Two Great Projects for the Ontario Federation of Labour
I would love to highlight some of the work we’ve done in collaboration with the Ontario Federation of Labour because it is so intrinsic to the type of work I love doing that is so rewarding to create, that raises awareness for important issues.
The first video below is a highlight video that brought together footage from coordinated actions in cities throughout Ontario on May Day. Working with contributors across the province, we captured the voices and visuals of the powerful grassroots movement, amplifying the OFL’s key campaigns and raising awareness around the rights and realities of workers. The final video served as both a day-of rallying point and an ongoing advocacy tool for the OFL.
I also created a series called Fault Lines: From the Front Line, which consisted of six short documentaries that profiled workers (and one student) whose shocking stories during the covid-19 pandemic demonstrate how the system fell short for them, and how workers rights issues are only exacerbated during times of public health emergencies or economic strain.
This series came with an interesting set of challenges due to shooting during the height of the pandemic. We didn’t have much time with the participants, and wanted to be as safe as possible, so our options for gathering material were limited.
Adding a graphic element to the films helped to bring a stylistic element to the films since we weren’t able to be super creative about shooting scenes. Also, working with a composer to create music specifically for the films helped to elevate them as well.
Another challenge was telling the story of a worker who wished to remain anonymous, for his fear of repercussion from his employer, and hence his ability to stay in Canada. He spoke no English, so we had someone on set doing rough translations as we went, and worked with a great translation house in post-production in order to ensure the edit was thorough and accurate.
