Escapism, Collaboration and Zombies: In Conversation with Demika Traicos

Image via Emily Henman

Ethereal and otherworldly, 23-year-old Demika’s body of work is already as established as it is enthralling. She has been forcefully carving out a path for herself in London’s creative scene since graduating from the London College of Communication in 2023, having worked in digital marketing and as a social media manager, retoucher and photographer. Most recently, she has been primarily focussed on writing and directing her debut short film ‘Fleshers’, a zombie horror-comedy that promises to be a clever twist on the university experience. We caught up with her ahead of its production that coming weekend.

How has your Film and TV Production degree benefitted your work?

I spent most of my degree feeling like it wasn't what I wanted to do and wishing that I’d taken photography. I can't pinpoint if it was the degree itself, the school, or just my state of mind at the time. However, I pushed through and ended up enjoying it more in my final year. It taught me a lot about working with people. Now, two years on, I've written and directed the screenplay for the short film that’s about to go into production. I’ve been preparing for it since January. One day I was working my photography job and realised that I just didn’t want to do it anymore, so I went home and I wrote the screenplay. I really enjoyed the process. 

Doing a creative degree such as film and television is relatively niche, how were you certain enough to commit to that?

I always knew that I wanted to write a screenplay, and often if I was working on a screenplay, I wanted to direct it. I had a few options, university-wise, but when I walked around the LCC campus something clicked. I felt like I was in the art school from Victorious! It was actually not as niche as I thought. 

Has screenwriting always been your preferred medium for telling stories?

Film can actually be a lot harder to stay motivated towards than photography, where the gratification is much more instant. I can take the photo and edit it in a day, and then my vision is in front of me.
But now I'm finally pushing myself to work hard on videography.

You’re currently self-funding your first short film – what has that process been like?

I brought on my best friend, a Film graduate who has always wanted to produce, to help me with this project. We’ve been raising funds on Greenlit, and every month I’ve been contributing my own money as well. If I want to make this project, it's something that I need to do myself. My producer, Mark, who also really cares about this project, has been doing the same, and slowly it’s been building up. If any departments run out of their budget, I’ve continued to fund it as I’m so determined for this film to be the best that it can possibly be. I’ve been budgeting for a long time now because it’s something that’s so important to me. 

Talk to me about the inspiration behind the film?

I wanted to do a project that wasn't so serious, as a lot of the projects that I've been on have been very emotional and deep. The film is a zombie horror-comedy short following three first-year university students after a heavy night out. It turns out that the student accommodation has turned into zombies… Their attempt at escaping is a metaphor for going to uni in lockdown, as well as being an adult for the first time and being surrounded by others in the same boat. I didn't realise quite how young 18 is until I cast one of my actors, who is actually the playing age for the role. She was born in 2007!

Image via Emily Henman

How has it been balancing your own vision whilst also valuing the input of others?

Although I care deeply about this project and have strong ideas, I'm so open to having the rest of my team really put their heart and soul into it as well. Finding creatives who were willing to collaborate on this project wasn’t hard at all, as the whole team are either students or graduates. I wanted to give everyone a chance to explore different roles - for example, our production designer has previously only worked as a set dresser,
so I’ve given her a lot of creative input. You have to really trust your team. I’ve sat down individually for a coffee with everyone that I didn’t already know on the team, getting to know them so that they can best flourish in their role. I've worked on sets where it's very intense, and your opinion isn’t valued due to lack of industry experience, so it’s been really rewarding putting this team together. 

How would you describe your style of photography? 

I have a certain look that I go for and certain themes that I'm more attracted to: fantasy, femininity and humour. I did a photoshoot where my inspiration was a girl living in a flat in London, but she's a vampire. Something based in reality that I've given my own little fantasy/horror/comedy twist. I love things that look otherworldly. My work is definitely more rooted in fiction - I lean more towards escapism than capturing real moments. My work is very instinctual and spontaneous though. Sometimes my only preparation for a shoot is a Pinterest board, or my sisters and I will play dress-up and go on a walk. I go with what feels right. My work can be very self-reflective.  

What does a day in your life look like right now?

Recently, I've done a bit of everything. The other day, I had rehearsals in the morning for my short film, and after that I went for a meeting with a creative agency to discuss interning. That evening, I watched this film called My First Film. It's a woman's story of how she made her first film, and everything goes wrong. I felt that I needed to watch it before I started filming, to prepare for what not to do!

What are the differences between photography and film regarding narrative?

I found it really difficult to navigate film dialogue without being too obvious. For me, photography is a lot easier to work with as you can show rather than tell, but in a film there are so many moving parts and it's your responsibility to make sure the audience is understanding your narrative. That being said, it’s different for everyone and some people are more preoccupied with artistic, nonlinear styles. I think photography comes much more naturally to me when dealing with narratives. With Film, there are so many elements that you need to perfect to make sure that you're getting an opinion across effectively.

Do you have any goals for the future?

I would love to make a feature film, but I don’t put pressure on myself. I think a lot of people are driven by success, and whilst I do care about being successful, that could be living at home and working in digital marketing. As long as I'm happy within myself and my art, and I'm always making things that are authentic to me, then I will be happy and successful. 

You can follow Demi on Instagram and keep up to date with her website

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Edited by Lara Walsh, Co-film & TV Editor