Like last year’s „Anders Anderson“ by Kathrin Jobczyk, Lisa Redder Sabine Schröder und Chadi-Jan Kobeissi, „The Wintergirl“ shows that not only computer generated animation projects can be thesis-material. Our graduates also shine in other cinematic disciplines. In Cooperation with Mandy Scherf (HAWK) Halszka Nazaraczuk created „The Wintergirl“, a lovingly executed and handcrafted stop-motion shortfilm, opening and closing with a brief reallife sequence.
Everything from the smallest snowflake to the big grumpy bear is handcrafted. 6 months of collecting greenery and twigs in the forest, tinkering all the little animals, sewing tiny doll-dresses and last but not least shooting the reallife sequences that enclose the stop-motion section of the film. After long and hard work we see now a beautiful, fantasy-intruiging result before us, told and crafted with a lot of heart. The short elevates the medium of stop-motion film in comparision with the likes of „Das Sandmännchen“ a step closer to modern filmmaking. A modern aspect ratio, dynamic cuts and a creative camera movement help „The Wintergirl“ stick out from its stop-motion comrades.
The story tells of the Maria dreaming herself into the role of the girl, who brings the winter. In the figure of the Wintergirl, she wanders through field, meadow and forest, the winter trailing after her. The mole Niklar puts on his sleeping cap and gets ready for his well-owed hibernation, the owl Klaus wraps himself into a warm shawl with a friendly shoo-hoo, while the fox Arthur gets a pretty new white wintercoat from the Wintergirl. Withinh the thicket the Wintergirl encounters the grumpy bear Victor, whom she calms down and lays to rest in his cosy cave. At the end of her walk through the winterly nature she meets the Springmother, who tucks the Wintergirl sweet and safely into bed, to sleep after her day’s work.
Technical difficulties and obstacles like the animation of freezing water were mastered by the graduates with a lot of creativity and wits.
All in All we congratulate Halszka Nazarczuk and Mandy Scherf to a wonderful bachelorthesis and wish them both all the best for their future careers!
