Theme: Tram
Project description
Hong Kong is a busy city. In addition to buses, private cars etc, trams is only appear on Hong Kong Island. Trams have always been traced on the roads of Hong Kong Island. Whether it is the tracks on the ground or the cables in the sky, they all prove the history of trams. About the tram, the most familiar nickname for trams must be “ding-ding”. It provides a ding-ding sound when it is travelling on the road. Beyond that, I found that other voices of it are rarely discussed.
I was inspired to choose tram as the theme and explore the details by referring to the sound map of Hong Kong1 and visual videos of Hong Kong Ocean Park’s rides2. I found that most of the sound maps were taken from only one building, not from ordinary roads. Also, only amusement ride have videos of first-person gameplay, and I think there are more things that can be recorded in this way.
Through making of this 360 video, I hope to capture the sound of tram running and mix it with the video, so that the audience can be immersed in the tram and feel the unique atmosphere.
Sound arrangements
When the tram is moving, some different types and unique sounds are provided. In addition to the sound “ding-ding”, there are also the sound of friction between the rails and the train wheels, the sound of the motor, passengers talking to each other, octopus payment sound effect, passenger walking on the stairs, etc. These sounds mix together to create a unique soundscape that tell the story of the tram’s daily. I captured these sound both inside and outside the tram to form a special feeling and listening effect.
During the process, I discovered that the tram route past though the part of Hong Kong Island, it shows the difference between different part along the route. For example, at the starting point of Shau Kei Wan, it is a residential community. Most of the sounds are about the residents’ live. The tram passes by wet markets and local shops. Livelihood environment at the grassroots level can be clearly seen.
As the tram slowly moves toward the west, it travel to more prosperous areas such as Causeway Bay. The sounds of surrounding traffic is much noisier than the starting point. This contrast from the daily lives of citizens to the numerous commercial buildings is also the theme I hope to present in the project.
Reference
1 https://akinkk.com/sound-map/, AK IN KK, Nature Field Recoding HK
2 https://youtu.be/7kWSqg52GfI?si=xZtWCt5D-tka90R_, Ocean Park Hong Kong