Filipinos were hyped up for the newly-launched Zoom virtual backgrounds released by the Japanese Twitter account of the Oscar award-winning movie “Parasite” that made waves in local cinemas in August last year.
“Parasite_JP” released five backgrounds that Zoom users can use to spice up their online meetings, conferences and even hangouts with friends.
The pictures include interiors of the famous house of the fictional Parks, a wealthy family that was infiltrated by the impoverished Kims.
“From feeling like a millionaire to feeling like a member of a semi-underground family… Enjoy your time at home!” part of the caption of the Twitter account reads.
It added that the pictures are only meant for personal use and not for other purposes.
The featured backgrounds show a view of the looming basement in the kitchen, the house from the palatial entryway and the bedroom of the youngest member of the family, Da-song.
🍑まだまだ在宅で頑張る皆さまへ…🍑
『 #パラサイト半地下の家族 』
ビデオ会議＆オンライン飲み会用バーチャル背景プレゼント（全5種）🎁✨富豪気分から半地下の家族の一員気分まで…在宅時間も楽しんで下さいね✌️
（※個人利用に限ります。加工はお控え下さい）#バーチャル背景 #zoom背景 pic.twitter.com/Aob2I23wH0
— 映画『パラサイト 半地下の家族』 (@Parasite_JP) June 2, 2020
Zoom users can also pretend they are at the neat garden outside the luxurious house or at the bathroom of the Kims.
🍑（続き）まだまだ在宅で頑張る皆さまへ…🍑
『 #パラサイト半地下の家族 』
ビデオ会議＆オンライン飲み会用バーチャル背景プレゼント（全5種）🎁✨画像はパク家のリビングや子供部屋、さらにはキム家のあのトイレ🚽も！
（※個人利用に限ります。加工はお控え下さい）#バーチャル背景 #zoom背景 pic.twitter.com/z3UAlCFvu0
— 映画『パラサイト 半地下の家族』 (@Parasite_JP) June 2, 2020
The backgrounds excited Filipinos who claimed of immediately trying it out on their respective Zoom accounts.
“I want the basement part HHAAHHASHHA,” wrote a Facebook user.
“Masubukan nga..” commented another online user.
Others tagged their friends and urged them to use the backgrounds in their video conferences.
“Para weekly Zoom meeting natin hahaha,” a Facebook user wrote as she tagged a friend.
“(Eto) na ang hinihintay mong background sa calls mo sis,” commented another online user who tagged someone.
“Ready na tayo sa susunod na gsm hahaha,” exclaimed another Filipino who tagged a friend.
“Parasite” is a South Korean black comedy-thriller that tells the story of two families – the wealthy Parks and the poor Kims – that mirrors the deepening disparities in Asia’s fourth-largest economy and has struck a chord with global audiences, Reuters noted.
It bagged the awards for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay and Best International Feature Film in this year’s Oscars, the most prestigious awards ceremony that annually honors the best technical and creative achievements in the film industry.
READ: Filipinos are rejoicing: Oscars haul of ‘Parasite’ a victory for Asia, world cinema
The movie was shown in local cinemas in August of last year but it had reruns in Manila early this year following its historical achievement in Hollywood.
Rise of video conferencing
Due to the lockdown and restrictions to confer and meet people in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Filipinos have been using video conferencing platforms such as Zoom to set up meetings and interviews instead.
Under the current guidelines by the Inter-Agency Task Force, public gatherings of more than 10 people are not allowed under the general community quarantine. This is to reduce the transmission of the viral disease and minimize risks to health and safety.
Zoom is especially one of the most popular video conferencing platforms since it has lots of features that can be accessed by users with free accounts such as setting virtual backgrounds and using beautification filters.
Business Insider said that it is also preferred for its “functionality,” where people have claimed that it has a “consistently” better quality in terms of video calls than other teleconferencing applications.
Other users claim that Zoom’s video streaming quality is better than Google Hangouts, another teleconferencing platform. They also noted that Zoom has the ability to record video meetings, which they find convenient.
It is used by media giant ABS-CBN and other groups like Go Negosyo, Gabriela and the Center for Women’s Resources.
RELATED: Business advocacy group gets ‘Zoom-bombed’ during COVID-19 video meeting
