EFA Master Class 2013 by European Film Awards

EFA Master Class 2013

ANIMATION TODAY with Andreas Hykade & Ari Folman Phil Mulloy Izabela Plucinska David OReilly

EFA Master Class 2013

ANIMATION TODAY with Andreas Hykade & Ari Folman Phil Mulloy Izabela Plucinska David OReilly

CONTENTS: Foreword ....................

The Tutor Andreas Hykade ....

The Experts Ari Folman ............. Phil Mulloy ............. Isabela Plucinska .. David OReilly ..........

4 6 7 8

The Participants .........

Organisation & Crew ..

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY e.V.

IMPRINT

Kurfürstendamm 225

European Film Academy e.V.,

10719 Berlin

Pascal Edelmann (editor)

GERMANY

Graphic design: Andrés Castoldi

tel. +49 - 30 - 887 167 - 0

www.europeanfilmacademy.org www.europeanfilmawards.eu

European Film Academy / Peter Hacker

What happens if you bring together a group of animation filmmakers from the different fields of animation – be it pixilation, clay, 3D, stop motion, simulation or drawing – and ask them to work together as a team for the duration of one week? That was the main question and the challenge we set out with when we began planning this EFA Master Class. From the beginnings of the European Film Academy (EFA) more than twenty-five years ago, it has been one of EFA’s express aims to create platforms that allow filmmakers to learn from one another and to exchange ideas. One way of pursuing this aim is by organising EFA Master Classes which allow a group of filmmakers to get together for one week and work intensively on a given subject, in this case modern animation. With author, director and designer Andreas Hykade we found a courageous partner for our cause to tutor this master class. Rooted in independent animation, he has been creating animation films since the mid-90s and was immediately enthusiastic about sharing his expertise and experience. During the EFA Master Class he did so in lectures, case studies and group sessions, and by inviting his friends and colleagues Ari Folman, Phil Mulloy,

Foreword

David OReilly and Izabela Plucinska. They all joined the group to talk about their individual approaches to and experiences in animation. Together they spread an enthusiasm for the possibilities and the creative freedom in animation that soon created a unique atmosphere of complicity, curiosity and the will to experiment. On behalf of the European Film Academy I would like to use this opportunity to thank our tutor Andreas Hykade, the experts Ari Folman, Phil Mulloy, David OReilly and Izabela Plucinska, and all the other people who have invested time and energy to make this EFA Master Class possible as well as the MEDIA Programme of the EU and the MFG Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg for funding it and the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg’s Institute of Animation, Visual Effects and Digital Postproduction for hosting it. I hope that this DVD documentation carries with it a glimpse of the special atmosphere of this year’s EFA Master Class. Marion Döring Director European Film Academy e.V.

EFA Master Class 2013

The Tutor

Andreas Hykade Author, designer and director Andreas Hykade has been creating animation films since the mid-90s. Among his films are WE LIVED IN GRASS (1996, German Short Film Award), RING OF FIRE (2000), THE RUNT (2007, German Short Film Award, FIPRESCI Award Annecy), TOM & THE SLICE OF BREAD WITH STRAWBERRY JAM & HONEY (2009, Grimme Online Award) and LOVE & THEFT (2010, German Short Film Award, Sacem Award for original music, Annecy 2011). He has also worked with the German band DIE TOTEN HOSEN for which he created the video clips 10 KLEINE JÄGERMEISTER (1995, Echo Award for best German music video) and WALKAMPF (2004, Grand Prize for

Commissioned Animation, Ottawa Int’l Animation Festival 2005), has repeatedly collaborated with British animation artist Ged Haney (video clips and commercials) and has created ZUKUNFTSVISIONEN, the film installations for the German pavilion at the world exhibition EXPO 2000. Andreas is also a professor for animation film at the Institute of Animation, Visual Effects and Digital Postproduction. www.hykade.de www.animationsinstitut.de

EFA Master Class 2013

Ari Folman In the mid-1980s, after completing his military service, Ari Folman ventured out on his dream trip to circle the world with a backpack. Just two weeks and two countries into the trip, Ari realised travelling was not for him, so he settled into small guesthouses in Southeast Asia and wrote letters to his friends at home, letters in which he totally fabricated the perfect trip. One whole year of being in one place and writing down the fruits of his fantastical imagination convinced him to return home and study cinema.

