September Shenzhen Gathering: Inside Observational Documentary with Lemphek
CCC Shenzhen gathered at TEQUILA COYOTES for an inside look at long-form observational documentary with Lemphek 彭泽凯, followed by questions, shop talk and a proper Sunday catch-up.
Event posters
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Inside the Room
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A few frames from the afternoon at TEQUILA COYOTES: Lemphek breaking down story direction, the room following along, and the group together after the conversation.
Past Event · CCC Shenzhen Gathering
Reality Doesn’t Follow the Treatment
On Sunday, September 27, CCC Shenzhen took over a corner of TEQUILA COYOTES at Sea World for an afternoon with documentary director-DP Lemphek 彭泽凯, who made the trip from Guangzhou to share an inside look at his long-term observational project, currently working under the title Trainspotting 3.
Lemphek walked the room through the reality behind the footage: years spent following the same story, access that could change without warning, real-world situations no call sheet could control, and the decisions that shaped the film as it grew. He opened up his story direction and workflow, then stayed with the room for questions and a wider conversation about filming when life refuses to hit its marks.
People arrived from across Shenzhen, some on time and some straight out of traffic, then stuck around to trade experiences and talk shop. That’s the value of these gatherings. One filmmaker brings the work, the room brings the questions, and everybody leaves with something useful.
A big thank you to Lemphek for sharing the project while it’s still being made, and to TEQUILA COYOTES for giving Shenzhen’s creative community a place to meet.
Inside Observational Documentary
During the afternoon, Lemphek took the room through a behind-the-scenes conversation, followed by questions and a wider discussion.
He opened up the reality of making a difficult long-form observational documentary. Not the tidy version you tell once the film is finished. The years of footage, unpredictable access, shifting stories and moments that no production plan could have called.
Part filmmaker conversation, part production post-mortem, part “how the hell did you get yourself into this situation?”
How do you decide what’s actually worth filming? How do you follow a story for years without drowning in footage? Lemphek talked through his workflow for long-term documentary projects, managing enormous amounts of material and staying sane while following the same people and story over time.
He also got into filming inside unpredictable environments, including private or sensitive spaces, intense and sometimes violent situations, and encounters with police. The question was always the same: how do you stay out of unnecessary trouble while still getting the story?
Then there were the stories that nobody could have planned: the strange turns, production surprises and unusual encounters that happen when reality becomes more complicated than the documentary you thought you were making.
The Work After the Shoot
Observational documentary doesn’t end when the camera goes back in the case. Lemphek’s editing setup offers a glimpse of the other half of the process: years of footage, parallel versions, changing story threads and hundreds of small decisions made on the timeline. The film is found in the field, then found again in the edit.
Three Days of Marriage. Several Years of Documentary.
Lemphek’s latest documentary is currently working under the title Trainspotting 3.
The film follows two young anarchist micro-celebrities from Wuhan and the extraordinary story surrounding their highly publicised flash wedding and subsequent divorce only three days later.
Following that story has taken Lemphek through years of observational filmmaking and into situations involving police, private spaces, volatile environments and the kind of circumstances a documentary filmmaker can’t exactly put on a call sheet.
At the gathering, he shared what happened behind the camera, how the project kept changing and what it takes to keep filming when reality refuses to follow the treatment.
About Lemphek 彭泽凯
Lemphek is an Australian documentary director-DP based in Guangzhou. His work focuses on youth subcultures and fringe groups across China.
His latest documentary, currently working under the title Trainspotting 3, follows two young anarchist micro-celebrities from Wuhan and the remarkable story surrounding their high-profile flash wedding and divorce three days later.
At the September Shenzhen gathering, Lemphek talked about filming in intense and often unpredictable environments, dealing with police, managing a long-term observational documentary project and some of the stranger stories that developed along the way.
How the Afternoon Ran
12:00 PM — The gathering began with drinks, introductions and a chance to catch up.
During the afternoon — Lemphek shared his behind-the-scenes conversation about observational documentary filmmaking.
After the conversation — The room moved into an audience Q&A, followed by more conversation and time together.
3:30 PM — The gathering wrapped up.
Event Details
- Date: Sunday, September 27, 2026
- Time: 12:00–3:30 PM (China Standard Time)
- Venue / 场地: TEQUILA COYOTES 墨西哥餐厅
- Address / 地址: 深圳市南山区招商街道水湾社区海上世界船后广场B05铺
Shenzhen Keeps Rolling
CCC Shenzhen is building a regular rhythm, with gatherings planned for the final week of each month. No confirmed date to announce yet, but the next room is already taking shape.
Keep an eye on the CCC website and the Shenzhen WeChat group for the next gathering. Bring what you’re working on. Bring a question. Come meet the people making things around you.
Venue
Location
TEQUILA COYOTES 墨西哥餐厅
Shop B05, plaza behind the ship, Sea World, Nanshan District, Shenzhen 深圳市南山区招商街道水湾社区海上世界船后广场B05铺Google Maps · venue pin