VIRTUOSO VIRTUAL
Table of Content
About the Film
The film VIRTUOSO VIRTUAL is an emotional music visualisation. Flowing ink embarks on a poetic and captivating journey in dialogue with the music. It is based on the overture of the opera DER ALCHYMIST by Louis Spohr (1784-1859).
This experimental film, directed by the drawing artist Maja Oschmann and I, got 43 international film awards.
Abstract hand-crafted ink drawings emerge and take on characteristics and moods of the music. They accompany the music and narrate a story that appears to be laid out in the melodies and rhythms. The interplay of timid encounters and dynamic pursuits, the agile lightness and confrontation, awakens a multitude of associations.
The overture inspired Maja and me to a narrative interpretation of the music. We combined our different artistic experiences of storytelling and expressive drawings to music. Together we developed new animation techniques and created our own visual language.
Our leading ‘character’ is based on a black ink stroke. It waves, jumps, fades and surges, synchronised to the music, through an abstract environment. The threshold between the figurative and non-figurative allows a wide range of associations and emotions to form, such as curiosity, joy, anger or threat. In a world of black and white the simple stroke mesmerises the viewer and takes him on a journey through the music of VIRTUOSO VIRTUAL.
Directors
direction, drawing, storyboard, image choreography, film layout, ink animation
MAJA OSCHMANN
Maja Oschmann (*1975) is an artist living in Kassel, Germany. Many of her projects focus on the relationship between drawing and music.
direction, producer, project idea, storyline, compositing, technical direction, stereoscopy, ink animation
THOMAS STELLMACH
Music
original music
composer: Louis Spohr (1784 – 1859)
excerpt from the overture of the opera “DER ALCHYMIST”
performed by Broadcast Symphony Orchestra Berlin, conductor Christian Fröhlich
with kind permission of Cpo – Classic Production Osnabrück
music at the end credits
composer: TILL MERTENS
www.filmklang.de
violinist: SUSANNE HERMANN
Premiere
The premiere of VIRTUOSO VIRTUAL was during the anniversary celebration of ‘1100 Years of Kassel” in the congress palace attended by 2000 guests in February 18th, 2013. The film music was performed live by the State Orchestra of Kassel, conducted by Helmut Imig. Imig also composed a postlude for the performance. The major of our city granted us the first award for the film, named the ‘Fulle Oscar’.
Exhibited in Stereoscopy
VIRTUOSO VIRTUAL was initiated and supported by the International Louis Spohr Society, which is responsible for the Louis Spohr Museum in Kassel. The film was produced for the exhibition to display it in the museum on an auto-stereoscopic monitor in stereoscopy. The museum focuses on versatile experiences and activation of all senses.
The film also offers deaf visitors the opportunity to experience the visual translation of a piece of music.
A special exhibition ‘Making of Virtuos Virtuell’ at the Spohr Museum Kassel in 2012 took place during the art exhibition ’documenta 13’. 58000 visitors of the exhibition have seen the unfinished film in our exhibition coincidentally. Some of them have left a note in our guest book, like: … this is the best of the ’documenta’. But our film wasn’t part of it.
Another exhibition was at the German Film Museum in Frankfurt in 2014 / 2015.
Get more information about our audiovisual exhibition.
Educational Purposes
VIRTUOSO VIRTUAL is included in educational programs offered by German and international institutions as following:
- Minifilmclub, German Film Institution / Film Museum (dff), Frankfurt. Get the work sheet.
