Oscar Night 2021: Video Storytelling During a Pandemic
For those who follow the department’s annual traditions, one of the most celebrated is “Oscar Night”—when the final outputs of Michael Chung’s Video Storytelling Course show as a final screening. Of course, this year, neither the celebration nor the films themselves could happen in “the real world,” and so the films were made in lockdown.
“This year's videos tell the stories of isolation, loneliness, frustration and anger, but they are also stories of humor, optimism and hopefulness.”
Here’s Michael with a few words about this year’s particular challenges and triumphs:
This semester's Design Narratives: Video Storytelling course has proven to be an especially challenging endeavor for our first-year students. The filmmaking course has never been a walk in the park, but the current circumstances under covid have made it even more difficult. As classes have moved online and students are isolated in their own time zones, they no longer have the opportunities to collaborate with their peers physically, which is essential for any filmmaking project. And of course they wouldn't have access to all the state-of-the-art equipment the department has prepared for students to use, like in the past...
In spite of all these drawbacks, the resilience of this group has pushed them to move ahead regardless. They were determined to make the best out of the situation from the beginning, and the end results are mind-blowingly impressive!
The students have resorted to utilizing what they have at hand: their phones, their own apartments, and more importantly their own acting and self-directing talents to make this year's line-up of final videos a testimony of their stubborn striving spirit under adversity. This year's videos tell the stories of isolation, loneliness, frustration and anger, but they are also stories of humor, optimism and hopefulness. They all deserve a standing ovation from us!
Here is a sample of what they have offered us this year. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do. Thank you!
In that spirit, please enjoy a selection of the outstanding films from the Class of 2022:
AIR, by Stephen Joyce
This is a glimpse into the first birthday after one’s father has died. Stephen is going through his daily routine on auto-pilot, upset that he is not able to reconnect.
Product: AIR is a digital platform that allows individuals to contribute their information while alive, so when they have passed, people can share in a holistic memory of them.
Weather Note, by Anne Keating
This tells the story of the disruption in the daily routine of walking one’s dog. Forgetting a mask during the pandemic grounds the video as does the DIY solution of the Weather Note.
Product: The Weather Note developed out of a need to have a simple visual reminder of important things—mask, keys, and umbrella or boots in case of inclement weather—by the front door. While these reminders could be set on a phone, by the time one is dressed, masked, and almost out the door, it is too easy to forget to check a phone that is in a pocket.
Sleep, by Jane Luca
Experimenting with various camera angles and means of presentation, Jane’s video focused on a “product” readily available to everyone. In this context, the product of sleep is an intangible effect that impacts how we perceive our everyday life.
Giyo, by Isabell Park
This is a story of one woman who quickly leaves her apartment and forgets to take a mask. However, she is able to check in with Giyo to find the nearest mask center.
Product: Giyo is a service that provides mask sterilization and daily alarms to remind us not to forget one’s mask when leaving the house.
Momily Milk Pump, Susan Zhang
With the surprise that a child is coming to their family, Susan and her husband's life began to undergo some changes. They start to discuss the choice of the child's last name, which in China can follow the mother’s name. Susan suddenly realized that there was such an irreconcilable conflict between them and questions their relationship.
Product: Momily milk pump is a portable breast pump designed for working women. It can efficiently and silently help women solve the inconvenience of breast pumping at work, and liberate women's labor dilemmas.