I Was a Teenage Girl, Apparently 5:54 HD video 2015
A woman reads her teenage diary, and then goes back in time to talk some sense into her younger self.
A collaboration with artist and friend Nina Frenkel! We joined forces to create this film, working form a script that I wrote. Nina designed the characters and world, and she created all of the artwork. I took on editing and sound design. We had other excellent collaborators as well: Travis Fowler was the lead animator. Vanessa Severo performed the narration. Margrit Eichler composed the music.
After Nina and I decided to make a film together, I came up with the idea, about a woman in her thirties being visited by her teenage self. When I shared it with Nina, she pointed out that there was no story yet. I went back to the drawing (writing) board, and tried reversing the roles--having the woman visit her teenage self instead, and that worked a lot better. The story was also informed by my own discovery of my teenage diary, and feeling appalled and embarrassed by what I read. Upon time and reflection, these feelings gave way to empathy. The tone of the film comes out of this emotional range.
