Campus Magazin Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg 22/23

tells his story clearly and approachably. He communicates
well and wants to be understood. The film is emotionally
rich, but none of its points are made in an abstract
way. Although taking a very personal point of
view, it even lends itself to be viewed through a political
lens: subtly, it talks about the hardships of working
in the care sector. Not enough time, not enough resources,
and a constant strain on your psyche, which can leave
permanent indentations on your character. More than a
decade later, this message resonates even more strongly
after the Covid pandemic taught us the importance of
such dedicated carers, who are vastly underpaid and often
underappreciated.
The film’s close relationship with reality is also evident
in its formal approach. While being far from photorealism,
the design of the characters is only slightly exaggerated
and simplified. They are puppets that inhabit
an almost naturalistic world. The camera is bound by
the laws of physics, the composition of the shots is calm,
the usage of light is restrained, and the movement of the
characters is entirely in the realm of anatomic possibilities.
In fact, the film is so «real» that you, being wise,
might ask:
«Why is it done in animation at all?»
And again, you seem to have a point. One could easily
reimagine this film in live-action, adapted shot by
shot and at first glance you would have different techniques,
but similar films. But remember what I told you
about the ridiculously labour-intensive process of making
animation? As painful and somewhat pathetic as it
can be (you know, being alone in a dark room at a desk
and all), it is also a process that demands exceptional
care. In live-action filmmaking you orchestrate performances,
you capture, arrange and edit. But because
Schiehsl chose animation, he had to digest his memories
artistically and intellectually and then reimagine them
through competent craftsmanship. Every point in a polygon
had to be placed in a way so that it would form the
mesh that makes our paramedic’s body. All the frames
had to be individually manipulated so that if you rapidly
flipped through them, they would play back the lifesaving
rhythm of CPR.
Animation seduces you to get lost in all its micro-decision-making.
To resist, you need extraordinary intention,
love and care. But if you ultimately prevail in this fight,
you add unmeasurable value to your subject matter. For
doing exactly that, for truly caring about their audience
and story, for sharing a valuable insight into the human
condition and ultimately for helping me mend my relationship
with my old friend animation, I want to thank
everybody involved in the making of 366 TAGE.
May you go on in the beat of the Radetzky March!
by Michael Bohnenstingl
MICHAEL BOHNENSTINGL is a writer & director
focusing on character-based storytelling in animation.
He paused his studies at the Animationsinstitut to work
on a television series at Studio Soi.
Michael graduated from the Filmakademie’s Animationsinstitut
in 2021 with his diploma film SLOUCH. He is
currently working on feature and serial storytelling formats.
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