[Video Essay] Public City

 

 

Link: https://youtu.be/o7LOoIYvg_0

Title: Public city — Shared emotions under masks

Site: Bus stops（Chengdu, Sichuan, China)

 

Wearing masks when walking around

Wearing masks when riding

Wearing masks when driving

Wearing masks when waiting alone

 

Under the repetitive and unpredictable disaster caused by the Covid-19 virus, the public must wear masks everywhere, anytime. It’s unlikely to observe others and share emotional resonance nowadays. I can’t stop wondering: Is wearing masks COVER our face? Or COVER our feelings and life?

I conduct research based on the bus stops, and they will answer my puzzle.

 

1.” Bus stop is the ’emotional leak’ for every city” —–Research background and Analysis

Depending on the developing level and geographical reasons, some cities may not be equipped with underground transportation. However, buses driving on the road are likely to appear everywhere. Take Chengdu as an example, 20,937,800 residents in total with 14,000 city buses, which run along more than 750 routes, serving 1.5 billion passengers each year. With low travel expenses and frequent departures, the city bus has become one of the main modes of transportation locally. In addition to the regular city buses, there are also fast buses, sightseeing buses, night buses, etc.

 

The emotion and information that lie behind a small stop is incredibly large. Apply the contents in Lecture 5, bus stops are similar and boring PLACE themselves. However, by adding intersections of mobile elements, they are turned into SPACE with the movement of numerous passengers. They are composed of vectors of physical elements and behaviors and emotions of the public. Celso(2015) stated that discomfort and satisfaction are aspects often associated with these spaces, and they affect the daily lives of hundreds of thousands of users. In my video, both positive and negative aspects are captured. For example, anxious workers and happy couples are components of the space, the electro-mobile with colorful balloons and the elders with woven bags also contribute to the whole space.

 

2. “Contrasts, voyeur and frame rates” —-Methods

Contrasts are the main feature throughout this video. The spots are quite flat and straightforward–only bus stations, a sense of depth, and switch between different emotions are expressed by contrasts. The change of lights is leading this video. According to Adorama(2021), lighting has the ability to talk in filmmaking. For instance, hard light is best used for tense scenes, while soft or low-intensity lighting gives a sense of calm.

 

The light is in moderate mode during the daytime, not blazing, not dark. The reason I choose a cloudy day is to give a feeling of a random day as usual and demonstrate the way the city works every day. When the city goes into the night, the sources of lights become diversified, bright and spacious lights from the stores along the streets, pointed and crowded red glow from the cars, and soft and peaceful lights from the moon. All those elements consist of an energetic and prosperous image of the city. Under this atmosphere, the activities of the public are strongly connected with the city, adding more elements to it.

 

The actualization of space is conducted by a sence of flâneur and voyeur. Most of the clips are general object observers without any purpose. The camera acts as a recorder for the whole city, capturing any characters from various positions. As Chris states(2022), a third-person point of view is used to keep distance between the character and the audience. In order to break down this distance, I chose to be a voyeur, acting as a participant in the scenario, such as a passenger on the bus. In this way, eye contact and communication increase significantly.

 

The third point worth mentioning is the natural and fluent transitions by shooting at different frame rates. In other words, the higher the frame rate, the faster frames will load, making the viewing experience smoother. Audience reference research in 2015 provides evidence that viewers prefer high frame-rate film by collecting data from five attributes, including realism, motion smoothness, blur/clarity, quality of depth, and overall preference. Thus, I design several high frame rate cuts to reveal more details, demonstrating emotions powerfully. For example, the lovely kid holds a cookie, and time lapse with rapid movement.

 

3.“Nothing more than face has been covered” —-Reflections

The answer is evident after the research and the video. Epidemic prevention rules are designed to provide a better environment for the public. As an individual, it’s likely to get exposed to only one side but ignore the whole situation. The face is covered, but life is still going on. The relationships and colorful feelings with others outside the circle of family and friends are shown at a small stop. Hurry to catch a bus, boredness in waiting alone, expectations of the reunion with family, and love shared between the couple. All those normal but valuable emotions that a human being keeps define our city. It’s a public space built by all of us.

 

-Li Zhiqian   3035771787

Background music: Float

Sites: Mo Ziqiao bus station, Xin Nanmen bus station, Si Maqiao bus station, Zhao Juesinan bus station

 

Reference list：

1. Chengdu City Bus. Chengdu City Bus: Ticket Fare, Regular Lines, Fast Lines (BRT). (2022). Retrieved May 13, 2022, from https://www.travelchinaguide.com/cityguides/sichuan/chengdu/getting-around.htm
2. Scaletsky, C. C., Costa, F. C. X. da, & Tonetto, L. M. (1970, January 1). Designing for bus stop experience: An emotion-driven project. Arquitetura Revista. Retrieved May 13, 2022, from https://www.redalyc.org/journal/1936/193650063006/html/
3. How lighting affects mood in film. Mack Sennett Studios. (2021, August 16). Retrieved May 13, 2022, from https://macksennettstudios.net/how-lighting-affects-mood-in-film/
4. Basic cinematography & film techniques for better cinematic shots – adorama. (2022). Retrieved May 13, 2022, from https://www.adorama.com/alc/14-basic-cinematography-techniques-for-better-cinematic-shots/
5. Heckmann, C. (2022, January 31). How writers use 3rd person POV in film. StudioBinder. Retrieved May 13, 2022, from https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-is-third-person-point-of-view-definition/
6. Frame rates 101: What frame rate should you be filming in? InVideo. (2022). Retrieved May 13, 2022, from https://invideo.io/blog/video-frame-rates-guide/
7. Wilcox, L. M., University, Y., Allison, R. S., & Helliker, J. (2015, September 1). Evidence that viewers prefer higher frame-rate film. ACM Transactions on Applied Perception. Retrieved May 13, 2022, from https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/2810039?casa_token=Dxm9y6oTSfYAAAAA%3AFGDIBoHBiG72MIH7OBu_s-KSVJic9izXNpE0Fd0jP8YcdI8Qahg0LOeaKv1Xdkrwjrl23JR2-v52WO8
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11. Bray, J. (2019, May 28). The secret emotional life of the passenger… and why it matters for the future of the bus. City Monitor. Retrieved May 13, 2022, from https://citymonitor.ai/transport/secret-emotional-life-passenger-and-why-it-matters-future-bus-4614