Carbon Trace Productions is teaming up with The Standard for this semester’s student film
“16 Weeks.”
This is a story documenting the lives of the Missouri State University community amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as seen by Director Greta Cross and Producer Diana Dudenhoeffer. Relying on volunteer-generated content in the form of vlog-style videos captured on smartphones, 16 Weeks offers a unique perspective on this new reality. Everyday people have the opportunity to showcase their story living through this historic time.
Greta Cross is the Editor-in-Chief of The Standard. She is a junior at Missouri State University studying journalism, photography, and anthropology. Diana Dudenhoeffer is the Digital Editor at the Standard. She is also an undergraduate at MSU studying journalism who loves writing and telling people’s stories.
Here is what they have to say about the upcoming film:
What will we have learned by the end that we didn’t know in the beginning?
16 Weeks has the opportunity to teach us about what it means to be involved in a significant, global historic event. When it comes to MSU students, who are trying to come of age and grow up, how will a pandemic affect that? There is a lot to learn about the human condition through 16 weeks, and we hope to gain insight into the thoughts and emotions of the Missouri State community through the introspective, reflective, and earnest videos we hope to get from our contributors.
Why is this story important?
Nobody is telling this story. Everyone is talking about the university environment during the pandemic. Still, few human-centric stories genuinely reflecting what it is like to live through a time like this. News outlets are saturated with the newest statistics and cases, but fewer outlets are telling real peoples’ stories.
Why now?
That’s the name of the game with this documentary. We hope to document a realistic timeline of events as they unfold during a time nobody’s ever experienced before. This story can only be told right now.
How does your portrait of this character/ issue/ group show that?
By students showcasing their most authentic lives during the pandemic – going to classes in-person and virtually, masking up around campus, going out with friends and quarantining – through vlogging, this documentary will be able to tell the true, earnest story of how COVID-19 is impacting lives.
Support Nonprofit Documentary Filmmaking:
Carbon Trace can provide significant guidance in developing, funding, producing, and distributing a documentary film. For high school students wishing to learn more about documentary filmmaking, Missouri State University offers degrees in digital filmmaking, media production, journalism, and other associated areas.
To take part in the documentary education provided through the Carbon Trace Team, we encourage you to apply for a filmmaking internship, submit a documentary idea, or apply to become a volunteer using the forms below.
Follow me!
