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Student showcase exploring interactive visual effects techniques

Today we're celebrating three projects from our Visual Effects, Digital Arts and Animation courses that sparked our imagination. In the showcase video you'll hear from three students and VFX tutor Matthieu Schmit (from GhostRaum), and get a glimpse of how we help students take ideas and develop them into finished and interactive projects.

In his project titled Formula, Oguz Karakose enjoyed learning about real time rendering while exploring the idea of freedom within emotional expression. Formula uses TouchDesigner, a visual development platform that allows you to create stunning realtime projects and rich user experiences such as interactive media systems, architectural projections, live music visuals and more.

Savina Janssen’s Cubic Dream helps reconnect individuals with nature through motion detection technology. Using TouchDesigner and Microsoft Kinect Azure, which allowing users to interact intuitively without any intermediary devices, visitors can play and interact with Savina's dreamy flower based particle system.

Finally, Ethan Ho’s Paths Cross took inspiration from the process of mixing ink and creating paintings. Using TouchDesigner and a projector as a canvas, Microsoft's Kinect sensor maps each body's movement, turning the participants into a brush. Paths Cross allowed visitors to use the installation to collaborate in creating a unique work of digital art together.

Catalyst interactive VFX projects showcase

More on our VFX, Digital Arts & Animation courses

Showcase of 3 VFX & animation projects. Watch a video of how our students learn visual effects and work towards getting a career in vfx.

Visual Effects project showcase

Three student VFX projects that put our wheels in motion

For those asking "is screenwriting a good career", here's eight games where the writing elevates this type of digital art.

Who said you have to have a boring job? On our 1- and 3-year Higher Education Screenwriting courses we set you up for success, ready for the full range of media industries requiring aspiring writers like you. Today, more than ever, the film and TV industries are capable of setting new fashion trends and igniting social discourse. However, screenwriting doesn’t end when the credits of your favourite film or series start rolling. Today, we’re taking a moment to celebrate a media blossoming into its own, video games. 

Video games may have started as graphics and gameplay but in the modern age, the scripts behind them are crafting beautiful storylines, providing characters of depth and giving us language with which to discuss challenging topics. By any measure, video games are transforming the film industry. That’s why we’re taking inspiration from the Catalyst Film Awards, and giving due praise to some brilliant games. The only entry requirement for these awards - the games have to implement great writing or use of words that sparked the imagination of those that played the games.

Disco Elysium is one of the highest-rated games released during the 2010s, with the game centred entirely around dialogue. A role playing game with excellent writing, Disco Elysium is a murder-mystery with an amnesiac police officer as the protagonist. The way in which language leads this game sets it apart from other competition, and the narrative is widely compared to classical literature rather than other video games. Written by Estonian novelist Robert Kurvitz, the storyline explores everything from disco, drugs and sex through to politics and dystopia into a well thought out and in-depth role playing mechanic.

Don’t just take our word for it, Disco Elysium won many awards, including Best Narrative at The 2019 Game Awards, and Best Narrative at the 2020 BAFTA Game Awards.

This award raises the interesting debate gaining traction in entertainment - how video games are transforming the film industry. Using the performance capture technology that brought us Andy Serkis’ Gollum in The Lord of the Rings (and later Benedict Cumberbatch’s Smaug in the Fellowship of the Ring) an entire performance can be recorded and mapped onto your favourite video game characters.

While Death Stranding earns an honourable mention for its star cast including Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen and Léa Seydoux, it is Christopher Judge’s performance in God of War Ragnarök that takes home the prize. Writters Matt Sophos, Richard Zangrande Gaubert, Cory Barlog also received awards for Best Videogame Writing Category at the WGA for God of War in 2019. This short behind the scenes video gives an glimpse of how Judge gives every bit of himself to the role, elevating the God of War series from what was once a basic platform game, in which progression was measured by the size of the monster being battled, to an insightful tale of growing up that many teenagers will relate to on a personal level.

VFX, Digital Arts & Animation LABS - 2nd year workshops (2021)

An absolute masterpiece that revamps post-apocalyptic zombie survival, adding an immersive narrative that players can not help but be pulled into - The Last of Us doesn’t just create relationships between characters, but also with the player themselves. The emotional core of the game is based around the evolving link between the two main characters - Joel and Ellie. It is the plot that puts this game in a league of its own, with Joel’s father like protection serving as a narrative cornerstone.

In 2014 Neil Druckmann, now co-president of Naughty Dog, accepted an award from Writers Guild of America for Outstanding Achievement in Writing for Video Games. Three and a half years in the making, many fans throughout the web believe this game deserved much more recognition for the writing.

In 2023, perhaps it will get the Oscar that many claim it deserves, as it is released on HBO in TV series format, staring Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Pedro Pascal as Joel.

While Silent Hill 2’s abstract monsters, designed by Takayoshi Sato - which you could be forgiven for thinking were generated by AI software that doesn’t understand how many limbs a human has - are a intriguing feature, the game tells a haunting story of a world manifesting off the protagonist’s inner demons.  As with The Last of Us, the best horror games are those with realistic characters, who’s flaws or imperfections aid in portraying them as genuine human beings.

Written by Hiroyuki Owaku and Sato, Silent Hill 2 is a psychological horror rather than all gore and fright, the narrative led game with multiple endings was at odds with the trends in video games at the time. This approach came to define the possibilities of game narrative for future titles in the genre.

College dropout Mae Borowski returns home to the crumbling former mining town of Possum Springs, seeking to pick up her directionless former life. But her hometown has changed dramatically. Mae is sucked into an unlikely adventure, rekindling former relationships and creating new ones. Night in the Woods also concerns itself with serious topics, such as stages of early adulthood, the challenge of a loss of a relationship or mental health issues like depression. Mae works through her issues through the relationships she forms. Written by Scott Benson and Bethany Hockenberry, this game will make you laugh, cry and if you have anything in common with the protagonist, may lead to some deep introspection.

