Like the rest of the internet, our lives have been taken over by Planet Earth II. Continued proof that everything David Attenborough touches turns to gold, the nature documentary has captivated our attention ever since it began airing in early November.
(Shout out to that iguana vs. snake video, which is not only the most compelling thing we’ve watched in months, but has also spawned a hilarious Singaporean parody.)
Suffice it to say then, that we geeked out when we saw this jaw-dropping hyperlapse of our fair city showcased in the series’ final episode, “Cities”, and shared online as a teaser trailer of sorts before the episode aired on Sunday. The video, which clocks in at only one and a half minutes, starts with wispy clouds parting over Victoria Harbour as Attenborough’s unmistakable voice fades in.
Nothing gets Hongkongers quite as homesick as Victoria Harbour. Screenshot: BBC via Youtube
“One of the greatest changes in recent times has come from a single invention made less than 140 years ago: electric light,” he says as ferries and sampans zip across the black, glassy, harbour, while lights from skyscrapers on either side of the water turn off one by one.
The video’s stunning visuals, expertly captured and edited by filmmaker Rob Whitworth, are a prime example of his signature “flow motion” style, which fits busy urban environments like Hong Kong (or Shanghai, where Whitworth is based) so well – not unlike the “dolly zoom effect” that filmmaker Brandon Li used to such great effect in his viral short film, “Hong Kong Strong“.
This seamless transition shows Mong Kok street signs appearing over a shot of TST’s Avenue of Stars. Screenshot: BBC via Youtube
As explained on the BBC website, by speeding up the timelapses and using transitions instead of traditional cuts, Whitworth has made the video appear like one continuous shot, transporting viewers from the harbour to the busy streets of Mong Kok and through an MTR carriage with the blink of an eye.
Having said that, the taxi ride through the Cross-Harbour Tunnel might not seem as sped up to readers (like us), who’ve had cabbies who apparently think they’re in “Fast and Furious”.
Oof. Those cross-harbour fares’ll set you back. Screenshot: BBC via Youtube
As should be expected from a nature documentary, though, the video isn’t totally glowing in its praise of electric light, and by extension, our incandescent metropolis. “The difference between day and night is becoming less and less perceptible,” Attenborough says as neon signs crackle away on screen.
“And that,” he concludes, “has a profound effect on the activities of wildlife.” Chilling. Or as chilling as the world’s grandpa (don’t hate, you’ve definitely thought it before) can get, so, calm and cautioning.
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