Campus Magazin Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg 22/23

ANIMATIONSINSTITUT GRUSSWORT
WHERE IS YOUR SOUL?
Anima (lat./ female: the spirit, the soul, the ghost)
So, what is the spirit? What is the soul? Who is the ghost? As Animationsinstitut
includes the word «anima» in its name, we should elaborate on
these questions.
And this can be tricky. Because it is easy to answer the question «Where is your
nose?», but it is not so easy to answer the question «Where is your soul?». When we are
talking about the spirit, the soul and the ghost, we are heading towards the invisible world.
To craft this invisible world was and is the main task and the main duty for the students
at the institute, I think.
To address the complex issues related to the invisible world to the students, three terms
have always been important to me: Relevance, intensity and originality.
What is relevant? Everything we feel something for. That seems to be the most important
thing: To be able to feel something. To be ready to share these feelings. We have to be able
to cry, otherwise we won’t be able to make our audiences
cry. And only if we are able to cry, we will be able to laugh,
so we can make our audiences laugh. Most of all, we have
to force ourselves to think in order to prepare the ground
for our audiences to continue the thinking.
What is intense? To be involved. Not to get bored. So, how
can we take this chunk of coal and press it in a way it turns
out to be a diamond? A lasting diamond. This has to be discussed
individually, as ideas are individual, but here are a
few simple guidelines: Keep it as short as possible. Don’t
forget the sound. Leave space for the audiences. And learn
to craft the silence.
What is original? Basically everything that evokes an
«Ooooh!» or an «Aaaaah!» How can we achieve this? First
of all: Don’t bullshit yourself. Second: Don’t bullshit the audience.
Third: Try to be specific. What makes your world,
your spirits, your souls and your ghosts different from all
the others? That is perhaps the most difficult task.
Writing down these words is easy. Being devoted to them is tough. That is why the one
sentence that stands above all the madness of creating animated projects, is: The person is
more important than the project. We should never forget this.
Prof. Andreas Hykade is the Head of the study specialization Animation Directing at the Filmakademie
Baden-Wuerttemberg's Animationsinstitut. The text is taken from the book 20 YEARS – 20 PROJECTS that was
published on the occasion of the instutute´s 20 th birthday. Further information on the anniversary publication and
celebrations are available on the following pages and on: www.animationsinstitut.de/20y20p.
Prof. Andreas Hykade ist Leiter der Studienvertiefung Animation Directing des Animationsinstituts der
Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. Der Text stammt aus dem Buch 20 YEARS – 20 PROJECTS, das zum 20.
Jubiläum der Gründung des Instituts erschienen ist. Weitere Information zu Festschrift und Jubiläum gibt es auf den
folgenden Seiten sowie auf www.animationsinstitut.de/20y20p.
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