Kara Herold describes her work in this way: "Popular culture shapes us in ways we are often unaware of. Images in the media have great power to influence who we think we are, who we wish we were, and who we want to become.
"We may think our lives just happen. But a big part of who we are arises from both the stories we are told and expected to accept, and the stories we create on our own and then come to believe about our lives.
"In my work as a filmmaker, I often combine some elements of autobiography -- stories from my own life or from the lives of my family members -- in order to consider how our narratives are created. I believe that, once we examine how we have come to embrace the stories we tell ourselves about who we are, we may have a chance to alter those narratives. We may be able to rewrite our life stories.
"In my talk, I will discuss some examples of this attention to personal narratives in my work. I will also show excerpts from my past films and from my current narrative feature film, 39 ½, which is now in post-production."
Kara Herold is an Assistant Professor in the Transmedia Department at Syracuse University. She's a filmmaker whose carefully crafted works examine the intersection of feminism and pop culture with wit and visual flair. She has written, directed, and produced everything from short animations to award winning documentaries and has collaborated extensively with other artists and writers, including Beth Lisick, Monica Nolan, and Andi Zeisler.
See examples of her work at Kara Herold Media.
See her page at Syracuse University.
Kara Herold at GMU is sponsored by Film and Video Studies, Film and Media Studies, the Art Department, Communication, GLOA, Global Programs, History and Art History, University Life, and Women and Gender Studies.