The Sims, and it’s internal language Simlish, has a special place in our heart. The language was born out of technical needs, as developers would need 6 discs of dialogue per language to fill the game, and the makers still believed it would get repetitive. Will Wright's creative solution was to making their own language captured the imagination of many players.

In 2023, Simlish is making a comeback, with some trending online making renditions of early naughties pop tracks in the gobbledygook language - #simlish.

Matt DesLauries' online game Wayfinder is highly impressive from a technical perspective, and the digital wizardry is celebrated widely through multiple awards. Wayfinder gets a special mention here, because it puts the words in the hands of the player. The game is “an expression of our connectedness to the natural world”. It allows us to explore the poetry of nature while renewing a damaged ecosystem . Released by National Film Board of Canada, the game uses generative art and highlights the action/reaction relationship we have as humans with nature.

The back end's use of cutting edge technology like machine learning is paired with a beautiful hand-drawn aesthetic. In this game you can explore and create poetry, generated algorithmically and individual to each visit with near infinite possibilities.  Or find some respite by simply float aimlessly through a world and listen to the birds singing through your speakers, reconnecting you with the natural world through a digital portal. Wayfinder has received nine awards, including two Awwwards 

Final Fantasy XII is set in a fantasy world in which empires wage endless wars, later re-released as Final Fantasy XII - the Zodiac Age. A quintessential underdog tale, small-time protagonists go on to become champions of their kingdom. Originally, this chapter of the Final Fantasy series was a close call for receiving the Best Dialogue award - reflecting the incredible graphics and art direction based on the Classic Era, the dialogue in this game progresses like a classical play. Character interactions don’t take a back seat in this game, but rather drive the game forwards.

Final Fantasy XII received several awards and nominations, but what ignited our fires the most here at Catalyst was the diversity of awards, including two nominations for Best Original Score, written by Hitoshi Sakimoto - one of the most sought out composers in the video games industry. The Final Fantasy series brings a highly collaborative and holistic approach to their storytelling - whether that means employing orchestras to make the soundtrack or developing their fantasy world to feature length films.

Our new Music and Sound Design for Visual Media courses prepare students in the music school for exactly this variety of projects. As your peers learn to become audio storytellers, on the Screenwriting courses you will be suppling the narrative and structure that defines those audio stories. In our creative production powerhouse, you'll learn within a curriculum that pushes for community and collaboration.

At Catalyst we'll provide you the tools and understanding you need to apply yourself to the multifaceted demands of writing for media industries. What better place to learn than a school in which you'll be within arms reach of up and coming visual effects specialists, broad minded musicians, film production students and actors ready to step onto the set.

We've come a long way since Mario first saved Princess Peach. In today's industry, it takes clever visual thinkers to come up with dialogue and scenarios that will keep gamers engaged for hours at a time. Thrilling action, adventure and interactive games can all be elevated from a fun way to spend time, to a classic that will live in the minds of those that played the game for years to come. Often that difference is crafted story.

Study Screenwriting at Catalyst - Ideate and deliver scripts that transcend

We’ll teach you how to become a screenwriter and career paths in screenwriting. Keep reading the Catalyst top 8 Screenwriting for Games Awards

Screenwriting for Games; Best Acting, Narrative, Script & More

Our top picks for writing excellence in the video game industry

During Fall 2021 Catalyst acquired a collection of Super8 equipment for specific workshops in the first year of Film Production. This includes a Super8 projector, Super8 cameras and some basic Super8 development equipment. We caught up with Juli Saragosa, Certificate Lead for Film Production, who talked us through some finer details of Super8 at Catalyst.

Super8 is motion recording technology which has now been superseded. At one time however, they were ubiquitous. So what is Super8? The “8” in Super8 refers to the width of the film. While the 8mm format has existed since the 1930s, and was much more affordable than its predecessor 16mm, the Super8 film was introduced in 1964. It was designed to remove barriers for everyday filmmakers. While 8mm film requires manual rolling, Super8 is packaged more conveniently. Increasing accessibility was an essential aspect of the Super8 product design. More often than not, software is designed to replicate physical realities. By engaging in the technology that defined these realities, makers can uncover new insights into their craft.

How wide is 8mm? see in the photo above, as some film students inspect their freshly developed film. One is holding it up to the light to see the recording better, another is using a magnifying glass to see their recording.

What do we stand to gain from engaging with analog film processes?

The fact that we can touch the film with our hands, and see the frames by holding it up to the light, gives students a deeper understanding of how moving images work - the concept of frames per second becomes material, less abstract. Digital editing can function much like online teaching. Everything is two-dimensional and disconnected from the body. Working with film is a tactile process that involves the whole body. The filmmaking process is alive and in person.

Can you tell us a bit about the history of analog video?

Filmmaking started out with celluloid material in the late 1800s. In the 1970s, analog video made filmmaking and video art much more accessible to lower income groups. Those who felt disenfranchised or oppressed were enabled to get their voice heard through a less cumbersome, more affordable medium. In the late 1990s, digital video took over the analog video practice and became even more accessible - finding wide use with smartphone technology. 

Working with celluloid film was - and still is - expensive compared to analog and digital video. 

So does Super8 use analog or celluloid film?

What people call “analog film” is technically not analog. Analog refers to “information represented by a continuously variable physical quantity such as spatial position.” Celluloid film does not have a continuous stream, there are frames and within those frames individual grains of silver halide (which is the magic of photosensitive image making). Analog video, on the other hand, does transmit and record a continuous electromagnetic stream to and from magnetic material.

Sounds like there is a whole world to explore. Where can I meet like minded people?

Filmmaking of all kinds exists all over the world. As digital video is more affordable and accessible, the use of celluloid material has become rarer and therefore even more expensive - both the material and the processing of it. Access to celluloid material is limited to areas of the world where hobbyists can afford it, and artists with DIY practices share skills and resources.

