Archive for the 'Video Clips' Category

Caught on tape: Air China’s pilots unable to speak English

Published
by
Jason Li
on October 7, 2007
in Commerce, Meme and Video Clips
. 7 Comments

Floating around the Hong Kong cyberspace this morning, a YouTube clip of Hong Kong Cable TV’s New Channel report about the trouble Air China is encountering flying into New York.

  • The news report plays a taped conversation between an Air China pilot and an American air traffic operator.
  • The Chinese pilot speaks gibberish, starting off with an English word but then mumbling sounds for the rest of the sentence.
  • The air traffic controllers say this happens regularly and poses danger.
  • An Air China rep is interviewed. He says that it’s the air traffic controller’s fault for not using standardized language.
  • By March next year, the report continues, every pilot will have taken English classes.
  • Then they show an exchange between an Air China pilot who passed the English proficiency exam and an English interviewer. It’s pretty ugly, but at least he’s using his words.
  • The report ends by saying that thousands of pilots haven’t even passed this test, but are continuing to pilot planes.

Airchina

Youtube clip here.

As much as this report shows how much Mainland China needs to ramp up its English as a Second Language efforts, it also shows a problem in design: If non-English speaking pilots have trouble communicating with English air traffic controllers "regularly," shouldn’t they have an alternate non-verbal channel of communication?

At least then they could both agree to "hold" without all that fuss.

My stab at analyzing a Shanghai GM ad…

Published
by
Jason Li
on August 24, 2007
in Commerce and Video Clips
. 1 Comment

An ad for Shanghai General Motors.

The site I got this said "we didn’t quite get this either," so I’ll give a stab at it.

The aesthetic style of the backdrop reminded me of something I saw in a China Esquire a while back, and is, I assume, some sort of abstractly cool & hip scene. As for the many men-in-tights, I can only assume the idea was to have the throng of men symbolize monolithic and grand power. I posit, because you still regularly see groups of soldiers singing trumpet-blaring anthems on TV there, that the image is not as silly as it seems to someone like me.

Is it an effective ad? I’d give them thumbs up for associating the brand with sheer macho-power (it is a car ad after all), but also a thumbs down for using such tactless and old-fashioned imagery.

Growing pains in the advertising world of China.

Via Provokat.

Prison Break, Chinese fan art

Published
by
Lyn Jeffery
on August 3, 2007
in BBS, Television, Translation and Video Clips
. 1 Comment

Prison_break

I can’t say much about other countries, but young people in China’s and India’s cities loooove the Fox TV show Prison Break.  On the advice of a friendly DVD shop salesman in Beijing (who, incidentally, hated 24 and loved the Sopranos), we bought the first two seasons this summer in China and began watching.  We were hooked.  Who knew that Fox was enlisting the young urban elites of India and China in a giant conspiracy theory about the U.S. government that lots of them now half-believe…

You may have read about the amateur translation collectives who can translate and subtitle a new Prison Break episode within 4 hours of its broadcast in the U.S..  The Chinese PB fansite is here, and it has all kinds of fan art and miscellania such as Prison Break t-shirts for 55 RMB; video clip of Wentworth Miller’s appearance on Ellen DeGeneres’ talk show, with Chinese subtitles, for your cellphone; photo of a Chinese student abroad who met the actor who played Mr. Kim.

The site of course has a discussion forum with a special section on original works 原创剧场. There you can find a short story imagining Michael Scofield’s first experience of Sona in the first episode of Season 3 (which begins in the fall), as well as an MV, or music video, done by a Chinese fan, which puts scenes from Prison Break against music.  There are tons of these on Youtube made by viewers from all over the world, but if you’ve watched the show you’ll appreciate the utter bizarreness of the words to this sugary sweet English-language ballad (original version by SuperGirl 3rd place winner Zhang Liangying), set to pictures of mortal enemies, scenes of sadism and torture, murder, and the occasional romantic moment of conjugal visits in prison and kisses between long lost lovers. Link.

Uncertain Reality, Uncertain virtuality:Cao Fei

Published
by
Nan Yang
on July 31, 2007
in Film, Gender, Video Clips and Virtual China
. 0 Comments

China_tracy2

Here is the impressive Second Life documentary by China Tracy, an 29 year-old alternative female artist, from Guangzhou, China, who was also invited by iCommons to give a lecture on iSummit this year in June.
To watch the whole film, please check here.  You could also find this documentary on YouTube and many other websites. 

China_tracy

She runs a blog by the name of China Tracy’s Second Life Blog, while she writes a Real First Life blog named Cao Fei’s Blog. For more on her SL life, there’s an interview with her in English at New World Notes. Besides spending time living a Second Life in a virtual World, she pays attention to the Real world as well.

Here’s an interview (in Chinese) with her about some of her work, which was recently included in Yunnan New Film Series. In this interview, she discusses the fact that almost all of the directors taking part in this film series project are women, and most of them don’t have much experience in making films. Maybe it’s a signature of the revolution of new Chinese film and art period under the background of Creative Commons?

