Temas filosóficos como marcas de autoria na televisão: uma análise de The Leftovers no contexto da obra de Damon Lindelof

Abstract

Due to the controversy surrounding authorship in film and audiovisual studies, this dissertation aims to analyze the possibility of attributing authorship in television series and how authorship occurs in the television medium. We aim to conduct research concerning authorship that involves both individual and collaborative aspects of the creative process, considering different perspectives in television studies (Mittell, 2015; Dunleavy, 2017; Picado & Jacob de Souza, 2018). Based on the poetic analysis suggested by Picado & Souza (2018), who use the category of style as a heuristic path for investigating authorship, we will analyze the possibility of considering thematic recurrence across different works by the same creator as a stylistic signature. For this purpose, we draw on Damon Lindelof’s work (Lost, The Leftovers, Watchmen, and Mrs. Davis) as a case study. Thus, we hope to discuss the possibility of recognizing these marks as components of the individual dimension of authorship. Next, we consider the collaborative dimension of the authorial process. Based on the previous observations concerning the individual dimension of authorship, we investigate how individual contributions are reconciled with the collaborative aspect of authorship. To this end, we further develop the case study based on the series The Leftovers. As a TV adaptation in which the literary author Tom Perrotta collaborated with TV veteran Damon Lindelof, The Leftovers is an interesting case study for reflecting on authorship attribution. Although Perrotta, the author of the book, holds the title of author by origination, he himself attributes to Damon Lindelof the necessary contributions to make the story more aligned with the television format. Thus, we conclude the investigation regarding both individual and collaborative dimensions of authorship by examining the creative partnership between Perrotta and Lindelof, as well as Lindelof’s specific contributions within the context of his body of work.