For instance, here in Berlin there is a collective of filmmakers called Labor Berlin that share resources in working with celluloid material - processing and re-printing their own film. There are numerous artist-run collectives such as this one. On this site you can see how they are spread throughout the world.

What do I need to record and develop Super8 films?

We have a couple of Super8 cameras and some hand-processing supplies in the Film Tech shop. Super8 camera models are not like digital cameras. They were invented for ease of use for hobbyists, those filming family vacations and home movies, so the cameras range from having very automatic to more manual functions. The brand does not always reveal anything about what the camera’s functions might be. The camera itself doesn’t tell you much about the quality of the images you will get. The lens, sometimes more, but it also depends on how well maintained the cameras are. They stopped making Super8 cameras in the 1990s. There is one that Kodak has released that is half-digital, but it’s not that popular amongst DIY artists. They use it in Hollywood as a gimmick.

Catalyst film tech shop is well equipped for experimenting with this media. We have a Bauer C Royal 6E, a Braun Nizo s560 and an Elmo 103T to make use of. We also have two film stocks to experiment with and during the induction, students will learn DIY film processing techniques as well as how to properly handle the necessary chemicals.

How has the experience of Project8 informed your teaching practice, given how the place of Super8 has changed radically since then (along with other celluloid film technology)?

In addition to teaching at media arts schools, I’ve given a few DIY filmmaking workshops at various community-run spaces before I started working at Catalyst. I also teach some workshops at the FilmArche eV, a self-organized film school here in Berlin. I try to approach all of my teaching without assumptions of what resources people have access to, and encourage people to tell stories that are underrepresented by the mainstream.

The expertise and approach that Juli adds to Catalyst adds directly to an idea we weave throughout Catalyst, building it from the ground up as a safe space to dream big. You can find more information about super8 on this expansive wiki, or nerd out on this super8 database hosted on filmkorn.org. To finish off this article, we’ve added a few projects Juli believes to be exemplary.

Photos by “Toronto Super8 legend” John Porter of “Splice This!” Super8 festival. Juli was commissioned by Splice This! on various occasions. 

"I feel that community spirit and fun we had in making it comes across in the film and for me, that's what Super8 filmmaking is all about."

The film Juli made for the 2005 festival is a silent remake of “The Outsiders” played by all women.

Foundational filming techniques on the Film Production course

Super8 at Catalyst

Super8 at Catalyst: analogue techniques in modern filmmaking with Juli Saragosa

Rising stars from all schools at the Catalyst Film Awards

The inside scoop on who took which prizes home at the fourth Film Awards

Sure, you’ve heard of the Oscars. And if you’re reading this, you’ve most likely also heard of the Golden Globe Awards and the BAFTAs. Hopefully you’re familiar with the Razzie Award in the States and Berlin’s very own Teddy Awards. Another that needs no introduction: Catalyst’s very own Annual Film Awards, which returned in June 2022 for its 4th edition. The night was an opportunity to dress smart and indulge in some red carpet activity. But above all, it was a celebration of another year of really astounding talent training their creative muscles in our Film Production, Screen Acting and Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation degree courses at Catalyst. 

Some of the Catalyst Film Awards were prestigious, such as Best Film (3rd year BA & MA courses category), which landed a €500 distribution prize from Catalyst - awarded to Álfgerður Malmquist Baldursdóttir’s “Guts”. Baldursdóttir was also awarded Best Director, which landed a one year VIP subscription to MUBI 

Best Film (1st & 2nd year category) was sponsored by 25p Cine Support, a digital film equipment rental here in Berlin. This award came with a €500 equipment voucher to use in their Prenzlauer Berg store, and was awarded to “Il Profumo di Casa - The Scent of Home”  by Francesca Rotundo. Rotundo’s film also received a nomination for Best Documentary. 

The Distribution prize is not just the money. It is also special guidance on the process of how to submit the movie to relevant Film Festivals worldwide.

Other awards, such as the Golden Gorilla Award, celebrated the profound - given to the most adventurous, audacious or bold film maker. It was awarded to Karun Gill. Special thanks to Dino Berlin, a Kreuzberg based film equipment rental service, who granted three 50% discount vouchers. The Golden Gorilla Award, Best Producer was awarded to Miranda Siegel and Best Cinematographer, to Emma Guiliani for “The Birdcage”. “The Birdcage” also took home the award of Best Experimental Film, which came with a year subscription to Celtx - a cloud based collaborative and project management software for creative films. “The Birdcage” also received nominations for Best Film (3rd year & MA category), Best Director, Best Editor and Best Original Music. 

Freelance photographer Caroline Wimmer bestowed the Best Lead Performance winner a €250 headshot package, which was awarded to Ruut Ahonen for “The Tale of Vasalisa”. Former Catalyst Film programme lead Malachi Rempen provided a copy of his “Roll Camera Board Game” as a prize for the Spirit Award, given to Viktorja Baltusyte for personifying the Catalyst spirit of collaboration and community. 

"Making a movie is not enough. It’s not the end of a process, it’s just the beginning of the journey. You are not an artist until you have an audience, and the festival recognition is the first step to starting a filmmaking career. Alfie and her movie “Guts” are also a great example of the level of artistic quality we want in our Film school and we are proud to have this beautiful piece of work representing Catalyst," said  Leandro Goddinho, Programme Lead of Film Production. 

While the Spirit Award, Best Producer and Kids Choice Award were decided by a student vote, a Guest Jury of 11 Film Industry hotshots deliberated over who took home which award. Many thanks to Easton West, Dominga Ortuzar, Renee Coulombe, Elinor Lewy, Gaby Szambelan, Silvia Cannarozzi, Adam Munnings, João Pedro Prado, Yosuke Hosoi, Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon who devoted time, effort and energy to choosing the 2022 winners, who may go on to define the Berlin film scene in the coming years.

Woven throughout the night were performances and entertainment by a curated selection of Catalyst alumni and students. The opening act was singer songwriter Olivia Mamberti , who gave a live performance of acoustic sweetness and depth.  Olivia was also present for a nomination for Best Original Music.

