Updated 14.04.2022

ARCHITECTURE AND FILM

VIDEO ESSAY + COMMENTS [40%]
The global novel virus is changing our relationship to one another, to our city and the world outside, to
institutions and the government. With the closing of borders, we read, see and hear about lost privacy,
increased separation, violence and neglect of groups, communities and individuals, and the
reappearance and disappearance of things, spaces and even ideologies. Yet, many argue that the crisis
has also presented opportunities, such as the rekindling of family relationships, increased awareness
of the environment, renewed appreciation for nature and the outdoors, more sophisticated and flexible
use of technology... The widespread fear of contagion and quarantine has witnessed the reversal of
public and private spaces, isolation and communality, silence and noise. What are the impacts of the
pandemic on the city in terms of space and time?

The final assignment draws upon what students have learnt throughout the course in a critical analysis
and reflection of the city. Students learn how a space/place/building is defined by and help define a
city’s character through the filmic medium, which offers a powerful audio-visual dimension to urban
studies. Students will discover urban-scale geographical and spatial relationships by studying the
context of that specific space/place/building.

VIDEO ESSAY
The final assignment shall be a 2½-minute video that documents an investigation into a specific urban
or architectural characteristic of Hong Kong1 by focusing on one architecture/ space in the city. The
video should also be accompanied by an essay.

The VIDEO (2 ½-minute) shall include:

- original video footage and/or photographic stills
- one or more of these elements: on-screen text, subtitles, voice-over/narration, dialogue and lyrics

The ESSAY (750 words) shall include:

- a description of the video’s theme and subject, the setting/places and components (~250 words)
- the method of conducting the research and producing the video (500 words)

Students are required to conduct fieldwork and relevant library research, in preparation for the final
assignment.

Each student director-producer is required to submit his/her video on YouTube and to provide
comments on two videos created by others in the class.

1 Please inform your tutor if you are researching a different Asian city other than Hong Kong for your video essay.

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STEPS
1 Each student will be assigned one of the following space/place/building sites in Hong Kong:
 Alleyway  MTR passage
 Apartment (the entire apartment or a  Overhead bridge
space/room within)  Playground
 Balcony  Park (the entire park or a
 Basement section/area/space within)
 Bus stop / Tram stop  Pier
 Campus building / space  Restaurant / Café / Teahouse
 Corridor  Rooftop
 Dormitory  Sidewalk
 Elevator  Stairwell
 Housing estate  Street
 Lobby  (public) Toilet
 Mall  Tunnel / Underground

2 Identify a title ending with “— City” using one of the following keywords/descriptors:
 clean  hybrid
 construction  information
 control  management
 crisis  mobile
 demolition  subdivided
 disappearing  private
 ecological  public
 fast  slow

(If you wish to use a keyword not on this list, you may seek approval from course instructor.)

3 Building upon your theme, develop a hypothesis and write a 1-sentence statement on the selected
space/place/building.

4 Design a method of conducting the research, including the techniques of documentation.

5 Consult with course instructor and tutors for confirmation. Sign-up on Moodle

6 Conduct research on the space/place/building sites from your hypothesis.

7 Clarify the message that the video essay wishes to convey, from your research findings.

8 STORYBOARD - Visualize your script with a storyboard by creating a storyboard to include:

- setting/backdrop
- key characters or props
- when the key characters/props appear on the screen
- order of sequences / collections of different scenes and transitions

9 SCRIPT - Add script and notes

Under each box where you have sketched the shot, write down the description explaining what is
happening, any dialog shared between the characters and additional notes such as camera
angle or special effects.

10 VIDEO ESSAY - Create the video and upload the video, storyboard and synopsis/transcript onto
youtube and the course blog accordingly.

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The video essay (750 words) shall comprise:

1. Original video footage and/or photographic stills and/or drawings
2. Title (e.g. Slow City)
3. Credits, including your/the director’s name
4. Description of the theme and subject matter, including the setting/places and components
(~250 words)
5. Method of conducting the research and producing the video; and reflections (500 words)
6. Bibliography of ~10-20 references to be included at the end of the essay
Note: Avoid citing Wikipedia in your bibliography.

TIPS FOR THE VIDEO

DOs:
1. The video must present your research idea / argument as described in your essay.
2. Get familiar with basic free software available on your computer or more others (Windows Live
Movie Maker, IMovie, etc.) according to your preference. If you wish to use more advanced
software such as Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, you may refer to the following
youtube tutorials:
https://youtu.be/Hls3Tp7JS8E
https://youtu.be/ygBlgaT78mM
3. Focus on taking good pictures instead of over-relying on editing
4. Treat the video as an expanded field of photography
5. Use a tripod to take still videos. Be deliberate and careful in your framing.

DON’Ts:
1. Use any of the ready effects from the software
2. Apply filters unnecessarily
3. Add sound effects without first consulting your tutor

*For those of you who are working on buildings or spaces that you wish to use drawings in your video
essay, you may create simple floor plans from excel and word. A tutorial on how to create a
floor plan on excel will be uploaded on Moodle for your reference. Please consult your tutor
should you have further questions.

OBJECTIVES
• To sharpen your visual and analytical comprehension of film
• To comprehend the function of different visual and textual techniques to a film in formulating a
synthesized / reflection on the urban environment and the processes at work in a city
• To communicate the relationship between the subject (theme/issue), the object
(contents/characters) and the camera (frame/eye) through a focused and systematic curation of
still and moving images
• To develop and sustain a critical commentary by focusing on the architecture of the interior
• To demonstrate creativity and organization skills in the research and design of the content materials
to present a clear and compelling narrative

REFERENCES
Baudelaire, Charles, and Jonathan. Mayne (1964). The Painter of Modern Life and Other Essays.
London: Phaidon Press.
Bruno, G. (2002). Atlas of emotion: Journeys in art, architecture, and film. New York: Verso.
Calvino, I., & Weaver, W. (1997). Invisible cities. London: Vintage. c1978.
Clark, D. B. (1997). The cinematic city. London: Routledge.
Fleishman, Avrom. (1992). Narrated Films: Storytelling Situations in Cinema History. John Hopkins
University Press. Esp. Ch1 – Storytelling Situations: Working Definitions, 20-28.
Perec, G., & Sturrock, J. (2008). Species of spaces and other pieces. London; New York: Penguin.
Prakash, G. (2010). Noir urbanisms: Dystopic images of the modern city. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton
University Press.

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SUBMISSION

Upload your materials onto the course blog http://course.arch.hku.hk/cchu9034/ by

FRIDAY May 13, 2022.
23:59 on Wednesday,

Guidelines for file uploads:

1. Upload your homework videos to course YouTube channel
a. Title: [Video Essay] YourTitle_number
b. Description box should include: Name and UID
c. Upload or pick a cover photo
d. Privacy setting: “unlisted”

2. Create a blog post on CCHU 9034 Blog and embed your YouTube video
a. Title: [Field-Homework 3] YourTitle
b. Video Essay
c. Tag: Video Essay
d. Include: Full name and UID at the end of the text

To complete the submission, you are expected to comment on TWO of your colleagues' video essays
after you have submitted your VIDEO ESSAY.

Please comment on 1 or more of the following 5 aspects:

1. Contents
2. Organization
3. Text
4. Visual Design
5. Creativity

GRADING RUBRIC
1. CONTENT – research / commentary / synthesis 10%
2. ORGANIZATION – content editing and curating 5%
3. TEXT – narration, script and writing 10%
4. VISUAL DESIGN – techniques and set production 10%
5. CREATIVITY – originality in treatment of content 5%