Description of the video
Hong Kong is a bustling metropolis with more than 7.3 million city dwellers (Department, 2023). Being considered as one of the most stressful cities in the world (Augustin, 2021), Hong Kong has always been criticized for its lack of work-life balance. Apart from venues for leisure and entertainment such as shopping malls, parks, and sports centers, where can these fast-paced lifestyle adopters temporarily escape from the hustle and bustle? From my point of view, housing estates in Hong Kong play a crucial role in alleviating our stress by providing us a peaceful living environment. The green spaces and recreational facilities inside the housing estates allow us to slow down and enjoy slow living. Housing estates are home to people from all walks of life, be it physically or mentally.
The filming location of my video is Ching Nga Court, a public housing estate located in Tsing Yi. Since Ching Nga Court is built along the coast, residents can enjoy wonderful sea view when walking along the promenade. Its pleasant ambience perfectly suits “Slow City”, which is the theme of my video. At the beginning of my video, I used an alarm clock and followed by three scenes of walking fast across the street, crosswalk, and pedestrian footbridge to create an atmosphere charged with tension. These components act as a contrast and, in turn, accentuating the peacefulness of wandering in the housing estate. In order to highlight the relaxing atmosphere, I showed how I walked across the entrance slowly and met a bird. For the rest of the video, I introduced the stunning sea view while wandering in Ching Nga Court to echo the topic “Slow City”.
Method of conducting the research and producing the video
Before producing the video, I conducted library research and field research for preparation. During the library research, I utilized various online resources such as government publications, news articles, and blog posts to deepen my understanding about the general features of housing estate in Hong Kong. I found that local housing estates typically comes with a range of ancillary facilities such as shopping centers, sports facilities, and green spaces (Economic Digest, 2022). These findings gave me a rough picture of how to convey my message of slow living through filming housing estates. After investigating the geographic locations of various public housing estates (Hong Kong Housing Authority, n.d.), I chose Ching Nga Court as the setting.
When it comes to the field research, I chose to visit Ching Nga Court in a rainy day. In my opinion, filming the scenes of wandering the housing estate under drizzles helps me create a soothing atmosphere. During the field trip, I first observed residents’ daily routines and walking around aimlessly to find some suitable scenes that help me to convey my message of slow living. Then, I decided to film some shots of the spectacular sea view that residents enjoy on a daily basis. After leaving Ching Nga Court, I shot some scenes of walking fast on streets for editing use. These shots are in contradistinction to the peaceful waterfront scenes.
Speaking of the video production techniques, I included montage, background music, and narration to inform and engage my viewers. In the beginning of the video, I combined three walking scenes using montage. The atmosphere created by these shots was completely different from that created by the wandering scenes afterwards. Through bringing the conflicting shots together, I provided a unique contrast (Soviet Montage Theory, 2014) and left viewers a deep impression. As for the voice-over narration, it was an important tool to help guide the viewers through the video as it provided introduction of different shots and conveyed the story I would like to tell. The background music was another crucial component that complemented the video. I selected a track that suited the mood and tone of the video. By carefully timing the music with specific shots and scenes, I was able to create a mood that reinforced the message of the video.
In conclusion, I conducted library and field research as well as included various video production techniques to finish this video essay. After producing the video essay, I gained valuable insights into not only the lifestyle of housing estate residents, but also the process of sophisticated video production. More importantly, I would like to remind everyone that it is okay to be slow.
References
Augustin, R. (2021, 11 23). A Ranking Of The Most Stressful Cities In The World. Retrieved from AUGUSTMAN: https://www.augustman.com/sg/amselect/hit-list/a-ranking-of-the-most-stressful-cities-in-the-world/
Department, C. a. (2023, 2 16). Year-end Population for 2022. Retrieved from Census and Statistics Department: https://www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/press_release_detail.html?id=5199
Economic Digest. (2022, 9 13). 網民盤點配套「最屈機」公屋 泳池、海景樣樣齊 揭呢條邨仲有「會所」！. Retrieved from Economic Digest: https://www.edigest.hk/%e8%b3%87%e5%8a%a9%e6%88%bf%e5%b1%8b/%e7%b6%b2%e6%b0%91-%e5%b1%88%e6%a9%9f-%e5%85%ac%e5%b1%8b-%e6%9c%83%e6%89%80-%e7%a7%81%e6%a8%93-374687/
Hong Kong Housing Authority. (n.d.). Estate Locator. Retrieved from Hong Kong Housing Authority: https://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/global-elements/estate-locator/index.html
Soviet Montage Theory. (2014, 6 7). Retrieved from Filmtheory: https://www.filmtheory.org/soviet-montage-theory/
Name: Xie Hanyu
UID: 3036067119