Across 23 awards given that night, students were recognised for outstanding music & sound, direction & performance, storyline & script and Best Death. Long after the gold champagne bottle that each winner received is drunk and gone, the glory will remain. The rights to the films remain with the makers, so to see the films first hand, keep an eye out at film festivals, and of course Catalyst will relay any future premieres or screenings nearby. 

To learn more about our hands-on and collaborative film, visual effects and acting courses in Berlin, join any one of our taster workshops or Virtual Open days!  

A run down of the evening events. Find out who won which prizes this year.

Catalyst Film Awards 2022

We reflect on a powerful recent Creative Production MA guest session on Gender Dynamics in Cinema, led by award-winning Brazilian director of Êxtase, Moara Passoni. 

At Catalyst, we believe storytelling is one of the most powerful means to inspire, influence, teach, connect and ultimately drive change. And there are few storytelling mediums that can transport us into the moment and leave a lasting impression like film. Êxtase, the award-winning film by Brazilian director Moara Passoni – the co-author and producer of Petra Costa's Academy Award-nominated film The Edge of Democracy – is a striking example of how weaving personal stories into the wider societal narrative can encourage, en masse, important new perspectives on often misunderstood topics. 

Êxtase is an elliptical essay portrait of a young girl experiencing both rapture and torture, starving herself as a way to find a place in a brutal uncertain world. Moara Passoni “transmutes a young Brazilian woman's experience of anorexia into images and thoughts of almost ecstatic beauty. Against the backdrop of political and social upheaval in 1990s Brazil, and interweaving memories of her own adolescence with those of other women, Passoni goes beyond pop-culture conventions and the sensationalizing of eating disorders to meditate on the dissolution and perfection of the self, the modernist architecture of Oscar Niemeyer's Brasilia, the meaning of Humpty Dumpty, and what she calls ‘the geometry of hunger’.”

We were honoured to host Passoni for a guest session on Gender Dynamics in Cinema, as part of our Creative Production MA Modern Cinematic Perspectives Workshop. Students from all of our film courses, as well as alumni, were invited to view Êxtase and take part in a Q&A with the director. 

“Moara's film, and the discussion we shared about the film after viewing, shattered my preconceived notions and the stereotypes around women who have experienced Anorexia,” reflects MA student Jenny Jo Stokka. “Her film beautifully explores the psychological and emotional complexities of a condition that most of society overlooks as merely a problem of vanity. The way Moara wove together real-world stories of women who have lived with Anorexia –  along with her own personal story – helped to highlight the unique and varied ways that one can experience and process the trauma of an eating disorder.” 

First-year Film Production student, Mia-Maria Schanz, learnt from Êxtase how architecture can play a big part in the character’s narrative. “It was also nice to hear how the team managed to produce a hybrid documentary while still using an organic filming process,” she says.

“Passoni’s art brings a fresh way to produce, teaching us how to write not only with words but with images in a very courageous and modern way,” reflects Patricia Gomes, senior foreign correspondent at Wall Street International Magazine. “Through this session, Moara, ‘provoked’ me, woke me up and invited me to leave my comfort zone. The session was a great encouragement to restart and pursue my goal to produce and to film.”

We reflect on a Film MA guest session on Gender Dynamics in Cinema, led by Brazilian director of Êxtase, Moara Passoni. 

Gender Dynamics in Cinema With Filmmaker Moara Passoni

Exploring Gender Dynamics in Cinema With Filmmaker Moara Passoni

Just as photography is said to capture souls, film, as a moving, multi-angled, image, has the power to peer into the centre of a subject’s personality, revealing both the seen and the unseen. As Creative Production Film Masters student, Jennifer Jo Stokka, puts it, “Cinema allows the audience a direct view into the psyche.” What better way to explore the conscious and unconscious realms of the Self than through a combination of documentary and fictional film?

In her practice-based research project, Jennifer aims to capture an original version of character studies in a hybrid documentary film, by utilising Jungian methods of analysis. The project will examine three unique individuals and how they navigate their everyday realities using the documentary observational mode. Meanwhile, fictional sequences will showcase unconscious elements of each subject’s psyche – namely, dreams, fantasies and spirituality. The goal of the film is to ask the audience to reflect on their own psyches and forms of Self-expression. Jennifer is harnessing the creative autonomy afforded by our unconventional MA programme to explore her vision to the fullest.

Are you currently putting together your MA project proposal to apply to Catalyst this year? Read on to learn about Jennifer’s experience of the programme, and how she’s developing her fascinating project. 

Need some guidance on how to put together your project proposal? Reach out to our Admissions team for a recording of our latest online workshop with programme lead, Jon-Carlos Evans.

How did you come up with the idea for this project? 

I have always been interested in documentaries, as well as character studies. However, in early 2020, I happened to see two films within the same month that set me on the path to this project: Close Up by Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami; and, Whose Utopia? by Chinese visual artist Cao Fei. Viewing these films and, subsequently, learning about their constructions, presented to me a new way of seeing the documentarian-subject relationship. I was inspired by the level of autonomy given to the subjects in each film, and the ways in which the directors allowed the subjects to express themselves. I knew I wanted to make a film that followed similar principles, and I also had a strong desire to make an intimate character study. Finally, I settled on the hybrid film format, as: 1) It would give me the freedom to show the subject in various lights and facets; and, 2) it would allow me to flex multiple filmmaking muscles, as many skills are required to complete the different parts of the hybrid film. 

Why do you think that film is a good medium to explore psychological themes?

The struggle to understand one’s Self is a universal truth – every human experiences this for at least part, if not all, of life. Cinema (and I would also argue Theatre) allows the audience a direct view into the psyche of another for (roughly) two uninterrupted hours, whether it’s a real human subject in a documentary or a character in a fictional film. We all become psychologists and anthropologists when we sit down to watch a film. 

What are your influences within documentary and fictional filmmaking?

