Project Overview

During their Digital Creator Artist in Residence, Casey McGee developed Making Existential Joy, a series of experimental short films exploring themes of identity, community, and future realities. The project examines the complexities of the human experience, juxtaposing existential dread and fear with moments of wonder and joy. Through layered storytelling, the work invites audiences to reflect on self-discovery, shared experience, and the emotional tensions that shape our sense of meaning.

The project combined video, 2D animation, recorded discussions, and immersive sound design. Casey animated drawings over filmed footage and used sound as a tool for memory, enhancing emotional depth and atmosphere. Rather than relying on a fully scripted structure, the work evolved organically through conversation, with narrative emerging in post-production, similar to documentary filmmaking. Over the course of the residency, Casey progressed from pre-production and filming to editing, animation, sound experimentation, visual effects, and final colour grading, culminating in a multimedia body of work designed to feel dynamic, collaborative, and emotionally responsive.

The residency concluded with a public artist talk at the Capitol Centre.

Photo Credit: Casey McGee, documentation still from Making Existential Joy (2024)

Public Programming

Casey’s residency extended beyond the development of Making Existential Joy. Throughout their time at Digital Creator North Bay, Casey also engaged with the community through public events, conversations, and process-based discussions around filmmaking and identity.

Open House & Meet and Greet – January 22, 2024, Digital Creator North Bay

This informal event invited the community into the space to meet Casey at the beginning of their residency. Attendees learned about Casey’s artistic interests, the themes they planned to explore, and the direction of their experimental short film series.

Artist Talk: Process Art in Filmmaking – April 3, 2024, Capitol Centre

Casey concluded their residency with an artist talk focused on process-based filmmaking. They shared excerpts from Making Existential Joy, discussed their use of animation layered over live action footage, and reflected on how themes of existential reflection, identity, and community evolved throughout production. The talk offered insight into their approach to documentary-inspired structure, sound design, and experimental storytelling.

Artist Bio

Casey McGee (they/them) is an emerging community-based non-binary artist, raised in Sudbury, Ontario. Their work is focused in art direction, digital media, community arts, and film directing. They graduated with honors from the Film and Television Production program at Humber College. Before graduating, they produced the documentary “10/17” which received an Award of Commendation at the Canadian and International Short Film Fest in Saint John, New Brunswick. Casey also directed a short drama titled “It’s (Not) Different This Time,” and interned at Radio Humber to provide creative content support for their Band Together project. At the Sudbury Youth Wellness Hub, Casey facilitated a workshop with Myths and Mirrors Community Arts called “Abstract Acrylic Painting: Venting Through Art.” They are currently an Affiliated Streamer on Twitch streaming and creating artistic works in cosplay, filmmaking, editing, and online content creation. Casey looks forward to creating content that people can see themselves in and interact with, focusing specifically on queer content and themes like identity, self-love, and community.