Let the world see Taipei
Liu himself is a great sports fan who loves watching Taiwanese players like Wang Chien-ming, Chen We-yin, and Lin Tzu-wei who are currently working in US major league baseball. And like most Taiwanese people, he’s passionate in his support for the sporting community in general.
Although Liu has quite a lot of experience filming internationally, this is the first time that he’s taken complete responsibility for shooting an official video. “This is Taiwan’s first opportunity to host such a prestigious international sporting event, presenting us with the chance to show Taiwan to the world. Our team was not going to miss out on such a rare break,” says Liu.
Bito Studio specializes in motion design, so they eschew common video shooting techniques, instead using an enormous number of stills, combined visually with a fast rhythm. The completed work is a far cry from what many viewers are accustomed to. But the director isn’t worried. He’s confident that “this is what the world wants to see.”
Liu’s confidence stems from his immense experience working with media. He spent many years working in New York before returning to Taiwan five years ago to establish Bito Studio. And back in Taiwan, he also gained rich experience producing promotional films for multinational companies such as Mercedes-Benz.
As well as introducing new shooting techniques, Liu also avoids common Taipei vistas. “Looking through past promotional films for Taiwan, they all tend to focus on Taipei 101 and the night markets,” says Liu.
He questions whether these scenes really represent Taiwan: “The greatest attraction of this youthful nation is its vitality,” says Liu. Compared to Europe or other countries with a long history, Taiwan is rather young and is still searching for its own identity. And because that identity is still to some extent in question, this gives Taiwan almost unlimited possibilities and great vitality.
Many people, for example, criticize Taiwan’s unappealing streetscapes, full of untidy signage and countless noisy scooters flying through the traffic. But in Liu’s eyes, these scenes are representative of the vitality of the city. “People ride scooters everywhere to get to work to make a living.” Such apparent bedlam is in fact one of the great charms of Taipei.