Mansfield students' film project captures life under lockdown

One of the practical tasks set for the students on the BTEC diploma in creative digital media production at West Nottinghamshire College was to create a ‘day in the life’ documentary.

Media tutor Michael Rhodes tasked his students to produce a collection of video clips on their phones on Easter Sunday and for them to only contain real moments and nothing staged, to capture a natural look at life in lockdown.

More than 370 pieces of footage from more than 30 students came back, showing everything they and their families did on Easter Sunday, from egg hunts with young siblings, delivering care packages to elderly relatives, having family meals and simply reflecting on the coronavirus situation.

The group edited the footage in a collaborative way and entitled the video Life in Lockdown .

Students used Zoom to hold team meetings and their screens were shared with the group so they could all contribute to the look of the final film.

The film’s final edit was carried out by 18-year-old Joe Fasey from Alfreton.

Joe said: “It was quite challenging at first. In the first week or so, my team and I had difficulty conceiving a coherent narrative, as there was so much footage at our disposal . But once we’d completed our first cut - that is, a very rudimentary edit – it all fell into place. It was a fun and rewarding challenge.”

Fellow student Sharleen Sharpe, 19, from Kirkby-in-Ashfield, featured in the film.

She said: “I filmed throughout Easter Sunday during the third week of lockdown, without any idea that there were still many more weeks to come. I think my main motivation came from Michael keeping us all in touch and updated.

“I enjoyed recording my part of the video. R ecording on my phone made it feel strange as I was so used to the college equipment. However it definitely made the experience more genuine.

“This has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience which I can look back on in many years and I’ ll always have the video to realise how things were and still could be. Life shouldn’t be taken for granted.”