It’s an experience every parent of younger children will recognise.
When your son or daughter asks ‘why can’t we go out?’ Or ‘why can’t we visit grandma?’ there’s only one answer: because of the virus.
York filmmaker Dan Baker, father of Lola, five, and three-year-old Vinnie, knew this feeling only too well.
So he decided to turn it into something special.
Dan and Lola wrote a poem together expressing the strange and sometimes frustrating world of the coronavirus lockdown.
And he created this charming film showing York in all its glory, with Lola reading her poem.
Amazing response
Dan runs Elision Network, which makes films for companies as well as wedding videos.
He had been wanting to create a film about York for some time.
By combining drone images he had already shot with film of the city centre in lockdown taken on his daily exercise, and adding in footage of Lola reading the poem, he created Covid-19 York Lockdown.
The whole world has stopped
Our freedom is locked
Only mummy and daddy can go in the shops.
I miss my school
and I miss my friends
I can’t wait to go back to learning
and the virus to end.
The days feel a lot slower
I’ve turned five now –
I’m much older
I suppose I’ll have to have my party
when this is all over.
I watch my tablet and chill
The streets are empty and still
Because the virus is making people ill.
We’ve been painting and baking
Exercise till we are aching
One hour walks while we are patiently waiting.
The one thing I’ve learnt is try to be kind
Be nice to each other with cuddles and smiles
Because nothing really matters
More than family time.
“It is similar to a travel video but it’s merged in with Covid-19,” Dan told YorkMix.
“When I finished, I was really happy with it. But the response I’ve had is ten times more than I was expecting.”
So far the video has been viewed about 120K times on social media. Dan said:
It’s been absolutely amazing. We’ve had some lovely comments.
I’m just glad that I could touch that many people with it.
I think it’s so popular because we’re all living in these crazy times – but the story’s been told through the eyes of an innocent child.
So adults can connect with it – and children.
Lola has enjoyed lots of positive responses too, from her friends and teachers at Tang Hall Primary School, and from her former nursery.
And the film could even be screened on ITV – ready to inspire millions of people old and young with Lola’s last lines: “The one thing I’ve learnt is try to be kind, Be nice to each other with cuddles and smiles.
“Because nothing really matters more than family time.”