Friends and Family: Making Memories in a Global Pandemic

My video project highlighted what I felt was the most important aspect of the pandemic which was the time I got to spend with my family and friends. While times were uncertain and I oftentimes found myself feeling anxious about the state of the world, I had close friends to keep me grounded and remind me of all of the positive things I have in life. From the less than ideal end to my senior year of high school, to the end of my first year of college, I have had amazing people stick by me throughout and change my life for the better. 

The video begins with an introduction of me surrounded by my friends explaining just how important these memories are to me, before ultimately diving into my pandemic experience. The first half of my video focuses on the beginning of the pandemic, when we all stayed at home in isolation with our families. The first few frames are pictures from my graduation ceremony, which was held despite the difficult circumstances. Most of this portion of the video is memories I made with my family that really set the tone for how I believed the rest of the pandemic would be. There were many milestones that occurred during this time, such as graduation and my eighteenth birthday, all of which are included within the first half of the video.

The second half, proceeded by an image of my COVID vaccination card, details my experience during my first semester on Trinity's campus. I felt that this was important to include as it is such an important aspect of my pandemic experience. I wanted to show just how grateful I am for the friends I have made and all the activities I have gotten to do despite the current situation. I chose the song "Gay Human Bones" by Harlem as the soundtrack for my video as it is an upbeat, engaging song that has actually been a big part of my music library throughout the pandemic. I opted for a soundtrack rather than a voice-over as I felt it would contribute to the overall purpose of the video; a collection of my fondest pandemic memories.

Something I learned during the video editing process was how to place certain clips and images so that the message of the video can be conveyed in an effective manner. It took some time to figure out just where to place each piece in order to avoid a heavy concentration of images or clips in one area of the video. I also tried my best to match these with the changes of the music in order to give the video just a bit more structure. However, it was surprising just how well the pieces were able to fall into place as I went along and I ultimately got the outcome I wanted. There was a lot of attention to detail, which payed off in the end.

Overall, I'd say this project was a success and reminded me just how many memories I was able to make both this year and the last despite the uncertainty of everyday life. It makes me confident that the future can only bring more beautiful moments like the ones depicted in my video.