[Field-Homework 3] Crowded City

Description

 

The video is about how crowded Hong Kong is as a city. It depicts how crowded Hong Kong is by displaying rooftops. The use of rooftops hopes to portray contrast between the crowded nature of rooftops and the streets down below aims to emphasize and illustrate just how crowded Hong Kong is. What originally drew me to rooftops is past memories as a child in Hong Kong. Therefore, the main character is me, and the video is about my experiences and personal feelings towards rooftops as I journey through the crowded city to find peace and quiet away from the hustle and bustle.

 

The locations featured in this video are the streets and rooftops of Causeway Bay and Mong Kok as well as rooftops of residential buildings in Kennedy Town. The reasoning behind using Causeway Bay and Mong Kok as examples are the characteristics behind each location. Causeway Bay and Mong Kok are amongst the most popular destinations for locals and tourists alike, however, the spacing within the two locations are moderate. There is a decent amount of free space for crowds to move through, which in my opinion gives a very accurate balance of what Hong Kong feels like. Crowded and claustrophobic, but yet not too much so as to not completely ruin someone’s living or visiting experience. The use of Kennedy town is simply because it’s where I currently reside.

 

The timing for the filming was during weekdays and weekends during work and after work hours. This is to ensure there is a balance and equality in crowd size.

 

Methodology

 

Inspiration and research: 

I chose rooftops as my chosen area of research since it is a type of site that holds childhood memories that I am very fond of. It also ties into my current major of Environmental Science whereby we look for ways to better the living quality of everyone through betterment of the surrounding environment. One of the methods we learnt of is rooftop gardens. Rooftop gardens are becoming more popular as people become more educated in nutrition and the environment. However, the reason why I did not pursue rooftop gardens as my way of showing of rooftops is because of emotional conflict with my fond memories of adventuring and barbecuing on rooftops as a kid. As such I decided to settle on using rooftops as a mean of displaying the issue of crowdedness in Hong Kong since it is also a subject I am interested in as someone returning to Hong Kong after 1 and a half decades away.

 

Site research:

The method of researching sites is very simple. The use of google earth to scout potential sites and using google maps to arrive at the destination. After selecting potential locations I would carry out primary research by visiting the site and scouting out the locations during the same time I would use for filming. The site criteria was areas of either open areas of crowds surrounded by tall modern buildings for the street scenes. For the rooftops there was no real criteria. I found that most rooftops were rather small and had little open area for activity. Usual activities included hanging laundry and small gardening on the side. However, the roof spaces were often underutilized or the space was inefficiently used. It was often the older buildings that had more activity on the roof, more modern buildings prioritized aesthetics over functionality. Or rather the functionality of the rooftop was to provide an aesthetic rest space. However, the modern building rooftops were exclusive to a single tenant and almost never open to public use. Hence, this is why I decided to use rooftops to show how crowded Hong Kong is and the potential extra space that lies in rooftops to create a more space efficient Hong Kong.

 

Shot types:

This video mainly uses still shots using a tripod and handheld tracking shots. The use of the tripod to take still shots is to give a sense of security and stability in establishing the scene and view. The use of handheld shots in the tracking shots is deliberate. I felt that the natural shake of the camera from handheld shots connects the viewer to the time and place more sincerely and gives a sense of immersion with the scene itself. I thought that it would allow the viewer to feel more empathetic for the situation on screen and feel as if they are adventuring with me through the crowded streets and tranquil rooftops. The choice of using tracking shots is to bring the viewer along with me as I journey between locations and streets.

References:

Chen, H. Y., & McFarlane, C. (2023). Density and precarious housing: overcrowding, sensorial urbanism, and intervention in Hong Kong. Housing Studies, 1-19.

 

Wang, T., & Pryor, M. (2019). Social value of urban rooftop farming: a Hong Kong case study. Agricultural Economics-Current Issues.

Hau Tuen Adrian Yung

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