Short Film POUTNÍK goes to Festivals

Last year we expanded our cooperation with the director and animator Keith Lango, who is currently working with the company VALVE. Keith had been our guest over many years as part of the ANOMALIA programme. He is literally legendary among his generation and the current one thanks to his video guides on how to animate in 3D; he produced them before there were any educational programmes for 3D at schools and the vast majority of contemporary world animators emerged thanks to his pioneering activities.

A short entitled POUTNÍK grew out of that cooperation last year. Though Keith Lango is from the US, he was so fond of the meaning and pronunciation of the Czech word “poutník” (“pilgrim”) that he decided to give the film that title. The film tells the story of the character Lurpy. He wakes up on the dirty streets of a big city not knowing where or who he really is and sets off on a journey to find his home.

The project is unique above all in terms of production. We decided to create a combined film employing the advantages of 2D and 3D in such a way that the actual animation focuses principally on the development of acting performance and cooperation with the director. This is thanks to the elimination of the demanding manual work that in 2D involves the hand drawing of every frame and in 3D exacting details. This hybrid technique simulated the art of drawing though the characters were created and animated in 3D, which proved a far more effective instrument for animating.

The film is now in the running to be presented at selected festivals.