YDA Winners Dorian & Daniel on the ABC of Death

shots: You met on the first day at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. Did you know you’d be creatively compatible?

Dorian & Daniel: We instantly got on and quickly realised we shared the same visions and styles. Luckily, we excel in different areas. We shot our first project at the Filmakademie and have worked together ever since.

What inspired the idea for ABC of Death?

The Gashlycrumb Tinies: A Very Gorey Alphabet Book [above] by Edward Gorey. We loved its dark humour, but hoped to balance the macabre with comedy. The staging was inspired by an old British village and we used repetitive camera movements to illustrate the repetitive cycle of death.

ABC of Death [above] was a spec spot…

We sent Volvo the script before shooting because we needed access to their latest model, the XC90. Initially they weren’t convinced, but eventually they agreed to lend us the car… We didn’t approach them with the finished spot.

What were the biggest challenges?

Creating the village, because we only had enough money to shoot in southern Germany, so location scouting was tough as it doesn’t look very English there! After shooting, Daniel went to the UK and photographed British street signs and houses. It took weeks replacing them in the film but it really set the tone.

How did you choose the music?

Originally, we envisioned a xylophone playing and a little kid singing. But it didn’t fit the images. We worked with Yessian Music to find the Frank Sinatra-inspired number we used.

Do you see your future in comedy?

This was our first attempt at comedy and we found it quite restricting. Humour requires precise timing. With emotive films, the edit can flow more freely. Comedy isn’t what we want to focus on.