5 Questions with Lydia Cornett
1) It's been a crazy couple of months since we last spoke in March for "Narmin's Birthday" -- how are you holding up?
It definitely has been. I’m doing well, all things considered–I’ve been social distancing in the outdoors, working on ways I can support racial justice, and thinking a lot about found footage filmmaking.
2) What was the initial idea here, and how did it evolve from there?
I grew up in a family of musicians and educators: my father is an opera singer and voice teacher, and my mother is a pianist and opera coach. When quarantine forced my parents to start doing Zoom music lessons and coachings, I began to notice how many of my peers were facing similar challenges in varying disciplines. Influenced by my parents’ experiences, I began to pitch the idea of filming Zoom classes to a few of my teacher friends, and many of them were eager to share the realities of their work. My hope is that the film portrays educators’ remarkable ability of communicating ideas effectively and connecting with students amidst the challenges that come with remote instruction. There’s often an absurdity to the virtual teaching dynamic that I think many of us can relate to right now.
3) What was the biggest challenge in making this film? And generally what part of the creative process do you enjoy the most?
The biggest challenge in making this film was socially-distant production. I was able to film Emily (the barre instructor) from a good distance with a long lens, but Gizem and Corina (the violist and chemistry teacher) were filmed by those they were quarantined with. I would give direction to their camera operators before and during filming, but a lot was out of my control. Shooting and being a real-time observer is usually my favorite part of the creative process, but I’ve also found that imposing limitations on myself can yield really interesting results,
4) What’s a film you’ve seen recently, new or old, that you really loved and why?
I just re-watched Sierra Pettengill’s short documentary Graven Image. It’s an incredible feat of archival storytelling, and an unflinching examination of the legacy of Confederate monuments.
5) What’s next for you?
I may be doing some virtual teaching of my own this fall! I’ll be pursuing my MFA while teaching undergrad filmmaking, most likely in a combination of remote and in-person instruction.
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http://www.lydiacornett.com
IG: @lydiacornett