BELTANE
Beltane
Mycelium Productions, Ltd
BFI NETWORK Film Hub South West
Website: beltanefilm.com | Website: bfi.org.uk | Website: Film Hub South West
Facebook: @beltanefilm | Instagram: @beltanefilm | Twitter: @beltanefilm
A woodland camping trip becomes a nightmare, when the careless Josh is separated from Sarah and given a stark choice - become the Fae Queen’s consort or perish.
A camping trip becomes a nightmare for Josh and Sarah when they kindle the ire of Unseelie Fae.
While camping in the British countryside, Josh stumbles into and desecrates a liminal space one May Day eve. Lured deeper into the woods, Josh is 'Fae-led’ and separated from Sarah, before being offered a stark choice - to become king for a year, the consort of a Fae Queen, or wither and perish alone.
Steeped in British folklore, Beltane is a stop motion short film, an evocative exploration of the Summer King myth. A cautionary tale, it is a portrayal of the cyclical nature of our natural world, of life, death, and rebirth. It explores themes of humanity's careless attitude towards nature and feminine agency.
About
Beltane is a 5-minute fantasy-horror, fairy tale stop motion film directed by Helena Houghton and written by Matt Gibbs, with the support of Film Hub South West as part of BFI NETWORK, awarding funds from The National Lottery.
Created in just over six months at Puppet Place, Beltane draws upon the skills and talents of a range of Bristol based artists. As a creative team, we share a love of and interest in fairy tales, and believe that such stories enable us to talk openly about the human condition; especially, our relationship with each other and nature. With Beltane we wanted to create our own tale inspired by British folklore, which speaks about our relationship with the environment, and how we’re losing that connection and perspective in our modern lives.
Media
Animating the environment: Beltane case study - Film Hub South West
Supported by
Film Hub South West as part of
Director
Helena Houghton
Producer
Yomi Ayeni
Writer & Producer
Matt Gibbs
Assistant Producer
Katie Hood
Concept Artist
Joe Latham
Editor
Dan Butt
BFI NETWORK Executive Producer
Jess Wheeler
BFI NETWORK Project Coordinator
Niamh Coogan
BFI NETWORK South West Coordinator
Mason Scott Robinson
Lead Fabricator
Izzy Bristow
Lead Model Maker
Saskia Tomlinson
Fabricators & Model Makers
Molly Anstee
Cameron Grant
Erin Hilsdon
Yi Bing Huang
Kieran Leonard
Sander Matulewicz
Leo Bournas Milazzo
Kossara Sokolova
Jackson Street
Lead Animators
Sophie Marsh
Roos Mattaar
Animators
Lily Insall
Yi Bing Huang
Cameron Grant
Set Dresser
Saskia Tomlinson
Puppeteer & Consultant
Cat Rock
Shadow Puppet Designer
Izzy Bristow
Lead Compositor
Ben Mars
Compositors
Michael Daye
Yi Bing Huang
Amber Lee
Dominic Pitt
Jackson Street
Original Music by
Imprints
Guitars, Bass, Piano & Percussion - Andy Truckle
Violin & Strings - Vince Martin
Recorded, Produced, Mixed & Mastered by
Sam Blighe at Unlucky XVII Audio
Captions and Audio Description
Screen Language
Special Thanks
Puppet Place - Residents & Trustees
University of the West of England (UWE)
Faculty of Arts, Creative Industries, and Education (ACE)
Ian Friend and Gary Embury
Ash Farkas, Kezia Tempest & Chris Thompson
Tamara Johns & Dan Butt
Mark Swaffield
Tom Sydenham
House of Funny Noises
And all our Crowdfunding Supporters
Original image by NASA, ESA and the Hubble SM4 ERO Team, compositing and alteration by Ben Mars and Helena Houghton