Definition of the park:
Park is a place where people can gather and have fun. Before the pandemic outbreak, we usually deem the park as an outdoor “place”, including theme parks, conventional playgrounds (the park has a more general and broader definition than the playground, in which playground is one of the examples of the park). From time to time, especially due to pandemic outbreaks, a park is no longer just a physical “place” but also a mobile “space” where people gather and have fun (i.e. online platform)
The main idea of the film:
Currently, more than one year since the COVID-19 outbreak, vaccines are invented, people are visioning the restoration of tourism and everything is returning back to normal. We are eager to resume face-to-face interaction and everything would restore happily ever after. However, the situation may not develop as we assumed. Under the drastic and immense changes of lifestyles we have adapted in the past and recent years due to the pandemic, something could never return to what it used to be.
Park, is the most iconic place that demonstrates people’s recreational habits. In the future, the park is still a park, but whether it’s still a physical place to visit, or it has shifted to an Internet-based mobile space for everyone? The film will try to provoke the thoughts of the audience, and my answer will be carried out at the end.
Filming techniques used:
1. Divided short scenes are used frequently throughout the film, which creates a unique rhythm to make the entire film more eye-catching.
2. Besides, I tried to use as few dialogues and monologues as possible. Attempting to visualize and convey the messages of the film by short and clear shots. For example at the very beginning of the film, I used a few shots of filling a water cup, making coffee, and eating cup noodles to show people’s boring daily routine at home under the pandemic without using a single dialogue.
Reason for the choices of filming places and topic:
Owing to the pandemic outbreak, we have to maintain social distancing, which keeps people physically apart. Therefore, we have shifted our way to connect with friends and our community, from physical to virtual online platforms. As the Internet is mobile, people can stay connected more easily than before, that’s also the reason I designed the topic as “mobile city”. That also affected my choice of filming place. Most of the scenes are taken at home and indoor instead of the actual physical park, which demonstrates a hidden message that recognition of the park by people has gradually shifted.
Research and initiatives:
Before I decide to choose this topic, I have carried out a google form survey and Instagram polling to collect people’s thoughts. A total of 92 people replied, 81.5% (75) of them agree that they use online conference software such as discord, zoom, etc for a recreational purpose more frequently than before. 43.5% (40) of them agree that as long as people can stay connected, a virtual platform including online video games or FaceTime group chat could be defined as “Park” as well. (The percentage is not high, but that’s interesting to observe that people have gradually changed their mindset to rely more on Internet connection with one another)
Also, according to Statista Research Department (2020), 17% of people never leave home due to the pandemic and 53% of them only go out 1-2 times per week. It reveals that the frequency of people outing has drastically dropped owing to the pandemic. Therefore, it is conceivable that the frequency of people visiting any sort of park would decrease. Amusement habits would probably change to online.
Personal Reflection:
That is the first time I construct a video all on my own, including plot design, filming, video shooting, etc. There is room for improvement in video filming and editing. But I’ve tried my best to do every part and the experience is so treasurable, including the application and actualization of concepts learned throughout the course. Indeed, I enjoyed the process so much.
Marco, Poon Kwan Yiu 3035797432
Reference:
1.) Statista Research Department, Weekly outing frequency during the confinement period in France 2020, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1110591/frequency-of-exit-while-the-containment-coronavirus/#statisticContainer
2.) background Music: Inspiring Cinematic Background Music for video: https://youtu.be/3sCGysVB41k
3.) Iphone notification sound effect: https://youtu.be/kQYVOjSnW1o
4.) Iphone typing sound effect: https://youtu.be/dZeKYWmSZkc
5.) Computer gameplay: https://youtu.be/cdQh7ywFpEk
Marco, Poon Kwan Yiu 3035797432
It is nice to see the daily routine during the pandemic, which is waking up, having meals, and working alone at home, in the video. The theme park carries our memory of having fun with our friends without any concern about the pandemic. We hope to get back to normal life and not worry about the infection anymore. Interestingly, it takes 20 more years to control the pandemic. I guess this is to imagine that everyone will spend their leisure time in the virtual playground. We will only communicate and play with our friends in video games. It is a good prediction of the future that how pandemic may affect our ways of communication and entertainment. We always remember our good old times when we lose them. Before the pandemic, we only see the park as a place for the children and elders. We would ignore the existence of the park. I agree that the virtual park can never replace the physical one because direct contact with others is desirable. Overall, it is a nice video.