In Ethan Barrett’s effective and emotional animated short Rosemary A.D. (After Dad), a father wonders if his daughter would be better off without him and imagines her life once he’s gone. The poignant film has been doing well on the festival circuit, and won prizes at Austin Film Festival, Atlanta Film Festival and Spark Animation, to name a few. We had a chance to interview the Austin, Texas-based director to find out more about his creative journey:
Animation Magazine: Can you tell us a bit about the beginnings of your short and your sources of inspiration?
Ethan Barrett: Just like in the film, I started making the movie after my daughter Rosemary was born. My wife went back to work and I stayed home to take care of the baby. At that point, after a number of my live-action and animated shorts went nowhere, I believed I would never have the film career I’d dreamed of as a child. I decided I was going to make one last short and move on with my life.
I’ve always struggled with depression, so I was researching the effects of depressed parents on children and eventually got around to researching the effects of parental suicide. In my heart, I was hoping to find stories of redemption where kids pulled through and stayed strong, but it was quite the opposite. So I journaled about all the different ways Rosemary’s life could go and I realized it would make an interesting film.
At the time I was watching a lot of Ingmar Bergman films and admired their frankness about mental health. I was also watching The Simpsons for the first time (like many, I wasn’t allowed to watch it as a kid). I was so impressed with the show and how it celebrates average, everyday people and handles some heavy, even dark topics with levity.
How did you ending up creating the short using crayons?
I don’t know if I had a profound reason beyond thinking it was interesting. I do like big, bold outlines and bright colors. Other people have told me that it contrasts really well with the subject material because it makes it look like a child drew it. I don’t have any background in art, so that’s kind of true.
What other animation tools did you use?
Nothing really. It’s crayons on copy paper, photographed with a DSLR camera on a tripod. I used Photoshop to touch up the colors but that’s really it. There are a few instances when the paper rips or crumples up that I used stop motion. It really is about as basic as it gets.
How long did it take to make and how many people worked on it?
The bulk of the animation was done in eight months, but I spent several months after that tweaking little things and fixing the sound. My wife helped with coloring. My wife, daughter and I did all the voices. Other than that, all the animation, sound, editing and music (besides the Mozart recording at the beginning) were done by me.
What were your biggest challenges in telling the story?
Because my artistic skills are limited, I had to be very creative in telling the story. I tried to be as minimal as possible, trimming all of the fat to keep the pace going so it felt no moment was wasted. I also tried to keep it interesting by having the image give information beyond what the narrator was saying. In terms of the writing itself, it was very freeing to make something that seemed so true to myself. For the first time ever, I didn’t concern myself with what people would think.
What are your proudest of?
When I made the film, I was worried people would think I just feel sorry for myself or that it was a cry for help. But every time the film screens, I’m amazed at the way people personally relate to the film. So many people have told me about their own struggles with depression, whether they have a kid or not, and others how they grew up with a depressed parent. I guess I’m just glad the film has opened doors for people to talk about mental health. That’s literally the best result I could have ever hoped for.
What do you hope audiences will take away from the short?
We’re all in different places in our lives, but no one in this world is safe from loneliness. I hope people who see the short realize how important the other people in their lives are. I’m not one of those people who say, “it gets better,” because sadly that’s not always true. But everyone is worthy of being loved and capable of giving love. That’s what I hope comes across.
Who are some of your animation heroes?
The works of both Isao Takahata and Hideaki Anno showed me the deep, complex and mature levels animation could go to. I don’t have any training, so Richard Williams’ book The Animator’s Survival Kit completely changed me. I thought I would never do a hand-drawn animated project but the book showed me the practical steps to make it possible. I use it almost every day.
When did you realize you wanted to pursue a career in animation?
I never thought I would do animation, actually, until I got into Takahata’s films a few years ago. Having come from a live-action background, it never occurred to me that animation could not only rise to its level, but surpass it. The only limit to animation is imagination, so the potential for creativity is never-ending. So hopefully as a result of this film and the next, which I’m currently working on, there were be more opportunities down the line!
What was the biggest lesson you learned from the experience?
This was the first time I ever screened a film for trusted friends to get feedback. Their notes were immeasurably helpful. They pointed out the scenes that were confusing or simply didn’t convey what I was trying to get across. Perhaps I secretly knew in my heart these scenes didn’t work and I just wanted to be done. But once they said their notes out loud, I realized they were right. Once you make a film and release it into the wild, it’s out there forever! So it’s important to take to the time for honest feedback. I will always do it from now on.
Ultimately, I was very intimidated by making a hand-drawn animated short, but the only way to make anything is to just do it. I took it one step at a time and eventually there was a scrappy little film drawn with crayons about my daughter. I was completely vulnerable and that turned out to be a good thing. I believe every person is completely unique in some way and with this film I tried to hone in on who I am. Which I guess is the point of art.
Ethan Barrett’s previous animated short films include Burp, selected for DOK Leipzig in 2020, and Argus.