So many! To name a few: Abbas Kiarostami (doc & fiction), John Cassavettes (fiction), Agnés Varda (doc & fiction), William Greaves, (doc), Kirsten Johnson (doc), Kelly Reichhardt (fiction), and basically anyone who is trying to do something original in order to uncover a new facet of truth. 

How have you planned out your creative process?

Much of my process is improvisational, which is both a blessing and a curse. I am a meticulous planner by nature, so many of the logistical aspects of filmmaking come quite easily to me. However, there are many creative and aesthetic ideas that I simply cannot plan ahead of time and must figure out in the moment through play and collaboration. Perhaps this is one of the reasons I am so drawn to documentary filmmaking, as it allows for more spontaneity than scripted formats. 

“I was looking for something a bit outside the norm. I liked the idea of working toward my own unique vision – with some guidance from the tutors – as opposed to creating projects that had to fit certain criteria”

What tools and resources are you planning to use to explore this idea? 

The works of Carl Jung, especially his works that deal with accessing the unconscious mind through dream analysis and Active Imagination. And, of course, the subject of my film will be my most valuable resource, as we will be working quite closely together in the construction of the fictional sequences of this film. 

Are there any tutors that have had an important impact on your process or experience so far?

Jon-Carlos, María, and Leandro have all given me quite valuable feedback and references along my journey. I am eternally grateful to all three. 

What was your creative background before starting the Catalyst MA?

I was a performer for many years with a focus on theatre in my teenage years and early twenties, and then shifted to improv and sketch comedy, as well as filmmaking, in my mid-twenties. Since 2019, my primary focus has been on filmmaking. 

Why did you feel this programme in particular was a good choice to pursue your creative goals?

I’m from the US and it seems that most film programs there are designed to teach you a rigid, traditional, studio-focused structure, which is fine for some, but I was looking for something a bit outside the norm. I liked the idea of working toward my own unique vision – with some guidance from the tutors – as opposed to creating projects that had to fit certain criteria (i.e. genre-specific, meeting certain technical requirements, etc). 

“If you don’t know or understand yourself, your history, and your unique point of view, how can you possibly create work that is meant to explore these same themes in others?” 

Could you share something valuable that you have learnt or discovered through this MA so far?

Our first major deliverable in the first trimester was a three-minute autobiography. When we received the prompt for the project, I thought: “This is an impossible task. How can one summate their life in three minutes?” In retrospect, it was a genius assignment to have given us, especially at the start of our MA journeys. It forced us to think about which parts of ourselves most urgently need to be shared with the audience. This is a question that I think should be at the root of every new project for a filmmaker/director/writer/artist/etc. If you don’t know or understand yourself, your history, and your unique point of view, how can you possibly create work that is meant to explore these same themes in others? 

Also, this may be boring to some, but learning about budgeting, funding, and pitching has been quite valuable. These are tools that are ESSENTIAL for independent filmmakers. 

What would be your advice to those who are putting together their project proposals right now?

Don’t worry about having every single element of your pitch perfectly figured out at this stage. Things WILL change. Just know which core question(s) you are hoping to address with your work. For me, I knew I wanted to figure how I could personally use the elements of hybrid filmmaking to explore one individual’s identity. It wasn’t until later – after I’d already submitted my proposal to Catalyst – that I realised Jung’s work would play such a pivotal role in my project. And it wasn’t until even later that I knew who my subject would be, which again changed my approach to the project. So, establish your core question(s) and know your unique POV as a filmmaker, and then the rest will fall into place over time. 

“I’ve fallen prey to the misconception that creative inspiration will only strike randomly, when you least expect it.”

Play! Stimulating conversation! Learning from others! But also, I need to do the work – I’ve fallen prey to the misconception that creative inspiration will only strike randomly, when you least expect it. The truth – at least for me – is that inspiration comes more often, and more potently, when I sit down and do the work. 

Catalyst Berlin Creative Production Masters in Film student Jennifer Jo Stokka shares her ideas for her Jungian character studies inspired MA project.

Film MA Student Jennifer Jo Stokka on Her Cinematic Study of the Psyche

We chatted to Creative Film Production Masters student Alexandra Concordia about her spirituality-inspired project proposal, her influences in film and art, and the ecstasy of creation that she has dived into while developing her short film and immersive installation project at Catalyst. 

The creative process is all about making connections. It starts with an idea, which deepens and broadens until you find yourself, months later, in the centre of a labyrinthine rabbit hole, from which you can’t imagine ever resurfacing. Creativity is flowing joyfully into unfolding. It’s revelling in the aha-moments that propel your journey forwards, then backwards, then sideways, ahead to the beginning, and back to the end again. 

It is this ecstasy of creation that Creative Film Production MA student Alexandra Concordia has dived into since she embarked on her practice-based research project at Catalyst last year. Harnessing her wealth of traditional and contemporary art knowledge, she set out to portray, through a short film and an immersive installation, the feeling of religious transcendence that inspired so many of the paintings and sculptures she enjoys. The flexibility of our Masters project has allowed Alexandra the freedom to blaze her own creative trail, while receiving the mentorship and accountability required to fully develop her artistic voice.

Are you currently crafting your MA project proposal to apply to Catalyst this year? Read on to learn about Alexandra’s experience of the programme, and how she’s developing her fascinating project. 

Above: 'The Ecstasy of St. Cecilia' by Raphael

The idea for this project came up about a year ago when I was applying to the MA at Catalyst. Initially, I was trying to come up with a short film that could visually represent an experience of transcendence through music. I was really inspired by a song by Philip Glass called ‘Vessels’. Then, serendipitously, through a series of coincidences, I started researching paintings and sculptures of women and depictions of female religious ecstasy and transcendence. 

When I applied for the MA, I decided that I would try to link these two interlinking themes by reinterpreting – or just inventing, at this point – the ecstasy of St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music. I wanted to tell her experience of ecstasy as an experience of spiritual transcendence, that develops visually through music as well. 

