Filmmaker Ethan Barrett won over the judges’ admiration and the audience’s heart with his short film Rosemary A.D. (After Dad) at AFF in 2022. The stop-motion animated short film won the Jury Award for Animated Short as well as the Audience Award in the 29th Annual Austin Film Festival.
Our Senior Film Programmer, Andy Volk, recently sat down with Barrett to reflect on his experience at AFF, as well as discuss his success following the Festival.
Andy: Welcome Ethan!
Ethan: Thank you so much for having me.
So to start off, what were some of your main influences for telling the story and trying to capture it in the filmmaking medium?
When Rosemary was born, I spent a lot of time watching films and cartoons. I had never watched The Simpsons before, so I watched maybe the first nine seasons, like a great dad while I was feeding her with a bottle. And I was pretty blown away by that show because it mixes very pretty heavy topics sometimes such as alcoholism. So there’s pretty heavy topics, but it’s always funny. So I was just blown away by how that is possible? How could they do that?
Do you remember a timeline of when you first got the idea, when you started working on it, and how long did it take you to actively make the film?
I think it was February, 2021 that I first got the idea. It was during the big ice storm where we were kind of out without power for three days and there’s nothing to do. And so I was just sitting there journaling, and I started journaling. As someone struggled with depression, I just started journaling all the different ways my daughter’s life could go if I ended my life. And she was three months old at the time. So I just started journaling, journaling and looking up and researching what happens to kids when their parents commit suicide. And that was when I said, Hey, this will make a good short film. So that was February, and I think by December the film was done, so that’s like a 10 month period.
And for it being a hand-drawn film and you did all the sound effects yourself, eight months seems kinda like a short period of time for a 10 minute animation…
Yeah, it was very, very quick. It was a lot of work. I don’t know how to do it. At the same time, I was also taking care of the baby and working part-time editing, but somehow I just got done.
Yeah, it’s like you found yourself in a flow state when you were making it. Do you have any recommendations for anybody who is looking to start animation and learn more about how to animate?
I would say, if you’re someone who wants to do animation, don’t wait until you feel like your skills are there, until you’re good enough that you can just go ahead and make it. I’d say that goes for any filmmaker in animation or not, but your skill, you will be different 10 years from now as you are now, but that’s okay. Just go ahead and make the film because once you made the film, you’re ahead of 99% of other people who always wanted to make a film, but never did.
I remember being in the theater with you when you first premiered it… What was it like premiering it at AFF with a room full of strangers? What was that experience like for you?
Man, Austin Film Festival especially was such an amazing audience. That doesn’t always happen. Sometimes it’s just a no audience reaction is wrong, but man, it was like every single film was just knocking out of the park for that audience. They, and they, they laughed. So I felt especially that the audience was like, okay, this is the most ideal situation possible.
Were you nervous to share the film?
I had seen the film so many times that by the time it finally premiered, I was like, this is just going to be what it is. I think that happens a lot with animators. They’ve spent so long in it, they know exactly what it is that you always hope people laugh at the right moments or are silent at the right moments.
So actually that leads me to another question, Is there any advice that you would give yourself if you were to go back to the beginning, any advice that you would give to yourself now knowing what you’ve been through and what you’ve experienced with Rosemary A.D. (After Dad)?
I think the best thing any creative person can do is to find out exactly who they are and to just dive straight down into that. Every person is unique in some way. And so as an artist, it’s just figuring out who that person is, not because I’m so great or special or wonderful, but because the more you specifically get into yourself, the more you can relate to other people. When I was making this film, I thought, this is so specific, nobody’s going to get into it. But I think that specificity of making something that I liked and I enjoyed, really spoke a lot to other people.
Going back to the premiere and AFF in general, what were some of your favorite experiences at AFF 2022?
I think the Writer’s Conference, to me, was one of the best things I’ve ever attended because I was just so amazed that how do they get all these people to come speak here, just panel after panel. Sometimes they’re at the same time, so you have to choose Rich Ryder to see. But yeah, I was just amazed. It’s one of the best things that happens in Austin, frankly, because especially if you’re a writer, you could come see your favorite writers who’s in television or movies are there so you can come see them.
I appreciate you speaking with me and being so open about your process. I think that’s a huge thing that can be intimidating for a lot of filmmakers. To not only talk about the challenges regarding financing and producing, but the real challenges that filmmakers frequently face. I really appreciate you offering up your experience and advice. It truly is a great film, my friend, and can’t wait to see what you make next.
Check out Ethan’s behind the scenes “The Making Of Rosemary A.D. (After Dad)” below