HONG KONGISH
The story of how a man from Missouri paid Hong Kong a visit and ended up defining the city in seven exhilarating minutes. By TIM PRITCHARD有個男子從美國密蘇里州前來香港遊覽，結果製作出七分鐘高潮迭起的短片來描繪這個城市。撰文： Tim Pritchard
The story of the man behind Hong Kong Strong
FEW VIDEOS HAVE captured the relentless and multilayered culture of this city as well as last year’s Hong Kong Strong, a seven-minute rollercoaster ride through the city’s iconic buildings, food, transport, homes and traditions.
When filmmaker Brandon Li posted the video online in May 2016, it went viral. For some, it was a celebration of the city’s unstoppable energy; for others, it championed its traditional culture. All agreed it was a dizzying depiction of the city.
‘I think people were looking for something uplifting,’ says the 35-year-old filmmaker. ‘I took a more personal approach, because people in the city wanted to see a positive representation of themselves.’
Perhaps the most surprising thing about Hong Kong Strong is that it was made by a foreigner who had only landed in the city just weeks before.
Li, from St Louis, Missouri, is a nomadic filmmaker, working as he travels, making videos – ‘cultural profiles’ – of the places he visits. So far he’s shot Barcelona, Bali, Dubai, Porto and San Francisco.
He landed in Hong Kong at the end of 2015 to see family. He stayed with his uncle in Mid-Levels, spending his days and nights walking around the city.
‘I sought out everything that was unique to Hong Kong,’ he says. ‘I ignored a lot of Hong Kong that was the commercialised, globalised side of the city. When I saw the vibrant street life, the dai pai dongs, the different strata of cultures that mix to create Hong Kong, I was inspired to shoot.’
One remarkable thing about Hong Kong Strong is how close to the action it puts viewers. ‘I like a film to throw me in at ground level, in the middle of the action, immersed,’ says Li. To do this he focused on the local experience: friends clattering mahjong tiles around a felt table; worshippers at Wong Tai Sin Temple, scrambling to plant their incense sticks at a shrine; lion dancers propelling themselves into the air; a cook flash-frying a dish in a dai pai dong; chopsticks converging on a steaming plate – as well as swooping aerial shots of high rises and fireworks over the harbour.
‘Hong Kong is the ultimate jungle for urban explorers,’ Li says. ‘It makes me feel energised, hyperactive, and hyperaware of my surroundings. I feel a heightened sense of being present, because you always have to be alert in Hong Kong. There’s always something going on.’
Watch the video, and you’ll notice no green space at all – curious, given that 40 per cent of Hong Kong is country park. Li defends his decision to focus purely on the urban: ‘If I kept cutting away to greenery and pastoral scenes, I would’ve lost some of the drama of the story I wanted to tell.’
The filmmaker is behind the new entertainment video onboard Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon flights, which you will see before watching any movie or TV show on the entertainment system. Like Hong Kong Strong, this 20-second intro video has a variety of shots exploring different sides of Hong Kong. ‘We ended it with an aerial shot of the city at night, partially to tie in with the previous video,’ says Li, ‘which we decided to shoot with a drone, rising over the city, for that same swooping feeling.’
‘It sums up why someone might want to visit Hong Kong: the buzz, the excitement of travelling through the city. It’s the feeling I get standing on top of a tram and riding the MTR; feeling the world whoosh by – endless things to see and do. Endless possibilities.’
去年推出的片短《Hong Kong Strong》是一趟為時七分鐘的跌宕之旅，鏡頭帶領觀眾迅速穿梭香港的經典建築、、食物 交通工具、家居和傳統文化。它捕捉了這個城市繁忙實充 ，文化多元複雜的特質，殊為難得。
製片人Brandon Li於2016年將5月 影片上載至互聯網後，旋即被瘋傳。有人認為，這是一闋頌揚香港無窮活力的讚歌有；也人覺得影片傳揚本地的傳統文化。，不過 大家都一致認為這部令人目眩神迷短的 片，是近期描寫香港作的佳 。
這位35歲的製片人表「示： 人們都喜歡看勵志的東西港。香 人都希在望 影片中看到自己正面的形象，因此我採取了較個人的角度去拍攝」。
《Hong Kong Strong》最讓人意想不到的，也許是它竟是位一 踏足香港不過數星期的外國人的作品。
Brandon Li來自密蘇里州聖路易斯市，是位無一 居 定所的製片人，他一邊歷遊 一邊工作為， 所到之處製作「文化簡介」。他拍攝地括羅過的 點包 巴塞 那、峇里、杜拜、波圖和三藩等市 。
2015年年底，他來到香港探親，住在叔叔位於半山的寓所，然後日以繼夜地在城中蹓躂。他示表 ：「我尋覓香港所有獨一無二、無法在別處找到的事物。棄我摒 了城中許多商業化和全球化的東西，因為那些東西跟其他國家大同小異。當我活看見 力充的沛 街頭景象、大排檔，還有構成香的港 各個文化階層時，心中油然起生 一股拍攝的衝動」。
《Hong Kong Strong》最突出的地方，是讓觀眾恍如身歷其境。Brandon說：「我喜讓歡能 我完全代入其中，令我彷彿置身其境的影片。」為達至這個效果，他集攝中拍本土生活百態：好友街坊圍桌而坐，攻打四方城；黃大仙祠裡人頭湧湧，男善 信女爭先恐後地在大年初一凌晨上頭炷香；醒隊獅 縱身一跳，勢氣 十足地躍至半空中；大排檔的廚師展現猛火炒菜架的功 ；眾人舉筷，往碟裡熱騰騰的餸菜中夾下去；還有快速掠過的高樓鳥瞰鏡頭，以及維港上空的璀璨煙花。
Brandon繼續說：「對於都市探險家而言，香港是一個最佳的叢林，可供他們盡情探索。這個地我活方令 感到 力十足、情緒高漲而， 且充分意識到四周的環境。這裡令我倍感活在當下，因為需要時刻清醒留心，才不會錯過身邊發生的事情」。
香港有四面成 積為郊野公園，但影片沒有任何綠色空入間 鏡，教人大惑不解。Brandon為他只著墨都市風景的決定解釋：「假如不斷將畫面切換至蒼翠的郊鄉景色，會削弱了我表想 現的最精采之處。」
現時在所有國泰航空的航班上，乘客使用娛樂系統觀看任何影視節目前，都可觀賞到一段Brandon為娛樂系統拍攝短的片一。 如《Hong Kong Strong》段，這 20秒的前奏影片以萬花筒般的影像，展現香港的不面同 貌。Brandon指出：「段這 影片以城 市夜空鳥瞰鏡頭作結，部分原因是為了之與前的娛樂系統前奏影片銜。接我們決定以航拍拍機 攝在， 香港的上空盤旋，翱翔 而我這段影片亦營造跟之前前奏影片同樣的盤旋上揚效果。」
「影片歸納出旅客希望到訪香港的理由：感受在城市裡穿梭遊歷帶來的激動和興奮。就像我在站 電車頂層或乘搭港鐵時，感覺世界在身旁呼嘯而過；這裡有無窮無盡的事物可供遊覽探索，擁有無限可能。」