Local educators weigh in on pandemic's effects

New Mexico film industry educators highlighted both the challenges and the pleasant surprises of educating film students during a pandemic in the Virtual Film & TV Day on Monday.

Yes, challenges were overcome, and higher education film programs managed to thrive during online learning, according to Eastern New Mexico University Theatre and Digital Film Making Department Chair Jon Barr. But one subject that wasn’t breached during the public forum was the effect on students’ mental health, he said.

“One thing that wasn’t really talked about that I think is kind of important is how being remote has affected students’ mental health. A lot of our students really feed off being with each other and collaborating with each other, so it’s been hard for them,” Barr said.

He said many students have struggled with being depressed due to the isolation, which at times caused “struggling with staying engaged and motivated.”

“There was just kind of a general feeling of despair because of this situation affecting everybody,” Barr said. “That’s why we felt it was so important to try to offer some in-person classes this semester for the more hands-on classes.”

He said in the current semester, his department has offered cinematography, advanced lighting, and creating a web series classes in person with safety guidelines in place.

“We were very concerned with students complying with safety guidelines, but we have found that students have been so eager to be face-to-face that they’ve done a great job with all of the protocols,” he said.

ENMU digital film making senior Rein Anevay said the most difficult adjustment as a film major was collaborating over a digital platform as opposed to in-person, because so much of what filmmakers do is normally in-person.

“You just have to collaborate in different ways, and we were just so used to collaborating in person. It was not only learning how to collaborate, but there’s always a lot of technical issues (with the Internet) as well. I also feel like it’s easier to read people in person, and it’s more difficult online,” she said, adding that when reviewing a student’s film together, all of the students are normally in a room together, giving feedback as the footage is watched.

“It’s a really weird environment on Zoom, because you can’t really speak; you have to just sit there and listen. If the Internet is bad, then you can’t see their video clearly,” she said. “It makes it really hard to be more in depth with our films.”

But the silver lining, Anevay said, was only being able to work with film crews of five people instead of 12 to 15 people.

“I think that can be a pro in some ways, because the less crew members you have, the more laid back it is. It can make it less stressful and overwhelming not having so many people to focus on,” she said. “You can focus on your story and doing what you need to do rather than focusing on all the people you have to take care of.”

Barr said all in all, he is deeply impressed with the resiliency of his students.

“I’m proud of the students and the faculty with how everybody has pulled together and worked hard to make sure students still have great educational opportunities,” he said. “It hasn’t been easy for anyone, but for the most part, I think we’re fairing much better than we could have. We look forward to — knock on wood — meeting in person in the fall and putting on shows (and viewings) in person.”