Crisis City: The Corridor
Description of the theme
Like a corridor, there is still a long way to defeat the covid-19 pandemic in Hong Kong.
Corridor, originated from corridoio, which means running place, is a long passage in a building from which doors lead into rooms. A private place. Unfortunately, I could not access most of the corridors in my city because of social distancing. Therefore I try to present the corridor out of my home, a place I am familiar with, in a different way. I recognize the corridor of each floor is structurally the same and connected by stairs. Its similarity and discontinuity attracted me; then, I linked its characteristics to what Hong Kong has suffered since two years ago: four waves of the pandemic, which have similar patterns yet no significant associations.
Research Methods and Making of the video
I visit the actual site, examine its structure, and created a story base on it. The story talks about a man who found himself is trapped in a corridor that cycles endlessly and cannot escape from a sick elderly who is reading news regarding the covid-19 pandemic. When he finally breaks the cycle, he takes off his mask and rest, the elderly reappears. As the elderly represent the threat brought by the pandemic, the man yield to it at the end of the day, which should be a cautionary tale for the audience that we are still under crisis.
Objectives and reflections
I attempt to shape the image of a crisis city from different perspectives. First, our freedom and privacy are under control to stop the virus from spreading. To present this idea, I stimulate the vision of CCTV when I go out from my home. Moreover, the shot that captures the door’s closure when I go downstairs suggests there is an observer that is watching our behaviors. It also implies that I am stuck in the cycle.
Second, our emotions and attentions are grasped by this elusive killer. To present this idea, I changed the video from first-person to third-person. I lose control of myself and my surroundings; I am chased by something ‘invisible’, fall prey to fear and anxiety. When I finally cannot endure it, I seem to escape from the cycle; however, it is only wishful thinking. Tough time as it is, we must prepare for a protracted war against the pandemic; otherwise, the vicious cycle will put Hong Kong in danger time after time.
Third, Hong Kong is an international city; our situation is closely related to the globe, for instance, imported cases from South and Southeast Asia. I use news that is reported in different languages as background sound to reflects this worldwide disaster. The darker color of costumes and dimmer light in the corridor indicates the gloomy future of human beings.
Last but not least, especially during the covid-19 pandemic, the corridor shows its importance in hospitals. Because of inadequate patient rooms, patients are put in the corridor. Moreover, we can still recall our memories about how doctors run in the corridor to rescue lives. To show my respect for their contributions, I wear pure white in this video. To conclude, the corridor is the lifeline of our crisis city, which will lead to a silver lining at the end of the day.
Music used: Singin’ In The Rain · Gene Kelly (Provided to YouTube by Watertower Music)
Floorplan:
StoryBoard:
Reference:
- 90人確診 31個案源頭不明. (2020, December 04). Retrieved May 18, 2021, from https://www.news.gov.hk/chi/2020/12/20201203/20201203_173602_310.html
- ANNnewsCH. (2021, May 17). 【Live】お昼のニュース～最新情報と昨日のおさらい(2021年5月17日) ▼新型コロナ最新情報. Retrieved May 18, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXcWyeVjHA8
- Bbcnews. (2021, May 16). India’s pandemic claims lives of many teachers forced to run election polling stations – BBC News. Retrieved May 18, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7Msop_bqLI
- France24. (2021, May 14). Chute de la Natalité en ITALIE : La situation A encore EMPIRÉ avec LA PANDÉMIE de Covid-19. Retrieved May 18, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_PXPMg6eso
- 收緊防疫措施 減人流遏疫情. (2020, December 08). Retrieved May 18, 2021, from https://www.news.gov.hk/chi/2020/12/20201208/20201208_162805_968.html
- 疫情反彈 控疫形勢嚴峻. (2021, March 15). Retrieved May 18, 2021, from https://www.news.gov.hk/chi/2021/03/20210315/20210315_172743_286.html
Leung Kui Ming, 3035784796
Credits: My parents (Don’t want to disclose their name)
The usage of corridors to create an endless loop to convey the feeling of crisis is really amazing, paired with no dialogue and suitable audio and background music. I really like the set design of how the elderly is just normally reading newspaper at first, but the second time there are messy newspapers all around the set with the elderly still reading newspaper like nothing is wrong. Paired with the increasing amount of COVID-19 news reports, the feeling of fear and dread really builds up after the seemingly peaceful and nostalgic music.
Excellent! The story is simple but comprehensive. It points to “what our fear is” directly and dramatically. The film has great tension and contrast. In the first part, the character walking on the staircase with BGM “singing in the rain” builds a relaxing atmosphere and reflects the character’s mood. In contrast, after he finds out that he seems to be stuck in the corridor, the BGM moves to overlap news voices which correspond to the scene of messy newspapers, emphasizing the character’s fear. I really love the iconic and humorous ending. It reminds me of O Henry’s novels. The color, red and blue, and characters’ expressions, smile and astonishing, integrate comedy into the tone of fear. The ending is the highlight of the film.
Mao Yue Yang Lesley 3035770549
I really like and enjoy your video! It is really entertaining while you conduct the message to the audience so clearly. I love the idea that the endless(4) loop in corridors representing the endless(4) pandemic waves in HK, which is really creative. The characteristics of corridors are well identified and utilized (especially when I am assigned with the same space, I used a lot of time to think but nothing good comes up 🙁 ) I am really impressed by your ideas and every shot are meaningful. The audio of mixing news report with different languages also surprised me. The speed up and movement of camera very well depicted a fear atmosphere. All in all, the whole video is excellent, not a second is boring and it is such a masterpiece.
It is an entertaining video with good use of site. Nice settings and camera angles to build tension. There are quite a lot of metaphors in this video that are relatable. I wonder which part of the video did you research the most? To me, the layout of your building is very different from normal residential blocks in Hong Kong as there is a little outdoor garden. Did people hangout in the outdoor garden during the pandemic? How did it change the spatial quality of the corridors? Why did you choose to let your grandma sit in the garden instead of meeting her in the corridor? If you could add a small session in your video/ essay to explain your choices, I am sure it will reveal more issues on spatial design and the pandemic.