[Video Essay]: The Slow City: An Ethereal Exploration of Pier Melancholy
The theme and the settings
In Hong Kong, piers have played a historically important role in the transportation infrastructure, connecting people and goods to the surrounding areas. However, with the advent of a more technologically advanced era, reliance on ships for transportation has declined significantly. Piers have become the most precious and valuable leisure spaces in Hong Kong. The shift of piers from transportation hubs to leisure destinations is mainly due to the fast-paced lifestyle of Hongkongers as well as their growing desire to find a refuge from the city’s bustle and hustle of urban life. The piers offer a sense of peacefulness and tranquillity. They can escape from the noise and traffic of the city.
The film “Beyond the Dream,” directed by Kiwi Chow, served as a source of inspiration for me. This romantic melodrama depicts the challenges faced by two protagonists grappling with mental health issues. The story is told with refined visual language, featuring fantasy visuals that immerse the audience in a world that blurs the line between reality and dream.
Therefore, I aim to showcase the pier as a place where people can find solace and inspiration. The video background is set on the promenade in Tuen Mun. The first part of the story is about the emotional connection and support that can be found at the pier. While the second part of the story focuses on introspection and the courage to let go of the past.
The production:
The video employs various symbols to convey and deliver essential messages.
The heavy raindrop and umbrella.
Raindrops are associated with sadness, melancholy, or grief. They represent the tears and the character’s heartbreaking mood. Raindrops create a sombre and tense atmosphere with dark, muted and blue colours. A close-ups shot of raindrops is made to further create the melancholic mood.
However, with the umbrella, they can also represent renewal or rebirth, as rain is often seen as a cleansing force that washes away the old and brings in the new. The sound of raindrops falling on the umbrella, create a calming atmosphere which also gives a sense of safety.
Therefore, when the character is walking in the rain, it represents a sense of vulnerability or hopelessness, while a character sharing an umbrella represents a sense of camaraderie or support.
The sea waves and rusting texture of the piers
They both symbolize the elapse of time. With the technique of time-lapse photography, the time movement seems to be catchable by viewers. They can follow the flow of time.
The lighter and fire
They represent renewal and hope. The pier’s beauty is heightened at night. The lights and fire create a dreamlike atmosphere, where reality and fantasy blur. An expired newspaper was burnt showing our courage to let go of the past.
Conclusion:
The relationship between love and the pier in film is a long-standing motif that has been used to evoke emotions of romance, nostalgia, and hope. The pier, with its expansive view of the sea and its rustic charm, has served as a backdrop to many love stories, offering a place of refuge and intimacy for couples.
3036075984 Wong Tin Lok
Bibliography
Melancholy and architecture https://www.ehdo.com.au/detours/melancholy-and-architecture
Chan, Ka-Ming. “A Space Out of Unitary Nationalism: Revisiting Hong Kong Cinema.” Indian Journal of Asian Affairs, vol. 34, no. 1/2, 2021, pp. 37–58. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/27091695. Accessed 14 May 2023.
周冠威 et al. 幻愛 = Beyond the dream. 香港: 鐳射企業有限公司, 2020. Film.
Conveying Emotion Through Cinematography, by Ties Versteegh, Cinematographer https://academy.wedio.com/how-to-convey-emotion-in-film/
“Beyond the Dream” 2019, Movie review by Kelvin Ma https://www.yesasia.com/us/yumcha/beyond-the-dream-2020-blu-ray-hong-kong-version/1097747170-0-0-0-en/professional-review.html
what is symbolism: https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-symbolism-definition/
montage: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/what-is-montage-in-filmmaking-how-to-create-a-memorable-montage
language of symbolism: https://www.frankwbaker.com/mlc/language-of-film-symbolism/
I am extremely amazed by your video.
In terms of visual design, the chiaroscuro lighting effectively build the mood of a mix of melancholy and peace. I especially like the scene where the main acter lights up his news paper, showing the contrast of light and darkness. Moreover, the use of close-up shots, and long shots are all well filmed, showing the audience the relationship between human and space, so as the pure emotion of main character himself. The closeup shots featuring the drawings on the weathered concrete are also great ways to symbolize the slowly-decaying situation of a romantic relationship.
In terms of content, the story in the video is well narrated even with no narratives and minimal use of text, revealing the final stage of a love story. The calming atmosphere of the pier provided the space and time for this kind of emotion expression. Nevertheless, it would be better if you could leave more area to explain more on how the characteristics of piers, such as the rusting texture, makes the city “Slow”.
Beautiful work overall.
I think the title is very appropriately chosen to best describe this work. The word ‘Melancholy’ is one with many interpretations but it all alludes to one singular connotation. This idea of sadness is very well portrayed within this video because of its colour choices, lighting, the time it was being filmed, the characters and so much more. I think the concept of chapters in the video really sets things into place and in this case helped progress the plot which only deepens the idea of melancholy. The additions of various objects/props that have a strict symbolic purpose really set the mood through which the viewer can properly comprehend the message of this melancholic feeling.
hi, great to see your video. This video uses a rain and montage techniques to string together the narrative of the entire video. In the video, there is no detailed character dialogue, but the audience can understand the meaning of the author. The visual design is beautiful.