A man follows deer prints through the snowy landscape of the Lake District, but the situation might not be as clear cut as it seems.
Directed by: Ginny Jones
Illustration: Garth Jones
Producer: Sam Bourner
Animation: Ginny Jones, Garth Jones, Felix Massie & Mark Billington
Sound Design: James Locke-Hart
Featuring the voice talent of Simon Amstell
It was in the first lockdown in 2020 that we decided to make STALKER a short film. We all needed something positive to distract from the day to day, and a short film seemed like a good use of our collective time.
The idea for STALKER was first pitched by the studio as a music video, and although the idea wasn't picked up, we just couldn’t let it go. We have always loved how anthropomorphic animals are used in animation.
A deer can just be a deer, or it can be an ex-girlfriend.
Quite early on in the process we decided, as there is only one line of dialogue in the film, it might be funny to get a recognisable voice for the role. We were lucky in this aspect, as the lockdown mean't it was possible to get Simon Amstell on board. He, like the rest of us, was stuck at home and thankfully liked the animatic enough to record the line.
At first glance we wanted STALKER to seem like a mood piece. That way when the twist landed it would be funnier and more unexpected. This decision had an impact on the look of the film, and designer Garth Jones went with a more realistic look than he would normally create, and had to re-design the film halfway through pre-production.
Even on short films ideas can get left behind and cut. Garth boarded a great dream sequence for the film, where the man made a camp for the evening, before falling asleep and dreaming about the deer. However it was decided that the scene wasn’t needed, so it was cut before production began.
