Royal Television Award - The Curse of the Were-Rat
In the city shred by terror, a mysterious shape-shifting man strikes fear into the hearts of the citizens. A wild, innocent cat nearly falls victim to the strange monster, but the unexpected turn of events helps him discover the monster's great secret.
Interview with Writer/Director Jan Julian Rospond
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
Well, the Curse of The Were-Rat is a student film; I made it so that I could complete my degree at BCU, but more importantly, I made it because I want people to genuinely enjoy themselves when they watch it. The second reason I created this film is to showcase my competence as an artist, animator and storyteller, and to take a meaningful step towards my aspiration of working as a director. The third reason, to say honestly, was a very practical one: to send it to festivals and gain a following (the results were rather pitiful) and to find some kind of animation related employment after I graduated (an absolute flop).
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
It’s one of the first ever stop-motion shorts to be shot in stereo 3D! Go grab your glasses, no excuses. In all seriousness though, there are quite a few tasty morsels for every viewer in this film.
In recent years I have noticed that festivals pay very much attention to films with a certain ambiguity to them. Although I fully admire fresh approaches to filmmaking, sadly an overwhelming amount of those films use their ambiguity to hide their lack of ability to convey a coherent message. The Curse of the Were-Rat is a callback to a more traditional approach, and whilst the story is fairly easy to follow, the film still manages to make interesting points in an easily digestible, non-intrusive ways.
The visual aspect of the film also deserves special attention. For an undergraduate student film it’s completed to a very high standard. The scope of the film and attention to detail would be grand enough if created by a team of people, but the fact that it was almost entirely created by the director himself puts an entirely new weight to the hard work and dedication visible on the screen.
The post-modernist style of the film will resonate especially well with classic horror fans. A beautiful score by fellow student Dan Cippico fits very well with the film’s atmosphere. The cinematographer and technical advisor Arron Sheekey, also deserves a special mention. Thanks to his innovative techniques we were able to create one of the first ever stop-motion short films in stereo 3D.
If it’s not the story, then it’s the image, sound, or sheer amount of hard work and passion pumped into the film that will appeal to the viewers who offered six minutes and fifteen seconds of their time.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Upon viewing The Curse of the Were Rat many people point to Tim Burton as an inspiration, which is understandable, however it has little to do with how I personally feel about my film. The elements of horror were present since the earliest phases of development, but my inspiration was probably driven more by Brothers Grimm or classic Polish fairy tales, which I would often hear as a kid. These stories usually portrayed animals with human traits, where for example the Fox would always be ‘the cunning one’ or the Owl ‘the smart one’. Therefore, when I chose to focus around the story of the cat and a rat it was through my desire to explore the dynamic that exists between those two animals.
Black cats and rats are also closely associated with witches and magic, which are also prominent in my film. So at the core it is a fairy tale, with a horror aesthetic. I personally tend to be slightly pessimistic, and often feel like I have very little control over my life. The themes of destiny, and inevitability are often present in my films. In simple terms I think my film wants you to ‘treasure what you have because it can always get even worse’. More importantly though, it asks: Would you sacrifice the life of another in order to save yourself?
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development and production?
The Curse of the Were-Rat is my first stop-motion effort. Initially it was only meant to be an experiment to test my stop motion animating abilities. Ironically, it became my most ambitious project to date. The first draft was written spontaneously, on the back of a plane ticket the night before a flight. Most of the ideas spewed onto the page in that fervor survived till the end of production.
As a director, I tried to be very open to new ideas suggested by co-creators and often improvised on set. Storyboarding new scenes and creating additional props and set pieces a night before the shoot was a common occurrence, especially near the end of the shoot. I would often find myself animating till 10pm, then prepping all through the night without sleep to carry on shooting the next morning at 9am. The 3D element was also a big factor. Originally I planned to make the film even more stylized by imitating film roll scratches and grain, but got convinced by Arron Sheekey to take advantage of the motion control rig and shoot the film in stereo 3D.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
The feedback is usually very positive, however people seem to focus solely on praising the technical and visual aspects of the film, whilst completely dismissing the story and direction of the film as if it played a secondary role. To me the narrative plays the first fiddle, and all the other elements are only there to guide the viewer through that emotional arch.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
It has both surprised and challenged my point of view. Perhaps, my film is yet to find its appropriate audience, however I do get a sense that it is largely dismissed. Many people seem to put films into two categories: those that have an interesting idea and those which are technically well executed, as if these elements were mutually exclusive.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
At the moment any sort of exposure would be helpful as my film is still my best kept secret that I didn’t intend on keeping…
I do believe that a wider audience would find appreciation for my film if only they were properly exposed to it. I’m especially looking to reach all the horror nerds like myself, I hope they can appreciate a somewhat more distilled (and less gory!) tale, and understand the overall climate of the film. In general, I’m hoping the film will connect with people who understand what is valuable in films: strong storytelling and drive, mixed with humor and an awareness of what’s come before.
