Förderpreis Design for TADAIMA

I haven’t told it earlier, but actually I had been nominated for the Förderpreis Design of the Master in Design of our university (advancement award).

It came quite by surprise since it’s been pretty quiet around my film. I had felt like everybody was talking about other things. And I had worked for two other graduation films as well, for one in a minor role (additional compositing, “Die Früchte des Ginkgo” by Jenay Vogel), for the other one I did the sound design (AAA by Andreas Hummel). So even I had other things than just my film on my mind. Unexpected or not, I felt very honoured… and nervous!

I was told I had to present my work the the jury in the afternoon prior to the opening of the graduation exhibition. Which was in less then two days time. There at the exhibition. 10 minutes max. Followed by 10 minutes of questions and discussion. I was glad I was granted the extra time to show my film outside the 10 minutes of presentation. At the final presentation at the university I had 20 minutes and I had a beamer and a PDF presesntation to work with. There I had pretty much NOTHING! With film it’s always the question of what you want to exhibit. Your final work is on the screen. I was glad I had at least a crappy cardboard model of the room the film takes place in which I used for shooting light and camera angle references. And it’s a design award, it’s not like on a film festival. So what do they want to know?!

The morning of the presentation I started boiling down what I had put together in my mind and on paper. 15 minutes. Too long! 14 minutes. 13 minutes. 11 minutes! Ok, that’s managable! Time to hurry to the exhibiton and check if all the technical stuff is working. They’re setting up things. I help them set up a screen since I can’t do anything else but wait until they get around to do my stuff. They’re uploading the films on the media player. Checking sound. 30 minutes before presentation. I’m slowly going nuts! I start preparing my note cards. 15 minutes before the presentation I finally can set everything ready to show the film to the jury.

And then the presentation. I was the first of the three nominees to present. At the beginning I’m totally tense inside but I start feeling more relaxed when I show them pictures in the documentation and the cardboard model. 10 minutes 3 seconds later I’ve finished. After screening the film they start asking questions. They seem very interested. Maybe it wasn’t all that bad. But as always, the really good answers turned up in my head after they went to the next persons presentation.

Later that evening the exhibition is officialy opened and the prizes are anounced. Corina Schaltegger from the Master in Fine Arts receives the Max von Moos prize. Next is the Förderpreis Design. The worst thing about awards is that even if you don’t believe that you have a chance that last spark of foolish hope won’t go out until you know for sure. A friend of mine comes walking. We start chatting. I hear my name… what was that? I start realizing that I’ve won the award. I give a hug to my friend standing next to me, then start walking to the front. Damn, I want to have a written version of that laudatio so I know what he said. And then I give a short thank-you speech. Late people told me it was nice but came unexpected since no one else (in the history of these awards) has ever given a thank-you speech. Well, I had the impression that Corine before me had given one. But the accoustics were terrible where I was standing.

So next to being the first to have given a speech at the Förderpreis Design, TADAIMA is the first film in the history of the Master in Design to have been nominated. I feel so happy. Thank you to everyone who has supported and believed in me and my film in this long and challenging period of time.

Thanks for the flowers!

Back with new film! TADAIMA

It’s been very quiet around here for a looong time. Well, there are several good (and lesser good) reasons for that.

A bit more than a year ago I was in the middle of production on my graduation film TADAIMA. Which usually means about half a year of concentrated work and living in social quietness like a hermit. So in the beginning of June I was already really close to graduation. But then I had a REALLY stupid, REALLY unnecessary accident with the skateboard which made it impossible to neither do the last bit of crucial work for graduation nor have the graduation presentation (which equals graduation examinations at other universities).

We could arrange to postpone the presentation for February 2014, since we have students graduating im summer (June) and in Winter. So I first waited for my fractured foot to heal (which is frustrating because when you finally think you’ve reached the top of the hill you need to have a second surgery to remove all the screws and it feels like it starts all over again), then I waited for the presentation.

In the time inbetween I kept working on the film as well as I could. This could be better. That could be nicer. Adding this and that would look pretty… It’s not true that you finish earlier in a more relaxed way if you have more time. You just keep working longer! Another have a year of hermit life! (Ok, half of it was due to the fracture.)

Well, to keep it short, I had my presentation, it all went well. The next thing on the agenda was the graduation exhibition, which only takes place in summer but includes the graduation students from February. Another deadline! And again more time to do adjustments until the official premiere from our university which also takes place during that time. Never sure when it’s enough or good! Well, I had a pretty clear idea of what I wanted in the end. But still you keep finding things until you finally have to just let it go for good. Which is a very good feeling, especially after such a long time of dealing with the same film and same story! The first conception was around Mai 2012…

I’m glad I had a project reflecting on many personal and universal thoughts and frustrations and the visuals had kept their faszination till the end, so I’ve never been really bored. Tired, frustrated, fed up – yes! But truly bored – no.

And now it’s finally at that point where can let it go! Off you go! Next Thursday is your premiere! Enjoy it and make the best of it!

Mucha Takato Psychedelic

Yesterday I went to see the Mucha exhibition at the Bellerive Museum with Cesare and Manu. It’s officially titled MUCHA MANGA MYSTERY, but after having walked through the exhibition some I wonder how fitting the last two keywords really are.
There are some works that I’ve missed in the exhibition. The Mucha part was beautiful and complete with some film and sound documents. But besides the manga part having been researched very superficially (as Jane has noted correctly, who had already been to the exhibition before and has warned me about certain deficiencies), with some very questionable examples in this context (GHOST IN THE SHELL?!?), the third part of the title is even more puzzling. As Cesare commented fittingly, “psychedelic” would describe it much better than “mystery” regarding all the 60s and 70s record covers and posters that were exhibited. But you’re right, “Mucha Manga Mystery” just sounds better.
Two texts that I’ve missed from a Japanese perspective are first of all the opening of the anime series GOSICK with very obvious Art-Nouveau references (specially in comparison to GHOST IN THE SHELL).
And UTENA, that was also exhibited, is rather victorian in my opinion. Am I wrong?
And on the other hand not only, but especially Takato Yamamoto as a representative of Ero-Guro is clearly related to Mucha. Although in this case maybe indirectly, I admit, since his artwork has mainly been influenced by Japanese woodcuts which have also been a strong influence on Art-Nouveau. But some floral elements clearly are closer to Art-Nouveau than to Ukiyo-e.
While writing this article I started wondering why I couldn’t think of any more contemporary western examples in connection with Mucha. Surely you occasionally can find single graphics that follow in his tradition. But is it really possible that the East has been influenced more lastingly? Or can it really be drawn back to that the origins are in the Japanese print graphics in the first place? There were some examples of American comics displayed at the exhibition, sure. What comes to my mind additionally are the flowing drapings in SPAWN. But there surely must also exist some other examples from Europe?
If anyone has an idea, please let me know.