Packages from Daddy: A New Film Highlighting Kaohsiung's Maritime Culture／在高雄海岸，學習以愛道別─《心靈時鐘》
Packages from Daddy: A New Film Highlighting Kaohsiung's Maritime Culture
◎English tranlstion: Hou Ya-ting
◎Photos courtesy of Cai Yin-jyuan, Lee Jhih-ciang
Packages from Daddy is a film that was made on Shoushan and along Kaohsiung's Sizihwan coastline. The story focuses on a 9-year-old boy named Yeh Lan, his older sister and their mother. During the film, the father passes away and the family struggles with the loss. However, when they receive gifts that the father had arranged for them, they begin to recover from their grief. Director Ms. Cai Yin-jyuan explains the inspiration for the film had come out of her own nephew's grief at the losing his father. She felt through the medium of film that she could reveal the tremendous impact that comes from losing a family member. She hopes the movie can heighten the awareness of how others can support families and friends that have recently lost loved ones.
The film's original Chinese script won a subsidy at the 2016 Kaohsiung Film Festival. The sophisticated plot weaves together Kaohsiung's oceanic scenery and the various occupations that exhibit Kaohsiung's unique marine culture. Lan's father had been an agent who sold second hand parts from demolished shipping vessels. This reflects Taiwan's once world renowned, 1971 to 1988, flourishing second-hand shipping parts industry. Scrapped parts would be transformed into furniture, clocks and other products. The gifts that the late father has arranged to be sent to his family have been made from parts that had come from his shop.
Lan's mother also works in a job that features a profession that revolves around a maritime way of life. Working as a waitress in a yacht club, the audience gets an appreciation for Kaohsiung's marine culture and how it influences its people. The ocean and maritime lifestyles are central to the film. The family live near Sizihwan Bay and through their window, a beautiful seaside is revealed.
After the father's death, Lan reminisces about times when his father was still alive. Flashbacks include how he and his father would wander along the city's coastlines and how the family would enjoy splashing around in the surf together. These touching scenes elucidate the pain of losing a family member and the memories that linger. The grief however is offset with cinematography of the beautiful turquoise ocean and Kaohsiung's delightful seaside.
Shooting a film on the slopes of Shoushan and on the ocean had many challenges. Since the set was overlooking Sizihwan Bay, all the equipment needed to be lugged all the way up the side of the mountain to the family's home. Camera drones were also used to capture the stunning coastal scenery. Sometime they had to film on the ocean itself. Director Ms. Cai recalls the seasickness she had suffered while shooting on the ocean, when a typhoon was coming in, bring with it fierce winds and storm surge. It increased her appreciation for days of filming beautiful scenery and good weather more.
She also truly appreciates all the support she has received from Kaohsiung City Government. She felt the people of Kaohsiung were particularly friendly and warm. Many of the local residents enthusiastically participated in the filming. Kaohsiung native, Executive Producer Lee Jhih-ciang, was intrinsic in shooting the beautiful coastal scenery and requisitioning little not known locations that truly revealed Kaohsiung's charming maritime character.
在高雄海岸，學習以愛道別─《心靈時鐘》
◎文／藍秋惠
◎照片提供／蔡銀娟、李志薔
電影《心靈時鐘》以高雄沿海為背景，刻劃小男孩葉藍跟媽媽、姊姊，如何從爸爸突然去世的打擊中，透過爸爸過世後寄給每個人的神秘禮物，慢慢面對內心的傷痛，重新找回生活的方向。蔡銀娟導演談起這部電影拍攝，緣起於她的小姪子驟失父親，看到他們的生活產生劇變而有所感觸，希望透過電影呈現失親兒童與家庭的心靈創傷，讓社會大眾了解沉重的生命失落及來不及告別的遺憾，進而喚起更多的陪伴與關懷。
雖然以失親兒為主角，但導演認為台灣四面環海的特質得天獨厚，也有許多與海相關的產業，特別在片中加入大量高雄的海洋元素。電影裡父母的職業設定就頗具巧思，爸爸是高雄一家船藝品店的老闆，船藝品店起源於過去高雄港興盛的拆船業，店內販售從船隻上拆解下來的大小物件，片中爸爸送給家人的禮物，便是精緻的船藝品。媽媽的職業設定為遊艇俱樂部的服務生，亦是為了呈現高雄豐富的海洋文化。
「海」是整部電影中重要的背景元素，主角家中的窗戶可以一覽美麗海景、小男孩在礁岩海岸上遠眺海洋思念父親，或是一家人在海邊玩水的昔日快樂時光。透過片中許多的「海洋」意象，導演希望讓沉重的議題，如海一般寬廣而充滿包容，水的溫柔、大海的溫暖色調，也展現在整部電影的視覺風格與氛圍之中。
全片主場景位於高雄柴山海岸，主角一家住在靠近西子灣的面海小山坡上，由於交通不便，劇組需要每天揹著沉重器材爬上半山腰；為了表現海洋的廣闊，劇中特地使用空拍機來捕捉畫面，
但因為取景地鄰海，劇組受到颱風的影響也特別大，像是出海拍攝不僅要克服風浪等天候因素，還得面對暈船的痛苦，過程十分艱辛。
電影拍攝期間獲得各方面協助，從高雄市政府的支持；到上街拍攝時熱心又高配合度的高雄民眾，都令導演印象深刻。導演蔡銀娟表示，自己十分喜歡高雄，除了美麗的風光與好天氣，高雄人更是非常溫暖與熱情。而李志薔監製本身是高雄人，對高雄深厚的情感，使他最後找到柴山這處鮮為人知的秘境海岸，讓觀眾有機會一窺保留原始風貌的礁岩海灘美景。