His graduate film, COMFORTABLY NUMB (1991) documented Ari‘s close friends taking cover on the verge of anxiety attacks during the first Gulf War while Iraqi missiles landed all over Tel Aviv. The result was comical and absurd and the film won the Israeli Academy Award for Best Documentary. Between 1991 and 1996, Ari directed documentary specials for TV, mainly in the occupied territories. In 1996, he wrote and directed SAINT CLARA, a feature film based on a novel by Czech author Pavel Kohout. The film won seven Israeli Academy Awards, including Best Director and Best Film. SAINT CLARA opened the Berlin IFF Panorama section and won the People‘s Choice Award. The film was screened throughout America and Europe to critical acclaim. Ari continued directing successful documentary series and took time off for his second feature in 2001. MADE IN ISRAEL is a futuristic fantasy that centres upon the pursuit of the world‘s only

The Experts

remaining Nazi. Ari has written for several successful Israeli TV series, including the award-winning IN TREATMENT (Be Tipul), which was the basis for the new HBO series of the same name. Ari made his initial attempt at animation in his series THE MATERIAL THAT LOVE IS MADE OF – each episode opens with five minutes of documentary animation which depicts scientists presenting their theories on the evolution of love. This successful attempt at documentary animation propelled Ari to develop the unique format of WALTZ WITH BASHIR. Based on a true story, the film is a quest into the director‘s memory for the missing pieces from the days of the Lebanon War in the mid-80s. As far as Ari was concerned, it was only natural to transform the quest into animation, full of imagination and fantasy. At the 26th European Film Awards, Ari Folman received the award European Animated Feature Film 2013 for THE CONGRESS.

EFA Master Class 2013

Phil Mulloy Born in Wallasey (England), Phil Mulloy studied painting and filmmaking and worked as a writer and director of live-action films until the late 1980s. His animations, often portraying the darker side of human nature in stark, black & white images, have been described as “satirical grotesque”.

Among his more than 30 animated films are the COWBOY series (1991), THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1993, Berlin InterFest jury award), TEN COMMANDMENTS (1994-96), THE SEX LIFE OF A CHAIR (1998), INTOLERANCE I - III (2000 - 2004, Annecy jury award 2000, Tampere Grand Prix 2001), THE HENRIES (2001), LOVE IS STRANGE (2002), THE CHRISTIES (2006, Ottawa Grand Prix), GOODBYE MR CHRISTIE (2010, Ottawa Grand Prix) and DEAD BUT NOT BURIED (2011, Ottawa Grand Prix).

The Experts

Izabela Plucinska Born in Koszalin (Poland), Izabela Plucinska studied at the Academy of Arts in Łódź and at the Polish National Film School. In 2003, she took up studies at “Konrad Wolf“ Film School in Potsdam-Babelsberg (Germany), finishing in 2004 with her graduation film project JAM SESSION. It was accepted for the short film competition at the Berlin IFF 2005, where it won her a Silver Bear. In 2006, she made BREAKFAST for Polish television. She directed and produced 7 MORE MINUTES and MARATHON which was her first collaboration with Slovenian animator and director Spela Cadez.

Together with her production collaborator, Jamila Wenske, Izabela founded her own production company, “Clay Traces”. In 2010, producer Robert Kern took over from Jamila Wenske to further work with Izabela. In 2009, she finished her largest project, a 25-min adaptation of the popular German picture book ESTERHAZY by Irene Dische and Hans-Magnus Enzensberger. Her last clay film JOSETTE AND HER DADDY is an adaptation of a short story by E. Ionesco. Right now she is working in Berlin with Agata Rojek, Robert Kern and Christina Haupt on her new project, SEX FÜR LUSTLOSE.

EFA Master Class 2013

The Experts

David OReilly Born in 1985 in Kilkenny (Ireland), David OReilly is known for creating animated films using a distinctive 3D style. His short film, PLEASE SAY SOMETHING, was awarded the Golden Bear at the Berlin IFF 2009, the Best Narrative Short at the Ottawa Intâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;l Animation Festival 2009 and several other awards. His latest short film, THE EXTERNAL WORLD,

premiered at the 67th Venice IFF and has won over forty awards on its festival circuit, among them the Irish Film & Television Academy Award for Best Animation and a nomination in the short film category of the European Film Awards. He is based in Los Angeles, California (USA).

The Participants 11 EFA Master Class 2013

The Participants Mirella Benes ǀ animator/director, Italy Danny De Vent ǀ animation instructor, Belgium Mathias Dombrink ǀ editor, Germany Ines Christine Geisser ǀ animator/director, Germany Kirsten Carina Geisser ǀ animator/director, Germany Evgenia Gostrer ǀ animation student, Germany Mait Laas ǀ director/scriptwriter/designer, Estonia Simon Leykamm ǀ technical director, Germany Ami Lindholm ǀ animator, Finland Mandy Müller ǀ animator, Germany Chloé Nicolay ǀ story artist/animator, France Adrián Piqueras Sánchez ǀ animator, Spain Tatu Pohjavirta ǀ animation director, Finland Daniela Popova ǀ animation director, Bulgaria Amir Porat ǀ animator, Hungary/Israel Amit Rojtblat ǀ technical director, Israel Kariem Saleh ǀ animation artist/director, Germany Angela Steffen ǀ animator/director/designer, Germany Christine Tong ǀ illustrator, Malta Jelena Walf ǀ illustrator, Russia

