Art, Dance, and Capturing the Quality of Movement

“Out of Ordinary,” 2020 Student Academy Award Finalist, Alternative/Experimental Category
Art, Dance, and Capturing the Quality of Movement with Alicja Pahl

StudentFilmmakers Magazine: How did you approach directing this short film as a team, with choreographer Luca Signoretti and fellow cinematographer Tobias Buchmann?

Alicja Pahl: The Project, “Out of Ordinary,” was implemented as part of our master’s degree under the wings of Andreas Birkle, one of our two mentors and good souls at the ZHdK. Every year those tackling the master’s degree in camera must make a film in collaboration with a given choreographer and the first year of the bachelor’s course in dance. It is an absolute interdisciplinary collaboration with the different departments that the ZHdK houses, like choreographers, composers, dancers, editors, sound designers, etc.

StudentFilmmakers Magazine: Was it difficult finding a singular “voice” in the narrative, with three storytellers at the helm?

Alicja Pahl: Tobias, Luca and I wanted to create something beautiful and challenging right from the beginning. The three of us are very ambitious when it comes to quality. We are very different and yet we spoke a common language very quickly and everyone was able to contribute their strengths. Tobias is incredibly strong at implementation. He has lightning fast ideas and incredibly technical, demanding images in his head. I am someone who works in terms of content, and also, I am the spontaneously creative in the group. I always keep an eye on the overall picture and also try to bring everyone into line. I also think that I was a bit of the moderator in our ‘trialogue’. I love art and dance and orient myself a little in this world. On the other hand, I’m of course a cinematographer and developed my visual language at the Polish Film School in Lodz (PWSFTviT).