My grandfather, Ray, and his two brothers, Russ and Bernie
Iāve begun working on a new video project, a personal project, based on the letters my grandfather received from his family during WWII. Hereās why...
A few days after my wedding, I received the news of my grandfatherās passing. My new husband,Ā Jeff and I had just flown back from Ireland, and were deciding on lunch with my sister and her fiance. While the āboysā were sitting in the warm sun on the front stoop, my sister and I received the same text from my mother:Ā āAre you both together?ā My heart skipped a beat. I already knew. When my motherĀ called us, I could hear how hollow and sad she was in an instant. She told us that he had passed in his sleep the day after my wedding, which we were all in Ireland for. My parents were still there. I broke down while my sister remained composed. She let my husband and her fiance know the news.
My grandfather was so much more to me than most people realize. My parents worked full-time in order to provide my sister and me with everything we could possibly need. That was important to them. So my grandparents, who lived just down the street, took on caretaking until we were old enough to watch after ourselves. That meant a lot of car rides to school, homework help, meals, and so on. My grandmother passed away from cancer when I was 8 or so, which just left my grandfather to watch us. But he was more than willing and capable.
My grandfather was incredibly funny, supportive, and loving. I have so many memories of him that I could probably write a book if I had the time or patience (or talent) for it. But thatās not my medium or my mission.
How much do we really know about our grandparents? I was always afraid to ask questions. But my husband wasnāt. Before my gramps passed away, in the 2 years that he knew him, Jeff asked myĀ grandfather a lot. My earsĀ perked up every time he mentioned another conversation with him, about music or his time in the Navy during WWII. Iād sit close by while they talked or in the next room over. I regret not being more involved.
After his passing, Jeff and I moved into his house where my parents were already living. It was a way to be closer to him and my grieving family, and to save money for our new life together. We took up residence in theĀ āden,ā the room my grandfather had spent the majority of his time. He even slept there. And it wasnāt easy at first. But his belongings provided comfort and allowed me to discover more about him.
When I first came across the box of letters, I spent hours reading them. They had been written by family (and some friends) and send to my grandfather while he was serving in the Navy during WWII. He was on a battleship, the USS Texas, a major player in some of the more well-known battles. While I donāt have the letters he wrote, I have been able to piece a lot together from what his family divulged. Life at home, current events, his time at sea. And itās all very eye-opening.
I knew IĀ needed to do something with these letters. After some time tinkering with a live-action script, I scrapped it and began watching a lot of videos to get new ideas. And what resonated most with me was animation. Good old 2D animation. Lines that create the imagery, just like the lines that create the letters and words. And a series of animations rather than a feature-length film.Ā
Iāve never worked on anything animated before, so this is a new venture. One Iām incredibly excited about. Iāll be documenting my progress here (and probably on Instagram). And hopefully, that helps get this project come to fruition. My grandfather always told me how much he loved me and how proud of me he was, on a regular basis. I hope to make him proud with this project, once more, wherever he is.Ā
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