Episode 5 - Marcus Hanisch Q Ghostly Remote Effect Renderyard Interviews

Today we speak with Marcus Hanisch the director & producer of Q Ghostly Remote Effect for the Renderyard Interviews. To find out how he produced and created the science fiction short film. 

Interview Transcription

Speaker 1: Okay, okay. Welcome to the remedy, are the interviews today. We are speaking with Marcus, Hamish the director of Q ghostly remote affect, how are you doing Marcus?

Speaker 2: Yes. Thank you. Are you doing

Speaker 1: very well? Thanks, just getting back into the stretch of work after a nice little holiday, so feeling a bit forgetful, So forgive me if I get anything wrong. So Marcus has produced and directed fantastic shot. Science fiction film Q ghostly remote effect. With one of the central characters being the actual environment

Speaker 2: where

Speaker 1: it's filmed in Iceland. So we thought it would be really interesting to get Marcus on the show and just did Into the film, The influences behind it, and what it took to produce, and direct such a complex shot film. So, can you introduce the film a little bit and explain where the idea came from? What was the core kind of theme behind making the shot film and what led you to focus on something? That's actually quite complicated to do for a shoot. shoot which not only is the film abroad outside of, you know, where you live getting the equipment, they're getting the actors Etc, the crew, but also quite hostile environment which is Iceland

Speaker 2: Okay, love questions. Maybe I start with where the idea came from. I'm based in Berlin and I'm currently still studying at the German film television Academy. I'm studying directing, and this firm was my individual film which you are usually start in third or fourth year. So, and back in that day is I was very hooked with human robot relationships and had this idea of scientist building a robot and learning from it. And at the end turning out the scientist was more involving than the robot. And then ex machina came

Speaker 1: out seeing

Speaker 2: my idea

Speaker 1: Stick

Speaker 2: film. Yeah, I love it. And back in that day so I had the idea, we are going to shoot this film in the woods around building one book. And in Germany, we have this rule that if the temperature rises above a certain level, you are not allowed to go into the woods anymore which happened to us for the shooting. So all our perfectly planned, Schedules and locations, and everything was not available anymore, and we had to cancel the shoot and the producer at this time, was my girlfriend and she broke up with me after castling the shooting. So I was like broken glass in front of me. Yeah, I want to I need to get a clear head and just spins the world globe and And to Iceland just by accident

Speaker 1: because okay, somewhere

Speaker 2: and went off hiking. And after several days of grieving and walking through the landscape, I suddenly found myself location Scouting For the feeling, okay? If I can't do it in the woods and one book, this is even better. It's looking so much more is Ian, like and I'm the human and the way kind of supported my idea of this scientist in robot taking off into a very unknown landscape, would have had to work hard to achieve this and run book to find spots where you don't see any human influences. So this is where the Idea came from and it was quite a journey to convince our University to go there because this early period of studies, they want you to be as close to the university as possible or two years in Germany, at least. Yeah. But we could convince them that this is a huge Advantage for the film. Um, in terms of narration because this landscape as you just said is really like a certain character and it's supporting the story and the emotional journey of the protagonist, because she starts quite quite robotic in a way beginning and finds some kind of humanity through this journey.

Speaker 1: so, my sensation understanding of the that character, the scientific character is that I think this is just my interpretation, I feel that she and again it's the landscape has a sort of central character. I think she starts to realize not only our own Humanity but her vulnerability caused by the landscape that she is very prone to the changes in the environment. However, the Android is not and then she starts to realize that there is a disconnect between her as a human being and the synthetic And in the end without, you know, getting the movie away as sympathetic plays a very pivotal role in the humanity side of scientist. That's what I get out of it.

Speaker 2: Yeah, very ready. Thanks for the reflection. I mean the end is quite open. Yeah, it's not so specific. What happens is, some people told me, they think the robot died. Other ones told me they merged several interpretations are possible for me. It was always kind of robot or the synthetic becomes a part of her. So, when they fall in love,

Speaker 1: Yeah, they Delta is very much

Speaker 2: at the end she's away but also she's a part of her. So like this quantum mechanics like the title also refers to mechanics she's a part of her and she's gone.

