose something, do you start realizing how important it was. So I want to thank you for doing this project on ghost [stories]. It sounds like something trivial, but it's not. You are part of the young generation trying to rediscover and keep this heritage alive...My time is over, YOU'RE going to keep Hawaii alive".
Suddenly, this isn't just a project; it’s a race against time to preserve a vanishing history.
Deliverable Drafts/Visual Documentation:
Teaser Clip: Kelli, a plantation worker descendant, describes an encounter her Grandfather never forgot. (Currently working on brightening the clip and fixing a slight audio echo)
Screenshot from my interview with Dr. Foster. We talked for over an hour!
Screenshot of the last time I communicated with Lopaka Kapanui. This isn't meant to put him on blast, but rather highlight that sometimes your heroes let you down and you need to navigate life on your own.
Screenshot of my Lyman Museum archive visit confirmation.
Where are you on your timeline?:
I am currently Right on Track, but the clock is ticking. The academic research and archival acquisition phases are about 75% completed. I'm pivoting from the "Expert Interview" model to a more "Environmental Haunting" aesthetic to compensate for the missing voices. I am also in the beginning phases of post-production.