Since I applied, the project has just taken a complete life of its own, and has developed into an incredibly complex and layered project that I’m very excited about.

Why do you think that film is a good medium to explore spiritual themes?

I thought film would be an interesting way to add more complexity and depth to the themes of spirituality, religion, faith and sacredness, which I had experienced in paintings and sculptures. I thought it would be a challenge to recreate a similar moment or story through moving images. I also believe that film in general can be a form of expression that is not only contemporary, but also incredibly human in the way that it’s able, stylistically and narratively, to explore themes.

Why did you opt to create both a short film and an immersive installation?

I was really interested in both visual mediums and their potential. I wanted to challenge myself to create content that would experiment with both types of filmmaking during my MA experience. As I developed my research proposal and project, I decided to use the short film to tell the story of spirituality and ecstasy, and the immersive installation to represent the more abstract, inner state of mind connected to the theme. 

What are your influences within film and art?

At this point, my influences within film and art are quite extensive and interconnected. I come from an art history background; I’ve been formed by Old Masters, Renaissance and Baroque art traditions. I’ve also worked in contemporary art, so I have a wide knowledge and interest in contemporary painting and sculpture, as well as contemporary video art. 

With film, it all feeds in. I have a great appreciation for a huge range of film directors, from documentary film to narrative film. At the moment, the directors I’m most inspired by are the likes of Andrei Tarkovsky, Pawel Pawlikowski and Carlos Reygadas. I’ve also been incredibly influenced by female directors such as Agnes Varda and Chantal Akerman. I guess the list always keeps evolving, and I’m constantly influenced by everything I watch, so it’s quite wide-ranging and a constant process.

"The MA treats you as an independent creative and, in some ways, as an artist. I find that incredibly empowering."

The creative process is something that is constantly fed into – whether you’re learning about post-production, pre-production, scriptwriting, or narrative storytelling, or you’re just reading a book, watching films, or listening to music. Everything just feeds into everything. 

Luckily, the MA at Catalyst makes you really structure your work, as if developing your project were your actual job. You are held highly accountable for how you structure your work, how you hand in deadlines, and how you think about your projects. I’ve spent the past few months doing stylistic research. Now, I’m focusing more on narrative and technical research for the script and story development. Then, I will spend the next few months in pre-production and filming.

What tools and resources are you planning to use to explore this idea?

My tools and resources are very diverse and all-encompassing. My research spans academic and creative sources. On one side, I’m researching religion, spirituality and mystical experiences of ecstasy. And on the other side, I’m watching films, studying other directors and their stylistic storytelling techniques, and exploring camera work through test shoots.

All three of my tutors at Catalyst have had an incredibly important impact on my process and experience. I’m very lucky to have such supportive tutors, who not only inspire me, but also provide great external support for developing my ideas. Maria, Jon-Carlos and Leandro are all equipped with different backgrounds and different personalities, but very much feel like both mentors, and also colleagues, in this filmmaking journey.

I studied politics and economics as an undergraduate, then went on to study art history, before working in art galleries for four years. This MA is my first creative endeavour, and the first time I’m leading my own research.

"I’m treating creativity as a game, so the more I play, the more I advance."

This programme was a very good choice to pursue my creative goals. I felt like, although I had a lot of enthusiasm and ideas, I was in a place where I was really missing both the theoretical and the practical skills to fully develop the film projects that I wanted to create. I wanted to find my own voice, message and style, and cultivate my independence – figuring out what I wanted to say and do, and where I wanted to go.

I feel like Catalyst, and this programme in particular, gives you a complete, all-encompassing look at the film industry and all of the possibilities within it. It also lets you tailor your experience and your project. I like the fact that it’s all based on your independent project, and that it’s independently led. You are very much deciding where you want to go and what you gain from it. That’s what interested me the most.

The MA treats you as an independent creative and, in some ways, as an artist. I find that incredibly empowering. It makes you take what you do and what you develop very seriously as an actual profession, and I have found that incredibly valuable and stimulating. It gives you the confidence to take your time, effort and choices as seriously as you possibly can. That’s amazing, as it all starts from you. No one’s going to tell you what to do in life, and no one’s going to take you seriously until you take yourself seriously. That’s what Catalyst has shown me so far.

My advice is to really trust the process, trust your movement within the process, and keep going no matter what. Everyone’s work is personal, so always look into yourself for answers, for comfort, confidence, and courage. Keep moving forward and things will always figure themselves out.

The sense that the deeper you dig, the more that comes out of it. Right now, I’m treating creativity as a game, so the more I play, the more I advance. This sense of movement is something that really keeps my creativity going, and definitely makes me feel like every step I make in a certain direction has meaning and is important to the whole process.

Catalyst Berlin Creative Production Masters in Film student Alexandra Concordia discusses her ideas for her spirituality-inspired MA project.

Film MA Student Alexandra Concordia on the Ecstasy of Creation

Dive deeper into the immersive emerging art movement that fuses visual effects and performing arts, with two exceptional art pieces exhibited at our latest Signals Festival.

What’s the formula for an artistic movement? New technology multiplied by accessibility to the masses. From screen-printing technology came pop art, and from digital tools comes our current obsession with VFX-fuelled immersive experiences. With the power to elevate any art form, visual effects are providing a new dimension of creative expression. In fact, as the boundaries between the physical and virtual worlds become less and less distinct, so too do the lines between art forms. In an immersive space – or installation – audio, visuals and motion are not to be examined separately, but as a combined experience that influences our perception. 

Catalyst’s Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation programme is built for this movement, encouraging creators to forge their own future with such diverse skills as filmmaking, post-production, motion design, matte painting, 3D animation, digital compositing, visual effects supervising, creative coding, installation and interactive art. With VFX artists, filmmakers, screen actors, electronic musicians and sound engineers all under one roof, our international community is also the perfect melting pot for interdisciplinary collaboration. 

