Isolating Together MOV: Documenting the experience of Covid-19

Over 80 short films produced by SIAT Moving Images students documenting their experience and community experience of the Covid-19 Pandemic. Produced in collaboration with the Museum of Vancouver and curator Viviane Gosselin, and Doenja Oogjes, 2020-22.

Online teaching presented significant challenges for teaching video, which usually requires access to high end equipment from the SIAT Library and in-person instruction and production. However through our collaboration with the Museum of Vancouver we were able to use the theme of #isolatingtogetherMOV to build a filmmaking program that could be done from home with typically available student tools like laptops, Zoom screen recording, and phones. Students learned from each other and from experts about creating zoom portraits, directing interviews over zoom, and being creative with the tools at hand to document their experiences of the pandemic. These assignments were valuable for students to understand how to make the best use of lighting and composition, as well as to understand how the medium used can contribute to the story, in this case: staying at home because of a global pandemic.

Over four semesters during the pandemic, students working with Dr. Hennessy and teaching assistants Doenja Oogjes and Catherine Pearce produced more than 80 short films that are archived online by the Museum of Vancouver and were featured in an exhibition at the Museum of Vancouver about Vancouver’s experience of Covid-19.