Art Department veteran and UK filmmaker Melanie Light is gearing up to unleash The Herd. With harsh shorts like Escape behind her, the director has crafted something even darker here, a sordid parable with overt vegan and feminist themes, and starring The Woman and Let Us Preys Pollyanna McIntosh. Featuring a score by Gallows guitartist Laurent Barnard, The Herd is anticipating a strong festival run this year. Shock presents your first look at the short film, below.
In The Herd, “A number of kidnapped and trafficked women find themselves imprisoned in a squalid medical facility. For Paula, her continued survival relies on her basic human function. Escape, on any level, is seemingly impossible as the women are condemned to a life of enforced servitude at the whims of their captors; for one reason only their milk. Lights previously said, The film is a harrowing dissection of a reality within an everyday norm hidden within farms all over the world.
To help accompany the imagery, Light enlisted Barnard, best known as lead guitarist in UK hardcore heroes Gallows. Of his first narrative composing work, he tells Shock, “In places the score is as disturbing as the footage on screen. As someone who’s made his career playing guitar, it might seem strange that I opted for a more synth based sound but I had my reasons. The electronic instrumentation allowed me to create music that reflected the threatening mechanical monster that is the dairy industry.”
“The credit sequence at the end reveals the wicked ways in which dairy cows are treated. To accompany the real life terror on screen I went straight for the jugular with heavy drums and crushing guitars. It was a great experience and the film is brutal, yet deeply poignant. I thank Mel for the opportunity and I hope one day we can work together on another project.”
Light tells Shock and Shock readers, The film is currently in festival submissions, and I hope that our message will be seen and heard by everyone in the near future!
The Herd Trailer from Melanie Light on Vimeo.
