Youtube Video link: https://youtu.be/1UVBvGNu3nM
- Description of the theme and subject matter
Shenzhen, originally a small fishing village, has been developing into a modern metropolis at a high speed since its reform and opening up. High-rise office buildings, shopping malls, and MTR had been constructed, covering all corners of the city. Under such circumstances, Shenzhen’s environment has not been significantly polluted. Moreover, Shenzhen was rated as one of the top 10 beautiful cities in mainland China, and the first ‘National Ecological Civilization Construction Demonstration City’. In order to explore the reasons behind this, I considered which site can properly reflect this situation. I chose Litchi Park for an in-depth investigation. Before filming, I conduct some rough research through online information and friends who live nearby. Litchi Park is located in Futian District, which is the Central Business District of Shenzhen, can be regarded as a ‘green pearl’ in the heart of downtown Shenzhen. It is a well-maintained old park, established in 1982(shortly after the reform and opening up), named after the self-contained lychee grove of over 500 pavilions within the park. The Park covers an area of 28.8 hectares, with Hongling Road to the east, the Shennan Middle Road Museum to the south, the residential area to the west and Hongli Road to the north. After having a basic understanding of this place, I decided to go on a field trip.
2. Method of conducting the research and producing the video; and reflections
To obtain a better observation of the park, I set myself up as a first-time visitor to Shenzhen. I filmed in the form of a documentary, which I think it’s the most appropriate way to present my research and can give me the most intuitive feeling. I visited there on a weekday morning. Despite the fact that it was a weekday, there were still many people. After entering the park, I started by walking along the widest path in the whole park, it was designed for those who have trouble with their legs. The roadside is planted with various types of palm trees and has a large area of meadow, allowing people to have picnics as well as fly kites here. Because it was during the daytime, the lighting is great with sufficient sunshine. Highly saturated greens and blues from trees and the sky create a feeling of vibrant, energetic, and expansive. A documentary needs to be objective; I didn’t change the colors of frames so that it can demonstrate reality without being distorted. Going a little bit further in, an artificial lake called Lit Lake came into view. People used to row boats here, but the facilities are not available now due to some special reasons. Several bridges and pavilions built around the lake, and some people go fishing here. The Lake was surrounded by a basket of commercial buildings. I use a vertical panning filming technique to simulate the bottom-up movement of my head (from the lake surface to the sky), giving a close-up of the Kingkey 100 Tower—the second-highest building and a landmark of Shenzhen. This indicates that Litchi Park has witnessed the course of a city’s history. All along the way, I could hear birds singing, how adorable it is to have such sounds as relaxing music. It also reflects that the ecological environment is well-protected therefore all creatures here have a good living standard. Under a large banyan tree, I recorded a middle-aged couple kicking shuttlecock in form of static photography, youngsters playing badminton and jogging, elderly doing Tai Chi in form of horizontal tracking with permission. I interviewed the couple about this park, they said that when they are inside the park, they feel like they are in nature instead of a modern city. Additionally, it is not totally natural, it was well-equipped with different kinds of facilities including entertaining, exercising, cultural and so on. It improved the well-being of citizens by providing a place for them to get rid of stressful fast-paced life. Referring to the responses of the couples, I began to find the cultural facility. Passing through a door, I found several houses with a plaque that has the words ‘Shenzhen Poetry Society’ written on it. Inside, there is a very elegant ‘Artists’ Gallery’, where the works of famous calligraphers and painters from all over the country are exhibited all year round. This has greatly improved the cultural taste of the park and has played a role in cultivating people’s sentiments, improving their appreciation of art, and promoting the construction of spiritual civilization. What’s more, in some corners of the park, there are also propaganda boards for garbage classification and environmental protection. All of the above reflects that Shenzhen has done a good job in managing and protecting the ecological environment even under the pandemic. From my point of view, Shenzhen can be regarded as an ecological city. I really enjoyed the step-by-step process of writing the plan for the video, filming, and editing the video. It is quite interesting to apply the theoretical skills I learned in the lectures to filming field trips. In general, it is a fresh experience.
References:
1. 荔枝公园 百度百科https://baike.baidu.com/item/荔枝公园/8615380?fr=aladdin
2. Kroll, N. (2021, May 26).The Psychology Of Color Grading & Its Emotional Impact. Noam Kroll. https://noamkroll.com/the-psychology-of-color-grading-its-emotional-impact-on-your-audience/
Lam Tsz Ching 3035951090
You documented the Litchi Park and the various activities which take place within it. However, there seems to be lacking a specific research question, which could not only deepen your analysis and understanding of the space, but also structure your project. As you used the term ‘ecological’, bringing in other references on the concept may help you develop a clearer research direction.