Theme of the video: Disappearing — City
Director: Tsang Ka Ho
Photo/montage credits:
RTHK Broadcast
VectorStock
HK01 News
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department
When it comes to playground, I do not have much idea about it. It seems not to be one of our most-used daily facilities. The last time I have been playing in a park is about 7-8 years ago, with my friends and families. All my left-impression is recalled from my childhood time, which I cherish the memories when I play with my classmates and friends. I start to wonder, is it true that playgrounds are still popular nowadays? Does it still function as the way in my remembrance as before? All of these came up to my mind when I was to design my filming. Therefore, I think of the most frequent user of playgrounds — children.
Obviously that I cannot interview a child directly and ask what he or she thinks. Straightly speaking, they do not care much other than playing. I then plan to observe the playgrounds next to my home and take photographs of it. Unfortunately, due to the worsening COVID-19 pandemic, some the playgrounds are temporarily shut down. For those which are not, most of them are desolated—At most one to two kids are there — probably people are afraid of staying long outside.
I then try to approach my research in a different way. I found and read different news article or TV episodes that are related to children, entertainment or playgrounds to find out how they are related. There is something eye-catching — in the modern todays’ time, a majority (75.4%) of the children choose to play electronic games and card games as their major way of entertainment as revealed in a survey. Then I start to ponder: Does it mean that the existence of playgrounds is meaningless nowadays? The kids are even not to visit them!
Soon did I realize, there should be some alternative purposes for children playing in a playground besides entertainment. For instance, learn to socialize with the others and improving family relation. However, the deeper I go into my research, an irrefutable fact is that families are really putting less and less attention and time to this place. In a survey, children (64%) thinks that their parents do not play with them sufficiently, and hence they rarely play in a playground. Therefore, I am to put forward the hypothesis that ‘‘Playgrounds are less significant nowadays’’.
Why is it? Well, it will be better if I left it to you after the video. My insight from the research is that children find the excitement from playgrounds are not enough to satisfy them.
The theme of this video is about disappearance. What are playgrounds built for? Here, disappearance does not only mean the demolition of playgrounds in its physical state (reserve the land for other alternative uses), but also the disappearance (demotion) of its position in today’s children mind compared to that in my childhood time.
For my production of the film, at the very first beginning, this video shows several stills of different playgrounds in Hong Kong. They are mostly photographs that I took from the playgrounds next to my home. Some are from other documentary that I have found and watched online for research purpose. Starting with these few stills, it gives viewers with a brief idea of how the entertainment facilities are located within one playground and, how the playground is placed next to residential flats. These would help a viewer who are unfamiliar with ‘’playgrounds’’ to get into the topic. From bright to dark, from crowded to desolated, this gradual change also echoes and reveals the fade of significance of playground among citizens (especially children).
During the video, the major ways used to convey my message (=Playgrounds are less significant nowadays) is on-screen text and figures (contrast between yesterday playgrounds and nowadays playgrounds). Since it is hard to make deep contrast solely by my own pictures taken recently, I decide to take some of the other’s footage or stills to do so. Moreover, to make it easier to follow and understand, the pace and background music are relatively slower, and the time elapsed between scenes are deliberately longer to allow time of reflections and inspired thoughts from viewers.
After shooting this video, I am also inspired to have a reflection on my relationships with my family and friends. Am I ignorant of them? Do I spend enough time with them? I used to over–devote my time into my personal interest. Then how can a relationship be maintained close and intimate while only one or none of them dedicates effort into it? It is left for us to think.
I have probably found out an explanation for the demotion of playground, or not just it.
Reference List
1. 2019 Hong Kong Children Happiness Survey, The Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong (BGCA).
2. Let’s play together! Hong Kong Connection
3. How Hong Kong kids use electronic devices? The Department of Health
https://www.chp.gov.hk/files/pdf/ncd_watch_march_2019_chin.pdf
4. A news article: Reopening of the playgrounds, HK01
https://www.hk01.com/%E8%A6%AA%E5%AD%90/761655/%E5%85%92%E7%AB%A5%E9%81%8A%E6%A8%82%E5%A0%B4%E9%87%8D%E9%96%8B-%E5%AA%BD%E5%AA%BD%E5%8D%B3%E6%94%9C%E5%85%92%E5%AD%90%E6%94%BE%E9%9B%BB-%E8%A6%81%E5%A0%B1%E5%BE%A9%E5%BC%8F%E5%92%81%E7%8E%A9-%E4%B8%80%E9%99%A3%E5%86%8D%E5%8E%BB%E5%9C%96%E6%9B%B8%E9%A4%A8
5. Report on usage on children playgrounds in Hong Kong 2017
http://research.hkspc.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/playground_report_F.pdf
6. Hong Kong Society for the protection of children http://research.hkspc.org/%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E5%85%AC%E5%85%B1%E5%85%92%E7%AB%A5%E9%81%8A%E6%A8%82%E5%A0%B4%E8%A8%AD%E6%96%BD%E8%88%87%E4%BD%BF%E7%94%A8%E6%83%85%E6%B3%81%E8%AA%BF%E6%9F%A5/
7. Baudelaire, Charles, and Jonathan. Mayne (1964). The Painter of Modern Life and Other Essays. London: Phaidon Press.
8. South China Morning Post
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3010844/one-fifth-hong-kong-parents-under-too-much-strain-home
9. Prakash, G. (2010). Noir urbanisms: Dystopic images of the modern city. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press
Tsang Ka Ho-3035924310
After watching the author’s video and article, I learned about the reasons for the downgrading of playgrounds. Indeed, on the one hand, parents are busy at work, reducing a lot of parent-child time and play time with their children. On the other hand, due to the prevalence of video games and card games, there are too many teenagers and children staying indoors to indulge in the virtual world in electronic products, greatly reducing the frequency of outdoor activities. I have to say that this is a very sorry state of affairs, and I hope that in the near future, more playgrounds will return to their former prosperity, and more parents will lead their children to play happily together in the playground.
With the disappearance of playgrounds, you find a change in social relationships between children and parents or even the people who have a social connection with them. It is quite an innovative idea. The filming technique you used is also quite suitable. You put the pictures of different periods of playgrounds. Accordingly, viewers can directly see the considerable difference between the past and the current, hence realizing the disappearance of “Social Intimacy” It also reminds me that whether I ignore my relationships with my family or not. Do I need to accompany my family members more?
Clear research question with some level of virtual and field research. The video’s visual style can be more consistent and you can also consider incorporating some visual techniques. Perhaps more virtual research into the design of playgrounds and their history could also deepen the research.