Norwegian filmmaker Ida Melum’s short Night of the Living Dread is one of the three films nominated for the British Short Animation award at this year’s BAFTAs and is also up for a 2022 Annie Award for Best Student Short. Her clever stop-motion short finds a woman haunted by some unwanted guests after a power cut ruins her sleep. We caught up with the talented artist to find out more about her entertaining National Film and Television School graduate film:
Animation Magazine: Can you tell us a bit about the inspiration for your short?
Ida Melum: I’ve always struggled with sleeping and anxiety, mostly as a kid but also as an adult. I find it fascinating how you can have a normal day, and as soon as your head hits the pillow, your mind starts racing. Most of my films are about everyday life and having fun with it, and this was another example of what I wanted to explore for my grad film. The idea of a main character being haunted by herself and having to accept who she is, was also something I was very excited about. After a lot of developing, the writers, producer and I landed on the feeling of embarrassment as an overarching feeling in the memories.
When did you start working on it and how long did it take?
The way the MA courses work is that you pair up with a producer first, which we did in the fall of 2019. I paired up with Danielle Goff after having told her about a few ideas of mine, but she could tell I was really excited about the idea which later became Night of the Living Dread. So, if you count from the moment we started building the team till we handed in the finished film, it was about a year and a half.
How many people worked on it?
We had 13 HoDs, a.k.a. writers, editor, production designer, DoP and so on. We also had lots of volunteers help us out, both in terms of model making and building puppets. There was also a little army of animation students helping us finish the 2D features. I don’t know exactly how many people worked on the film, but it’s definitely over 50.
Which tools did you use? What were the puppets made of and how big were they? The sets?
The hero puppets, which were main Ruby and the youngest version of her, who we kept calling Baby Ruby, were made with customized soldered ball and socket armatures. After trying out lots of different fabrics for their skin, we actually ended up using a t-shirt from Primark funnily enough. For the hair we used needle felt, as I really wanted to be able to boil it during the shots. All the stop motion was shot using Dragonframe, and we used TVPaint to add the 2D features after.
What was the toughest aspect of making this short?
One of the biggest challenges was staying on schedule in order to finish the film on time. Another big challenge, for me specifically, was juggling several hats at the same time. During a normal shoot day I would make props, rig puppets, make reference videos, animate, keyframe the 2D and direct. There was a lot to do, even though I had tons of help. Luckily I had a great team around me, and we managed to pull through.
When did you first know you wanted to work in animation?
Like most people, I grew up watching Disney films. But it never occurred to me that one could work in animation for a living. It was when I was looking for courses to study at university that I came across an animation course. The course sounded like a combination of everything I like doing, and luckily it was! That’s when the idea first popped into my head.
Who are your animation idols?
Too many! In the Pixar world I really look up to Brad Bird. I absolutely love Ratatouille and The Iron Giant. He’s got great humor and a great pace to his films. On the more indie side, I really love Ainslie Henderson`s work. His films have influenced me ever since I started studying animation. And I really like some of the feature films that have come out in the last few years, such as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which was just incredible.
Looking back at your project, what are you most pleased about?
I think it must be the overall look of the film. Milly White, the production designer, has killer taste. She and the DoP, Charlie Jenkins, worked so well together to create a world that was stylized, but still had a warm and handmade feel to it. I also think that the modelmakers, Angela Merlo Quartaroli and Maria Colladu Bonù, did such a great job with the textures on the puppets.
What has been the most memorable reaction to Night of the Living Dread?
I think it was when the team sat down in the mix to watch the sex scene for the first time, after Miles Sullivan had done his magic to the sound. Definitely a moment I won’t forget.
What are you working on next?
Currently, I’m developing a slate of shorts that I’m really excited about. Hopefully I’ll be shooting one of them soon. I also just finished working on a nature documentary called Attenborough’s Wonder of Song for the BBC, which was a really fun project to be part of.
Do you have any helpful career advice for our readers?
Gosh — I am sort of at the start of my own directing career, but if I were to give advice it would be to take risks. Whether that’s saying yes to a job or a project that is bigger than anything you’ve done before, or whether it’s pushing a moment in your film so it becomes more original and memorable.
See more of Ida Melum’s work at idamelum.com.
