Small Talk With... A Film Director

Shanghai's usually about the big screen, but Eric Ransdell and FLY Films look to the small (cab) screens in mid July to make their mark on Shanghai and the future film industry.

Tell us about your upcoming film. It's called Shanghai 2088: Safe Harbor and it's an animated noir thriller about a private eye whose partner is murdered. Animated noir? Basically, it's animation with a hell of a lot of shadows and shading. Of course it also draws influences from classic American private eye movies and the incredible lighting techniques used on those films. We hear you're distributing this short in a unique way. The first three episodes will go up on I-Level Media in the back of Jinjiang taxis [the white ones], then hopefully everyone will get completely hooked by the story and we'll see where it goes from there. Will you keep making episodes after the first three? The first episodes are just the pilots which we're producing ourselves. The idea is to turn it into an ongoing series, but for that we need to find sponsorship. When we think film, we normally think theaters. Why are you taking your new flick to the (very) small screen? We think the future is in short-form entertainment. YouTube and TuDou.com are huge here. With 3G rolling out, mobile entertainment is what's coming next. You can also reach a broad cross-section of the population with taxi-based media. Although the screens are small, the quality is actually very good-you can tell if something has been done well or not. And, let's face it, anything that will take your mind off Shanghai's traffic has to be a good thing. Why set the film in 2088? I came up with the idea when I was filming on the 101st floor of the Shanghai World Financial Center for a documentary we're doing for SWFC's developers, Mori Building Company. We were outside on the roof, getting a night shot of Shanghai and the view from 492 meters above the city was absolutely mind-boggling. I kept thinking, “If this is what Shanghai looks like today, what will it look like fifty or eighty years from now?” What should people look for when watching the film? In episodes two and three, people will begin to understand why we've called this "Safe Harbor." Our vision is a future shaped by global warming. I won't give too much away, except to say that in 2088, the polar caps have melted and there’s a sea wall 12-kilometers high that protects the city and many of the traffic jams in the future will take place on the Huangpu.

Everyone Is Talking About ...Eating for Nocturnes

A new 24 / 7 restaurant gives night owls one more option
For a city with such a happening nightlife scene, Shanghai is notably deficient in its late night dining options. With few venues open past 10pm and even fewer open past midnight, clubbers and night owls alike have consistently reverted to Bi Feng Tang or City Diner to satisfy 4am cravings. But "24-hour restaurants are hit and miss," says Johan Tomson, a client services manager and avid post-midnight muncher. "City Diner used to be an expat mainstay but now it's just disappointing. There are a few dim sum places but they get a little tired. Where are the late night pizza slices?" With former 24-hour institutions losing some of their momentum, where are you to stumble to now in the wee hours?

A new option on the 24 / 7 scene, Tasca, has hit Tongren Lu, serving a mix of appetizers and burgers, paninis, pizzas (yes, pizzas), tapas, paellas, pancakes-a must for any 24-hour restaurant-and more. "Our food is international fusion cuisine," says Paulo Luis, general manager of Tasca. "We feel this is a really strong advantage because we're presenting people with a large number of choices." Located above Judy's, Tasca is the latest venue added to the Judy's Restaurant Group whose cohorts also include Taco Popo, The Spot and the soon-to-(re)open Studio 78.

Should you expect drunken rowdiness at Tasca? "That is always a concern when running a 24-hour place," concedes Luis. "Yes, people get a little wild and crazy and we will probably have some security in place, but we do understand that people are sometimes a bit loud when they go out. People can stay as long as they want so long as there's respect." The lounge atmosphere of the restaurant strives to provide a multi-functional space "not close to fine dining but far from bar food." Apart from making all their bread and cakes in-house, you’ll also be able to pick up ready-made sandwiches in the morning and late at night if you're just too inebriated to be sociable. And, if you just can't make it to Tongren Lu, Huanghe Lu running north of People's Square still has a few 24-hour Chinese joints whose staff are ready to cajole you into eating around the clock.

SHANGHAI DIGITS

➜ 500
The official capacity of Windows Underground
➜ 10,000 grams
The approximate quantity of white sugar that Sugar uses per week
➜ ￥500,000
The winning bid for six magnum bottles of 1992 Screaming Eagle Carbernet Sauvignon at the annual Napa Valley wine auction

A SHANGHAI MINUTE: Packing Pantene

The shampoo sniff-and-search campaign is on
In a move to increase safety and guard against possible terrorist attacks, olfactory security checks for explosive chemical substances are being vigorously enforced at a public swimming pool near you. Shanghai's 450 public pools are now required to verify the contents of bottles of shampoo, body wash and other liquids. Applying the principle "the nose knows" pool workers will smell each bottle to make sure it is not harmful–remember, waft, don't inhale deeply. In conjunction with the additional security measures at airports and metro stations that you've likely breezed by, this latest initiative joins the fray of stepped-up Olympic security protocols in our co-host city which will be home to the Olympic soccer tournament. Yes, soccer, not swimming. We're not quite sure what the connection is, but either way, it's time to sniff your way to water safety.