Directed by Helena Houghton and written by Matt Gibbs, Beltane is currently being made by a collection of talented filmmakers and artists based at Puppet Place in Bristol.

The film incorporates different aspects of British folklore, yet it has a unique approach to mythical storytelling. What would you say were your main influences when developing the narrative and design?

Helena Houghton: Alongside the folklore and myths themselves, I was really excited by The Secret of Kells (2009). That’s a 2D animation, but the style that they came up with and the magic that they bring to things is a major influence on Beltane. I’m also fascinated by Guillermo del Toro’s work, both in terms of his monsters and stories. The texture and layers that he brings to his work are phenomenal. More recently, Ari Aster’s Midsommar (2019) was a strong influence in trying to make our film unsettling, especially in our choices of music, which really sets the tone.

Matt Gibbs: I’m fascinated by British archaeology, folklore and myths, and Beltane borrows elements from each. It focuses on ideas of the Summer King, a person selected to be a ceremonial ruler for a year before they’re sacrificed for the good of the tribe, which echoes films such as The Wicker Man (1973). This blends well with legends of faery rings, of being transported to other places out of time, of being fae-led and fairy-turned, and – more directly with our lead fae – the Glaistig of Scottish myth.

Animation can provide an important space to talk about the most difficult topics facing our world. How did you develop, and reveal, the themes in Beltane?

Matt: Our connection to the natural world is at the heart of this story. How through apathy, ignorance and negligence we continue to become more removed from it to the detriment of ourselves and everyone else. The fae in Beltane and the woods they inhabit represent nature in balance, which is thrown out by one of the humans who enter it. Alongside exploring humanity’s careless attitude towards nature, we’re also examining themes of feminine agency, overt sexuality, and masculine ignorance.

Helena: When I was designing the Glaistig, I really wanted her to both be a representation of nature and have an overt sexuality – to embody a fertility goddess. I spent a lot of time working on her breasts and belly, which look almost pregnant already. She also needed to be beautiful, but wild at the same time. We spent a lot of time making her fur and hair look wild, whilst balancing this with a delicate pixie cut.

Overt sexuality is also personified by the woods themselves. At the centre of our fae glade stands a very yonic tree, surrounded by phallic mushrooms. The deeper into the woods we go, the more the trees and landscape change, becoming more beautiful and otherworldly.

When it came to Josh, we wanted him to embody someone obsessed with the latest fashions, someone who’d come on a camping trip but never been camping before. Everything would be shiny and new, and purchased without consciously checking the company or giving a thought to where or how his belongings were made.

Matt: In contrast, Sarah is respectful of the natural world, which is evident in the ‘Make Do & Mend’ approach of her patched clothing. She’s competent and understanding, and doing all of the physical, mental and, arguably, the emotional heavy lifting on this camping trip.

We tried to highlight the message through the difference between our two human characters. While our fae characters are all part of nature – our Glaistig-like noble is part of the woods, but serves them too, is in symbiosis with them. For the fae, everything is connected.

What was your approach to ensuring the message of respect for nature and its ecosystems was carried through into the production itself?

Helena: Story aside, we’re also trying to keep our environmental impact as minimal as possible. Our puppets, props and sets are made from as much recycled or discarded material as we can find, such as using clothes from charity shops.

Our goal to be eco-friendly on this build has led to us problem- solving ways to achieve that, such as Izzy Bristow (Lead Fabricator) developing a way to make our own paper clay. It was a challenge to work with a new material, but I think it has really paid off in making and texturing our tree

For those who aren’t familiar with stop-motion animation, could you talk a little about your process?

Helena: Stop motion is another way to bring life to the inanimate, and there are lots of different ways it can be done. For Beltane we’re using wire-framed puppets with a twisted aluminium frame, built up with wadding and latex. The heads for these puppets have magnetic replacement faces and moveable eyes, eyebrows etc.

We also have beautiful sets, with hand-carved and sculpted trees and laser-cut foliage, as well as props such as torches and lanterns with tiny LEDs. Once all of the components have been made, we use pins and rigs to get our little actors onto a small stage in the animation booth.

Using animation software called Dragon Frame, shooting 25 frames per second, we carefully move our characters bit by bit, taking photos as we go, so that when played back in quick succession it seems that they’re moving.

Before we start, we usually do blocking – a quick shot with less detail, but with all the main actions in the right place to block everything out and give us a guide. When all that’s done we export our shots, edit out the rigging, composite in any effects, add music and credits, and you have a stop-motion film!

Stop-motion animation is often referred to as the ‘art of problem-solving’, could you tell us about some of the production challenges you’ve experienced so far?

Helena: There are so many moving parts in making a stop-motion film that it definitely feels like you’re problem solving all the time! For example, the spaces you do it in are complex and can be expensive to book. For this project we decided that it would be more cost-effective to build the booths ourselves at Puppet Place, which is working out well, but required a lot of thought and effort to make sure they were functional, and more importantly safe for our animators.

Another struggle has been equipment, such as lighting and magic arms. We had enough for the one booth, but after building two more… Thankfully, we’ve been lucky enough to be able to borrow the additional lights we need. We sought tips from lighting experts about lighting on a budget, for example using tin foil as a bounce-back to not only reflect light but to add interesting texture to it.

At this exciting point of production, what are your hopes for the film?

Matt: I’m excited to see how the script is being translated into Helena’s creative vision. Over the past month every time I’ve gone into Puppet Place I’ve seen more of the world we’re making come to life – there’s a whole host of talented folk working on Beltane and we’re grateful to them all.

I’d love to see the film tour in both animation and horror film festivals, as well as be part of  future south west festivals such as Encounters Film Festival.

Helena: I would like to get our film into festivals, for it to be a stepping stone to more things in the future, and a good showcase of what you can do with animation… I hope it will scare people! And that people will enjoy the visual spectacle we’re working so hard to make.

What advice would you give to filmmakers applying for the BFI NETWORK Short Film Fund with an animation project?

Helena: Be ambitious but be prepared to scale back. Your creative vision is key and you need to sell the ideas and themes of your film, but you also need to understand that part of the process is then refining that.

Matt: Definitely! Working with BFI NETWORK has helped us focus on the heart of our story and bring the themes to the fore. Approach the application with what you hope to achieve and with an open mind.

From a producing perspective, I’d also suggest working out a budget and schedule that contains contingency for time, as making any animation is like running a marathon. And having some flexibility is paramount to the wellbeing of everyone.