Demonic Puppets and Fast Awakenings in Eros V’s Latest Short
I, for one, am a total sucker for films that tread the line between horror and comedy. And I’m not talking about the way ‘The Exorcist’ might make you laugh when you’re in a group of friends, but actually cry when you’re on your own. I mean those films to which you just can’t help but laugh while being irreversibly disturbed. Pure genius.
Such is ‘Meat Puppet’, directed by British-Greek writer-director from London, Eros V. The film follows the story of Oz, an irresponsible man-child who nearly misses his girlfriend’s graduation because he’s busy playing with toys. Just before he rushes off to the graduation, prompted by her angry telephone call, a mysterious package arrives, the contents of which will change Oz’ life forever. The plot is a terrifying and hilarious journey through a fast awakening mixed with bold craft and some incredible puppeteering.
Eros’ last short, ‘DOUBLE TAP’ was seen by a development executive at the Henson Company - the company that makes ‘The Muppets’. One thing led to another, and Henson asked him if he had any “messed up ideas for a horror/comedy puppet movie.” Naturally, Eros came up with the genius that ‘Meat Puppet’ is. Unfortunately, the Muppet makers took one look at the script and immediately passed - turns out, it was a bit too messed up.
The script sat in Eros’ idea bucket for a year or so, during which he did lots of commercial work, but he admits to have craved shooting narrative the whole time. “I didn’t want it to be a script that I discover on my laptop five years from now and think ‘Ah, I wish I made that’,” he tells me. So, the concept was lucky enough to come to life, and even luckier to score a cast and crew who agreed to do it for basically no money.
But the budget is really secondary when you see the thing. The attention to detail - in the edit, the production design, the cinematography, the writing and the performance - is second to none.
LBB’s Zoe Antonov spoke to ‘Meat Puppet’s editor, Flaura Atkinson and to Eros V, to find out more about the idea behind the film and its making.
Meat Puppet can be viewed upon general release in spring 2024.
LBB> Flaura, tell me about the brief for ‘Meat Puppet’ and why did you want to be part of the project? What was special about it?
Flaura> Eros told me about the idea for ‘Meat Puppet’ over a year ago, and I absolutely loved it! When I read the script, it was even more bonkers than I thought it would be, and I just knew it was a project I had to be part of. Eros is a creative genius; his projects are always so much fun both to watch and to edit. It’s always such a collaborative process, and they remind me of why I love editing.
LBB> What was your process of editing the film and what does your creative relationship with Eros look like?
Flaura> I have a solid creative relationship with Eros as we’ve worked on several projects together - ‘Meat Puppet’ being the fourth short film we’ve done. We have a really communicative way of working and the edit suite is our safe space where we can discuss, explore and shoot down any idea without worrying about offending each other. Because we know each other pretty well, I know which takes Eros is going to like, so it makes the assembling process much quicker.
‘Meat Puppet’ is the most VFX-heavy film we’ve done, with 94 VFX shots in the 11-minute runtime. So, it was a different process for sure, with many layers (literally) to the editing process, and sound played a huge part in how the edit evolved.
LBB> When working with Flaura, what was important for you to carry through the editing as a message?
Eros> Flaura and I spent a lot of time on the clarity and rhythm of this film. A lot happens, and it only works if you understand clearly what is going on, and why. That took time to get into shape. We didn’t have much footage or many angles, so we had to really build the story of their relationship in the edit.
It’s so important to understand who a character is and what their motives are. You can achieve it in seconds, but only if you really pay attention to it. I’d say the bit we probably tweaked the most was the opening for that exact reason. Finding the right balance and conveying the right amount of information to get a snapshot of their relationship. That foundation is what really lets the rest of the film fly.
LBB> There are some very memorable moments, edit wise - how did you achieve that comprehensive look of editing it in a funny, yet extremely disturbing way?
Flaura> It was a fine line when editing, because in some parts, less is more. However, in most of the film, more is more! It was a constant balance of getting the audience to become emotionally invested in the characters and the peril Oz is in, while keeping the carnage and chaos that drives the film to a maximum. David Jonsson, who plays Oz, and Máiréad Tyers, who plays Cuba, gave such perfect performances and they really created the perfect tipping points. The funniest moments for me are the tiny pauses when you realise how absurd it all is!
LBB> What was it like working on the puppet from Hell? Was it handheld or was it CG? How did the attachment with the hand work?
Flaura> The puppet is completely real, it’s not CG. He was created by the excellent puppet maker Hugh Purves, who was also the lead puppeteer (with Darcy Collins as his second). I don’t want to ruin the magic, but in almost every shot there are two puppeteers in grey morph suits making him move. They have various rods and Hugh had his hand inside the back of the puppet’s head to make him talk. The VFX team, which had the excellent Mishaal Memon at the lead, did an amazing job in erasing all traces of them!
Hugh was also reading all the lines for the puppet on set, so my first assemblies were with Hugh’s voice. Once we had David Jonsson’s voice reads, we were able to put those into the edit, which changed it in so many ways.
Eros> Puppets are just brilliant, and the puppeteers are so incredibly talented and funny. Hugh came out with some of the funniest bits of performance. David, who was playing dead half the time, was constantly shaking with laughter throughout.
LBB> What were the bigger challenges editing-wise on this project and what were the most fun parts?
Flaura> It was all incredibly fun to be honest! One of the main challenges was knowing how the VFX shots were going to work. However, I always think if you can make it look semi-decent in the offline, with some janky Premiere comps, then a VFX artist can make it look seamless.
Another challenge was how much the edit evolved at each stage - doing the comps and removing the puppeteers changed things, adding in David’s voice in for the puppet changed things, adding in quite an extensive sound design changed things - it was ever-expanding which was quite exciting.
LBB> What was the most challenging part of mixing comedy and horror in the project? And what was the most fun?
Eros> The film is really a romcom, if you can believe that! A morality tale, that’s what drives it: this young couple’s deteriorating relationship. I always knew the puppet would be hilarious, but equally, it had to be a real journey. To drive that, the film needs these uneasy, horror elements. They are what power and contextualise the chaos, what drives the urgency.
We wanted to push those bits quite far, so you really do relate to why this guy is freaking out. The challenge is not making it cheesy, honestly. Not having the horror feel too… ’30s. Not too predictable. I think this film is many things, but it sure isn’t predictable.
LBB> Tell me more about the colours in the film - many blues and oranges put against each other is something noticeable.
Eros> Yes, LOTS of blue and yellow. I like working with a colour pallet on narrative stuff - obviously if you were doing a feature that would be nuanced and far-reaching. For a short, you have less time and less money, but you can still plan for and curate those colours and what they mean. I loved tying the blue of the graduation gown with the blue of the puppet, these symbols of growing up. Throughout the film, that is what blue symbolises.
LBB>The final scene is incredible - what were some considerations that came in when editing it?
Flaura> The final scene was a tricky one! Most of the shots have four or five layers of plates to them, so it was complex. We also elongated it slightly from how it was shot, to ensure that it really packed that final punch. Although this decision was made in the final two hours of the final day of editing, it makes it 100% better and funnier than it was previously. Eros always pushes things into unthinkable realms, and he gets the most incredible results from it.
LBB> Any final thoughts on the project?
Flaura> This is the third short film to premiere at the SXSW Festival that Eros and I have worked on. ‘Meat Puppet’ does deem extra special though. The whole team worked so hard on it, and it definitely shows. I really hope everyone enjoys it, it’s a film that will make you laugh and make you heave - fun for all the family!
