For my video I chose the title “Public City” as I feel it summarizes the shopping mall accurately, as stated in my video, it is a place where people of all conditions are able to enter, it’s a place solely to satisfy the public’s consumerist needs. The main concept of my topic is navigating the mall through the lens of an old woman with camptocormia, and how despite the “publicness” and accommodation for disabled people in the mall’s architectural design, there is this feeling of loneliness that permeates her. The title of “Public City ” is oxymoronic to the subject of the film, as while the design of the mall supports her, allowing her access to facilities like how everyone else would, her inability to relate with people around her can perhaps create this feeling of being lost within the crowd. The underlying theme of the video is that of loneliness within the urban city climate as represented through the mall. Finally, the setting of the mall I chose was Tai Po Mega Mall, as it was the location where I first encountered the old lady who inspired the protagonist of my film.
For the background of the film, I based the idea of my film on real-life inspiration. There was an old lady which I encountered a couple of times during my mall visits, she particularly stood out to me due to her back being so far back it seemed as if she couldn’t look up, she became the inspiration for the protagonist of my short film. Her condition was sympathetic and had me wondering how she experiences the mall compared to others. I never managed to ask for her name, so I came up with the name Lian, meaning “lotus flower.” The lotus flower is known to flourish even in the murkiest of waters, which I felt was symbolic, as even in the condition Lian is in, she is able to live through those challenges and restrictions, and flourish within this rough environment. She was created as an amalgamation of my own feeling of loneliness in the mall, as well as what I felt her real-life inspiration would feel.
I collected the research in two different ways, one of which was the first-hand observation of the mall, looking at every feature within the mall’s architectural design which serves to assist the disabled. Since the mall I chose was relatively close, the method of research was rather convenient. Having the protagonist interact with the architectural features of the mall was key in showing how the mall’s architectural design assisted the movement of the disabled, as well as showing the difference in perspective between Lian and regular civilians. Next, I researched the condition the old woman I met in the mall had, I wasn’t certain, as the causes were heterogeneous. But camptormia seemed to be the most similar, so I decided to use that illness as the condition for Lian. Campotormia is a condition that gives the person an abnormal spinal inflection of more than 45 degrees; the condition is only visible when walking but can be alleviated while sitting or lying down (Prachaya Srivanitchapoom and Mark Hellet 2016). From this information, I began shooting the film.
The film was shot at a low angle, mimicking the perspective of Lian see’s. Not just in a physical way, but also in an emotional way as well, it enhances the feeling of isolation within the environment. The panning of the camera from left to right, up and down shows her difficulty walking in a stable manner due to the weight of her back. I wanted the majority of the film to be rather casual, mostly talking about how she navigates through the mall and all the architectural facilities she utilizes to do so. But towards the end Lian finally stops and sits down; it gives a sense of relief as she is finally able to see her surroundings in a clear manner shown by how the camera is stable and no longer at a low angle. She reflects on her feelings of isolation, and inability to relate to the people around her. The final shot of the film involves a slow pan up to the sky, implying despite her illness and isolation holding her back, she will continue persevering forward, ending on an optimistic note.
Overall, this film allowed me to understand the architectural environment of the mall better, and develop an idea of what a disabled person would feel within the mall.
Ku Raymond Man Yim
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References:
Srivanitchapoom P, Hallett M, Camptocormia in Parkinson’s disease: definition, epidemiology, pathogenesis and treatment modalitiesJournal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 2016;87:75-85.
“Lian.” Lian – Baby Name Meaning, Origin and Popularity. Accessed May 13, 2022. https://www.thebump.com/b/lian-baby-name.
Shaheda N. Azher, Joseph Jankovic Neurology Aug 2005, 65 (3) 355-359; DOI: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000171857.09079.9f
Lepoutre A, Devos D, Blanchard-Dauphin A, et alA specific clinical pattern of camptocormia in Parkinson’s diseaseJournal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 2006;77:1229-1234.
Lenoir, T., Guedj, N., Boulu, P. et al. Camptocormia: the bent spine syndrome, an update. Eur Spine J 19, 1229–1237 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-010-1370-5
Melamed E, Djaldetti R. Camptocormia in Parkinson’s disease. J Neurol. 2006 Dec;253 Suppl 7:VII14-16. doi: 10.1007/s00415-006-7004-5. PMID: 17131221.
Djaldetti R, Melamed ECamptocormia in Parkinson’s disease: new insightsJournal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry 2006;77:1205.
Gómez-Puerta, J.A., Peris, P., Grau, J.M. et al. Camptocormia as a clinical manifestation of mitochondrial myopathy. Clin Rheumatol 26, 1017–1019 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-006-0259-5
Great film! I find the concept to be very intriguing, being inspired by a personal experience is a very creative idea, yet a visualisation of how architecture in malls could better improve perfect the lives of disabled people. Although the visual design of the film is very simple, focusing mainly on a first-perspective with a combination of panning camera movements, I think it achieves its purpose of creating a grounded filmic approach by capturing the daily struggles of a disabled person as well as creating this atmosphere of loneliness. Perhaps, some suggestions could be to include narration to allow the viewers to focus on the subject matter rather than the text. Another suggestion could be to add a drop shadow effect on the captions and make the text white to provide greater contrast compared to the background, this would make it easier for the viewers to read.
Appreciate how you filmed from an old lady’s point of view. I wonder if she walks at a similar speed as a youth like you? Could vision and speed be elements that isolate her from others in the mall? How do others use the mall differently than her? In the short clip, I don’t see the old lady enter any shop. Sometimes this is the situation of the elderly, entering the mall just to enjoy the air conditioner. Yet, in recent years, a lot of malls decided to remove seatings to get rid of these people. Perhaps you could also delve deeper into various unwelcoming moments of the mall to have a more comprehensive understanding of the isolation issue.