Beta Wolf (Stop-Motion Feature Film)

'Beta Wolf' -A Stop-Motion Horror Comedy about Incel Werewolves

About the story:

Using the magic of stop-motion animation, I'm bringing to life the story of Robert Crepin, a socially awkward teenage loner who hates the world. He hates his absent mother, he hates his clueless PE teacher Coach Jim and he hates the moronic students at his High School. The one person he doesn't hate is Heather Bates, who despite having barely spoken to her, he believes is the love of his life. Everything changes, however, when his science teacher, Mr Gromer, introduces Robert and a group of equally lonely young men to a pill that merges their DNA with that of an alpha wolf. As Robert's strength and confidence increase, he decides its time to leave being a beta behind and finally take life back into his own control- even if that means taking revenge on the world that's wronged him.

Concept Art of Robert alongside his work-in-progress model and outfit

The key themes:

The film's main aim is to explore the serious topic of incels, communities of lonely, angry young men who are resentful and often violent towards women, through the lens of a cheesy, 80s-tinged werewolf gore-fest! If successful, the film will deliver a thought-provoking subversion to the typical coming of age story where “the nerdy boy is supposed to get the girl” by exposing the misogyny and entitlement at the heart of these archetypes. However, it will do all this, with entertainment and fun being core priorities- essentially there will be werewolf battles and plenty of blood.

How donations will be spent:

Below is a list of just some of the ways your help in reaching my goal of £2000 would be such a huge gamechanger:

I will need to build 8 models for the important characters, as well as five werewolf versions, and several background extras, which will need less attention to detail. Making a single model requires wire, modeling clay, paint, wool for the hair, fabric and sewing materials for the clothes and a modeling putty called ‘green stuff’.

The film requires about 17 sets (some of which require lots of detail, others barely any). Each set will be made out of thin wood panels with individual modeled furniture and items within them, using an array of materials.

I’m going to be buying a set of small colour-changing LED lights as regular studio lighting would be too hot for use in animation. As for cameras and sound equipment, I currently have access to them for free through my university but as I continue to make this film after I’ve left I will need some money to rent gear elsewhere.

I’m going to be recording long days with many of the voice actors who may not live close to where I’m recording so being able to provide travel costs and lunch is an important expense

I’m going to find a musician over the next few years of working on the film, who fits the style of the film perfectly and in order to ensure quality I’d like to be able to pay them for their troubles.

Timeline:

Right now, I’m working hard to deliver the first 15 minutes of the film by May 2023, which is an ambitious but achievable aim. I hope to release these 15 minutes for free as a short film online, host a screening and submit it to festivals, all to get the project out there as much as possible and continue to raise money.

After May, I’ll be leaving university and getting a job, meaning I’ll have less free time to work on the film, however it will absolutely remain my top priority. My current goal is to finish the film completely by October 2024, when I plan to submit it to several more festivals and host my own screenings across the UK. If you’re interested in becoming a long-term supporter of the project and me as an artist, consider subscribing monthly to my Patreon, which, unlike this fundraiser, will go towards paying my bills, allowing me to focus more time and attention on the film and get it done much faster.

To subscribe and get regular production updates and other fun incentives, here’s the link: https://www.patreon.com/mariekeleduc

So...

If you're a fan of cheesy 80s horror/creature films, if you're passionate about animation and stop motion or find the topics of incels and toxic masculinity fascinating, please consider donating to the project. Making this film means everything to me- I'm so incredibly proud and excited to share the story I've written! If you can't donate or know others who may be interested I'd love you forever if you shared this on your social media to get the word out there! Thanks so much!

Marieke <3

A snapshot of my previous animation work

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNWJVY9UtY8