Let's dance! Animated friends connect in a virtual dance party

CBC Manitoba's Creator Network asked local artists to imagine their happy place as we mark the one-year anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Here is one of several projectswe will share in the coming weeks.

What's your happy place? For Winnipeg filmmaker Emmanuel Bongar,his pandemic happy place is a virtual dance party populated with animated versions of his friends.

That's just part of the visual celebration of Change in Time,Bongar's new music video with songwriter Tuva Bergstrom. Bongar and Bergstrom also tapped into our shared experience of pandemic isolation and separation as inspiration for the video.

"I want to show that people are still alive and kicking even with the change in times as a result of the ongoing pandemic," saidBongar, 20.

The videois a love letter, of sorts, to humankind as we navigate the stress, isolationand uncertainty of a global health crisis.

"My happy place has always been with other people," said Bergstrom.

"Change in Time reflects how people have helped me out of times of hardship. The best way to make myself feel better is with the presence of others, and that's the message I wanted to portray in the song."

Filmed vertically, Bongar replicatedthe style in which young peoplecurrently communicate through social media platforms like Tik Tok, Snap Chatand Instagram stories. Some of the group footage was shot before the pandemic hit and health orders were instituted. Bongar also animated some of his subjects, bringing them together in a joyful virtual concert.

Bongarand Bergstrom are also participants in the Broadway Neighbourhood Centre's Just TV program, which teaches audio and video skills to youth. Since 2020, CBC's Creator Network has collaborated with the program to support and co-produce original videos with the youth.

About the filmmakers

Emmanuel Bongar's goal isto make each project more creative than the last. The 20-year-old Winnipegger's workincludes music videos, short films, promotional videosand animated lyric videos.

A graduate of Tec VocHigh School's broadcasting program, Bongarjoined Broadway Neighbourhood Centre's Just TV After School Leaders program to gain more hands-on experience with different softwareand equipment. He brings a creative and unique experience to each film he conceives. He is currently a video apprentice for the program, seeking to further improve upon his skill set.

Tuva Bergstrom is a singer-songwriter from Winnipeg. Tuva'smusic explores many different genres and highlights feelings such as heartbreak, revenge, loneliness and hope.

She began her musical journey at 13, when she performed at various showcases with the help of Just TV. In December 2019, she released her single "Break-up Over the Holidays."In 2020, with CBC's Creator Network and Just TV, she created "I'll text my love your way," an original song and video celebrating high school graduates who didn't get to mark the milestone in traditional ways.