“The Honest Professor” Master Evolution, Ecology and Systematics (2018) Producer & Filmmaker

In 2018 I produced a scenic image film for the Master’s program Evolution, Ecology and Systematics at the Friedrich-Schiller-University, Jena. The project was filmed in 9 days and at more than 10 different locations. I was producer, production manager, author, director and cameraman. A production assistant, a camera assistant, a trainee and an translater supported the production.

Concept Description

The film starts a professor’s office. The camera passes by his name plate and several details.The telefon is ringing. He answers:

Professor: Hello?
Jim: Hello, this is Jim from the advertising agency. I have a few more ideas for the planned image film.

An interplay between Jim and the professor begins. Jim wants to present his ideas for the image film. But he describes elements of a classical image film for Economic Science, and would probably bore any potential student of Ecology. The professor can only answer with “Hm… well” (running gag). Because the images Jim describes do not match the reality of the Master’s program Evolution, Ecology and Systematics.

On the telefon conversation between Jim and the professor, we see the “classical” and clean image described by Jim, first. Then the scenery changes to the more realistic image of the Master’s programm the professor has in mind.

Making of – Storyboard – vs Real Film

Crew

Production, Director, Camera, Editor: David Cebulla
Production Assistant: Nora Blüthner
Camera Assistant: Jakob Eschler
Set Assistant: Hannes Grämer
Additional Camera Antarctica: Hannes Grämer
Subtitles: Alejandro Rios

Produced by the Holy Mountain Productions on behalf of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena

Cast

Femal Student: Janina Weber
Male Student: Till Deilmann
Male Professor: Prof. Dr. Frank Hellwig
Female Scientist: Rommy Peterson
Male Scientist: Ben Derwel
Student Antarctica: Hannes Grämer
Dinghy Drivers: Aleksey Grishman, Ilya Sergeev
Extra: Prof. Dr. Christine Römermann, Hannes Grämer, Nora Blüthner, Maximilian Brocher, Fabian S. Klimm, Patrizia König, Birgit Lang, Heide Moldenhauer

Huge thanks to all students of Prof. Römermann’s class!