Video report

TAYLOR’S UNIVERSITY | SABD | FNBE | SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING AND DESIGN
FOUNDATION IN NATURAL AND BUILT ENVIRONMENT

VIDEO TITLE: TOGETHER FOREVER?
MODULE: Social Psychology [PSYC0103]
ASSIGNMENT: Video Clip, Presentation and Report
LECTURER: Mr. Shankar

DANIEL SONG (LEADER) 0320155
LAU MAO HUA 0320249
LAM WEE WEE 0320129
LIM TING LE 0320028
AUDREY TING 0320247

DANIEL SONG | LAM WEE WEE | LAU MAO HUA | LIM TING LE | AUDREY TING
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CONTENT PAGE

No. Content Page Number
1 Acknowledgements 3
2 Introduction 4
3 Summary of the story 58
4 Methodology & Execution 912
5 Psychological concepts 1318
6 Conclusion 19
7 References 20

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Throughout the entire module we have received much guidance and tutelage from our lecturer, Mr. T.
Shankar, without which, adequate understanding of the subject and its contents would not have been
possible. In turn, this assignment, could not have been completed without said counsel. For this, we
show gratitude and acknowledgement.

Besides the exertion from such parties, the efforts invested by each and every group member
involved in the completion of this assignment was instrumental, and equally as important. Through the
many occasions that Audrey Ting, Lam Wee Wee, Lau Mao Hua, Lim Ting Le, and Daniel Song had
conferred to draw up plans, work schedules, and the like, this assignment would never have been
completed.

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INTRODUCTION
This assignment, as with the previous ones, was a test of the practical understanding of all that was
taught to us throughout the semester. The scope of this assignment can be understood in a threefold
manner. The brunt of this assignment was to be a video capturing a storyline, within which, 5
psychological concepts taught to us during the duration of the semester was to be incorporated. This
video clip was to be planned, shot, and edited solely by the students, with participation being
compulsory from all.

Then, a presentation of this video to the class was to be held, wherein we as the group would have a
chance to explain the content in the video, the execution of the video, and the concepts involved and
applied within the storyline.

Finally, a report, which would be compiled and handed in at the same time as the presentation, was
to be prepared, which would encapsulate the entire process, and to detail the application of the
concepts.

Such assignments are a true test of understanding and comprehension towards the subjects taught
during the semester. It took much planning and careful consideration in order to execute this project
in a manner befitting of it. It requires for one as a student to become aware of the application of the
subjects taught, and allows for a much more wholesome learning experience.

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SUMMARY OF THE STORY
The story begins with the introduction of two close friends Muthu, and Chong.

Muthu is an Indian boy, whereas, Chong is Chinese. They are seen running away from someone,
presumably a teacher, succeeding in escaping. It is implied that they have known each other for a
long time, through the way they speak to each other, the use of superlative chronemic terms, and
through the intimacy they display as friends, getting into trouble together. The conversation then
switches to college, as they wonder about the next phase of their lives. It is revealed that they shall be
enrolling in the same programme, in the same college, to their excitement.

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As they enter this new environment initially in tandem, Chong and Muthu are introduced to new
people. Two students in particular, with the appearance of hoodlums, invite Chong to an event,
indicating interest in friendship. When Muthu asks to come, they lie, saying there was only one more
ticket. Their rejection towards Muthu can be seen from early on.

As days go by, Chong begins to unknowingly neglect Muthu, in spending more time with his new
friends. He grows closer to them with each day. One day, as Muthu comes across the group in class,
he greets Chong casually, with such friendly greetings being reciprocated by Chong. When Muthu
leaves, Chong’s new friends chide him to cut off relations with Muthu, citing the fact that he is Indian
as sufficient cause. They state that Indians are generally conniving and thieves. This is reinforced by
the lecturer, who states an incident in which she said an Indian was planning to steal her handbag. In
reality, her preconception of Indians was to blame for such perception. In seeing the general
sentiment towards Indians, Chong also jumps on the bandwagon and decides to ignore Muthu from
then on, much to the disappointment of Muthu.
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Along the line, while Chong was hanging out with his new gang, his friends decided to try out drugs.
As Chong refused to take part, even while under pressure, he was soon cast away from the group,
which left him in bitterness towards the gang. He tries to console himself while driving back home, by
telling himself that they weren’t all that cool anyway. In his grief, he got into an accident with another
driver, leaving him injured.
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Chong soon wakes up on a hospital bed, unaware of what happened. Upon realising that because he
had been involved in an accident, and that his kidney was ruptured, that Muthu had voluntarily
donated his own kidney, Chong realises the depth of his old friendship, and reconciles with Muthu.

Youtube Video Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nHDmBCgGH_4
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METHODOLOGY & EXECUTION
a) Idea Generation
Initially, there was very little direction to begin moving towards. This was remedied by getting the
group to meet several times throughout the duration of the project, in order to allow us to brainstorm
together to exchange ideas. Responsibility to study on one’s own in order to understand what was
thought was personally borne by each member.

