A visual love letter to Calgary that shows the city’s quiet streets amid the COVID-19 pandemic has gained a lot of attention.
The video, released on April 30, centres around a voicemail sent to the city out of sorrow and gratitude for its current situation, as drone footage captures empty roads, closed businesses and desolate stampede grounds.
“I wanted to be able to say thanks to all the people that have been making the necessary sacrifices in a way that I know best, which is through the power of video,” filmmaker and creator Eric González said in an interview with 770 CHQR.
“Seeing the streets and places that have been such a part of what makes the city great in the ways that they are right now made me think about the sacrifices that Calgarians and fellow Canadians have been making in the service of public safety.”
The startling images have resonated with many in the community, and within several days of being released, the video has gathered hundreds of likes and shares on Twitter.
LISTEN: A visual love letter to Calgary thanks residents for staying home amid the pandemic
The video has captured the attention of some prominent figures and organizations in the city, including Premier Jason Kenney, who shared the video on May 2.
“Thanks for creating and sharing this,” the tweet said.
“This has been tough on all of us, but we are going to get through it, and we’ll emerge stronger than ever.”
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi also shared the video, describing the love letter as a “must watch” for all Calgarians.
On Monday, Tourism Calgary commented on the love letter, noting that the video perfectly captures how much everyone misses the city’s usual vibrancy during this time.
“I’ve been extremely humbled that people have been able to resonate with the feeling,” González said, in response to the video’s growing popularity.
The video came together pretty quickly, González said, with about a week of filming and just two takes to capture the perfect voicemail to fit the video’s theme.
“I figured that since the city is closed for business, what would happen if you gave them a call? A lot of them would have an answering machine there ready,” he said.
“Wanting to convey that to the entire city of Calgary was my inspiration for having that voicemail as the lead character in the film.”
González hopes the video will continue to inspire the city to stay strong as the pandemic continues to change the daily lives of Calgarians.
“There’s a saying — that we’ve had to make some difficult choices in the service of something greater than ourselves — and what makes this city so special is that we are all wanting to make those decisions.
“It just makes me so very proud to be a part of this city.”