EFA Master Class 2013 It was an amazing experience! And a great opportunity! IÂ´ve enjoyed this very, very busy week for many reasons: A very well-organised event, days filled from eight a.m. to midnight, very kind, supportive and open minded EFA people, a very inspiring tutor, who has a lot to tell about animation and storytelling, really extraordinary guests, who gave us very intimate insight in the work. And one more very important fact â&#x20AC;&#x201C; an exceptional chance to get to know 19 European filmmakers, each one of them with his/her own way of thinking, telling stories, dealing with animation and its different techniques. I was absolutely focused and quite bound up in our team work almost every moment and in the end of the week 20 individual filmmakers managed to make a film together, which was a huge success. Lucky me to have had the opportunity to make new friends and to get to know secrets of the masters! Happy that I was a part of this special event! Evgenia Gostrer animation student, Germany

The Participants

For an animator, work is usually done in a dark room, lonely and slowly. At the master class with His Master Andreas Hykade, that cliché was broken – there was fast and very intensive teamwork, performed with glittering creativity, but still in the dark room. The cream of the crop this time was sharing the different experiences of filmmaking, inspiring each other through the work process and learning the values that make up the personality and professionalism of an animator. Thanks to Andreas’ soul, and to EFA and the Institute of Animation in Ludwigsburg for giving us the space and time – to make animation alive and visible! Mait Laas director/scriptwriter/designer, Estonia

EFA Master Class 2013

How to describe a life-changing carnival? It was a week of intense work and fun with the most talented fellow masters. Andreas guided us with emotion and structure. The “friends” twisted our mind every evening. The whole course was perfectly organized. Together we accomplished things I didn’t know we could. Ami Lindholm animator, Finland

“Will 20 individual artists manage to become a group by creating an animated film together?” This sentence tried to condense the aim of this master class, but personally, for me, to create a film was only an excuse to develop something more important. To learn, to watch and to share many other experiences within a group of very different people joined by the same motivation: to bring to life stories and feelings, showing us new paths to do it together. With the help of a creative mind, who suggested exercises apparently unconnected, which, at the end, revealed their real purpose; creating connections between us in order to join all our individual stories through the drawings, sketches and words we share and discussed every day.

The Participants

All “wrapped up” with the advice and the experience of the “friends of the day”, offering us a space to gather very interesting knowledge about connections within animation and the real world. If I had to sum up the aim of this master class with only one word, without any doubt that word would be “connections” – the connections we, 20 eager students, created between ourselves to create something bigger, those which connect us to our different realities, those invisible connections that already existed before the course and that we learned to recognise throughout this experience. Adrián Piqueras Sánchez animator, Spain

Organisation & Crew EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY Director ................................................. Producer ................................................ Head of Finances .................................. Head of Press & PR ............................... Project Manager .................................... Production Manager .............................. Accounting ............................................. Assistant Project Manager .................... Assistant Production Manager ............. Production Assistant .............................

Marion Döring Jürgen Biesinger Rainer Pyls Pascal Edelmann Bettina Schwarz Ralph Brosche Klaudia Matschoß Janina Bukowski Lidia Pirola Mario Striehn Micha Belitz

Institute of Animation, Visual Effects and Digital Postproduction Institute Director ................................... Prof. Thomas Haegele Head of Administration and Finance .... Heike Mozèr Technical Supervisor ............................. Marc Lutz Postproduction System ......................... Michael Schott Martin Backhaus Technical Director ................................. Joachim Genannt Making Of Camera/Interviews ............................... Editing ................................................... Stills ......................................................

Steffen Düvel Martin Jabs Peter Hacker

Funding partners MEDIA Programme of the EU MFG Filmförderung Baden-Württemberg In co-operation with Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg Institute of Animation, Visual Effects and Digital Postproduction

Founded in 1988, the European Film Academy now unites more than 3,000 European film professionals with the common aim of promoting Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s film culture. Throughout the year, the EFA initiates and participates in a series of activities dealing with film politics as well as economic, artistic, and training aspects. The programme includes conferences, seminars and workshops, and a common goal is to build a bridge between creativity and the industry. These activities culminate in the annual presentation of the European Film Awards. EFA Master Classes are courses on continuous training. They are held by highly acclaimed and internationally successful filmmakers who dedicate one week of intensive training to young talents coming from all over Europe, passing on their individual knowledge and personal experience. Rather than bare lecturing, the courses concentrate on the practical side of learning with at least half of the time spent with hands-on training. ÂŠ 2013 European Film Academy e.V.

Funding partners

In co-operation with