Rob Munday

Winner of ‘Best Short Film’ award at the 2003 British Independent Film Awards and nominated for a BAFTA in 2004, Chris Shepherd’s Dad’s Dead uses inventive animation techniques to tell the story of a friendship that quickly turns from admiration to abhorrence. Described as a film that manipulates live-action and digital animation, Shepherd’s 7-minute short takes viewers on a twisted journey through a teenager’s world as he struggles to recover from the impact of a friend’s deceptive and violent actions.

“A timeless story exploring the power relationship between two boys”

Shepherd’s Dad’s Dead is a film I’ve wanted to write about on Short of the Week for some time now. It’s particular style of dark humour (along with the strong Scouse accent of narrator Ian Hart) means it feels distinctly British, yet it’s themes of childhood and friendship gives it universal appeal. Describing his short (in an artist’s statement) as a film that will both “repel and fascinate” audiences, writer/director Shepherd perfectly summarizes his short as “a timeless story exploring the power relationship between two boys”.

Despite being made in 2002, thanks to Shepherd’s resourceful filmmaking approach at the time and the nostalgic feel of his narrative, Dad’s Dead isn’t a film that now feels outdated in terms of aesthetic. If anything, the recently remastered (from the 35mm negative) version uploaded to Vimeo in 2015 just makes you appreciate the innovative combination of live-action, animation and After Effects work the filmmaker used in his piece, some 15 years ago.

Since working on Dad’s Dead, Chris has continued to direct a series of short films, including a 2005 collaboration with artist David Shrigley. Now working on a sequel to this short and developing a feature about leaving home, lets hope we see some more additions to Shepherd’s ever-expanding catalogue of work some time soon.