As part of a project a couple of months ago, I made a short documentary film. It’s about lockdown and Covid and travel and … desks!
With many employees shifting to remote work due to the pandemic, what is the future of work and how is the new normal affecting ordinary people forced into major life changes?
The film is timely and topical, while also covering an issue that has been the subject of public and academic debate – how remote working can increase productivity, and whether working from home is a workable alternative to office tradition. It is a powerful human story, which relates to a wider issue regarding how the world around us has suddenly changed, and how we can continue to produce even under the new “business unusual.”
In summary, the coronavirus pandemic forces everyone in France under lockdown, leaving the streets almost empty on pain of fines and imprisonment. We meet Izzy, who narrates her experience under lockdown with her husband; weekly shopping, new hobbies, and their 5th wedding anniversary – all while working at the dinner table.
In a comical twist, Izzy’s company has office furniture delivered to each employee’s home, leaving her husband vocally annoyed at the prospect of having to share his office for the long term. We see her go about her new routine while commenting on the remarkable lifestyle changes brought on by the pandemic, and the future of “work” as we know it.
