Created, Produced, Filmed, & Edited by Jane Shevlin
THIS PROJECT COMPLETED DURING THE COURSE OF MY DEGREE IN PHOTO AND VIDEO JOURNALISM FROM THE NEWHOUSE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS
ABOUT THE FILM
Don't Pan(dem)ic addresses the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on the U.S. college student anxiety rates, discussing isolation periods, a struggle to get back to normal, and the effect anxiety has on someones everyday life. Through this two-part docu-series, six students open up about there (each unique) experiences with anxiety and how the pandemic has altered their own mental health and their perspective on socialization.
My goal in the creation of Don't Pan(dem)ic is to help decrease the stigma around anxiety and anxious feelings, and improve overall mental health literacy. This docu-series utilizes immersive storytelling to show the ways anxiety causes physical symptoms, not just emotional ones. The pandemic has altered the way we socialize and the frequency at which we do it. I believe in the importance of highlighting the voices of those that experienced these struggles, and how they, or haven't, found a way to cope.
Thank you to Katie Nakano, Michelle Yankner, Surya Vaidy, Hannah Landon, Deanna Riveria, Helen Cohen, Professor Antshel, and Kira Odonnell for their participation in the piece and their willingness to share their stories.
Series Trailer
the episodes
This episodic series covers a volume of topics surrounding mental health, with the first episode exploring the foundational elements of anxiety and panic. It provides a general scope of the illness and what a life with anxiety is like, far before the 2020 pandemic. Through episode two, I begin to profile students who experienced a shift in their mental health due to the conditions of the pandemic and discuss how they have been changed, socially and emotionally, because of the isolation.
EPISODE 2 Kira Odonnell, 22, encountered complete isolation through the pandemic, which she says completely altered her identity and what she knew about social interaction. Through this episode, we dive into Kira's lack of personal interaction that resulted in a significant change in herself