Trip to a Pagoda
Trip to a Pagoda
00:31:33:- late afternoon travelling shots along a river (cam on boat): houseboats, shorelife, farmers in straw hats tending to small fields, rippling water, a steel bridge, a ferry flying two Vietnamese flags, ramshackle shore homes, a community of houseboats in the center of the river, etc. Good material. 00:35:20:- great LS of the river, a fine afternoon haze and willowy tree branches obstructing the way; pan R to the grounds of the pagoda, several men standing idly by and smoking cigarettes. EST shots of the well-maintained (restored) pagoda and not-so well-maintained accoutrements (weathered stone temples and towers; great yet obsolete architecture). Panning MS of a cow and a calf grazing on the grounds. Great landscape shot, the view from the pagaoda (steamy mountains more implied than visible; painterly vegetation). MS and CU details of ornate hedging ledges of temples and towers. MS of a cow grazing, a man in white watching on. More EST shots of the pagoda and grounds. MS's of a man with bales of grass slung over his shoulders walking through the stone west gate. 00:43:12:- dramatic, excellent CU of a golden statue of Buddha, the head in silouette and a ring of sunfire orange and red behind it. Dark shot (as if the lenscap was left on), sound of a prayer bell being rung; the singing of a prayer follows; a candle is lit in what seems the far distance. Panning CU of the gold Buddha statue (more visible detail, nice shot). Grainy CU of several sticks of incense being lit in the temple, placed on an ornate altar. 00:50:33:- More EST shots of pagoda's grounds (hills, scenery, gates, mountains, roads, vegetation, etc.). Tight LS of the video crew posing in front of a pagoda tower. More EST shots of the area, late afternoon (nice lighting). Great picturesque wide LS's of a small boat rowing along the river, the sun washing everything golden (no strong tones). Excellent LS's of the river as the sun starts to set, washing out the hills and making the trees glow; great explosive reflections off the river. Fantastic wide LS's of the sunset as seen from a boat; two rowers (in silouette) are in FG. More travelling shots of river-life: houseboats, rice farmers, the sunset, a rusty steel bridge, a man swimming in the river, a new bridge, etc.