It’s been nearly ten years since New Zealand writer-director-actorsJemaine ClementandTaika WaititireleasedWhat We Do in the Shadowsin 2014. The film is shot in a mockumentary style, combining interviews with its main characters and cinéma vérité style filming. Since then, the world has been giventwo TV spinoffs that have created a vampire universethat seems to expand from Wellington to Staten Island and beyond. TheWhat We Do in the Shadowsfilm featured several vampires, namely, Viago (Waititi), Vlad (Clement), and Deacon (Jonathan Brugh). Both the show and movie are full of sardonic humor that pokes at historic events its main characters have lived through and the misadventures that accompany vampire roommates, like when your vampire roommate doesn’t do the (literal) bloody dishes.What We Do in the Shadowsis that niche form of entertainment that manages to merge fantasy with real-world issues in a way that feels perfectly stitched together.
The crux of the film and the show’s comedy rests in its characters' more human concerns. While Viago, Vlad, and Deacon should be concerned with remaining “in the shadows,” they seem to occupy themselves more with how they should dress for a night out in the modern day, forever trying to keep up with fashion’s rapidly changing trends. To further complicate things, the flatmates are perpetually challenged by an inability to see their own reflections and can’t trust each other’s opinions. Tragic, really; a problem for which we can all feel sympathy.
The film’s script is famously improvised but clearly illustrates a dedication to each character’s storyline. It’s a deliciously simple and well-paced plot, with each joke landing precisely as it should, almost as if Clement and Waititi had a fair amount of time to bring these characters into being. The truth is, they did.
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How ‘Interviews With Some Vampires’ Led to ‘What We Do in the Shadows’
What We Do in the Shadowsis the later version of a short film, entitledWhat We Do in the Shadows: Interviews with Some Vampires.Interviewsfollows Viago, Deacon, and Vulvus the Abhorrent (a name later changed to Vladislav the Poker in the 2014 film) in doing many of the same activities, but in a more rudimentary way. The lovable vampires are donned with fake vampire teeth reminiscent of those found on Halloween at Party City, at times looking too big for their mouths. This version of the film was created in 2005 but kept a secret for quite some time.Clement and Waititi were long time friends who had wanted to make a vampire moviefor a while after trying it out on stage along with frequent collaborator and Clement’s bandmate,Bret McKenzie. Clement and Waititi had also hoped to make a mockumentary, and decided to consolidate the ideas.
According to an interview with Vice,What We Do in the Shadowswas financed in the United States to avoid funding through the New Zealand Film Commission. Waititi and Clement explain in the interview that the reason for this was that within the Film Commission, there are structures that filmmakers must abide by, particularly script development. These channels were an issue for the filmmaking duo because they wanted the movie to be improvised, with the story essentially being told through editing. The script truly functioned as more of an outline for the film than anything else.
The feature film would take nearly nine years to complete, and in that time, several other vampire films had been released, namely the wildly profitableTwilight Saga. By the time Waititi and Clement were able to finish the feature film, their careers had long since progressed. Clement had seen success in music and TV withFlight of the Conchords, and in film withRioandDespicable Me.At the same time,Waititi had also seen significant success in the feature film worldwithBoyandEagle vs. Shark(also starring Clement). As a result, they were able to create an even more advanced film while also resting on the fact that the public was beginning to tire of the vampire genre. This shifting attitude worked out well for the duo because it would prove to make their vampire parody more welcome and well-received than it may have been if it were released any sooner. No more too-big vampire teeth!
Why You Should Watch the ‘What We Do in the Shadows’ Short Film
It goes without saying that theWhat We Do in the Shadowsshort is not quite as good as the feature film, but it needs to be seen by fans of the feature film. If nothing else, watch for a few minutes and observe how influential filmmakers grow as artists and how success can make a more remarkable film possible. Today, there is a whole universe of vampires inspired by the original short film, but it’s exciting to watch a grassroots beginning and see how two relatively unknown filmmakers were able to turn a short film into something so big. During the time of its inception, Waititi had been nominated for an Academy Award for his short filmTwo Cars, One Night,but he was still not the heavy-hitting name he is today.
Ultimately, fans of Waititi and Clement or theWhat We Do in the Shadowsfilm or TV show should see the short for the same reasonfans ofThe Righteous Gemstonesshould watchThe Foot-Fist Way. There is excitement in seeing famous directors or writers' earliest drafts of their work, mainly when they develop their stories with a signature sense of humor. It can’t be denied that there is morbid sense of humor that accompanies Waititi’s recent movies likeJojo Rabbitthat can also be found in the 27-minute short. We love to watch an artist’s style develop and feel privy to something many may not see. It sounds pretentious, and maybe it is, but it’s very cool to be able to mention little-known projects of well-known artists. Why not check out one that’s streaming on YouTube?