Speaker 1: Yes

Speaker 2: flag you spit up with with your girl friend or loved one will always be. Part of you. That's okay. Just you it influenced you so it's not really

Speaker 1: gone. That's that's that's very interesting. So I was going to ask about the title because it's such a out there title you know, and now that you've just mentioned the word quantum mechanics. I can see what the cues coming from. Can you explain the title a little bit too much, please?

Speaker 2: Yeah, well when Do you think was Sci-Fi movies and robots? I was thinking of how the world should work is adjusting, the kinetic model thing or like an evolved Ai. And actually, when you look at the world, we are developing quantum mechanics computers on a ISO. Probably we were get there at some point and I wanted to go there too and

Speaker 1: have even

Speaker 2: better in a way that has more potential than human. So, the title is referring to what Einstein said when talking about quantum mechanics, he said there are two particles no matter how far away they are. They are still linked to each other and connected. So if you experience one particle, you also indirectly influence the other particle and I saw a similarity or an allergy to this robot. And

Speaker 1: scientists but also in a relationship exactly beef. Even during and after even if you're not together anymore, there is an influence. That's

Speaker 2: been. Yeah. And also because you and the robot, how, how far can you be away from each other than, being being / technology or by your body and how everything works? So it's also a connection of this The antipodes in a way.

Speaker 1: So you have been studying film and you are still feel that you still are. Yeah it's a lifelong. My

Speaker 2: graduation project right now.

Speaker 1: Say that again sorry

Speaker 2: I'm still studying and I'm currently working on my graduation project which will be my first feature film.

Speaker 1: Excellent. Excellent. Is it going to be in the science fiction genre? Or Nothing else

Speaker 2: to projects, and we will see which, which gets funded. First one is wider. Small, love story. And the other one is in the near future sci-fi thriller, taking place in a devastated World

Speaker 1: cow. I have recently myself being revisiting altered carbon season one after four years of not seeing it. And it's spectacular, the idea is visually behind that film. Just all series, actually. It still stands on its own and it's interesting to revisit titles that you've not watch for a long time. And can you tell us some of the either series of films that have influenced you? Not us, not only towards making Q, ghostly remote effect. But your proof Strums before that which are loving out, which is very different, almost an animation, but it's not. Can you talk to us about some influences that you've had had a strong kind of connection with and, and possibly things that aren't films, you know, outside of that other interests that have influenced your your filmmaking

Speaker 2: Well, I watch a lot of films one, third of the one firm, I watched the most in my whole life and I get back to it. Again, and again, is Waking Life from Richard, linklater,

Speaker 1: which wow

Speaker 2: is completely different way of filmmaking or it's kind of an essay film with animation techniques.

Speaker 1: Yeah.

Speaker 2: Dream life feeling and it's talking to me every time in a different way. It's amazing. It's never the same. So sometimes I watch old films which are from my childhood and I can't come watch it, and watch them anymore because they didn't age with me or with a the world but this thing somehow DARS and it's like it's growing with me, so it's big influence. So I really love linklater films and 4q for example. Yes, / my cameraman and I watched a lot of Terrence Malick challenge or what I try to achieve, with the feel more like an experiment. I wanted to try to start in a very sci-fi beginning and as you can tell the lab is yeah, standard. So it rises all the questions that usually sci-fi films, rise. And I wanted to transform this and, Evolves into something that is not asking questions anymore. That's not. I wanted to leave this sci-fi genre and transform it into something else. Something that is more sensible. Like like also the the scientist does on her journey discover that there are things she can't describe with words. So I'll try to transform this film into something that is more. Tactile or sensible or more correlated to emotions or feelings of an

Speaker 1: experience. Yeah, He-Man is definitely has a strong sense of humanity at the end and at the beginning the film is kind of a by-the-numbers Sci-Fi you know, experimentation film. We We mentioned recently previous film that you'd made called love notes which was maybe fuck you and it's a beautiful shot film. Very romantic and very quirky as well. Was this one of your first titles made a college? Or was it something done outside of college?

