[Field-Homework 3] Crisis City

 Themes, Subject, and Component

The video, Crisis City, presents a modern setting characterized by advanced developments in architecture and urbanization. It depicts the life of an urban city with vast and innovative buildings and developed infrastructure. Besides, the characters’ culture in the video presents a modern culture, as can be seen from their clothing and activities. The video set mainly focuses on the happenings in the alleyway, which helps communicate the movie’s themes and components (Rumiko Handa et al., 2011). Crisis City is about the happenings in a city along the alleyway. The activities in the alleyway change with time, but in both cases, the video presents the alleyway as a dangerous place for most individuals, especially women. From the video, it can be deduced that the alleyway alleviates crime and violent activities. During the day, few people tend to use the alleyway to lessen the time and distance taken. Some use the alleyway because it is the only passage to their destinations. In either case, the individuals using the alleyways are at risk of crime and violent activities (Rodolphe El-Khoury & Robbins, 2003). As discussed in this section, the video elucidates the theme of crisis city from the alleyway’s happenings, including violence and crime.

In the first instance, the video presents a woman using the alleyway during the day. At first, everything seems fine until she enters the covered area with dim lights. Even though she could see the other end of the alleyway. While in the alleyway, the woman gives her handbag to a man who has knives. He forces the woman into a dark spot and rip off her clothes. The other individuals using the alleyway didn’t in the scene at this time. This scene presents the alleyway as a scapegoat for individuals who do not respect the rights and interests of others. They not only robbed the woman but also disrespected her rights by ripping off her clothes.

This is based on a real event and originated in Ningbo, China. A 24-year-old girl surnamed Zhou was found dead in Haishu District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. The police investigated the scene and determined that it was a case of rape and murder. According to the m.E., the murder took place between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. on April 12. The crime scene is located in an alley between The South suburban Road and the overpass Road, where Zhou used to go to work every day. The video and the above discussions show that an alleyway can be deduced as a dangerous space in a modern setting. This is because of its increased chances of crisis and crime occurring, irrespective of time. Burglary activities, disrespect for the rights of the minority, such as women, and violence are all elements of the alleyway.

The video was purposely produced to depict the alleyway contributing to crime and crises in a modern setting. However, it relied on numerous data and research that involved fieldwork, experimentation, and compilation. Fieldwork methodology in research significantly contributed to the findings analyzed and used in the video concept and script (Levenberg et al., 2018). In the fieldwork, I carried out a survey involving 30 respondents. Three-quarters of the respondents actively contributed to the survey, while the rest contributed involuntarily. I randomly chose the respondents along an alleyway in the city. I also used questionnaires to assess their opinions of the alleyway and its dangers (Mckee & Dànielle Nicole Devoss, 2007). The questions presented in the questionnaires were open-ended, and the respondents expressed themselves about the alleyway. In addition, I also carried out research in previous literature about architecture and the filming industry. Several articles presented the alleyway as a negative construction in a modern setting. Most articles recommended that buildings be constructed with fewer alleyways to increase security, or security personnel should be assigned the obligation of securing the alleyways during the night and the day. I then compiled the data gathered from these methodologies, grouping them for efficient use and application.

Once organized, I came up with a concept for the video and the themes I would like to present in the video (Owens, 2017). In this case, I chose crisis and crime as the major themes. I then came up with characters and ideas that could help me present the idea sequentially and logically (Naydene De Lange et al., 2007). I chose women as a minority character and males as the dominant. After brainstorming ideas, I wrote the script and carried out pre-production (Musburger & Ogden, 2014). In the process, I assembled the necessary equipment I would require in the production and the relevant individuals and characters. After that, the video was shot and edited, ready for production.

 

References

Armstrong, R. (2000). Space architecture. Architectural Design; New York, NY.

Autor: Iwona Blazwick, Bunga, C., Maat–Museu De Arte, Arquitetura E Tecnologia (Lisbon, Portugal, & Fundação Carmona E Costa. (2019). The architecture of life: environments, sculptures, paintings, drawings, and films by Carlos Bunga. Maat; Barcelona.

