Capturing COVID-19 on camera

By Tasha Dowbachuk | Published by April 18, 2020

Professor Gina Gili in the School of Communication, Media & Journalism, develops a social media documentary titled, Sheltered In Place, which captures the current realities that students are facing under quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Students were sent a mass email, urging them to answer in-depth questions on camera from the safety of their homes in order to document how the outbreak is impacting their lives.  

Gili’s goal is to showcase point-of-view perspectives featuring their thoughts upon transitioning to online learning, the pass or fail option, trips in supermarkets, domestic life with family, and the process of moving out of the residence halls at Kean University. 

“I’m looking to tell everyone’s story in one video,” said Gina Gili. She continues by stating that students’ lives are being turned upside down. 

Gili feels like the documentary could benefit Kean University students in seeing how other students are dealing with the pandemic and can serve as a remedy to expose that no one is alone during these devastating times. 

“I wanted to document real life and how their lives are being directly affected by what is going on,” Gili said. 

Many testimonies within the documentary display a range of unfiltered reactions, such as detailing symptoms of depression or anxiety and even anger. Gili mentions that she has listened to students tell her that they do not want to get out of bed. 

During the moments that Kean University started enforcing social distancing, Amanda Lopez, a senior with a major in Public Relations, says that vlogging her experience helped her unravel her thoughts amongst the early changes of the crisis which also affected her last academic year.  

“At some point, I think that people really need to hear the voices of the students who are being affected by this,” Lopez said. She states that many people could be able to relate her personal testimony and the lack of motivation that is found in seniors through their struggle in completing the online semester. 

Being inside the house every day has been described as frustrating for Lopez, but she states that she is discovering a positive silver lining within quarantining during the crisis. She describes her quarantine experience as eye-opening. 

 “I feel that the documentary will bring a sense of unification and will definitely open the eyes of professors and students to the serious difficulties of this new reality,”  Lopez said. 

She feels as though a lot has been taken away from her senior year, such as the Travel Learn course and the physical aspect of a commencement ceremony. But deep down, she knows that she is not facing these difficulties alone. 

“I’ve realized what is more important and what genuinely brings me joy in life,” Lopez said. 

As the weeks pass by, Gili encourages students to film themselves in moments of vulnerability to provide more insight of how the pandemic is shaping students on a personal level for audiences. 

Bradley Chernoff, a sophomore with a major in Communications in Media/Film, describes his submission process as a creative and interesting experience. He believes that the documentary will provide a realistic reflection with how students are coping with the pandemic. 

“My experience during this pandemic has made me more grateful,” Chernoff said. He feels as though you do not know what you have until you lose it, such as the luxury of being outside and participating in social activities with peers or even alone. 

“I am someone who lives to go to the gym and now that I’ve been deprived of it for over a month, I’ve become more flexible by becoming adaptable through working out outside,” Chernoff said. 

For the future, the possibility of the documentary being submitted for a New Jersey film festival remains as a goal for Gili. She plans on releasing the documentary by the end of the Spring 2020 semester on YouTube for the public to view. 

 

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