Our annual community showcase, Signals Festival 2021, placed our resident artists on Berlin’s new frontier of immersive art, otherwise occupied by such pioneering events as our recent partner, CTM Festival. Among the vibrant programme of performances, installations, screenings and dialogues, were two VFX-driven works: Marlee Weinberg and Matthieu Schmit of GhostRaum’s performative dance installation, Embodied, and Paulina Greta, aka Imaginaria, and Alessandro Adriani’s audiovisual performance Ignes Fatui. Scroll down to learn more about these exceptional art pieces.

Header image: Embodied, performative installation by Matthieu Schmit and Marlee Weinberg at Signals Festival 2021. Photo by Rita Couto.

Marlee Weinberg and Matthieu Schmit of GhostRaum

Marlee Weinberg & Matthieu Schmit of GhostRaum Present 'Embodied' at Signals Festival 2021

It was only a matter of time until Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation Certificate alumna Marlee Weinberg would combine her dance and VFX talents in a performance at Catalyst. In fact, when we interviewed her in early 2020, she cited the dance piece, GLOW, as the mind-blowing synthesis of technology and contemporary dance that inspired her to pursue VFX. Our multidimensional course became the perfect playground for her ambitions. 

At Signals Festival, she collaborated with programme lead Matthieu Schmit, founder of the GhostRaum production studio, to create their stunning performative installation, Embodied, which revolved around a narrative of incarnation. Matthieu used TouchDesigner to create the organic visuals, and interestingly, though he was creating an artificial realm, the creative process didn’t feel as artificial as you might think. “The language of nature is mathematics and code is also mathematics,” he tells us. “So it’s very interesting to recreate nature elements for code, because there’s a direct fit and it’s really organic.”

Paulina Greta, aka Imaginaria, and Alessandro Adriani

Imaginaria & Alessandro Adriani Present 'Ignes Fatui' at Signals Festival 2021

Club closures over the past couple of years have made room for more conceptual and immersive takes on electronic music. At the forefront of the movement in Berlin are events such as CTM Festival 2022, where audiovisual installations further cultivated our desire for multisensory electronic music experiences. A couple of months earlier, at Signals Festival, Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation tutor Paulina Greta, aka Imaginaria, and music producer, DJ and Mannequin Records director Alessandro Adriani showcased the potential of audiovisual art for emergent interactive storytelling.

Their project, Ignes Fatui, (Latin for ‘will-o’-the-wisp) interprets folklore tales about the light phenomenon caused by organic decay. “The concept is to create these audiovisual illusions that are uncatchable and constantly changing,” Paulina explains. “Our performances are never the same. We usually perform live and every time it’s a different one. So it’s an interesting challenge to design a new performance; to coordinate music, narrative, soundscapes and visuals.” 

As we saw in her collaboration last year with IDM duo Soft Crash, Paulina crafts her visuals with VR sculptors, whereas Alessandro works with analog synthesisers and samplers. 

Dive into the emerging art movement that fuses VFX and performing arts, with two exceptional art pieces exhibited at our latest Signals Festival.

Visual Effects and the Future of Performing Arts 

Interested in studying our Visual Effects, Digital Arts and Animation course? You’re invited to our next introductory workshop with tutor Anton Egorov, taking place online on Wednesday the 23rd of February from 3:30 pm.

Study Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation at Catalyst Berlin

Visual effects are no longer reserved to the film industry. Today, there’s no creative practice that can’t be explored and transformed through this high-powered discipline. The explosion of NFTs brought digital art to the masses. Audiovisual projects are proliferating in the creative scene. Motion-tracking technology is providing exciting new possibilities for movement artists. That’s not to mention the visual effects that come so naturally to science infographics. 

Thanks to the flexibility of Catalyst’s multidisciplinary project-based Visual Effects, Digital Arts and Animation programme, if you can dream it, you can do it. Whatever your creative background or approach, in the one-year and three-year courses, you’re invited to employ your new skills in expressing your unique voice and autonomously forging your own direction. It’s all about artistic exchange: our team has the knowledge and experience; you’ve got the right questions. 

Subject areas include 2D and 3D animation, filmmaking, post-production, motion design, matte painting, digital compositing, visual effects supervising, creative coding, audiovisual installations and interactive art.

Ready to start bringing your ideas to life? On Wednesday the 23rd of February, from 3:30 pm, you can get a taste of what it’s like to study Visual Effects, Digital Arts and Animation at Catalyst. In the online introductory session, led by digital artist and tutor Anton Egorov, you’ll learn about our action-packed approach to visual effects for film productions, audiovisual projects, gaming and digital arts. Don’t delay! RSVP to the workshop to receive your invite to the Zoom call.

VFX course introductory workshop with tutor Anton Egorov, taking place online on Wednesday the 23rd of February from 3:30 pm.

Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation Free Intro Workshop

Get a Taste of Our Visual Effects, Digital Arts & Animation Course

We reflect on the fantastic opportunities our Film Production students recently gained as a result of Catalyst’s partnership with ArteKino Festival 2021: a spot on the festival’s European Youth Jury and an enlightening interview with the winner of the European Audience Award, Karin Heberlein.

He applied, he succeeded, he collaborated, he learned, he networked. That’s how brilliantly first-year Film Production student Tiago Felício’s December panned out after he won a place on ArteKino Festival 2021’s European Youth Jury. The judges – all aged between 18 and 25 and selected from a handful of partnering film institutes, including Catalyst – were given the opportunity to award one film from the competition. 

“The experience has been great!” Tiago tells us. “I decided to apply because I really love cinema and I am always interested in what festivals have to offer because they are usually films I would have no opportunity to see otherwise. So far, the most rewarding part was probably the Zoom call we had with all the members of the youth jury to decide on the winner. It was very interesting to discuss these movies with other passionate people and to listen to everyone's opinion.” 

