*Anting Wang, Mohd Nizam Osman, Megat Al-Imran Yasin, Nurul Ain Mohd Hasan

Abstract:

In late December 2019, the world witnessed the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which subsequently led to numerous social and work limitations including face-to-face communication and documentary production worldwide. While many studies have focused on the framing of COVID-19 by mainstream news agencies and political figures, few studies have concentrated on the perspectives of independent filmmakers regarding the pandemic. The challenges faced by these niche filmmakers during COVID-19 would have likely magnified and changed due to the uncertainties that befell filming and distribution. In this intrinsic case study, the researcher aims to explore the creative processes of two documentary films, Luo Luo’s Fear and Entrapment, produced by emerging and experienced filmmakers, respectively, during the pandemic while participating in the Caochangdi (CCD) Workstation’s Folk Memory Project.

Keywords: Independent documentary film, online creative community, framing theory, COVID-19 pandemic, intrinsic case study