I started this project with my mind scattered. I felt like most students felt. I had no idea what about my home would be interesting enough to present to my classmates. My first inspiration was to make a documentary about my three dogs and their absurd relationship with the spring bees in my backyard. It felt cute, funny, and maybe my classmates would enjoy viewing it. Obviously, it lacked any sort of narrative, and have you ever tried to film a bee on an iPhone? I quickly shifted to the real stars of the show, my parents.
My process was clogging my icloud storage. I filmed every chance I got. I would not have been able to capture my father’s creative language and one-liners without constantly following them around the house religiously. Most of the action came after 4:30 pm when my parents would leave their work caves and wait for Hannah’s call. It became a part of all of our routines. Usually around 10:00 p.m, my parents’ bedtime, I would start putting the pieces together. Downloading, uploading, and saving film became my go-to nighttime activity during the first few months of the “Q.” It was tricky learning Adobe applications from home, but the outcome was so rewarding. Learning how to tell a good story was a difficult process, but it was some of the most exciting work I have done at Denison. It is exciting to have a piece of my quarantine experience captured in such a way because it captures both memories and milestone moments that my family and I can cherish for a long time.