My junior film is the first story I remember my Bubby telling me about her childhood. I dove into the memory, talking that moment through with as many of her siblings as I could. I sought every opportunity to better understand and get to know my family while making this film
I started my research with the actual location, trying to find pictures of the park and them at the age of the story. As I worked out my boards I passed them by my Bubbie and her siblings to see what they did and didn't remember. Lucky for me they all have kinda spotty memories so after passing it by them several times I got a very satisfying “oh I once knew a place just like this!” and they would respond like I had out of nowhere pulled a memory from their childhood. Not remembering they had critiqued it six times before.
My aunt Eileen Muller is a very skilled water color artist so used this project as an excuse to pick up some tips and tricks from her. She gave me a few critiques through the process and we did the first pass of colors together. Along the way my other aunt Patt Gager helped me reach out to family and find pictures and details. Her husband Russ also provided an original score for me. If you listen close to the end you can hear her at the end applauding him.