Film Name: All Consumed
Director: Debbie Lane
Writer: Debbie Lane
Musical Score: Adrian Lane
Noodle is a lonely, solitary creature whose love of art is only outweighed by her desire to be normal. One day, whilst going about her daily chores, an unfortunate accident gives her an idea that seemingly solves all of her problems… but at what cost?
In another interview leading up to the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival, I got a chance to ask director Debbie Lane a few questions about what we can expect from All Consumed which will be playing at Horror-on-Sea on Saturday 22nd January at 15:00 hrs.
Q. Your short horror film All Consumed has been selected to play at Horror-on-Sea. Can you tell us what we can expect from the film?
A. I would say expect cuteness and gore! It is a horror but as with many horrors, it also has its comedic moments, and hopefully people will very quickly warm to Noodle (the main character) and her slightly sad and lonely existence. It is a DIY production so does have its imperfections, but I actually think this adds a certain quality to it, rather than taking anything away.
Q. What were some of your influences when writing the script for All Consumed?
A. The initial idea came to me during the 2020 Horror-on-Sea Film Festival after watching Dead Air (2019). This short had some great little puppets in but was a live-action film. I loved the idea of trying to make puppets, and very quickly decided I wanted to work on a full stop-motion animation where I could actually create not only the puppets, but the entire set also. The story-line was very loosely influenced by a children’s book I remember having when I was very young, where a little girl used to bite her nails and ‘bad things’ happened to her fingers! This terrified me so much my parents had to rip those pages out! Bearing in mind I have been drawn to horror films for as long as I can remember, I have no idea why these drawings had such an effect on me. The actual story of All Consumed has nothing to do with nail biting, but the ideas developed from this initial starting point.
Q. Why did you decide to use start stop motion?
A. As I said above, I loved the idea of creating puppets and sets, but also, I really liked the idea that I didn’t have to rely on anyone else for anything. I am generally quite introverted and work much better when I can make my own decisions and work to my own rules and working on a film where I didn’t need additional people seemed to be a logical step. I hadn’t done anything like this before, so it was really quite a challenge I set myself, and a massive learning curve, but I loved it.
Q. Noodle is a unique looking character. How did you come up with the look and style of the character?
A. I had a bit of an idea in my head that I wanted her to look a little skeletal and hunched, just to give a slight sadness to her. Her fingers had to be long, almost dragging along the floor (as in the drawings I remember from the children’s book!) as this is really what is making her sad and a bit awkward. I sketched out a very rough idea for her, and as I’d not made a puppet before, I ended up using materials I already had and knew how to work with, which was latex, cotton wool and tissue. The latex was never going to be smooth and accurate, so I didn’t go for this, I liked the idea of bumpy, rough skin, and the latex worked really well for this effect. I made a mock-up first of all to see how she would come out and was pleasantly surprised. I was even more surprised when I made the actual puppet, and she came out very similar!
Q. How long did it take to film?
A. It took four months to create from start to finish. The first six weeks of this were creating Noodle and the set and props. There were some additional pieces I needed as filming progressed which I made closer to the times I need them. I actually filmed most of it in chronological order as the set was obviously getting a little ‘stained’ in places, so couldn’t really go back after certain scenes! But this did mean that I could actually start editing it together as I went along and added in each additional scene as I got it filmed. Then it was quite a massive task getting the sound effects in place, but so satisfying after weeks and weeks of silent video! My brother, Adrian Lane, is an artist and musician, so he offered to create the main soundtrack for me as he was one of the few people I actually saw (outside, socially distanced etc) during lockdown, and who had seen what I was working on. Admittedly this is something I just couldn’t have done on my own, and really brings the film to life.
Q. Did you experience any issues during filming?
A. Not really as such, surprisingly enough! I learned quite quickly that any change in the weather outside (of the garage where I was filming) showed up massively in the shots and looked like lightning, which meant I had to make sure I only filmed in consistent weather, or for the night shots, when it was actually dark out. I also realised that having windows in my set meant that my skin reflected quite obviously in these when shooting, so at times, during a very hot summer, in a stuffy garage, I had to have a long sleeved cardigan done up to the neck on for hours at a time to stop any reflections! I got very sweaty on those days! But other than occasionally knocking the tripod out of position (very annoying!) and not using any rigs to balance my character (meaning she was very hard to get to walking or balanced at times), it actually went quite smoothly!
Q. What makes All Consumed stand out as something different in the horror genre?
A. I think All Consumed is quite successful in drawing the audience into Noodle’s little world. It is only a short film (approx.13 minutes) and during this time I hope the audience will empathise with Noodle, as well as being a little disgusted by her, and find her antics quite entertaining. The film takes you through a range of emotions in a very short space of time, and all without having any dialogue, and I like the fact that it is not entirely smooth and has its imperfections, as I feel this gives a unique quality to the production. I also used fake blood for the horror scenes which is unusual for stop-motion as it is not easy to control, but I think has turned out very effective!
Q. What do you hope people take away after watching the film?
A. Well I hope they enjoy it! But I also hope that I can promote the idea of DIY filmmaking. This film cost me around £150 in total for some of the essential materials (aluminium wire, glues, lighting gels etc), but I love the idea of turning what other people would look at as rubbish, into something creative and impressive. I see all sorts of packaging, lids, boxes, and general household junk, as materials that I can use for ‘something’! And it’s so satisfying when that little tiny prop that you’ve been working on for six hours actually ends up looking like it’s supposed to! I’d love to think that people might be inspired to try something themselves if they realise that actually, you don’t need a whole load of professional materials to do this, just imagination and a patience.
Q. Do you have any other projects which you are currently working on?
A. I have ideas that I want to progress, including a sci-fi horror based on brainwashing and control, and a potential sequel for All Consumed. I built an additional outside set for an advert for the film premiere of All Consumed at Horror-on-Sea, and a new character, and this made me think about a possible continuation for this. I need to get the storylines a bit clearer in my head, but I’ve definitely got some set and prop ideas I want to start working on.
Q. If someone was looking to create their own start stop motion film what advice would you give them?
A. I would say watch a lot of tutorials and do a load of research into ‘how to get started in stop-motion’, and then basically do what you want. It’s all very well sticking to the rules to make things perfect, and of course the people who do this are hugely talented, but you don’t have to. Make your decisions on what kind of quality you are looking at creating, and work to your own standards. I used a free Stop Motion Studio App on my iPad and it’s brilliant. Yes, you’ll need a tripod, and preferably some kind of lighting source that you can control, but really, use whatever you can find and work to your own level. If you have an idea, and you have some junk lying around that you can build into a set, then just go for it and see what happens, that’s exactly what I did and I loved it!
You can find out more about the Horror-on-Sea Film Festival on the website https://www.horror-on-sea.com/
Published in various websites, Philip is a reviewer who is best known for his interviews and media coverage of independent projects including; films, books, theatre and live events. Always on the lookout for something different to cover!