“music for buying dark landscapes”: The Contractors

Published
by
IFTF
on June 20, 2007
in Art, Blogs, Commerce, Music, Translation, Video Clips and Virtual China
. 1 Comment

Contractors

Check out one of Beijing/San Francisco artist Rania Ho’s relatively new projects: The Contractors.  The group makes music, videos, photos, concerts, and apparently can even lead a mean art tour (see their latest video). Their MySpace page is not to be missed.

We are inspired by other superstar building contractors, high-ranking
government officials, housing bureau officials, land management
officials, special interest lobbyists, investment bankers, venture
capitalists, media moguls, real estate investors, internationally
renown architects, construction crews, welders, plumbers, electricians,
bricklayers, cement mixers, stone cutters, various migrant workers.
Our aim is to rule them all.

PRC 外的虚拟中国/Virtual China outside the PRC: child labor on Youtube

Published
by
Lyn Jeffery
on June 19, 2007
in News, Politics, Translation, Video Clips and Virtual China
. 3 Comments

Youtube is a forum for independent media that could never get a voice in China. Low cost cut-and-paste TV news clips, with voice-overs and bilingual subtitles, will be an increasingly powerful tool for cross-cultural dialogue.  These types of DIY videos will also be rallying points in PRC 外的虚拟中国/Virtual China outside the PRC, for discussions that cannot take place openly online on the mainland, drawing a mix of patriotic zealots of all stripes: American and Chinese, right wing and left wing.

"Child slaves, Shanxi China" is the latest video posted on Youtube by a user named daughterofchina.  Her earlier video on environmental conflicts in Wuxi and Xiamen was informative and  provocative.  "Child slaves," however, which deals with the recent Internet exposure of horrific forced child labor in a brickmaking factory in Shanxi, goes right over the top.  If you want a hit of sensational sentimental drama, you’ll find it full force here, with an overwrought, verging-on-tears narrative tone, and also in the news clips of a runaway teenager who had been kidnapped but still didn’t want to return home, but who is convinced to do so by a parent who is looking for her own missing child.  There is an Epoch Times kind of a feeling to this particular video.

The comments are a delicious sea of Chinese viewers living outside of China, and Americans arguing about contemporary American politics, with passion, cursing, and inevitable accusations of homosexuality.  Selected comments below:

[yimaoyunyun] what I can say, we chinese just can’t fight with government anymore, we deserve torture. we deserve it

[fishhead06] No, you deserve freedom and democracy - the Chinese people need to rise
up and finish what the protesters in Tiannemen Square began.

[denbosz] based on what model? The American system? Where the media is controlled
by five corporations and to be elected people need to raise millions
from special interests to pay for campaigns. Where you can be in a war
where 70% of the population don’t want to be.

[xyzshimizu] actually all chinese are just slaves of commie dictatorship..all
chinese should fight for freedom against 1-party dictatioship. btw Free
Tibet, Free Taiwan, Free inner Mongolia, Free Uyghur!!!

[beefhead1984] free willy!!

[sadcow66] Hi..Well China’s Law Is Far From Perfect And Something Should Be Done
About It Before Its To Late And Many More Children Face This Fate And
They Need To Stop Killing Dogs For Fur And Meat Its Barbaric And
Because Of This A Lot Of People Are Becoming Racist. Thanks

[daughterofchina] I know. But maybe we’re too late already. You can not understand how I
feel. It’s the tragedy of our nation. So, friend, please help us to
spread this. Our voice was suppressed. I used to say that "life is
going on and tmr will be better", but now I feel I can hardly go ahead.
We’re destroying our future. It’s not only the gov to be blamed. We all
chinese are sinners. As for killing dogs, I do apologize. But I am vegetarian.

[beadtj] That is not I mean, general to say, I dont see any difference between
your opinion and CCTVs. you repeat the same story that DongFangShiKong
shows on TV. So, Why do you think, you are critcize the gov and the
CCTV not? How can you declare here CCTV is lying and you are not?

[noolympics] The CCTV never mentioned how uncooperative the local Shanxi government
was. The CCTV never mentioned the possibility of collusion between
local Shanxi government and evil businesses. The CCTV never mentioned
when the entire incident first happened. The CCTV never challenged the
responsibilities of the governments. The CCTV never mentioned that a
lot of Chinese are very disappointed about the CCP as shown on
discussion forums.

[beadtj] That is too much requirements for a CCTV, but all of this can be found
in chinese media (another many CCTVs). Nothing can be hiding if it has
be discovered in china this time. Another big step to a opening country.

[beadtj] You are not only sometimes naive man. what kind of a serious narrator
are you? Trying to mislead the foreigner by translate. Seat by TV
without necessary investigate and copy the text and just read it aloud.
Typical manner from a uneducated chinese.

[Hey Lizzy] Actually the
news were published by a local TV channel, and then was wide spread in
the nation through Internet, TV and other media. The freedown was now
led by the highest level of the government. Although there are still
nearly one thousand of children awaiting to be set free, we are
attempting to search for them. As a Chinese, I don’t want to judge my
country. And pls, don’t judge China from only one video.

