Reflective essay s3642610 Guokai Luo
During the time I study for Connect City course. I realized that my impression of a city could change a lot through different media platform. At the beginning of our production, my group found out many still image about Gerona and travel notes on the internet. These informations help us built the first impression of Gerona. Which is a small town with strong cultural atmosphere. There was one thing that left me a profound effect that help me establish our film. Which is the Onyar river and those retro style buildings around that. That is the reason why our film is about a journey to the river. Through the Skype conversation with Gerona’s team. I changed my initial speculative image. The fact is, Gerona is not just a small town like the travel notes talking about. Gerona combined modern city and cultural buildings like church and cathedral. Residents in Gerona are addict to football. There was a big stadium near to their university. But there was one thing that match my imagination as a “small town” is the only transportation tool in Gerona is bus. Not like in Melbourne we have diversity kind of transportation tools. Overall, the communication with oversea group is fantabulous. Now it make me feel like I have been to Gerona before.
After sharing ideas about how to represent Melbourne and Gerona. We decide to focus the river in these two cities. Which is the Onyar river and Yarra river. As for me, my hometown is also locate near a river named Yangzi River. Most of my childhood memories is connect to Yangzi River. That is the reason why I quickly get used to live in Melbourne. Every time I came to Yarra River reminded me of the old times and help me release the pressure and feel relaxing. My group mate Leo has the same experience like I do. I believe we made a journey film to the river is the best way to show us own connection to Melbourne city. We shared this idea with Gerona group and they gave us positive feedbacks. According to them, they said they need to cross the river on their way to the university. Their daily life is also close connect with Onyar River. Beside this, they offered us some shots that took near the Onyar river. We decided to put the sunset scene in Onyar river as the ending of our film. In order to show how we connect two cities by the river.
In our film we include many personal shots that focus on one character. In order to representing a personal journey from crowded city to the peaceful river. By watching other media depictions of cities. For example like in the “Taxi Driver” (1976), there were many scenes about the main character driving a taxi on New York’s down town. Watching different kind of people passing by, describes a bizarre and untouchable night in New York. Which inspired me that maybe we could produce a journey in Melbourne and take place on tram. Through the camera movement, we hope audiences can felt themselves like traveling in the city. Just like the movie “Taxi Driver” showed us.
However, I think media is a good way to advertise a city. To motivate people’s interests so that they may come to here in the future. Talking about limitations, as a media producer I believe the limitations of our film is about the focus point. For example, our film is about a journey to Yarra River. Basically, it is an individual film talking about our feelings as an student in Melbourne. Except those scenes took on the tram, we manly focus on place to place and how cities connect to each other through the place. In this case, I guess audiences can not feel the complete cultural atmosphere of Melbourne city. In order to conquer those limitations, I believe the best way for audience is to watch different kind of media production. “Urban space is objective and physical, and it is also subjective and psychological.”(Micheal) The city sight-seen can be any kind of through different media producer. Every kind of styles have their own way to communicate to city. So before you get to one city in person, make sure you have enjoy the feeling that media brings to you.
Reference list:
Pattison, M., 2016. ‘Strife and the city: urban space and the essay film,’ Sight and Sound Magazine. https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/features/strife-city-urban-space-essay-film.
