When Karni Arieli and Saul Freed set out to make their Oscar short-listed animated project Wild Summon, they wanted to show a deep connection between the natural world and humans. Narrated by Marianne Faithful, the faux natural documentary centers on the life cycle of a female salmon, as she tries to survive in a dangerous and polluted world. We had the pleasure of chatting with Arieli and Freed about their acclaimed short, which was also nominated for a Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and a Cristal prize at Annecy earlier in 2023.
Animag: Congrats on your short landing on the much-coveted Oscar shortlist. Can you tell us a bit about the origins and inspirations for Wild Summon?
Karni and Saul: Our work has always been inspired by nature. Our themes revolve around the concept of home, the journey and wildlife. Wild Summon encompass all of these. The idea originated from spending time on rivers here in England, rivers, and nature … with our kids. Thinking about how humans and the natural world are intertwined.
Why do you think the message of your short is so important today?
Wild Summon’s concept delivers two merged views of our world. As an eco film, it tells the story of the wild salmon in a new, engaging way. It almost forces the viewer to engage with a creature that looks nothing like us in the real world. In that aspect, the film is a natural history eco film. Calling people to reconnect with the natural world and understand that humans are at one with nature. The same system. We can’t separate them.
On the other hand, the film also touches on how we humans treat each other. And now we treat nature. It touches on images of immigration, violence and motherhood. It also happens to be that we made it during the pandemic, so globally, we were in survival mode.
Can you elaborate on the short’s visual style?
Wild Summon is a mixed-media film. The idea was to keep the connection with the real world. The viewers must realize this is not an imaginary world. Most locations are live-action, shot by us in Iceland on a road trip. The characters are realistic CG animation. It was crucial to get the character’s design right, to make the salmon look human but still hold elements of the fish, such as the wide mouth and the scaly wetsuit. At the same time, we decided to give her a modern look with goggles and flippers… which creates a post-modern angle and hints towards a superhero design: a strong, empowered female swimmer.
How long did it take to make and how many people worked on it?
Overall, from concept to delivery… about three years. Which included a global pandemic. A delayed shoot in Iceland and overall a semi-stunned human world. We worked on it mostly ourselves. Our son was the aerial cinematographer; we shot the underwater footage, and all animation, post-production and music were made by us. The final touches of color grade and sound and music mix were done by our friends at Halo Post, Vilk Collective and Wounded Buffalo.
Which animation tools were used?
Autodesk Maya, Adobe After effects. And a lot of time and patience. Slow fun we call it.
Which aspect of the project are your proudest of?
Creating a work of art which is uncompromising and delivers a meaningful message. One that is bigger than us. but also speaks about us. The global and personal. Also, creating a strong female lead and story, as well as creating it in the pandemic and with a family, as a family on a road trip.
What would you say were your short’s biggest challenges?
There are too many to mention. The pandemic, the kids home with no school, the intense shoot and the intense animation process. But as always, what was hard gave us the biggest joy in the end—an obstacle to overcome. Technically, We pushed our abilities to the edge on all fronts—creative, story and technical. Water simulation, in particular, is an absolute pain. But as we say, love is pain.
What are you working on next?
We are working on several long-form projects—both feature films and short-form series. Some are based around Wild Summon, and others are not; we always like fantasy and some animation. We have enough of the real world in every day!
And who are your animation heroes?
Our art heroes are: Phil Malloy, Sally Potter, Francis Bacon, Edward Gorey, Miyazaki (of course) and Frida Kahlo. The films and shorts include The Pierce Sisters, The Eagle Man Stag, Ponyo, Spirited Away, Silly Symphonies and nature films.
What advice would you give other animation lovers who would like to direct their own shorts?
EMBARK! and JOURNEY! Do it like you mean it. And make stuff you are passionate about.
Watch the trailer below:
For more info, visit sulkybunny.com
