What we see - A film about our internal feelings during physical isolation

A film by many. A film about our internal feelings during physical isolation. A document of our time – and how it mirrors who we once were.

“What We See” began with a post on Instagram by director and photographer Maik Schuster of the directorial collective I AM HERE, asking his followers to participate in a project. The resulting film is a collaboration by people from across the globe sharing their anxieties, hopes, and dreams through a series of intimate online interviews.

The film is a deep dive into private thoughts amplified by feelings of physical isolation and candid connections through disconnection. The submission of dozens of remotely directed videos of people breathing underneath plastic bags aided in the completion of this piece.

“Interestingly enough, I began shooting for this project exactly one year before nationwide lockdowns began in 2020, as isolation in our modern world is a concept I feel that society at large was already experiencing,” says Schuster. “But I never could have imagined the immense impact of a simultaneous global scale lockdown.”

I AM HERE are represented globally by Iconoclast.
All interviews were recorded online in April 2020.
All other scenes were shot in Los Angeles / San Francisco in April 2019, and in Berlin and a variety of global living rooms in April 2020.

Director + Photographer: Maik Schuster
Production: I AM HERE
Director of Photography (US): Chris Baur
Director of Photography (Germany): Leander Ott
Director Assistant: Ibra Wane
Edit: Maik Schuster
Color: Mike Bothe
Sound: Marlon Beatt
VFX: James Barry
Title Design: Maik Schuster
Music: Julian Klincewicz
- Song for the Sun, Song for the Moon

Starring Jazmin Sanz, Lorena Maza, Sarah Basset, Simon Te, Matheus Canto,
Jean Benoit Proulx, Franck Trozzo Kazagui, Sarah Pauley, Tom Feustel, Marcello Fuente, Ibra Wane, Maik Schuster, Aki Matsushita, Alpha Estifanos-Abajifar, Alex Kiker, Marco Espirito Santo,Jacq Wilkinson, Lena Streckert

Thanks to Timm Gillner and Masa Sun

2020.
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Nigeria, Phillipines,
Portugal, USA, Senegal.