Mysterious Creature Sighted in Central London
5 mins, 2022
“Londoners want 'killer seagulls' chased out of town after woman and dog attacked”, “London battles its urban fox problem”...
The urban wild animals who share the same heterogeneous city as us have been described as dangerous, filthy, disgusting, evil, and representing a bad omen by the mass media.
MYSTERIOUS CREATURE SIGHTED IN CENTRAL LONDON is an experimental film which tells the news of a “mysterious creature” that had been seen and described as a potential threat to human beings. Different characters from the news report try to use this “mysterious creature” to inject horror into the public and profit from it. At this time, the "mysterious creature" has become a gimmick and no one is interested in establishing the truth.
By capturing abstract visuals to tell this absurd news-story, the film aims to re-examine how the current publicity surrounding urban wildlife in the mass media provokes anxiety, and exacerbates the alienation people can feel towards the animals that share their city space, giving an entirely distorted view of these creatures' natures, distorts the truth and spreads distrust and fear. I wish to use this to help the audience re-examine the relationship between people and urban wildlife, and create a better understanding of the reality.
The urban wild animals who share the same heterogeneous city as us have been described as dangerous, filthy, disgusting, evil, and representing a bad omen by the mass media.
MYSTERIOUS CREATURE SIGHTED IN CENTRAL LONDON is an experimental film which tells the news of a “mysterious creature” that had been seen and described as a potential threat to human beings. Different characters from the news report try to use this “mysterious creature” to inject horror into the public and profit from it. At this time, the "mysterious creature" has become a gimmick and no one is interested in establishing the truth.
By capturing abstract visuals to tell this absurd news-story, the film aims to re-examine how the current publicity surrounding urban wildlife in the mass media provokes anxiety, and exacerbates the alienation people can feel towards the animals that share their city space, giving an entirely distorted view of these creatures' natures, distorts the truth and spreads distrust and fear. I wish to use this to help the audience re-examine the relationship between people and urban wildlife, and create a better understanding of the reality.
- Exhibited in RCA 2022, Royal College of Art, 2022
Stills, Mysterious Creature Sighted in Central London, 2022
Researches, Stills from trail camera
Straw dog 07
Straw dog 09
Straw dog 03
Director / Wenqing Yao
Writor / Lars Stannard
Cinematographer / Zhiwu Zhu
Voice acting / Sammy Pauling
Pianist / Xiyan Wang
Performer / Zhuo Ai