Young Professionals
Golden Nica
SAMEN is an experimental short film on the theme of entering adulthood. As a coming-of-age symbol, we send a boy on a journey through some woods. We used stop-motion technique and constructed all the backdrops and figures ourselves. We developed a short, artistic story with the most important steps, divided this story into three worlds, and then translated it into beautiful pictures.
Credit: tom mesic
Credit: vog.photo
Credit: tom mesic
As part of our final project, we had to work in a small team to produce a film. There were no further guidelines, but our four-person group realized immediately that we did not want to make a feature film but rather let our creativity take us wherever it wanted. We relatively quickly had the idea of taking on the major challenge of making a stop-motion film.
For the story behind the film, we wanted to explore a theme that affects all of us and that all of us could work on together. Because of the humorous life experiences of our team and our various perspectives, we then developed the coming-of-age story. What was completely new for us was the long, labor-intensive preparation time: building the sets and creating the figures represented a large part of the project.
The film was made with stop-motion technique. Individual frames were shot and then placed in sequence. To be able to work with more precision, we also used the stop-motion program Dragon Frame. The light in the film moves symbolically with the journey and the development of the main character. For the lighting, we used only Dedolight and tools such as small flashlights and desk lamps. With regard to the soundtrack, we worked exclusively with noises and atmospheric sounds. Special mention should be made of our sets and figures, which we made ourselves using materials we collected in the woods. We also painted the backdrops ourselves. For each of the figures, we made a wire frame, sewed garments from fabric remnants, and shaped the rest out of plasticine. Shooting the film using Dragon Frame was difficult at first, but we picked it up very quickly. The entire project took a whole year to complete, which we hadn’t expected when we started. Now we want to distribute our film and make it available to many young people.
Preview Video
Credit: Lisa Rass (AT)
Credit: Lisa Rass (AT)
Credit: Lisa Rass (AT)
Credit: Lisa Rass (AT)
Credit: Johannes Fischer (AT)
Project Credits / Acknowledgements
Camera: Anna Fachbach
Direction and post-production: Jona Lingitz
Direction and editing: Franziska Gallé
Production: Lisa Rass
Biographien
Lisa Rass (b. 1999), Franziska Gallé (b. 2001), Jona Lingitz (b. 2001), and Anna Fachbach (b. 2000) are four students in their final year at Ortweinschule in Graz (Film and Media Art). Our passion is producing films and utilizing our knowledge and skill in this area in a purposeful manner. In this project, we expanded our horizons through experimental work and created something extraordinary. Through the work with stop-motion, we could allow our creativity free rein.
Jurystatement
There are works that stand for themselves, even if they depict something or tell a story. Just the fact that they even exist makes them something special, exceptional—one could even say something vital. In any case, the world would be a different place if these works didn’t exist. Samen is just such a work. Using puppet animation, the phenomenon of adolescence is described in all its baffling facets—with all its unpredictability, disruption, and fascination. In their work, the creators forwent any spoken language, instead developing their own extremely compelling visual language, through which they create a complementary world: an allegory, a pictorial narrative that describes something that language is not able to express, because that which is to be described resists any logical disciplines. Man, the speaking animal, is rendered speechless when sexuality stirs within him and turns his body and soul into a jungle. In their film, barely four minutes long, Jona Lingitz, Franziska Gallé, Lisa Rass, and Anna Fachbach find an exceedingly artful expression for the statement “Everything in life has to do with sexuality (except sex).” Samen is a work of art in a technical sense as well. The few effects that are used are carefully placed. The spare, precise soundtrack foregoes music as strictly as it omits language. The chromaticity, lighting, and montage are masterly. Like the main figure in the film, the viewer is given a tough nut to crack, a puzzle. And as anyone knows who has experienced adolescence or is in the middle of it right now: for this puzzle there are many solutions and no answer.
Talent Talks
As a complementary international part of the category u19–create your world of the Prix Ars Electronica, jury member and moderator Conny Lee (AT) is talking with some of this years winners about their ideas, creativity and future visions.
