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Est. Reading Time: 4 Minutes

MARK (M) Tell us a little about yourself - when did you become interested in film and filmmaking? And what made you particularly interested in animation?

WILL (W) I’ve spent my whole life obsessively drawing but felt quite lost in terms of how to turn creating art into a career. I really loved storytelling and animation seemed like a great way to convey narratives through my illustrations. I love the freedom that animation unlocks artistically as I’m able to create any image that I can think of in ways I can’t with live-action filmmaking.

On The Opening

M The film’s opening sequence is really cool! I like how the main character’s smile slowly changes into one that’s very similar to the crazed smile of the creatures in the background. Please tell us how it establishes the film’s themes and essentially foreshadows the main character’s inner journey of dopamine addiction.

W The opening sequence set during the rave was important to show the extreme highs of substance abuse. Whilst it can be self-destructive without moderation, it’s easy to get lost in the high-paced lifestyle of drugs and parties so I wanted to depict the feeling of ‘getting lost in the crowd’.

On Dopamine

M The moments of the characters melting into their revitalized selves so to speak are seamless & striking! Please discuss the way you portray the visceral nature of dopamine through aspects of body horror.

W I love body horror, having been inspired in the past by artists such as Junji Ito and filmmakers like John Carpenter. During the lockdown, I began to look at my own relationships to substances and how the more reliant I became on them, the less I felt like myself. So I wanted to really depict the idea of mutation while going through withdrawals in a fun and visually striking way.

M The dopamine slime is really eye-catching! It almost looks & moves like some kind of lava. Please provide a little insight into designing the dopamine slime - tell us about your process of creating the swirling effect and blending several colours to create interesting gradients.

W I wanted the way dopamine was depicted to really stand out from everything else on screen. I found the effect whilst messing around with Adobe After Effects trying to create some cool psychedelic patterns and thought it would fit really well in the film. I thought the bright saturated colours would draw the audience's eyes in the same way that it draws the character towards it.

‘I love the freedom that animation unlocks artistically as I’m able to create any image that I can think of in ways I can’t with live-action filmmaking’

— Will Beattie

On Process & Discovery

M In making and finishing the film, what did you discover and learn that you might adopt or further explore in future projects?

W I’m currently studying animation at university and it’s a great feeling because I constantly feel like I’m absorbing so much information about the medium. This film was by far the most ambitious project I’ve created so I took a lot from it. It was a big step for me drawing much more complex backgrounds then I ever have in the past. Also learning what to cut from the script to keep the film engaging, lots (of ideas and scenes) didn’t make it to the final film and it was tough but rewarding to learn what is and isn’t necessary.

On Inspiration

M What are some of the films and who are some of the filmmakers that inspire you, and why?

W I’ve always been super inspired by the work of Michael Cusack. He is an Australian animator who started posting his animations on the internet and made his way to working with studios like Adult Swim whilst keeping the same absurd sensibilities, just on a larger scale.

W My favorite film of all-time is probably The Thing (1982). I love the grotesque body horror and the sense of isolation it builds. I try to reflect some of those components in my films.

On The Future

M What are you planning to make next?

W I’ve been working with a few local musicians on making some animated music videos. I love collaboration so these types of projects are really fulfilling. I would love to create another short film in the next year or so but animation is very time-consuming so I have to make sure it’s the right idea to invest my time into.

Mark’s Final Thoughts

• To Be Added

  Tags Animation Bourgeon Mental Health Experimental

The founder of Hommage, Mark Shaba published this interview on 20.12.2022. Mark is a filmmaker from Victoria, Australia. He respectfully acknowledges the past and present traditional owners of the land on which he creates, promotes and screens art, the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation who are the custodians.