In the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, those who live in dense urban areas are fielding calls and questions from friends and family about “what it’s like out there.” While the news reports shuttered storefronts and somber business districts, the irony of quarantine is that few have first-hand knowledge of events beyond the end of their block. In mid-March, San Francisco residents were ordered to shelter-in-place.

Wondering what his famously vibrant city looked like without traffic, tourists, pedestrians, and, well, everyone…filmmaker Dan Denegre of Space Race Studio sought to discover the new world outside his windows. Practicing vigilant social distancing, he used a drone to record footage of eerily empty streets. Landmarks including SF MoMA, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Market Street appear abandoned. Elegantly scored with a lone Spanish guitar, the film is both unsettling and oddly moving. While lacking the vibrancy that its residents bring to the city, the startling absence of people is a hearting reminder of solidarity in the face of something so much bigger than ourselves.

View more of Space Race Studio’s work on their website.