Breakfast with Quiet

An interview with Sonja Rohleder, director of Quiet

 How did you choose the music? And how did you work on Quiet’s rhythm?
I have wanted to make an abstract film with music for a long time and was looking for a piece both simple and strong. Years ago, I already used a Nils Frahm piece of music on my graduation film and  luckily, he let me work with his music again. From there I improvised. No written concept or storyboard but an attempt to answer with images to what I heard in the music. Therefore I produced a lot of material that did not end up in the film and narrowed it down at the edit. Those two things are rare for an animator: improvising and editing down a lot of material. It was great. I can recommend this a lot.

 Why are you interested in abstract shapes and peaks of light?
My interest in abstract animation is rooted in the early abstract films that were made in the 1930’s in Germany by artists like Oskar Fischinger and Walter Ruttmann. To me there is something very pure and easy about these films that fascinates me.

 How much do you enjoy contemplation in Nature? Looking at the sky?
The title of the song is “My Friend The Forest“ and I went with the topic.

 How often do you take personal thinking time and for what purpose: creating your next film, seeking for inner peace…?
When I’m in the process of making a film, in a way it is always in my head until it is finished. Often the work is interrupted by commissioned work. But I try not to think about them too much continuously. I rather think about ideas or subjects that are not connected to film making at all. I listen to podcasts and and read books during my work, like a lot of animators and designers do. It’s great that we can do that.

 Would you say that the short film format has given you any particular freedom?
Very much so. I think the audience is more forgiving in terms of storyline and design. A feature film is way more restrictive. The dramaturgy for example demands that you play by certain rules to keep the audience interested, not to mention the pressure that will come from the production side. Features and shorts are very different things and I think shorts are very interesting as a genre. With every short film I feel like creating a little world with rules and characters that I’m about to discover myself during the making. This is always exciting.

Quiet is being shown in Lab Competition L5.