“More than CHINAtown” aims to complement its thickmap counterpart in recreating a sense of immersion for our audiences so that they can sensorily and emotionally engage with our assigned region. In our map, Saigon Plaza and Dynasty Center belong to the area with the densest concentration of transactional languages. Our film humanizes this place by giving back its visual, sound, touch, taste, and smell. By setting the viewing site of a film on Saigon Plaza at the Chinatown Central Plaza, we place audiences in a position of immediate contrast and confusion, which will hopefully push them to think about the intention of this project throughout their viewing experiences.

 

The film as a standalone piece follows a temporal structure in portraying the unfolding of a day in Saigon Plaza. Starting with the quietness and slowness of the unopened market, the film slowly progresses into the busier setting up phase and, eventually, to the rapidity, loudness, and overwhelming nature of the market at its prime time. To achieve this shift, we follow an exponentially accelerating editing rhythm, emphasize texture, and interconnect conversations with walking sequences. In other words, our film is carried forward by the active movement of walking and exploring. Throughout this human journey, audiences get to experience not only the commerce of a vibrant marketplace but also human connections as shown through laughter and everyday conversation revolving around home, family, and relationship.