The sixth edition of ArteKino Festival took place online throughout December, presenting 12 European films in six language versions on the ARTE website and ARTE Cinema Youtube channel. The goal of the festival – an initiative of ARTE France Cinéma, ARTE GEIE, and Festival Scope – is to give greater exposure to original feature films which might otherwise have difficulty finding distribution in European movie theatres, despite critical success and inclusion in festivals. 

SAMI, JOE AND I written and directed by Karin Heberlein                                               produced by Abrakadabra Films, Zurich - 2020                                                          SJI_TLR_DE-EN_PRORES_2.0.mov

SAMI, JOE AND I - Trailer, 115 sec, english

The winner of the European Audience Award – as voted by the public – was Swiss writer and director Karin Heberlein. Her feature film Sami, Joe and I (2020) follows three friends who are ready for a truly epic summer after finishing school. But what is to come is diametrically opposed to their expectations and of a different magnitude then they anticipated. Determined to stand up for themselves, the trio find out how right Leyla’s mom was when she told them: “Always keep more dreams in your soul than reality can destroy.”

Heberlein initially trained as an actress, working for various UK theatres, co-writing and performing in a number of ensembles and touring festivals across the globe. Her focus later shifted to film, after a masterclass and a scholarship ignited her passion. 

What did she learn from creating her first feature film? As part of Catalyst’s partnership with ArteKino Festival this year, a group of our Film Production students were blessed with an hour of Heberlein’s time, in which they were free to fire off all their burning filmmaking questions. 

“The collaborative parts are the best parts, where the magic happens”

First-year student Viktorija Baltusyte led the upbeat interview. “One of the most vital steps of making a truly good film, as mentioned by Heberlein, is to discover and to really solidify its core,” Viktorija gives as her major takeaway. “What is its essence? Once that is defined, you become the ‘keeper of the heart of the film’ and are able to stay true to the message that you want to deliver, whilst still being open to new ideas and spontaneous change.”

Spontaneity, in fact, was one of Heberlein’s favourite parts of the project. When Viktorija asked her what she wished she knew before she started her first feature film, she emphasised the value and beauty of a filmmaker not knowing all the answers when they are starting out. 

“Knowledge comes at the price of innocence,” she said. “When you don’t know how to do things, you just do them because you don’t know what problems can occur. In a way, my first film is a kind of coming-of-age story. I feel very grateful for the experience of having been able to do that.” She stressed that a director should never be embarrassed on set if they don’t know something: “If you don’t know something, ask. If you don’t know, the actor will know. If you both don’t know, try to find it together.”

One thing Heberlein learned about the creative process during the course of the project was the true power of collaboration – our favourite word at Catalyst. “All the people that you meet along the way give so much to that project and I think that didn’t cease to amaze me up to the editing, to the colour grading, to the last sound mix,” she explained. “All those stages, all those different people that come in, and each one has a different perspective on that same thing and adds their knowledge… The collaborative parts are the best parts, where the magic happens.”

Jayden Bailey, who is currently working on his final-year film, Slow Rush, was impressed with Heberlein’s approach to one potentially challenging collaboration: directing children. “Karin’s sensitivity and care for the youth story is an inspiring reminder of our connection to our childhood and furthermore its importance,” he says. “Working with younger actors is a challenge I'm very much looking forward to in future. Karin reminds me of the beautiful possibilities that can surface from that challenge.”

“The more stories we tell, the richer and more inclusive our culture gets,” Heberlein pointed out. Still, “how can you tell stories if you don't have a life?” Indeed, in order to tell great, culture-enriching, stories, it is important to seek out remarkable experiences. At the time Heberlein came up with the idea for Sami, Joe and I, she was leading storytelling and filmmaking workshops for 16-year-olds, which reminded her of her own experience of growing up, whilst also giving her new, inspiring, perspectives on young womanhood. 

“From a writer’s perspective, Heberlein’s question inspired me to explore and experience life around me,” Lior Klein reflects, “and not to be afraid to write about personal and meaningful events in my life, because these are the kind of stories only I can tell.”

In December, our students won a spot on ArteKino Festival’s European Youth Jury and met winning director of 'Sami, Joe and I', Karin Heberlein.

Catalyst Partners With ArteKino Festival 2021

Catalyst Students Get Involved With ArteKino Festival 2021

As part of our recent series of Film Production BA workshops on the business of the cinema industry, TV screenwriters Ava Tramer, of Central Park, and Daniel McLellan, of Lost in Space, joined their good friend, programme lead Malachi Rempen, and his students for a live Q&A. Here’s how they climbed the career ladder. 

TV Screenwriters Ava Tramer & Daniel McLellan Share Their Success Secrets

Want to be a TV screenwriter? Then be prepared to climb the career ladder – unless you’ve got great connections, a shining portfolio or, like Mickey Fisher, your first-time script is so remarkable that it fast-tracks you from competition entrant to Steven Spielberg collaborator. “If you have the stomach for a lot of gruelling assistant work, that is still the most reliable path in,” argues Daniel McLellan, writer on the epic sci-fi adventure Netflix series Lost in Space. He and wife Ava Tramer, comedy writer on such animated series as Central Park and Duncanville, recently joined our Film Production Bachelor students for an insightful Q&A session, where they shared just how they rose to the high rungs. 

Hosted by programme lead Malachi Rempen – one of Dan’s film school roommates – the session was part of ‘The Biz’, a series of 12 workshops which introduced our students to the wider business of the cinema industry, emerging and ancillary technologies, and the peripheral worlds of new media and video art – all the while initiating invaluable professional connections.

Ava’s internship on the wildly popular American sitcom The Office, which she initially saw as nothing more than a fun college summer job, was where she had her epiphany moment. Though she subsequently graduated from sociology and went on to work at a yoghurt company, the culture of the writers’ room was hard to shelf. “I realised you could get paid to sit around and play make believe and make jokes with friends,” she recalls of one of the hottest writers’ rooms of the era.

Read our round up from screenwriters Ava Tramer & Daniel McLellan's Q&A on the TV writing career ladder with Catalyst Film Production students.