journaling project no. 2

Barthes describes, "the Author, when believed in, is always conceived of as the past of his own book: book and author stand automatically on a single line divided into a before and an after" (145). In regards to my own project and authorship, literally my project is based in the past. My films depict memories of my father. My films are personal stories of my own family and dealing with grief and loss.

My work is its own "original" in that it's my personal stories of my family and love, grief, and loss. However, my films draw from established genre and other filmmakers. My films can be classified in the genre of animated documentary. More specifically, the mode of participatory documentaries. In this mode of documentary films, the filmmaker is included in the narrative. My films are also inspired by established filmmakers like John Summerson. Summerson is an animation director, who has made a lot of animated documentaries. Many of his films deal with similar themes to mine. Watching his films in my animated documentary class last term is what originally inspired me to start my film series "Dad Jokes."

Barthes concludes that "the birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the Author" (148). Once my film is finished and put out it is no longer mine, but the viewer's to interpret for themselves. While my films are personal, viewers can identify with the films and in turn think about their own lives and loved ones. 

Project update: I have decided on a story my mom and I will tell, and plan to record the audio this week so I can begin the animation portion of my film.