Entry 1: Hello from the director.
Don’t fail her.
Me and Young headed with Sera to Busan.
This Is Sera: Episode 1
Was the first thought in my head when I was given the greenlight to pursue this project. I had just wrapped a very tense Zoom call with Sera after pitching the idea to her and awaiting her decision. I have never felt like such a poser in my entire life. Here I was, some no name photographer wanting to be given the responsibility of telling Ryu Sera’s life story. The weight of that was immense.
After watching my pitch, listening to all my odd ideas and giving herself time to think about it, she gave a chill, “Okay. Yes.” I don’t know if there’s a word for your when your heart is bursting with excitement and stomach is dropping like you’re on a rollercoaster at the same time. Mixed emotions let’s call it.
So yeah, the project was given Sera’s blessing and we began filming in November 2025. It’s been a heck of a ride so far and I hope you’ll join us on this fascinating look into one of the most interesting people you’ll ever meet.
Allow me to formally introduce myself. I’m Jamiya, the director of this film. I’m primarily a photographer and have been working professionally for about 20 years. I love what I do and thoroughly enjoy meeting all the interesting people I’m lucky to photograph. I will always love photography for all it’s given me.
In 2024, there was a pivotal moment in my career. I reached out to Sera about taking her portrait and to my surprise, she responded! We eventually set up a shoot and I traveled to Seoul to photograph her. Even more surprisingly, we were fast friends and working together was such a fun experience I hoped to do it again. Once I returned to the states I had the idea for a documentary on her life. But how would I tell it? What experience do I even have with documentary filmmaking? Zilch. Nada.
So I did some research and wrote an outline for a story that sounded pretty solid. I planned to reach out to her in January 2025, but soon as I was about to, she announced her engagement. Bad timing. So I waited several months and was about to reach out again. Then she announced she’d just gotten married. Bad timing. I was starting to think it wasn’t meant to be.
Then in July, I was having dinner with a friend and I told her about the idea. She loved it. We’re sitting in this restaurant and she’s all animated, “You should tell her! You have to do this! It’s such a cool idea!”. So after some convincing I reached out to Sera and told her about it. We set up a Zoom call. I did some planning, put together a presentation and the rest is history.
Screenshot from the presentation I pitched to Sera.
This image is still one of my favorites from our portrait session back in 2024.
Here I am writing this post on the eve of us publicly announcing the project. The trailer will go up and people will be able to see what we’ve been working on. Excited? Yeah. Nervous? A little.
I still think she’s insane for doing this. But that’s just who she is. She’s a risk taker. This is totally a Sera thing to do as you’ll learn as you get to know her.
But what if you’re not into KPop? KPop is a big part of Sera’s life story, but I think she’s just as interesting outside of her musical talent. She has a very unique manner in how she thinks, behaves, observes, and interacts with the world. Interesting philosophical takes. A spontaneous, adventurous spirit despite her introverted nature. I think she and her story could be inspiring to people looking to connect with someone who has dealt with similar struggles and hardships, yet has proven resilient while keeping their integrity and dignity. I’m excited to introduce her to you.
The Journal
Now that we’re all comfortable, let me explain the journal. The journal will be more like a live diary for myself, the director, chronicling my time and experience will working on the film. Sera will pop in occassionally to share her thoughts or whatever she likes. Outside of our social media pages, this will be the best place to get regular content for the film. I like this format as well. Writing is cathartic and really helps with my creative process. And I think it’s good to read articles. Lock in with the words and not just listen passively to a podcast or video with a million cuts.
Sorry, tangent.
Yeah, so keep up with the journal. I’ll be posting behind the scenes images, writing about the week’s filming, or just musing about any interesting events or ideas in my head.
Since the trailer is going up today, I’ll be back this evening, 7PM(EST) with another post talking about the trailer, how it came about, and other things you may find interesting!
Oh also this week, I’ll be traveling to Seoul on May 14th to resume filming on our third episode, 9Muses: 1 of 9. Work never stops! Expect to see more images from Seoul and regular updates during production. We’ll have some really cool things to share!
Stay tuned.
Jamiya
#teamsera
...
Share This Post
Follow on Instagram : @thisisserafilm
