Our early discussions centered on the tone, style, and core values that Chinese ritual culture embodies — such as respect for nature, harmony between human and land, and intergenerational craftsmanship.

One challenge we identified: “How do we make something that feels genuinely Chinese without relying only on obvious motifs (red lanterns, incense smoke, guzheng music)?”

Given the vastness of Chinese traditional elements, we felt it was important to narrow down our scope early. Rituals stood out to us as not only deeply symbolic, but also rich in spiritual meaning, craftsmanship, and visual storytelling potential. We believe that this focus will allow us to explore the intersection of culture, aesthetics, and belief in an impactful way.

We have divided the workload as follows:

Justin: Introduction & Community of Practice

Sky: Proposal & Production Plan

Aaron: Formatting the Google Doc and developing most of the presentation in Canva

So far, the collaboration has been smooth, and we’re confident we will complete Assignment 1 on time.

This ritual expresses reverence for the spirits of the land and conveys hopes for prosperity, peace, and protection. It combines local folk beliefs with distinctive craft practices, the most iconic of which includes: Shaping a dragon from rice (米龙), symbolizing vitality and auspiciousness

Embedding gold coins, which represent wealth, luck, and future blessings.

Through this project, we aim to go beyond merely presenting the craftsmanship. Instead, we want to explore how objects like rice, dragons, and gold coins become cultural vessels, rich with meaning, memory, and ritual value. Our goal is to allow the audience to experience the emotional and spiritual layers of this tradition through deliberate cinematographic choices.

Detailed close-ups to reveal the texture and gestures of handcrafting

Slow-motion sequences to emphasize the poetic rhythm of rice dragon making

Poetic visual language to present craftsmanship as something sacred

Macro shots with natural light and shadow to capture delicate details

A low-angle, static long lens to infuse scenes with a heightened sense of ceremony — particularly during the molding and shaping of the milong

Quiet reverence

Close attention to detail

A respectful portrayal of human interaction with the sacred

These reflections are guiding us into the next phase — storyboarding, test shooting, and refining our camera techniques.

Thanks to this connection, we were fortunate to secure exclusive filming access to a site typically closed to students and the public.

We flew into Xiaoshan District, then navigated several flight and train transfers.

Equipment was booked online on-the-go via Meituan, a local Chinese platform.

Despite only having 1.5 filming days due to transit time, we captured roughly 900 GB of footage (some of which, admittedly, may not be usable).

Fun Fact: This trip also doubled as a personal one for me — I had to squeeze in a dental check-up appointment amidst our tight filming schedule!

Equipment Used:

Sony A7S III

Sony A7 IV

Sony A7R V

All were rented from a local camera store. Aaron led the filming to maintain visual consistency. I assisted with some shots, though our filming styles differ. Justin handled lighting and liaised with the equipment rental service.

A significant and unexpected highlight: Chen Cihai, the fourth-generation Taoist ritual master (道长), happened to be present. With experience in over 1,000+ ceremonies, he offered deep insights and agreed to be interviewed for our documentary.

He explained many aspects of the ritual while performing it, which we recorded in both video and audio for later inclusion.

Some ritual elements included:

Rice (used for crafting the rice dragon)

Gold coins

Wax candles

Dried fruits and candies

Rice wine, flowers, and many materials we couldn’t even identify

We are sorting through the footage

Selecting usable clips

Laying out a rough sequence

Searching for a suitable soundtrack to set the tone

Future editing tasks will include:

Adding ambient and recorded sound

Smoother transitions and cuts

Enhancing visuals through color grading and filters

Eventually, we confirmed that the footage — although recorded in standard .mp4 — would only run on PC after being converted into .avi format. With over 900 GB of raw video files, this discovery definitely added pressure and required significant time for file conversion and organization.

To ensure cultural sensitivity and accuracy of translation, especially when the dialog involves spiritual or ritual terms, the subtitling will be done

Replaced the background music with a more culturally appropriate and emotionally resonant track that reflects the traditional Chinese tone of the ritual.

Created a proper introduction, giving the viewer immediate context and establishing the theme from the beginning.

Added several “semi-intro” sections between major transitions to help guide the narrative and improve the flow.

As a result, we reintegrated several of these clips, extending the final cut by almost a minute. This not only enriched the storyline, but also slowed down the pace, giving the viewer more space to experience each moment.