For Fall 2017 Voyager Mollie Rubin, a semester sailing around the world with a group of highly talented shipmates served not only as an opportunity for academic and cultural exploration, but for creative expression as well.
Rubin, a film major at Arizona State University, fell head-over-heels for her Evaluating Contemporary Film course, taught by Dr. Rachel Raimist of the University of Alabama. Ramist, an award-winning artist who has had films screened at South by Southwest and the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival, encouraged students to pick a film structure and create a presentation as a final project.
Inspired by the long tracking shots of films like La La Land, Rubin walked away from class with an idea: take the opening scene of the Oscar-winning film and recreate it with an MV World Odyssey-twist. The end result: “Another Day at Sea”.
“We mentioned it to a lot of people and a lot of [them] were interested. We had that sort of shipboard community where everyone just wanted to be a part of what was going on,” Rubin said. “Our voyage had so many talented people that were really willing to be hard-working and use their talent to the best of their ability, and that really pushed me. I was really grateful to have so many important team members around me.”
The atmosphere onboard the ship, one of talent, cooperation, and creativity, helped get the project over the finish line in an end-of-voyage blur. Rubin credited the shipboard community for coming together on short notice to create something funny, reflective, and meaningful.
“You really get to know each and every person you’re with,” said Rubin of her fellow voyagers. “When you’re with these people for so long you really get to learn about their talents and you want everyone to succeed.”
Since disembarkation, not a day goes by where the voyage does not cross Rubin’s mind.
“I think about the voyage every day,” Rubin said. “I feel like a changed person. The way that I look at things is so different.”
And after spending a few months reflecting on her voyage, Rubin decided the best part of her time at sea and of acting as executive producer for “Another Day at Sea” are the lifelong friendships she built along the way.
“The most special moment about filming was how close we all got to each other,” Rubin said. “I think that makes it more special, living your day-to-day life, because you have so many people you care about surrounding you.”
