Lot48 Film Co.

Aaron & Angela Bell: Documentary filmmakers, video creators, Belleville, Ontario

How has the pandemic affected you?

Our video production business for clients basically ended overnight in March. We knew that our business plan was going to need to change for us to be successful during the pandemic and in the new world after. On the plus side, it gave us the opportunity to share some of our work online in ways that we hadn’t done before. We shared all of our films during a two week film fest live on Facebook and used the opportunity to reconnect with people that we had made films about in the past.

As restrictions begin to ease, what are you looking forward to?

Travelling again. After meeting people online and collaborating with others from all of Canada, the U.S. and other parts of the world, we are looking forward to being able to visit and learn more in person.

How have you made technology work for you?

Technology definitely worked in our favour during this time. We used Zoom and other online tools to video chat and connect with people from around the world. We built working relationships with people that we have never met in person.

We also used the time to learn more about creating and sharing videos. In the past, we were almost always behind the camera but during this time, we have learned to get more comfortable in front of the camera as well. We believe that will help us create better films down the road.

How has this experience affected your perception of the importance of art and artists?

We were very inspired by artists - especially musicians - who were sharing live concerts from home, especially in the first couple of weeks of lockdown. We looked forward to hearing some of our favourite artists perform stripped-down sets to audiences tuning in from around the world at home. It was a very different shared experience than live music, but one that we found very powerful.

lot48films.com