https://youtu.be/lhCKhQ1hYgY
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Synopsis
Lonely City is a documentation of our loneliness during the pandemic. It is a short reading of a fictional letter written by the main character – Edward – who is writing to an unknown person. He speaks about how alone and numb he has become during this time stuck at home, with no seeming way out. He speaks about his lack of motivation to do anything because he feels like there’s no reason or need to do it. All he wants is for some companionship to make it through this adversity, but it hasn’t come. He wants to be hopeful but can’t help but feel dismal at the same time. He’s waiting for it all to be over. The reading is layered over a lot of shots of the character alone in a campus building, bare, empty, and cold. He acts as if everyone was still here, in a delusion of the normal life that once was.
Transcript
Hey.
Haven’t seen you in a while.
How you doing?
I’m still trying to cope with everything that’s been going on lately.
Hope you’re adjusting well too.
Every day, everything begins all the same.
I think about getting out of bed but then realise there isn’t really a reason to anyway.
I mean, can’t we just have lessons in bed?
I guess we do need to brush our teeth, do our hair, get dressed for-
Wait.
No one’s gonna see us anyways.
I guess, back to bed it is.
It’s warmer in there.
The sun heads West.
I head back to bed after grabbing a snack.
The cooler sends chills through my heart as I continue watching Stranger Things.
Oh, how I wish I could feel that friendship, that fear, that… anything.
Nothing stimulates me anymore.
Maybe I’ll do something productive…
Tomorrow.
I’m sure I’ll feel something then.
I’m stuck.
Waiting.
In a purgatory between hope and despair.
Waiting for everything to return.
The freedom, the security, the predictability, the passion.
I wish…
I could feel your presence beside me in the classroom again.
That blessed smile,
those unflappable eyes,
that steady ponytail…
I need your warmth.
I wish…
I could feel my heart beating,
my muscles tightening,
my eyes zipping around in anxiety,
my laugh roaring out of my chest…
I just… want you to whisper into my soul:
“All is not lost”.
Will I ever see you again?
I’m still waiting for you in this prison.
This familiar, lonely prison.
Love, Edward.
Theme and subject matter
This video speaks of the feelings of loneliness people have felt during the pandemic, especially early when basically everything was closed and empty. After I was given my site of a campus building, I thought about using the classroom walls to represent the figurative and literal walls that have separated everybody. The walls not only separate people, they also dilute the relationships that have been built over the years, something that is spoken of in the video. The character in the video is somebody who has suffered through the same issues, and has ended up with slight depression after being stuck at home for what feels like forever, as if there isn’t a light at the end of the tunnel.
Method of research
To research the feelings of loneliness, I looked into what could reflect those feelings. Such as using wide shots of the character alone to make the scene look more bare and empty, or changing the saturation of the shot to bring about a melancholic atmosphere. I also looked into what people have missed during their time stuck at home, asking friends, teachers, etc.
Documentation and making of the video
The campus building I chose was my old secondary school campus, which is Yew Chung International School Secondary Section. To create the feeling of loneliness, I took many shots of my friend alone in classrooms, where he acted as if he was just living the daily life of a student, but without anyone around him like before. There are wide shots of him walking across the campus, shots of him sitting still in a classroom, shots of him doing specific actions, and some closeups as well. After that, I also took some shots of just the campus alone, in case I ever needed to use them. When I made the video using iMovie, I didn’t think of adding any special effects as I wanted the shots to feel as bare as possible. I mainly just filtered all my shots to look more grey and cold to reflect the negative atmosphere. Then, I added a voice recording of the letter written by the main character into the video, layering the shots of my friend over it.
Objectives
I wanted the readers to not only understand that the character is lonely, but also get an understanding about the world that he is living in. For example I wanted people to understand more about the unknown person who he is speaking to. The “unflappable eyes” represent the feeling that the person gives to him. With this person, the character feels more at ease, stable and secure. The “steady ponytail” also represents a similar feeling, but also is an illustration of the unknown person’s own stability in contrast to the main character’s. Overall, I want these words to build the world around the main character, who is struggling with finding and building himself.
Reflections
In the end, I felt like I did a decent job of editing the video, as well as voicing over the letter. I think I really channeled my own emotions and experiences into the voice acting and it turned out alright in the end. In terms of editing, I made sure the audio and clips fit well together, but other than that there wasn’t much special I had to do. In terms of creating the lonely atmosphere, I think I tried to illustrate it to the best of my ability, but I think there are still ways for me to improve the linking between shots as I go from place to place. I also think my friend also did a good job acting out his role in the film. I hope that viewers are able to feel the emotions my character feels, and somewhat resonate with him.
– Ip Fung Yuen (Edward)
UID: 3035821415
Interesting choice of angles and composition. Your use of rule of thirds allows me to focus even more on the only human figure in the room. Combined with the wide shots, it emphasises the emptiness of the campus as most of the frame is filled with static architecture. Your choice of not using background music also highlights the quietness of when one is lonely. It is really eye-opening to see what the pandemic “allows” us to do. If it was a while back, I doubt this campus location would make a good choice for filming as there must’ve been a lot of action. Also, the fact that the character is speaking about the loss of motivation and directionlessness is very in line with what is depicted on the screen. It seems like your character is walking aimlessly and not really doing anything after all. Overall, the video translates what you’re trying to tell well in my opinion and I totally feel it.
I really like the way you cut the camera and the way you choose each scene. There is only one character in every shot, and the whole picture looks very dark because the weather was overcast at that time. In the library and the classroom, there were many empty seats in the photos you take, which is in line with your title. Also, the tone of your voice is very low, which fits the mood of the video. In the final scene, you show the character looking at the basketball court, which I think is a good indication of his desire to escape from loneliness.
Zhang Linzhuo 3035777511
I really appreciated the use of a verbal letter instead of background music. Your choice of the letter felt very powerful because it honestly conveyed the emotions probably all of us felt during the pandemic. It is personal and the viewers are also able to empathise with the story. I especially think lines like “Who cares?” clearly shows how social distancing demotivated us on making relationships with people. In terms of visual design, I think the dull atmosphere combined with your wide shots showed clear contrast to what a normal campus site would be like. Which really amplified the feeling of stress and helplessness. Great work!