MEMORIES OF THE MIRAGE (2021)
Trapped in a room, a girl in a claustrophobic future reality attempts to figure out the purpose of her existence.
Runtime: 4 mins
Starring: Emily Chaparian & Katherine Vlamis
Written & Directed by: Caden H. Hollander
Produced by: Molly Miller
Director of Photography: Brandon Ortiz
Edited by: Brandon Ortiz
Projection & Graphics: Claire Wong
*This project was filmed for CTPR 294 at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, and was shot in compliance with all of USC’s Covid-19 filming protocols*
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
In USC's CTPR 294 class, I was assigned to make a New Media film as my principal project for the semester. In an attempt to create something that could expand my skillset and speak to the New Media landscape that is currently changing our industry, "Memories of the Mirage" was born.
At the time we made this film, it was the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, and after a brutal winter surge, myself and many others began to doubt that we would ever "return to normal" like had been previously expected. With this dismal outlook, I wrote the poem that I ended up adapting to serve as the voice over for this story.
I hope that this project can speak to the angst, isolation and confusion of this Covid era, without specifically telling a "Covid story." I hope that the piece resonates with you in some way, as well as the universal themes we've all come to experience over the last few years.
