Abhiroop Das
Created by Sarah Haasz, ‘Gangnam Project’ dives deep into the world of K-pop music, mapping out the makings of a K-pop artist through the story of Hannah Shin. Part Korean and part Canadian, she is best suited for her new job at Seoul’s OME academy: to give its star student English lessons. The catch is that life in OME is far from what Hannah is prepared for, as ruthless schedules, cutthroat competition, and not-so-friendly rivals make every day a challenge. However, none of this deters her, as her real dream is not just to coach a K-pop star, but to become one herself. Thus begins her unexpected journey as a trainee at OME, wherein her journey slowly begins to overlap with the very people she once aspired to be like.
OME is a Fictional K-pop Academy Potentially Modeled After Real Art Schools in Seoul
One Mile Entertainment, better known by its initials, OME, is an invented K-pop academy created by the show’s writing team, including Sarah Haasz, Romeo Candido, Corey Liu, Jay Vaidya, Celeste Koon, and others. As the primary setting of the entire series, OME transforms into a mini-ecosystem in and of itself, with a distinct style and sense of worldbuilding that makes it stand out. To that end, it is likely that the academy draws its inspiration from real-life K-pop schools and educational facilities, possibly in or around Seoul. At the top of the list of potential references is the School of Performing Arts, or SOPA, situated in Seoul’s Guro district. The world-famous institution has raised K-pop legends such as Bae Suzy, An Yu-jin, and Sulli, which parallels OME’s success in the fictional world.
Another real-life K-pop school that might have served as the vague basis for OME is Hanlim Multi Art School, located in Songpa District, Seoul. The prestigious institution has also cultivated numerous talents in the music industry, such as Cha Eun-woo, Woodz, Tzuyu, and Dahyun. While both of these elite schools might have loosely inspired OME, the similarities end on a superficial level. The biggest difference is the fact that both SOPA and Hanlim Multi Art School are full-fledged art schools, which also have departments of theatre, broadcasting art, and other forms of music. OME, on the other hand, is depicted as completely dedicated to the craft of K-pop, which makes it somewhat unique when compared to its real-life counterparts.
A Real Life College in Ontario Doubles as OME on Screen
While OME is presented as an elite academy in Seoul, in reality, its filming location can be traced back to Canada, specifically to Mohawk College in Hamilton city’s 135 Fennell Avenue West. The crew took the college campus for several months, with many of its real-life spots being reimagined for the show. As per reports, the college’s student lounges, dance halls, alleyways, and classrooms all became a part of OME. Shooting on-site in a location that matched OME’s imagined scope and size gave the cast and crew the freedom to go all-out, especially with the dance and music sequences. For Sarah Haasz, the creator of the show, Mohawk College also served as a trip down memory lane, as it is the place where her father and mother studied at one point. Given how important family is to the narrative of ‘Gangnam Project,’ it is likely that the creators consciously made the best of their filming location on many levels.
One of the most interesting features about OME is its impressive LED volume wall, which is used for virtual productions and simulations in several sequences. As it turns out, these sequences were filmed practically, with the crew setting up camp at Dark Slope Studios, at 793 Pharmacy Avenue, in Toronto. The virtual production studio specializes in the use of such volume walls, and while they are traditionally used to add immersion to a scene, ‘Gangnam Project’ incorporates their working mechanisms into the narrative, giving a tiny peek into how high-tech filming works. As such, despite being a hand-crafted place, OME is essentially brought to life by the creators’ committment to practical filmmaking and doing thorough research.
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