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Writer's pictureSusan Petry

The Making of ChoreOVID #8 - Unpacking Pandemic

Updated: Jan 23, 2021


Spoil alert: I strongly recommend you see the film before reading this... here's the link, if you haven't already seen it:


This #8 had some surprising hiccups and re-calibrations along the way. It all started when in April the word/concept of "pandemic" popped up in my mind while running and I kept thinking it triggered some related word for me and that was EPIC, and then I realized "epic" was actually contained in "pandemic" and the remaining 4 letters spelled DAMN.


I thought then that I would do an anagram dance - rearranging the letters of PANDEMIC creating a fun "unpacking" of the word. I thought this would be a simple and swift one, with a short and clever play of letters ending in DAMN EPIC. Turns out, the list of possible anagrams from PANDEMIC is substantial - it's an awesomely balanced vowel/consonant word. After many tries (with spelling errors... hey, try spelling ANEMIC upside-down with your feet!), and several versions, I ultimately came to a narrowed list that (a) goes from three letter words up to six letter words, and (b) was in such an order that I, or the viewer, could fashion a narrative. I wanted the narrative to dig in a little to the real hardships, fears, and awfulness of the pandemic.


Why the feet? At first, it was simply because #6 was using my hands and I didn't want to do another with my hands. But as I persevered, it seemed like the feet added an element of insanity to it (hello pandemic) and difficulty and awkwardness (again, hello pandemic). With my feet manipulating the tiles, this assumed using a floor. We had one version filmed in Maine on our porch floor but rough wood and salty air conspired against this being the optimal filming. With that practice, though, it became clear that I liked using the floor as the background as it underscores how gritty and constant a pandemic is.


The mixing of the elevator music (annoyingly like being on hold for a long time), a narrative of the unpacking fading in and out, and typewriter sounds, was aptly constructed with Ric's help, as we debated the pros and cons of each element. In the end, I like that you hear bits of my narrative, and then as it fades out, you can continue with your own connotations and imagery. Hope you enjoy.

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