During the second and last week of the study abroad program, we had to create a video about the place that we researched for the first week. My role in this assignment was to partly video record and piece together the video, as my teammates did not exactly know how to do that. To remind everyone, my place was Ma Wan Island, which is the home of some luxurious residents that can afford so in Hong Kong. Filming here was easier than expected and we did the first part with ease. The second part of the island however, was a little harder to record since the villages that still reside on Ma Wan Island do not like to be filmed and asked questions.

My Team: Bernice, Edward, and Bella

Doing this video and seeing it in film reminded me of a place near San Francisco called Sausalito. Sausalito is small, and is home to some wealthy residents who like to be in a “quiet spot” of their own. There are small restaurants and stores, just like Ma Wan Island, and the residents like to walk along the shore throughout the day. The only difference there is between these two areas is that there are no twenty-story apartments for the residents at Sausalito! But they do have the same height because most of the houses in Sausalito are built on the hillside. Ma Wan Island was also the same, except I had no idea there were two kinds of residents on the island: the rich Park Island residents, and the Ma Wan villagers. Still seeing that there are still the old ways in Hong Kong makes me happy to know that there is still an authentic part of Hong Kong left.

View of the Tsing Ma Bridge: Ma Wan Island

When presenting this video, it was very different than what we had to present for the poster board. The first is that, there is animation! There are a lot of things you can do; the possibilities are endless with animation. I had to be careful to piece clips together to make sure that the video would tell some sort of orderly story, or else it wouldn’t make sense in the slightest. And making a video brings life from the stillness of the board; it brings out the noise and small activity you would never have guessed.

Taking a break from filming

Making the video was fun, and having my teammates’ opinion on some parts made it even better in the end. Without their help, the video wouldn’t have ended with such a dramatic ending! And hearing the audience laugh along while watching the video also gave me a sense of relief that they also enjoyed watching the video as much as I enjoyed making it. My group consisted Bernice, the camerawoman who filmed some clips that were most enjoyable, and Edward, who was the “director” of our little film crew! We each had a part but we also shared each other’s parts. We weren’t scared to voice our opinions out and give suggestions to what might make the video even better.

The original entry gate of Ma Wan island

I’m sure everyone had a great time making his or her videos, and hopefully everyone enjoyed the experience as much as I did!

Cheers,

Bella