Flash-back from Locarno
At the Locarno Film Festival, *Absolutturnus* caught people's attention with an aesthetically pleasing trailer.
Azienda Elettrica Ticinese (AET for short) has been supplying the Locarno Film Festival with power for years, lighting up the piazza and powering the projectors. As one of the festival’s main sponsors, AET was keen to raise public awareness of this commitment. «»Our support for the Locarno Film Festival has gone largely unnoticed in recent years,” said Reto Brunett, CEO of AET. The goal was clear: AET wanted to be remembered by visitors to this long-standing film festival as a likable energy provider and sponsor, without coming across as overly ingratiating.”.
No easy task, since it’s common knowledge that the discerning festival crowd in the piazza—which can number up to 9,000 visitors per evening—is prone to booing such sponsorship trailers, depending on their mood that night.
With this looming deadline hanging over their heads, the creative team at Zurich-based Absolutturnus Film set to work on their ideas. The winning entry was the story about the creation of a light and its journey to the big screen in Locarno.
The artistic standards for the film rose steadily during the preparatory phase. New techniques had to be developed. It was essential that the digital light trails look organic, as if drawn by hand in the air. Close collaboration between cinematographer Holger Diener, director Elias Ressegatti, and the post-production team led by Dany Bittel was indispensable and ultimately the key to the film’s success.
According to producer Reiner Roduner, the production was anything but a «nice/easy production.» Filming was plagued by prolonged periods of rain, and some locations were temporarily flooded. Time and again, shooting had to be halted and rescheduled due to downpours—all while the deadline loomed ever closer. Three intense nights of filming across 14 locations, a team of more than 20 people from three different countries and language regions, and a cast of 30 actors and extras pushed the production team to their limits.
After filming wrapped, the footage was developed and edited. But that was only the foundation of the film. The main character—the light particle flitting about—first had to be «born.» The creative team at Elefant Studios in Zurich did brilliant work and gave the light particle its distinctive character. Over the course of four weeks, the trailer slowly came to life, greatly enhanced by the original score composed by Alex Kirschner. The film was an experiment.
The result could be viewed every evening in the Piazza Grande, and for the first time in the festival’s history, the audience applauded a sponsor’s contribution.
Andreas Panzeri
No easy task, since it’s common knowledge that the discerning festival crowd in the piazza—which can number up to 9,000 visitors per evening—is prone to booing such sponsorship trailers, depending on their mood that night.
With this looming deadline hanging over their heads, the creative team at Zurich-based Absolutturnus Film set to work on their ideas. The winning entry was the story about the creation of a light and its journey to the big screen in Locarno.
The artistic standards for the film rose steadily during the preparatory phase. New techniques had to be developed. It was essential that the digital light trails look organic, as if drawn by hand in the air. Close collaboration between cinematographer Holger Diener, director Elias Ressegatti, and the post-production team led by Dany Bittel was indispensable and ultimately the key to the film’s success.
According to producer Reiner Roduner, the production was anything but a «nice/easy production.» Filming was plagued by prolonged periods of rain, and some locations were temporarily flooded. Time and again, shooting had to be halted and rescheduled due to downpours—all while the deadline loomed ever closer. Three intense nights of filming across 14 locations, a team of more than 20 people from three different countries and language regions, and a cast of 30 actors and extras pushed the production team to their limits.
After filming wrapped, the footage was developed and edited. But that was only the foundation of the film. The main character—the light particle flitting about—first had to be «born.» The creative team at Elefant Studios in Zurich did brilliant work and gave the light particle its distinctive character. Over the course of four weeks, the trailer slowly came to life, greatly enhanced by the original score composed by Alex Kirschner. The film was an experiment.
The result could be viewed every evening in the Piazza Grande, and for the first time in the festival’s history, the audience applauded a sponsor’s contribution.
Andreas Panzeri
