from Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts,
BA Animation
to Studio Sluggerfilm AB
spring semester 2020
“Igor Stravinsky loved expressing himself and wrote a good deal on interpretation. As he bore a volcano inside of him, he urged restraint. Those without even the vestige of a Volcano within them nodded in agreement, raised their baton, and observed restraint, while Stravinsky himself conducted his own Appolon Musagète as if it were Tchaikovsky. We who had read him listened and were astonished.”
The Magic Lantern by Ingmar Bergman
“Most of us search – consciously or unconsciously – for a degree of internal balance and harmony between ourselves and the outside world, and if we happen to become aware – like Stravinsky – of a volcano within us, we will compensate by urging restraint. By the same token, someone who bore a glacier within him might urge passionate abandon. The danger is, as Bergman points out, that a glacial personality in need of passionate abandon may read Stravinsky and apply restraint instead.” (Walter Murch, “In the Blink of an Eye”, Preface, (2001))
I for one was also scared of misinterpreting what my – expressed in story telling terminology – “need” was, at that given time, when choosing to go to Sweden for an internship. I wasn’t sure if it was the right step for my career or for my personal life, as I had a plethora of options available to me both here in Switzerland and abroad in other countries. I could have gone for an Erasmus at another school, or for an internship at another studio in another country, where I could have polished my skills to a greater extent. Or I could have chosen a country based on its culture and appeal. I was thinking a lot about my “want” and as a result was scared of neglecting my “need”, and that concern hadn’t died down around the time I boarded the plane to Sweden.
What I found in Sweden though, was a great fit for me – I had a fantastic time. So good in fact, that time flew by in the blink of an eye. And to be honest, if I had chosen one of the other possibilities, I’m sure they would have been great as well. I guess in retrospect, these choices seemed bigger than they probably were.
