AS COVID-19 CHECKPOINTS COME DOWN, SHORT FILM PROVIDES RARE LOOK AT KEY WEST IN ISOLATION
“Key West: 66 Days of Paradise, Interrupted,” is a Haunting, Eight-Minute Mini-Doc from Miami-Based Producer & Humanitarian Chris Sloan
MIAMI – June 1, 2020 – As officials remove two controversial COVID-19 checkpoints that have kept the Florida Keys shut down for more than two months, Miami-based TV producer and humanitarian Chris Sloan has released a short film visually chronicling Key West’s isolation. The eight-minute mini-doc, “Key West: 66 Days of Paradise, Interrupted,” gives viewers a rare and haunting insider’s look at the world-famous tourist hotspot as they’ve never seen it before… a surreal quiet pausing Key West’s bustling nightlife, prolific local music/art scene and the quirky allure that has made this tropical paradise home to such literary greats as Ernest Hemingway, Tennessee Williams and Judy Blume. Watch it HERE.
With access reserved strictly for locals and essential workers, Sloan shot this footage at the height of Key West’s quarantine in mid-May while he was there hosting a food drive on behalf of his nonprofit, Caleb and Calder Sloan’s Awesome Foundation. He used a DJI Osmo with 1080p motion stabilization and hyperlapse to capture striking scenes of such quintessential Key West destinations as the Southernmost Point Buoy (only 90 miles to Cuba), Sloppy Joe’s, Mallory Square, Garrison Bight, Duval Street, the Ernest Hemingway Home, Pier House Resort and Higgs and Smathers beaches, all minus the throngs of visitors.
“Getting the opportunity to shoot behind the checkpoints, I knew I was capturing history, as the Keys had never experienced such a long and enduring shutdown, whether facing hurricanes, the Mariel Boatlift or even near abandonment during the Great Depression. There were no boarded-up storefronts and signs like you’d see just before or after a storm. Instead, Key West looked absolutely pristine while in hibernation… just without the people. This was something nobody had seen before and we hope nobody will see again,” explained Sloan.
The result is a dramatic visual perspective: a strange, tranquil beauty in the near-overnight disappearance of tourism and yet one fraught with foreboding as the city’s chief economy vanished with it. While the unprecedented Florida Keys lockdown resulted in a much smaller number of COVID-19 cases and deaths than most counties, the area’s employment rate went from Florida’s lowest to the state’s second highest in just a matter of months.
Yet, even though Sloan’s mini-doc chronicles measures for which the long-term impact was unknown at the time of filming, it also shares a message of upbeat optimism as the Florida Keys lockdowns are lifted (effective June 1) and the region’s return to being better than ever is only a matter of “Key West Time,” as Howard Livingston’s classic song goes.
“Life returns, and Key West will rise again to be the quirky and charming melting pot that makes it truly one of my favorite places in the world,” added Sloan. “This is my love letter to Key West and the resilient, pull-together spirit of its people, who will undoubtedly come back better than ever as they always have.”
Key West wasn’t Sloan’s first COVID-19 footage locale. Using a Mavic 2 Pro drone, he also captured stunning footage of a deserted South Beach in lockdown and a vacant Ocean Drive at night.
To download and share Chris Sloan’s “Key West: 66 Days of Paradise, Interrupted”:
Vimeo Link: https://vimeo.com/
Embed Codes: <iframe src=”https://player.vimeo.com/
Credits
Director / Producer: Chris Sloan
Photography: Chris Sloan
Editing: Jesus Martinez
Graphics: Bob Cobb, Jesus Martinez
Website Development: Andy Fernandez
Sound Design: Jesus Martinez
Color: Jesus Martinez
Song: “Livin’ on Key West Time” by Howard Livingston and Mile Marker 24 Band
Other Music: Artlist.io
Special Thanks to
Jack Smith and Kim Works of Pirate Radio Key West
The Citizens of Key West
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