The idea required a momentum which was built up over time. Usually, the leader would start these
meetings by giving them a topic to discuss on, such as war, or familial problems, and we would reveal
to each other how the psychological concepts were evident in such situations, and how we could
approximate these ideas, to use them. It required some time for ideas to flow, for each of us to loosen
up. In time, the ideas began to flow.

At the inception of this idea, we wanted it to be a simple, relatable story. We wanted it to be
lighthearted, and jovial. This would allow maximum absorption of the content. The conclusion of this,
was a comedic story which demonstrated the racism which was evident in society, and how it played
in a relationship between two close friends.

Although the process of generating ideas may not have seemed intentional, it was required to be
such, that we as group mates would loosen up, open up, and think independently of stale ideas. Just
chatting about different topics, and seeing the concepts evident in them, helped gain the idea gain
momentum.

Soon, we had a solid story to go with. The camera angles, scenes, settings, and props were
visualised, as well as props, materials and equipment needed for the different scenes.

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b) Resource Consolidation
In order to carry out our plans, we procured all necessary props & equipment. They are listed as
follows:

Props:
● School accessories, e.g. Ipads, laptops, bags, files, notebooks, etc.
● Lighter & “Cigarette pack”
● Wheeled chair, to simulate a car
● Sunglasses
● Surgical Masks
● Casual outfit for when Muthu & Chong have not enrolled in college
● College going outfit, for when Chong & Muthu have enrolled in college

Equipment:
● DSLR Camera Used for recording video & audio footage
● Samsung Galaxy S6 Substitute recording device
● Camera Tripod Used to steady camera, and for stationary shots.
● Personal computers equipped with required software.
○ IMovie For editing video and audio footage
○ Sony Vegas Pro For editing video and audio footage.

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c) Video Shooting
The process of shooting was simple in nature. After solidifying the idea, and discussing it several
times over with the aid of a simple storyboard, we decided to begin shooting in immediacy, so as to
maintain the momentum. These processes were all made possible, through research and information
hunts on different aspects of filmmaking. This task was given to the entire group, such that every
member was to research different resources on filmmaking, and contribute to the process. The roles
of each group member in the story are as follows:
Lim Ting Le Chong
Lam Wee Wee Muthu
Daniel Song Gangster 1/Doctor 1
Lau Mao Hua Gangster 2/Doctor 2
Audrey Ting Lecturer
For most part, the camera was handled between Daniel Song, Ting Le, and Audrey.

Securing the venues for shooting was more of a problem. We attempted to secure them in order of
the story. They are as follows:

● Various classrooms
● Hallways
● Stairways
● Car
Usually, the shooting would be carried out after several dry runs of the shots and scenes, in order to
allow maximum fluidity and familiarity during actual runs. Also, the actors were briefed to be extremely
relaxed, and natural, to merely respond to any conversation, not to stick to unnatural usage of words.
There would usually be no script involved, only an understanding of what the scene was about, and
what was to be mentioned. The actors were to practice capturing the gist of the scene in their own
words, to allow maximum natural behaviour.
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d) Editing
Video editing is very essential after the shooting. Most of the editing is done by Ting Le with the
valuable advice from Daniel Song.

e) Report Drafting & Completion
Report drafting is done by Daniel Song and Wee Wee.

f) Slide Creation & Presentation
Slide preparation is done by Mao Hua and Audrey.

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PSYCHOLOGICAL CONCEPTS

The psychological concepts applied in the storyline we drew up are as follows, in order of chronology.

1) The principle of mere exposure/ Classical Conditioning (Chapter 10/Chapter 5)

The order of events, in which Chong’s exposure to his new friends grows each day, as does his relationship with them.
The concept of mere exposure applied in this video can be seen in two manners, in how it brought
about attraction on a Platonic level, between Chong, and his new group of friends, and in how Chong’s
attitude shifted with continuous exposure to them. The concept of mere exposure states that
someone’s attraction, or positive attitude towards a certain subject, is increased with each time they
are exposed to the said subject. In this case, the subject of exposure were the two Chinese gangsters.

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The mere exposure concept in this storyline isn’t confined to one scene, but is actually exposed
gradually over a series of scenes, which are supposed to be pieced together, as a montage to
represent lengthiness of time. In this story, when the Chinese gangsters invite Chong out for an event,
that was the beginning of Chong’s exposure to this group, which he previously presumably had no or
little contact with. This develops into a deeper relationship, when Chong begins to hang out with this
new group more often, increasing the exposure to them, and building attraction to them.
In a way, it can be stated that Chong’s attitude towards these people changed, from neutral, to
positive, as he was exposed to them more often.

