Video
Title: Crisis City – Paranoia
Site: Housing Estate
Hypothesis: Crisis is closer to us than we think
We normally think of housing estates to be private space, but if we think about it, it’s a space where public and private spaces co-exist. Apart from the private houses, we use the elevator, corridors, lobby etc. together with our neighbours. Normally, homes are places where people are supposed to feel the safest, however, COVID-19 cases in apartments showed us that this is not the case anymore.
Hong Kong housings are notoriously known for their small and crowded space, therefore it’s obvious that we come in contact with others very often. As a result, one person being infected can lead to an outbreak in the building, spreading the disease in no time. Likewise, on May 1st, the Hong Kong government locked down a 400 unit apartment building for 21 days after finding the first acquired case of the COVID-19 variant. What was once the safest, comfortable space now turned into space where we are most vulnerable.
Increased measures of social distancing, and lockdowns – such as the lockdown of the district in Jordan early this year which involved approximately 10000 people being stuck in mandatory quarantine for 48 hours – steadily escalated our fears of COVID-19. There’s an element of paranoia inside us that no matter how well I socially distance myself, I unluckily could’ve come in contact with COVID-19 without even noticing it. What if I get the disease despite trying all my best?
Synopsis
While walking back home, a girl witnesses people getting tested for COVID-19. Surprised, she rushes into the building and checks her mail. She realises that there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 in her building. Without exactly knowing who got it, which flat it happened in, and how many others have been also infected, she starts to feel paranoid.
She sees a neighbour waiting for the elevator who was also waiting to be tested earlier. Though the neighbour starts to cough, she gets on the narrow elevator without a choice. However, as the neighbour’s coughing gets worse and worse as they reach the flat, she feels more and more suspicious about her neighbour and gets engrossed in anxiety and fear every second. She paranoidly thinks the neighbour could’ve been infected with the disease. No longer believing her apartment is safe, she hastily enters the house and locks all doors.
Research
I interviewed one of my friends who actually had a COVID-19 case in her apartment. I learnt about how she saw police lines and huge vans, how she received a letter about the case, how there were multiple staff wearing protective clothing and announcing every resident to get tested. She told me how the environment was very serious and was so paranoid she may have gotten the disease without knowing.
Reflection
It was a great opportunity to learn how COVID-19 affected our spaces in various ways, not just in our lives outside our homes but knowing how it changed our closest space was very interesting.
Storyboard
Directed by: Rachel Gayoung Kim 3035812165
Word Count: [511]
Bibliography
businesstimes.com.sg. Accessed May 18, 2021. https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/real-estate/hk-locks-down-apartment-block-due-to-variant-covid-19-case.
“Hong Kong Housing Estate Evacuated after Covid-19 Cluster Found.” South China Morning Post, June 4, 2020. https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3087526/coronavirus-new-cluster-infection-expands-elderly.
Hong Kong Locks down amid Surge in COVID-19 Cases. YouTube. YouTube, 2021. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTWhV40mQAQ&ab_channel=AlJazeeraEnglishAlJazeeraEnglishVerified.
Hostile Planet – Quincas Moreira | Royalty Free Music (HD). YouTube. YouTube, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN1Pv7Y4BIE.
The increasingly loud background music and distorted image as the protagonist becomes more anxious about the coughing is quite effective in conveying the paranoia. I really enjoyed the choice of theme as well, as it is both tightly related to current events/ context of covid but also reveals how residents of apartments are more interconnected than thought, due to the apartment being a mixture of public and private. However I am curious as to why Resident 1 and 2’s comments only appear as subtitles (we do not see or hear them)? Are they actual characters in the story?
Hi, I like your idea and appreciate that you have made a hypothesis that crisis is close to us than we think, then use this short story to depict the scenario. Besides researching on the second-hand resources, you may also research on the relationship between the pandemic and psychology of people for better understanding. Speaking of visual design, I really like the use of symmetry in the scenes of two characters waiting in front of the lift. You have successfully created a good visual design by capturing the girl in an angle of CCTV with some add-on effects of illusion and Paranoia. Great work!
I really enjoyed watching your video as you creatively portrayed how even something as small as cough can give us a scare during the pandemic, especially in a closed elevator. I also like when you said “I though our homes would be safe” because we all think we are trying our best to protect ourselves from the virus by wearing masks and continuously cleaning our hands with sanitisers, but sadly, some people still catch the virus despite all the precautions. Overall, your video is well organised and very informative in portraying the scare of coronavirus among residents.
The COVID-19 invasion! Nowhere to stay, nowhere to hide. Isn’t it a crisis for us? You represent the crisis from another perspective: it blurs the boundary of private spaces that made us feel safe before. In fact, the whole department will be affected if there have confirmed cases because they will be quarantined. I like how you present the crowd feeling since you enter the housing estate and create tension at the end of the film. We should ask ourselves a question: Is the crisis ends after we locked down ourselves? Yes or no. We cannot block the virus, but we can stop it from spreading if we do so. That’s an interesting phenomenon.
This video shows a relatable situation I think many Hong Kong citizens has experienced by now. The camera angles and the way of how the shots are filmed really shows the paranoia of the main characters. It can be clearly seen that a lot of work was done in the research and filming of this video essay, so nice job!
This video definitely shows part of our daily life under the pandemic, and how it perfectly matches the title crisis city. Every day after reading the headline of infectious cases and walk onto the street, I have got the exact same thought with the main character, it is the fearful feeling that not only how the virus may damage our health but also with the unknown patients around us, so it is one of the reasons why this video gives a strong immersion while watching it. Also, I really appreciate the clear storyline and the way it ends.