SpaceTimeDog

Nikolaus Eckhard´s ironic study RaumZeitHund (SpaceTimeDog) is situated in the field of tension between chronophotography and cinematography.

As legend goes, Eadweard Muybridge discovered chronophotography ca. 1870 as the result of a wager. He wanted to prove that a horse had all four legs in the air for a brief moment when in a gallop. In RaumZeitHund Nikolaus Eckhard refers directly to Muybridge´s famous photo series "Animal Locomotions." A dog, specially trained for this purpose, is filmed on a treadmill in extreme slow motion (150 individual images per second). But in contrast to his role model, Eckhard does not use a slender, athletic greyhound, but rather, a less representative, long-eared brown Alpine Dachsbracke. The hunting dog, which is tethered to a black leather leash, is additionally furnished with black and white circular marks like a crash test dummy. The impression of "scientific-ness" is further heightened in that the color film is consistently screened entirely without sound.

The dog´s movements, which are initially smooth, become increasingly distorted; the animal jerks and flounders ever more acutely. Muybridge was also mentor for the film´s complex montage. When presenting his movement studies, the photo pioneer grouped the individual images serially and in a grid pattern. Eckhard likewise arranges all shots in his film in a grid pattern (55 x 277 frames) and scans this matrix with the help of diverse mathematical functions. The dog´s appearance hence fluctuates "between violently controlled marionette and seemingly blithe ballerina" (Eckhard). In the end, likewise the film´s climax, the animal floats, in motion, with all four paws in the air. The evidence is there, the wonder is possible.

(Norbert Pfaffenbichler)

Orig. Title
RaumZeitHund
Year
2010
Country
Austria
Duration
6 min
Director
Nikolaus Eckhard
Category
Animation/Direct Film
Orig. Language
No Dialogue
Downloads
SpaceTimeDog (Image)
Credits
Director
Nikolaus Eckhard
Cinematography
Mark Gerstorfer, Anna Manhardt
Editing
Nikolaus Eckhard
Lighting
Severin Fiala, Harald Traindl, Johann Lurf
Supported by
Akademie der Bildenden Künste Wien, Filmakademie Wien, Wien Kultur, Land Niederösterreich
Available Formats
35 mm (Original Format)
Aspect Ratio
1:1,85
Sound Format
silent
Frame Rate
24 fps
Color Format
colour
Blu-ray (Distribution Copy)
Aspect Ratio
16:9
Sound Format
silent
Frame Rate
25 fps
Color Format
colour
Digital File (prores, h264) (Distribution Copy)
Festivals (Selection)
2010
Salzburg - Film:Riss Kurzfilmfestival
2011
Graz - Diagonale, Festival des Österreichischen Films
Wien - VIS Vienna Independent Shorts
Seoul - EXis (Experimental Film- & Videofestival)
München - UnderDox, Festival für Dokument und Experiment
Vilnius - Tindirindis International Animated Film Festival
Jihlava Documentary Film Festival
Neubrandenburg (D) & Szczecin (PL) - dokumentART Film & Video Festival
Marseille - FIDMarseille International Film Festival
Lincoln - TIE International Cinema Exposition
Ljubiljana Animateka - Int. Animation Film Festival
Basel - Clair-obscur Filmfestival
Belgrade - Alternative Film/Video Festival
2012
Utrecht - Holland Animation Film Festival
Bukarest - NexT International Short Film Festival
Stuttgart - Filmwinter, Expanded Media Festival