2) Stereotypes & Prejudice (Chapter 7)

Stereotypes & prejudice displayed through racism in particular is thematic towards this video. It is
demonstrated mainly through how groups of people perceive certain races as having innate,
unavoidable, uniform negative qualities, in this case, the perception that people of the Indian race are
generally untrustworthy. By definition, prejudice is a negative attitude towards a certain group of
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people, and stereotypes, is the belief in a general characteristic held by all members of a certain
group.
In the video, the stereotypes and prejudice present were evident in how the Chinese gangsters &
lecturer held a negative perception towards Muthu, because Muthu was Indian. They had perceived
him as untrustworthy, due to his being Indian. This influenced their interactions with Muthu, which
were mostly negative. They didn’t associate themselves with him, were unwilling to be friends with
him, and ultimately insulted him behind his back, just because he was Indian.

3) Social proof (Chapter 6)
The scene in which Chong uses social proofing to indicate the appropriate decision
The concept of social proofing is linked to the concept of persuasion, in that a person is more likely to
be persuaded to a certain choice if he sees a significant amount of the community move towards a
certain decision. In this case, social proofing was utilised in how Chong decides to not to be
associated with Muthu anymore, although Muthu was a long time friend, because “everyone” seemed
to be holding certain perceptions towards Indians.
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He just jumped on the social bandwagon, in seeing that because everyone else believed that Indians
were not trustworthy, and did not associate with them, he should not either.

4) Social Learning Theory (Chapter 1)
The social learning theory, is a perspective of social psychology, which states that all behaviour is
learned through observation, and learning from other social beings. In simple words, one learns
behaviour from observing others.

As with the previous concept, Chong learnt, from observation of his friends’ behaviours and schemas
in action, that his friend Muthu, who was Indian, was not to be associated with.

5) Aggressionhostile, verbal (Chapter 9)

The scene in which Chong is verbally aggressed upon by the Chinese gangsters after he refused to take drugs.
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Aggression is behaviour which is generally injurious towards another person, physically, emotionally,
or mentally. It can take many forms, of which the most known is physical aggression, where one hurts
another bodily. It can also be verbal, where insults and injurious statements are made towards
another.

In this story, aggression was displayed verbally, in a hostile manner towards Chong, by the Chinese
gangsters. They had done this after Chong refused to experiment with drugs. This resulted in Chong
being insulted and called many things, including an Indian, which was used as a derogatory term by
the Indian gangsters, again displaying their prejudice towards the race. The aggression was hostile in
nature, as it was directly and intentionally meant to injure Chong with malintent.

6) Prosocial behaviour, altruistic motivations (Chapter 8)

Muthu is seen here under operation to donate his kidney to Chong.
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Prosocial behaviour, very simply, classifies any behaviour that is helpful towards other social beings.
It encompasses both helpful behaviour done with noble intentions, and those done with less noble
intentions.

In this video, we see that after deciding to reject Muthu, Chong barely interacts with him. Muthu, being
cut off, could have taken this in anger and vengeance. However, it is seen, that after Chong gets
involved in a car accident, and ruptures his kidney, Muthu volunteers to donate his own kidney, for
Chong’s sake.

Muthu’s intentions are noble, and selfless, as he had all the reason not to help Chong, but did
anyway. This prosocial behaviour is classified under the altruistic model of prosocial behaviour.

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CONCLUSION
As a matter of reflection, this assignment has been found to be a very wholesome, interactive
experience. It allowed for us to hone different skills, all of which is very useful in the corporate world.
The skill of organisation, directing actions, planning, generating ideas are but some of the skills that
have been picked up during the duration of the completion of this assignment.

It allowed us to open up, to stand on our own toes as we executed every one of our plans. More
importantly, it allowed us to see that what was taught in class, was not limited to the classroom, but
was actually present intrinsically in many aspects of our “mundane” lives. Besides that, we gained a
better understanding of such concepts through the planning, discussions, and execution of our plans.
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REFERENCES
1) Cherry, K. (n.d.). Altruism: Why Do We Risk Our WellBeing to Help Others? Retrieved June 7,
2015, from http://psychology.about.com/od/aindex/g/whatisaltruism.htm

2) Duff, K. (2012). Think social psychology. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon/Pearson.

3) McLeod, S. A. (2008). Prejudice and Discrimination. Retrieved from
www.simplypsychology.org/prejudice.html

4) Ruth, H. (n.d.). Cialdini's Six Principles of Influence: Convincing Others to Say. Retrieved June
7, 2015, from http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/sixprinciplesinfluence.htm

5) Stereotypes and Prejudice. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2015, from
http://www.sparknotes.com/psychology/psych101/socialpsychology/section2.rhtml

6) Zajonc, R. B. (1968). Attitudinal effects of mere exposure. Journal of Personality and Social
Psychology, 9(2, Pt.2), 1–27. doi:10.1037/h0025848

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