How to beat the dullness of self-isolation? The German director Marko Roth is looking for an answer through curiously noticing subtle, everyday details around him in Beauty In Isolation.
Isolation and quarantine are the commonly known public health practices used to protect the public by preventing exposure to people who have or may have a contagious disease. As this practice slowly encroached into human lives – paradoxically, but understandably – many people called for a more collaborative spirit in their work and projects, especially in moviemaking, which documents the global situation so well.
The online video platforms have been flooded with parts of people’s accounts from ZOOM conference calls, consisting of multiple, mostly verbal stories that had to be mashed-up into one, such as seen in Lockdown. The stories were of course often full of worries, almost anxieties about the unknown, focused on the darker side of perceiving the current crisis. Gradually, the format became a sort of overused and melodramatic to watch.
The project How The Light Gets In by production company You Are Here, already illustrating a somewhat more hopeful approach by the project’s name, is like a breath of fresh air in the sea of COVID-19 shorts. It is a visual poem conceived and shot remotely in 7 different cities around the world. Instead of being a one-director show compiling confessions from many, it has brought together a group of seven directors, practicing isolation in their respective cities, each of them opening up and telling their story from a cinematic perspective. This way, the initiative created a unique short film that is an ode to stillness, contemplating the conflict between beauty and isolation.
As one of the part-taking filmmakers, director Marko Roth worked from his flat in Frankfurt and has let the light of hope in by capturing the Beauty In Isolation. During his weeks spent alone, instead of focusing on the shortcomings, Roth had been immersed in the details of daily chores he couldn’t notice before as a result of busyness.
This is my very personal view on COVID-19 lockdown. It captures the special atmosphere of being slow, of perceiving details you have never noticed before, of finding beauty in isolation.
This short auto-portrait pictures a glimpse of Roth’s presence, which despite its loneliness shows how it has helped him overcome the frustration of it, thanks to not being distracted with unnecessary noise, thus being able to connect with himself on a deeper level. On the occasion of being by himself, Roth finds enjoyment in the moments of lightly dancing with his favourite song plugged in, or admiring the hauntingly quiet and empty blooming summer field on a slow walk.
Whether it is improving some of your skills, learning new things which you’ve postponed for a long time or recognising what really matters to you – the choice is yours and now is the time for embracing it.
Beauty In Isolation
Filmsupply curates some of the most beautiful video stock footage collections by contemporary directors and cinematographers. You can also find Roth’s shots from Beauty In Isolation there. For seeing more of Roth’s travel video work or director’s reel visit his website, Vimeo and Instagram.
Do you have a video you think we should feature, or is one of your friends a talented filmmaker? Submit your work at marketing@foliovision.com for a chance to be featured in our Video of the Week series!
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Chiara Rendeková
Chiara was born and raised in the neighbourhood of Petržalka in Bratislava. Besides studying Marketing Communication at Comenius University, she happens to be an observer, mostly through the lens of a camera.
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