Journaling Project 2

 Roland Barthes says in The Death of the Author that we should stop thinking of the author as the one true source of meaning. Instead, a work (whether a book or a film) is a space where many ideas, influences, and voices mix. As he puts it, it’s not a single message from an “Author-God,” but a “multi-dimensional space” (p146).

That idea influenced how I made my experimental film, extending further than set design and text components, this time I was thinking about the concept, the production as the whole. I didn’t want to tell viewers exactly what to think or feel. I would use disconnected images, very little dialogue ( similar as my previous idea), and scenes that don’t follow a clear story. I want viewers to bring their own ideas, emotions, and experiences to the film and find meaning for themselves.

I don’t think of the film as totally original either. I borrowed styles and techniques from other filmmakers and artists. It’s more like remixing than inventing. In that way, my role isn’t to explain meaning but to create space for others to explore it.

As Barthes writes, when the author “dies,” the reader—or in my case, the viewer is born (p148). That’s exactly what I hope for: to let go of control and let the audience take over.