- Mitmachkino 2022, German Film Quality Assessment Board (FBW)
- Cinemini-Europe in association with European Film Museums:
- The Austrian Film Museum
- German Film Institut & Film Museum
- Eye Filmmuseum, Netherlands
- Kinodvor Cinema Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Taartrovers, Netherlands
- Baltic Film, Media, Arts and Communication School (BFM), Estonia
- European Children’s Film Association, Belgium
- Serralves Foundation, Portugal
Recommendations
Certificate: “especially commendable”, German Film Quality Assessment Board (FBW)
www.fbw-filmbewertung.com/film/virtuos_virtuell
Jury statement
The possibilities of combining form and music in moving images were explored early on in film history, particularly in abstract or absolute film during the historical avant-garde period of the 1920s. Animation was also used in this context. It is therefore not particularly original for an experimental film to venture into this area today. Nevertheless, Oscar winner Thomas Stellmach and illustrator Maja Oschmann succeed in fascinating the viewer with VIRTUOS VIRTUELL. Accompanying a composition by Kassel-based composer Louis Spohr, the filmmakers stage an ink animation that is never boring for a second. The drawing emerges with the music, and the music seems to emerge with the drawing. Image and sound form an amalgam that captivates us to such an extent that a story with emotional and exciting moments emerges from the abstraction of the drawing. VIRTUOS VIRTUELL is indeed a virtuoso revival of the absolute film.
Suitable for ages 0+
Voluntary Self-Regulation Organization of the German Film Industry (FSK)
Awards
- Best Experimental/Abstract Film, Ottawa International Animation Festival 2013, Canada
- Award for the Best Art, 10th NAFF International Animation Festival 2015, Neum, Bosnia and Herzegowina
- Best Film, 9th Tehran International Animation Festival, Iran
- Opening Film and Special Mention, 56th International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film 2013, Germany
Jury statement: For its dynamic use of non narrative animation perfectly fused with the music. - Special Mention of the children jury , 24th World Festival of Animated Film – Animafest Zagreb 2014 / Films for Children Competition Program, Croatia
- Best of Fest (amongst 13 other films), 56th Rochester International Film Festival 2014, USA
- Audience Award for Best Short Film in the Category Curiosities, 23rd “Les Nuits Magiques” International Animated Film Festival 2013, Bègles, France
- Category Maxi: Special Mention, VAFI – Children and Youth Animation Film Festival Varaždin 2014, Hungary
- Jury award and audience choice: Best Experimental, 47th Humboldt Film Festival 2014, Arcata,
Get the complete list of 43 awards.
Funding and Sponsors
- Hessian Museum Association e.V. / Hessian Ministry for Science and Art
- Kasseler Sparkasse
- The German State Film Funding – FFA
- The Hessian Film Funding
- German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media
- Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Hessen-Thueringen
- Stadt Kassel, Cultural Office
- Germany’s national film funding institution
- Kasseler Bank
- Landgraf Moritz Stiftung
- Dr. Wolfgang-Zippel-Stiftung
- United Residential Cities eG 1889
- and private sponsorship
Festivals
VIRTUOSO VIRTUAL was shown at 180 international film festivals.
- International Animation Film Festival Stuttgart 2013, Germany
www.itfs.de - Edinburgh international film festival 2013, UK
www.edfilmfest.org.uk - Animateka International Animated Film Festival 2013, Ljubljana, Slovenia
(Elephant international children competition programme) - Anima Mundi 2013, Sao Paulo, Brazil
- Dublin International Short Film And Music Festival 2013, Ireland
www.disfmf.ie - International Animation Film Festival Stuttgart 2014, Germany
(part of special program: ‘Best of 10 Years’ and ‘Abstract Films’)
www.itfs.de - Annecy, International Animation Film Festival 2014, France
www.annecy.org - Hiroshima International Animation Festival 2014, Japan
- International Animated Film Festival ANIMATOR 2014, Poznan, Poland
www.animator-festival.com - Goldener Spatz 2014 – German Media Festival for Children, Gera/Erfurt, Germany
www.goldenerspatz.de - TAAF – Tokyo Anime Award Festival 2015, Japan
www.animefestival.jp
Get the complete list of film festivals.
Duration
7:22 minutes
Directors
Thomas Stellmach and Maja Oschmann
Producer
Thomas Stellmach
Production
Thomas Stellmach Animation, 2010 - 2013
Music
Overture of the opera DER ALCHYMIST by Louis Spohr (1784-1859). Music of the end credits: Till Mertens
Technique
Motion capture of the digital ink stroke and film clips of flowing ink on paper and in water composited in After Effects for the stereoscopic version in 3D.
FILM FORMAT
mp4 1080p stereo 24fps, 25fps, 29,97fps, 50fps
DCP 2K 24fps, 48fps, 2D and stereoscopic