Speaker 2: No, it was kind of part of college, but not, not really. There was a minute. Free of Foreign Affairs of foreign cultures. I don't know the title, and they send a mail to all film schools in those german-speaking countries. And the goal was to make a pitch for a 5 minute short based on statistics. They did. They ask like several thousand Germans about how they think the future will be. Be or should be and how it how they perceive it right now. And all you got was like diagrams and and numbers. And you had to figure out your own point of interest. And what I found in one statistic, was the younger, the Germans are the more important it is for them to have real human interaction. Not digital. But yes, this is interesting, because My prejudices where the other way around. So yeah, I made this little page and at the end I think 20 projects got founding of 15,000 Euro with the goal to make a five minute short that's working without language. So they send it all over the world without doing translations.

Speaker 1: Yes. So this

Speaker 2: is where the film came from and was in collaboration with my University. Yeah,

Speaker 1: okay, cool. If, if it would be good to find out more about the cast above films, and how you approach them for Q, ghostly them, artifact. First and love not second.

Speaker 2: Well, for you in the beginning 4qe. Well, it was male scientist with a female robot when we when we thought of shooting it and on board but in Iceland it somehow felt different. And at the end I also found it more interesting that it's not about gender because the story is not about gender. It is, but it's about love, that's its Getting over the gap or, you know, like human and robot or not. Yeah, I'm a fantasy of sex robot or something. I don't want to go there. So I was looking for a female lead and I didn't do a casting for, for the female lead. I found Fe and I knew it and I talked to her on the phone and found out, she's the one,

Speaker 1: okay, stop Being from there. We

Speaker 2: then had a quite large casting for the robot girl together with Fe. So always try the combination and for the other three characters in the lab I knew some of them and the others I do small costume. Yeah. And for love note, I know Bardo. I shot with him some music videos and stuff. And Lisa, I found also, we arsenal constant

Speaker 1: K, and then within within both films, there's an incredibly strong use of practical visuals. So the clothing costumes, the set designs the color palette. And then obviously visual effects. So used to emphasize these these visual scenes. Can you tell us a little bit about the costumes that were created for Q? The design of these is quite unique and very very professional as well. It looks like things you might get off the rack in 50 years time.

Speaker 2: Maybe I do costume, Design Line out of that. Well, I really love to do practical effects because I know post-production and how difficult it can be. I also like the feeling of practical effects and it's hard to do really well visual effects without budget. So, yeah, also, Susan. I am a budget wise to go as to use as much practical stuff as possible. And for love note, for example, is was also correlated to The Core theme to have real human contact and not take contact. So, the story is about turning away from from the digital two words. The analog. She's building this love node. So the goal was to only use practical effects, not have a single visual artificial affect their. So, yes, not notice is practical and real, Even build a little flying drone which didn't make it through the edit. Okay, I

Speaker 1: love. Now does I've studied a lot of music videos and it does strike me as a music video without Singing Etc. I don't know if that's because the male character is some kind of musician or something,

Speaker 2: you know, I think Bardo is no, I mean, he's an actor and he probably has music training about his neck. A whooshing, he played, as an actor in music videos, I shot.

Speaker 1: I see ya. Let me see. Let's have a quick look here

Speaker 2: and also fuck you just To continue the, the answer. We, when I remember correctly, we don't have a single visual effect, everything you see, there is practical.

Speaker 1: Okay? That's so true

Speaker 2: because we want to an award for best

Speaker 1: VFX it doesn't then I get a new word for that.

Speaker 2: Although there's no no visual effects used,

Speaker 1: that's very interesting. I was trying to work out if the light that is Emanating it. The back of the clothing that strobes up and down was an actual LED somehow. I thought it was a post-production thing.

