Rob Munday
When it comes to selecting documentaries for Short of the Week, we’re always on the lookout for something different. While discovering a compelling subject is crucial for the filmmaker, the real challenge lies in presenting it in a creative and engaging way. Darcy Prendergast’s Strange Beasts masterfully achieves this by striking the perfect balance between narrative and technique, using a mixed-media approach – combining animation, archival footage, and live-action – to tell the remarkable story of the Bacchus Marsh Lion Safari.
Based on the real-life experiences of the filmmaker’s father, Ron ‘Prenda’ Prendergast, Strange Beasts begins with Prenda reflecting on mortality. As we’re presented with images of lions stalking towards the camera, both archival and animated, the film’s subject and distinctive style start to take shape, setting the tone for this impressive short.
“His wild stories over dinner have always been the closest to my heart” – director Darcy Predergast talking about the role of his father (above) in his film.
As Prenda’s haunting tale unfolds, the voiceover adopts an almost poetic quality at times. Combined with the short’s inventive aesthetic, the result is a truly mesmerising viewing experience. However, this is no case of style over content, as it’s the incredible story at the heart of Strange Beasts that grips the hardest.
A story Prendergast had long wanted to bring to the screen, it wasn’t until his father faced a “serious health scare” that he finally found the motivation to do so. Determined to preserve this “slice of local history” for future generations, rather than let it fade into folklore, he set out to capture his dad’s “wild stories” on film, bringing them to life with the vibrancy they deserved.
Even simple shots of figurines work perfectly alongside the varied other techniques employed in the short.
While the director credits the discovery of archival footage as the “foundation” for his short, it’s the way he weaves it together with various animation techniques (featuring the work of S/W alums Joseph Pierce & Ross Hogg) and inventive live-action sequences that makes Strange Beasts such a compelling watch. As Prenda recounts the time they were tasked with moving three tigers to a larger pen – without the aid of tranquillisers – the film’s pace quickens, and the tension rises sharply.
Switching from 2D animation to simple shots of toy figures, and then to creatively lit shots of Prenda in the present, this sequence perfectly illustrates Prendergast’s goal of ensuring “the diverse approaches sat beside each other cohesively”. It could have been easy for these varied styles to clash or feel overwhelming, but instead, they are united with such energy and intensity that it’s hard to imagine this story being told in any other way.