I’m sure we can all agree that COVID has been incredibly difficult for many of us, but if there were two key takeaways for me, it would be:
You cannot predict the future, so it’s important to not stress over the things that may never happen. No one could have imagined the impact that COVID would have and how much it has changed the paths we find ourselves on.
Despite such a disastrous situation, the film industry is incredibly resilient.
The latter point was most notable on our recent commercial shoot for Memories where we captured the content for ‘Brothers – A Lasting Legacy’. If you haven’t seen the film, you can view it here:
Back in January we were ready to start the new year by producing our first hero film of 2021. However, within a short space of time we found ourselves back into lockdown. This ultimately meant most film locations stopped taking bookings and many members of the industry saw their calendar wiped clean. For what is mostly freelancers, this wasn’t an ideal start to what we had hoped would be a year of the ‘new normal’.
However, fast forward to April 2021, after which the UK’s lockdown restrictions had lifted, we were able to start thinking about getting out there again.
What I saw on this shoot, which may have been one of the first major projects for many, was an epic display of enthusiasm, positive attitude and a hunger to create great content again. Described as “running like clockwork” it was a pleasure to watch everyone pull together and kiss COVID farewell, hopefully for good.
Overcoming adversity is one thing but coming back with a positive mindset and building new walls to climb can only be applauded.
Our film follows two Brothers who have always played pranks on each other, even into adulthood. One of the brothers sadly passes away but still finds a way to play one final prank on his sibling. This positive spin on quite a sad situation feels all the more fitting now that I have reflected on the above situation.
Our platform is all about capturing Memories and yes, COVID could be one of those moments we wish to forget altogether. Or, instead we can use it to our advantage, add another tool to our belt and be proud of the strength we have built off the back of it. Rather than seeing the last year as something to feel sad about (although the number of losses is of course very sad!) we can turn it on its head and find a positive angle. It certainly felt like everyone on that project was doing that.
Life is full of ups and downs. But that very saying proves that although there may be downs, at some point there will be ups. And we’ll be looking back on those times and saying: “Remember when...”.
I would like to personally thank all of the cast and crew who worked so hard to create our heart-warming film and it was the perfect way to kickstart what I hope will be many more months of exciting new content from Memories.