Lockdown on film
How islanders are recording life during the Covid-19 crisis
FOR residents on the Hebridean islands of Mull, Ulva, Iona and Gometra, life has slowed down dramatically during the Covid-19 outbreak with lockdown ensuring minimal movement to and from the mainland, and none of the usual influx of visitors.
However, there are certainly worse places to sit out a global pandemic, and one couple are asking their neighbours to collaborate on a film that will mark this time in history to show how life continued in rural communities.
Alasdair and Georgia Satchel, filmmakers and artists who live on Mull, are inviting residents of the archipelago to contribute short film clips of their everyday life during a week in lockdown to document their experiences in a video postcard.
Alasdair said: “It just struck me that it’s maybe a nice thing to capture the world as it goes by and how the reality of the situation affects people in our communities.”
The couple, who host and run podcast What We Do In The Winter talking to locals about their lives, see themselves as “cultural crofters”.
“The podcast came from how so many people see rural communities as bubbles not in the real world. It got really frustrating. We aim to give a voice and a presence to the reality of life on the islands – it’s a testimony of real life.”
They have received submissions from people documenting their morning routines, a wildlife camera showing otter footage, the crossing of an empty ferry, and others sharing their work and families in the footage. The slice of life is an attempt to convey how people are dealing with life under lockdown, and each is different.
“Everyone’s experience is entirely subjective and what’s different with this is that there’s a mental pressure that many people haven’t found before. For many people, this is what they’ve always been preparing for [the quiet and isolation] and it’s being welcomed but for others it’s very tricky.”
As a theatre and filmmaker, Alasdair’s previously full calender is now empty for the rest of the year.
Friends who run boat tours, tourist attractions and accommodation are facing hard times and months of uncertainty.
It’s difficult, he says, but many are managing to cherish moments of tranquility amid the uncertainty.
“You can see that in some of the footage that’s coming through. There’s a kind of meditative quality to some of it.”
Locally, management of coronavirus information and resources has been excellent, he says, with the community and the council stepping up to ensure people losing income are furnished with food, and finance if eligible. He himself has been awarded a bridging loan by Screen Scotland, ensuring that he can continue working on creative projects.