[Field-Homework 3] Eco City: Rubbish bin

Youtube link: https://youtu.be/Ge36Lmi96z0

Directed by Li Mei Yiu Belinda

Description of the theme

The film object is an orange rubbish bin, which is not any rubbish bin on the street. In particular, the model was launched in 2016 with a smaller opening by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department . The recent launch of Municipal Solid Waste Charging inspired me to produce the video, raising my attention to waste management. For the last couple of months, I have seen more of the new rubbish bin models appear on the street, with an even smaller opening. Eventually, they will replace the old models, and the old model will disappear. A smaller opening of the rubbish bin was supposed to prevent the public from disposing of household and commercial waste on the street. However, based on my observation, the smaller opening does not seem to be serving its purpose. The following essay will focus on the efficacy of the 2016 model compared with the older model.

The video is set in Kwun Tong. In the past, Kwun Tong was an industrial district, with a high density of industrial buildings. Although most factories have now relocated, their architecture remains. Nowadays, most of the industrial buildings have been transformed for residential use, with some even being used for commercial purposes, such as restaurants and cafes.

The high density of residents and commercial buildings make this location ideal. The dense population means that a large amount of trash is disposed of on a regular basis. However, with only one refuse collection point nearby, most of the people would have to use the public rubbish bins. Thus, investigating this area can test whether or not the current model of bins works as planned.

Investigation

In order to investigate the usefulness of the current kind of rubbish bin, I thoroughly walked around the Kwun Tong area. By observing a large number of rubbish bins,  an objective evaluation of their efficacy can be carried out.

I hypothesize that the smaller opening will not help reduce the amount of household trash in the public rubbish bins. Instead, it would lead to more bags of rubbish placed next to the bins. 

From the results, it can be seen that although the government has released policies against placing rubbish outside the bins, this did not stop people from doing so. For instance, it is against the law to dump refuse beside litter bins or anywhere other than the designated collection points of the FEHD. Offenders may face a $25,000 fine and a 6-month jail term. Nonetheless, it is clearly evident that such policies are ineffective by the rubbish next to the bins in many of the shots.

Video Techniques

The on-screen text has been used in the videos to enable the audience to understand the theme more clearly, especially waste management itself, which is a complex concept. With the help of the text, the main message of the video can be effectively conveyed. At the end of the video, I used questions to capture the audience’s attention and encourage them to reflect on Hong Kong’s waste management as well as their own habits in managing waste.

Apart from on-screen text, different camera angles were used throughout the video. First of all, using a ​​bird’s eye view helps explore the spatial relationships between the rubbish bin and the trash next to it. Viewing the rubbish bin from above produces a two-dimensional projection of its surroundings. From this view, the rubbish bin takes up less space in the frame, while the rubbish beside it takes up the majority of the space. As a result, this accentuates the space that the external bags of trash take up, implying the inconvenience that it must bring to the public, both visually and spatially.

Moreover, I placed my camera on a tripod, which also acted as a monopod. This equipment allowed me to capture angles that a phone camera normally can not. For instance, there is a scene where I used a monopod to insert the camera into the trash can to record its interior. This viewing angle is usually inaccessible to the everyday person. Placing the camera inside the rubbish bin produces a close-up shot of the trash. Focusing on the uncleanliness of the trash may evoke a sense of guilt in viewers who usually discard their trash outside of the bins because it underlines the unhygienic nature of leaving trash outside the bin.

Reflection

The production of the video was challenging. Before the shooting, I made a storyboard and planned which camera angles to use and the details of the scenes, such as shooting a rubbish bin with a high waste volume and the rubbish aside. However, I encountered challenges such as the timing being not right; when I got to the shooting scene, cleansing workers emptied the rubbish bin. Despite the challenges, it inspired me to take shots before and after to discuss the actual effects of the new type of rubbish bins.

Bibliography

UID: 3036179273
Li Mei Yiu Belinda