[classicieon] It’s true crime and we have to prevent this happened again by chastising these criminals.
Before
thtat, we should let that "noolympics" shut the fuck up, as he insanely
roared me, it’s just likes I slaved those kids in his mind.

[noolympics] For someone who resorts to "barbaric" foul language, instead of
educated human logic, we surely know how reliable he/she is!
classicleon is a classic example of a Chinese communist!

[classicieon] I’m not a communist, even if I am, what’s wrong with that? but why you
care my words too much and keep dreaming about me? even if I don’t know
you. because you are a homosex, you keep thinking the way i am to
fulfil your sexual needs!

Coincidentally, I recently posted on Missing Persons websites–it looks like at least some of the missing younger people are probably in similar situations–kidnapped or tricked into brutal, exploitative work situations.

Danwei and ESWN have great round-ups on unfolding Shanxi forced labor events here and here.

The Chinese Animated Shorts Oscars!

Published
by
Jason Li
on June 14, 2007
in Art, Design, Video Clips and Web 2.0c
. 1 Comment

Cnanishortsoscars

Was poking around Chinese video-sharing website 6rooms today and discovered a link (shown above) to the Chinese Animated Shorts Oscars!

I hunkered down and watched quite a few of them, which I’ll highlight before moving onto my conclusion:

Animated1

生活原来是这样的 (Life is Actually Like This), by students at the Beijing Film Academy, is one of the most popular and highly-rated shorts. It cuts between animation and live action a few times, features some pretty slick swerving camera shots, and is subtitled in both English and Chinese. The plot follows a chain-effect story, which is somewhat common within animated shorts.

Animated2

花鞋子 Colorful Shoes, by the TianJin Academy of Fine Art, is my favorite pick. It’s a nicely produced claymation set in a village, and despite a threadbare plot, is incredibly evocative of a mood + scene/setting.

Animated3

And then, screencapped above, a couple of shorts that didn’t really stick for me: A 3D bad guy plotting stuff; the Empress meets the first animators; and daddy loves his daughter. As you can see the production values were also quite a bit lower than the first two films. (In the animation world, that translates to a lack of time, a smaller team, smaller budgets, or less experienced artists.)

My conclusion? It’s looking up for animation in China — there are positive signs in terms of production values, plots and an air of experimentation. However, the work here still lags behind that of the top art schools, say, in the US.

The catch is which factor causes this lag: time spent, access to technology, technical skill, or "creativity"?

Chinese online video activism: “We don’t need GDP, we need life”

Published
by
Lyn Jeffery
on June 3, 2007
in Games, News, Politics, Translation, Video Clips and Virtual China
. 3 Comments

Thanks to China Digital Times for the link to this rather extraordinary video, posted by someone called daughterofchina, whose producers are using the Internet and Youtube as a means of online environmental activism. It would be nice to know more about who produced it. I searched Yoqoo (which I notice is now calling itself Youku, thank god), Baidu, and Tudou and could not find it on any of these Chinese video sharing sites.  It must have been posted there, however, so perhaps it has been deleted?

The video calls attention to water pollution in Wuxi and the protests against the PX chemical factory in Xiamen, the latter which has been blogged in depth on ESWN and Global Voices Online. 

You can find a collection of Chinese videos of newscasts on the Wuxi polluted tap water issue here.
 

Chinese DIY: story of a homemade plane

Published
by
Lyn Jeffery
on June 3, 2007
in Design, Translation, Video Clips, Virtual China and Web 2.0c
. 3 Comments

Our first subtitled Chinese video! It’s the story of Wang Qiang, a Sichuan barber who grew up making model planes and eventually built his own and became a self-taught pilot. This is one of the things I love about China–an ordinary guy can build his own plane and fly it, without a whole lot of interference from anyone.  Especially in rural areas.  The government appears to be trying to crack down on some of them, according to this story of a farmer-pilot from Zhejiang province.  And not everyone is as lucky as Wang Qiang: an amateur Beijing pilot (called the "birdman" recently had a crash. 

For those of us interested in translation work: to do this I used mojiti.com and would definitely recommend it.  It’s unbelievably intuitive and easy to use.  You just tell mojiti what video you want to upload and it does it for you, then you add "spots" to it.  You can get anything that’s on Youtube, Yoqoo, Tudou, and a number of other sites. I think that the video is "open," meaning that someone else could go in and edit the translation or add their own spots.

one more Chinese beatboxing video

Published
by
Lyn Jeffery
on May 28, 2007
in Art, Music, Video Clips and Virtual China
. 3 Comments

One more short post on Chinese beatboxing. I think this is one of the guys who drives the bbox.cn.com site, seeing as how he spits the URL at the end of this video.  Reading the comments on Youtube is interesting as well–seeing how a young Korean Chinese in Changchun can actually reach people all over the world, via a webcam in what looks like their living room, with his older brother in the background trying to read and then finally smoking a cigarette.