This Ventnor Fringe Festival sees two screenings of Zedhead, an experimental stop-motion film made by a Ventnor-based creative, over the last 18 months.
The film tells two stories. Firstly, the story of an artist, who embarks on an journey that he’s ill-equipped to navigate. And secondly, it tells the story of the film’s hero, who embarks on an even greater adventure, into the depths of what it means to be a human.
The Process
Filmmaker, Sam Schroeder explains,
“I knew nothing about stop-motion when I started this project, and had no idea just what I’d let myself in for. No idea just how much time, blood, sweat, tears, and money the process of making a stop-motion film, as a solo creative, would entail.
“And the number of skills that would need to be learned… script writing, storyboarding, set building, creating armatures (posable puppets), taking thousands of photos, air-brushing those photos, video editing, creating special effects and sound effects.
“And now that the film has just been completed, it really does feel that an epic journey has been undertaken – into a very strange, deep, and dark cave.
“But now, in the best traditions of mythology, I am emerging, with my prize, out the far side of the mountain. A journey which is clearly reflected in the film, as my skills and philosophy evolves as the film progresses. 18 months of life has been encapsulated in just 18 minutes of film.”
The Film
The story follows the adventures of a character called ‘Zedhead’, who awakens on a stone slab, in a world that he does not recognise. He has no memory of who he is or how he came to be there. And so he stumbles through one trial after another, as he tries to understand the unwritten rules of the game he seems to be in.
Or is it a joke? Or a prison? Or a test of some kind? Perhaps it is a maze.
Whatever the world may be, he is forced to learn quickly, or suffer the painful consequences.
To survive he must uncover depths that he didn’t know he had. And being the fool that he is, albeit a loveable one, he abides as best he can, but not without the odd heinous calamity or five.
Where and when
Zedhead will be screened on Tuesday 23rd July at 2pm and 2.40pm.
Tickets, which are £3, £5, £7 (pay what you can) can be purchased online from the Ventnor Exchange Box Office, or by pop into Ventnor Exchange, 11 Church Street, Ventnor.
You can find out more about the film and the artist by the ZEDHEAD website.
Our thanks to the artist for sponsoring for this feature. They and other businesses and organisations taking paid promotion enables you to continue reading OnTheWight for free.