Baudelaire, C., & Mayne, J. (2012). Painter of modern life and other essays. Phaidon.

Bruno, G. (2018). Atlas of emotion: journeys in art, architecture, and film. Verso.

Christoph Lindner. (2010). Globalization, violence, and the visual culture of cities. Routledge.

Diana Medina Lasansky. (2014). Archi.pop: mediating architecture in popular culture. Bloomsbury Acad.

Georges Perec, & Sturrock, J. (2008). Species of space and other pieces. Penguin.

Gyan Prakash. (2010). Noir urbanisms: dystopic images of the modern city. Princeton University Press.

Krause, L., Petro, P., & Netlibrary, I. (2003). Global cities: cinema, architecture, and urbanism in a digital age. Rutgers University Press.

Levenberg, L., Neilson, T., & Rheams, D. (2018). Research methods for the digital humanities. Palgrave Macmillan.

Mckee, H. A., & Dànielle Nicole Devoss. (2007). Digital writing research: technologies, methodologies, and ethical issues. Hampton Press.

Musburger, R. B., & Ogden, M. R. (2014). Single-camera video production. Focal P.

Naydene De Lange, Mitchell, C., & Stuart, J. (2007). Putting people in the picture: Visual methodologies for social change. Sense Publishers.

Owens, J. (2017). Video production handbook. New York; London Routledge, Taylor Et Francis Group.

Rodolphe El-Khoury, & Robbins, E. (2003). Shaping the city: studies in history, theory, and urban design. New York; London: Routledge.

Rumiko Handa, Potter, J. J., & Iain Borden. (2011). Conjuring the real: the role of architecture in eighteenth- and nineteenth-century fiction. University Of Nebraska Press.

 

Li Jinyue 3035950735

 

5 thoughts on “[Field-Homework 3] Crisis City

  1. 路星庙 says:

    The choice of angles is novel, and there is an interpretation in the middle. The video soundtrack and color are full of suspense, in line with the characteristics of the theme. The combination of the two makes it easy to get into the situation.

    Reply
  2. ZhuoranZhang  says:

    The dark tones and shaky camera work at the beginning of the video create a tense atmosphere that fits the theme of a crisis city. The use of video camera angles and background music is very good, and the script, which is based on real news, is very unique.

    Reply
  3. JingboWu  says:

    I really appreciate your connection between negligible urban areas such as alleys and some unexpected risks such as crime. Your project has revealed the dark and unsafe side of the city, which is the majority’s concern. Also, the dark tone and dim light in the film are depressed enough to create the surrounding of crisis, which is attractive. Thank you for presenting such a nice piece.

    Reply
  4. RishimaMathur  says:

    Really interesting video, and quite a different approach than some other ones I have seen so far. I really like how your visuals directly showcase your message, the dim lighting, low visual contrast and range of camera angles were very effective. At one point I checked to see if my laptop brightness was maxed out (it wasn’t!), but I guess in real life one can’t really do much other than being careful when walking through darkness as well. From watching this video I am curious about two things: 1) Is the condition different in different parts of the city, or in Hong Kong: are there some alleyways which have better design or receive residual lighting from elsewhere? Would people have different responses to walking through those or would they still consider them unsafe because they are alleyways? I wonder if there is a direct link between amount of light and feelings of safety. And 2) I wonder how this issue is being tackled in other countries, perhaps there are some good examples of alleyway design. Thanks for sharing the great video!

    Reply
  5. Lu Zhang says:

    ‘I appreciate your dramatic way of expressing the urban crisis spaces at night, which is creative and attractive. Also, I appreciate the effort you have paid into filming and researching. To show the content (people and space) more clearly, I suggest using a fill flash when shooting some night scenes, which is a common and practical technique in night scene shooting. You have a solid reference list, while I would recommend you add some about women and space that will strengthen your perception and expression of this theme.

    Reply

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