Camreras & Accessories News

Short film shot with the SOOM XL system

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:07

Sachtler, a Vitec Group brand, provided 12 active students from St Benno High School in Dresden with a SOOM XL tripod system with a FSB 8 fluid head.

The question “What is normal and what is not?” was the starting point for the young people as they began with their first film project. Filmmaker Marco Prill, art educator Barbara Kley and Tanja Mette assisted the tenth graders. The result was Max and Greta got lost in the forest, a 20-minute short film.

"In cooperation with a contact point for the mentally ill and the school project 'Crazy? So what!', we had many helpful experiences both for the film and for ourselves. We noticed how difficult it is to define the words normal and crazy and how inconsiderately these terms are used in everyday life," say the students.
The impossibility of drawing a general line between normal and abnormal behavior was clear to everyone. Considering this the young filmmakers developed the following plot: Greta, a sheltered medical student, moves into a shared apartment with Max, a peculiar, almost neurotic painter. Because of their very different personalities, conflicts are bound to occur. The eventful story of a rocky friendship unfolds.

In an intensive process, the young people became acquainted with all of the different jobs involved in a professional film shoot: everything from the script to camera operation, editing, and the film music, which they composed themselves. They also worked in front of the cameras as actors. The students' jobs also included the acquisition of creative as well as technical resources.

"The students were full of ideas and energy. When it came to the technical realisation, they were very curious and eager to learn," says Marco Prill. "Many of them were particularly interested in camera work and the camera equipment."

Together with Prill, the team made their way to a variety of shooting locations. Filming took place in and around Dresden – indoors as well as outside in the forest and on church towers.

"Using Sachtler equipment is child's play. This immediately gave the students a sense of achievement," says Prill, who has worked with Sachtler camera support since the beginning of his career. He continues: "For the students, working with the tripod system was a great experience because they were able to learn how easy and self-explanatory using precise technology can be. Although they didn't have a lot of practice, we got smooth and steady camera pans. A further advantage was that the tripod system was stable but still easy to transport."

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