So far my online presence has been very limited, I haven’t had a chance to create any serious hype around the film, as I’ve been doing everything myself and despite my great efforts it still doesn’t seem to be enough. With the festival circuit, and ‘real life’ to attend to, the film has been gathering metaphoric dust. I’m hoping to garner some attention, as it would give me the greatest pleasure to keep making films.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
I think it would be a blast to turn this into a feature length film, although ideally, I’d love to start a new project. I would be more than happy with the support of any or all of the people listed above, especially for a project that is radically different. I think it’s important to keep your body of work from stagnating.
That being said, I’ve had a very un-rosy and underwhelming experience with the film and animation industry so far, and I’m used to lowering my expectations, therefore any kind of support is greeted with a euphoric outburst on my part, even if it’s just a comment under the trailer or a like on the Facebook page.
To amplify this films message? I think I’d need to get the message out first, so maybe it’d be best for more people to pick up on the story, get the word out: here’s a young director who doesn’t want to cut corners!
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I just want people to like it for what it is. It’s a film made with great passion and has a lot of character. I believe it’s truly entertaining. The most important thing to me as a filmmaker is to move my audiences. If I can catch their attention even for 5 minutes, I consider that a success. It warms my heart to watch my film together with the audience and hear them laugh, gasp and be genuinely invested in the story. I only wish more people could enjoy this experience.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
I’m very curious to know:
What’s stronger here? The storytelling, or the technical work?
Have you watched any films within a similar convention?
How do you think the film could pan out if it were to be made into a feature length film?
How do you read the motif of the framed photo of the pair that the main character looks into?
How did you want it to end?
Would you like to add anything else?
God bless you guys! I hope this goes well.
What are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I’m working at a Health Centre taking care of insane people, also trying to not go completely batshit myself. When it comes to film work though? I’m radically switching gears, from horror to a short film about Polish pilots in WW2. Don’t worry! I’m staying within the stop motion convention as I’ve really come to enjoy it, with all of its detail specifics and manual work, as well as it’s expressiveness as a medium.
I like to keep my hands dirty with film even though I’m not being paid for anything. It’s all done with the hope of gaining a solid reputation within the industry and working up a portfolio that is very personal and indicative of not only my abilities, but also my passions.
Interview: September 2016
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We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series and music video. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
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The Curse of the Were-Rat
In the city shred by terror, a mysterious shape-shifting man strikes fear into the hearts of the citizens. A wild, innocent cat nearly falls victim to the strange monster, but the unexpected turn of events helps him discover the monster's great secret.
Length: 6 mins 15 secs
Director: Jan Julian Rospond
Producer: Birmingham City University/Jan Julian Rospond
Writer: Jan Julian Rospond
About the writer, director and producer:
Jan Julian Rospond was born on 1st November 1994 in Cracow, Poland but moved to UK at age 15. His debut short The Curse of the Were-Rat was screened at festivals around the world, and won the Royal Television Society award for best student animation.
Key cast: No cast
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists):
Any of the above.
Funders:
My pocket money
Made in association with:
No associations
Release date:
It premiered in February 2016 in Manchester UK, during the IndieFlicks night. As the the film is still shown at the festivals its online premiere is yet to come. Probably around January 2017.
Where can I watch it in the next month?
It’s due to be shown at:
Ani’mest, Romania October 7 - 16
Tacoma Film Festival, USA October 6 – 13
FilmFest Eichstadt, Germany October 15
Wimbledon International Short Film Festival, UK October 1
Cyprus International Film Festival, September 14 – 25
Bytom Film Festival, Poland September 7 – 11
More info: https://www.facebook.com/thecurseofthewererat/