Speaker 2: No complete, it's real. We had this LEDs trip built under the clothing and I know this programmer who was a the boss of a robot football team, he's into techniques and the he builds has LEDs try broken. Tune the brightness and the speed of light, Rob. Yeah, I lost because I always adjusted to the, the outer light levels. Yeah.

Speaker 1: Excellent. Excellent. So the film has picked up a lot of awards and it's hard for scanned. A lot of tension, we're lucky enough, a trendy had to be one of the Distributors of your title as performing well on YouTube. You as well as other platforms as well as love Nur. And can you tell us a bit more about what reaction? The film has gained Insight sci-fi community at various festivals or just, you know, other interviews you may have given or just reactions from fans?

Speaker 2: I think that it's not now. As travel, the whole world being screened on more than 160 festivals and won more than 60 prices. So unexpectedly, kind of huge attention. I'm so happy about that, a lot of interviews and it's kind of, how do you say polarizing? I don't know. There is the one side that really hates it. In a way because it's risings of questions in the beginning and not answering it at the end. So disappointed of this change of java in a way or not. Yeah, not giving what they expect in the in the beginning or when they when they go to a hard sci-fi Festival. Yeah. The other part is very open and they loves Is experience and they are mesmerized in a way they can tell why. But they are sitting in cinema for 20 minutes and are overwhelmed by the landscape on the sound and the rain and the acting, and the end, it's completely. I've such as a citizen screenings and people are just quite up to the film and which is

Speaker 1: made of plastic. Yeah. Have you had a chance to talk to the audience and if these

Speaker 2: fit? Yes, a bit. So beneath all the Good questions. I had some some private chat, some people who came to me after the screening and we were talking about personal relationships. So some houses, I mean, the story triggers it. But also the film kind of triggers talking about relationships. You had that kind of broke in a way or still working at several different sets. This is taking up and be still being part of one's life is in that pops up

Speaker 1: and it's Humanity. It's the thing that never changes. We were all connected by this emotions regardless of where we are.

Speaker 2: And then of course, because I made the decision to go for a female lead and against this gender normative I think I also have nice feedback from the queer Community

Speaker 1: as the

Speaker 2: screen that some pf. That's

Speaker 1: good. Yeah, yeah. And I guess, Again, I can't give too much away like so I'd like people to watch the film but yeah that's it that's handled really sensitively and and very tact tactfully to the point that you don't really realize until your brain kind of goes over what you've just seen in your life. I've never seen that before, and it's in the sci-fi movie. So that's not that was really good. Can you give our viewers a bit of your own kind of views on how to make? Not to make it. But just to remain determined to get your projects created produced films distributed. What's your experience so far over? You know, you're not career but just experience as a filmmaker. Is there any advice that you would like to share with anybody?

Speaker 2: The advice I would give myself my younger self, don't waste too much time and doing projects from others. Although it's necessary to help each other. But I started when I was starting doing film, I did a lot of production jobs unit management. Working on Sat not really being close to Creative process, but being on film sets and learning how this huge film bodies moving and what takes how much time, which helped me a lot to understand every department. So, it was, it was an important lesson for me, but at a certain point, I should have jumped up off earlier and focusing on my own. Objects yet. I spent some more years in doing other projects, being first lady for feature films and stuff like that. Okay. So before I finally got into film school, I tried it once and was neglected and then I had to wait for some years because I was only allowed to apply twice. Okay, second application made it. Yeah, so my advice to you You focus on what you really want to do. Listen to your inner voice because it's always a lot of people having ideas and not every idea is is good for the project. Yeah

Speaker 1: that's it. That's great. Thank you very much. Well that was that was a really, really insightful interview and I know that our our viewers and listeners are going to get a lot out of it. Thank you for your time and like I said before, I will post the link to Q Ghostly Remote Effect in the description below this interview. Thank you for your time, Marcus.

Speaker 2: Thank you for the oppurtunity and the really nice questions and for your time as well, thank

Speaker 1: you, thank you very much. Okay, bye-bye.