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About

The BYU student film, Der Ostwind, was shown in the short film category at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and has screened at several festival venues since January 19, 2007.

More than 60 BYU film and animation students worked on the project over the past five years. The 11-minute effects film” combines live action and animation in a unique cinematic style reminiscent of vintage black and hite silent films.

It’s visually very interesting,” says writer/producer/director Kohl Glass. “You don’t usually see a short film ith this kind of imagery.”

In the film, a German World War I ace, known as Der Ostwind or The East Wind, searches for a worthy
opponent in the skies and meets up with a mysterious and seemingly invincible American pilot. Except for he actors, the entire film is computer generated. Glass says the task of artistically combining live action and animation was a difficult challenge and a learning experience for the students.

“I knew we were going to be pushing it, that we were going to be working against some of the big problems that re inherent when you combine computer animation and live action,” says Glass.

With director of animation Rob Au and his team, Glass has created a unique film that is garnering attention from film festivals across the country. It recently was recognized as Best Action/Adventure film at the 2006 Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival and was a finalist in the Angelus Student Film Festival 2006. 

For Glass, completing the film and being accepted at Sundance, is the culmination of five years’ work. After graduating from the BYU film program in 2003, he directed the project from his home in Mesa, Arizona, while  Provo-based group of students worked to complete the animation and other elements. Receiving direction by phone calls, emails and videoed instruction,” the team completed the project in 2006.

Other members of the production crew include Producers Christina Cline, Will Haydt, and Kimball Maw,  Director of Photography Travis Cline, and Executive Producers Kelly Loosli, Thomas Lefler, Darl Larsen, and rent Adams. (text from film's press kit)

Stills

Director's Notes

D. Kohl Glass

Director’s Notes: How to Make a Der Ostwind
by D. Kohl Glass

Take a year and a half off from Brigham Young University
to get married and let your wife finish her studies in
linguistics at ASU.

During that time, decide to make a traditionally animated
short film inspired by a lifelong love of aviation,
a budding interest in Teutonic aristocrats in WWI, and a
commonly shared fascination with monkeys.

Write Der Ostwind, a bizarre short film about a German
WWI Ace searching for a worthy opponent only to
discover the horrible truth . . . it’s a chimpanzee.

Switch from making Der Ostwind with hand drawn
planes to computer generated planes.

After some preliminary designs and rough animation,
discover that the feat of making an animated WWI
short is too daunting to do alone and shelve the project
for a couple years.

Return to BYU, pitch the idea to the animation program
there and get turned down.

Make The Promethean, a live action short film about
the myth of Prometheus. This will open doors for Der
Ostwind.

Present the script for Der Ostwind in a beginning
screenwriting class to learn that people feel betrayed
by the monkey ending and want to hurt you for it. The
beginning is too serious; the ending is too goofy.

Here you have two choices. Either make the beginning
match the ending or the ending match the beginning.
Choose the latter.

Write a new serious ending that people like much
better, so much so that screenwriting instructor Darl
Larsen will take the project back to the BYU Animation
Program and recruit Animation faculty Kelly Loosli to
mentor the project.

Take Kelly’s suggestion to film live actors and composite
them with computer generated planes and backgrounds
then rotoscope to make the appearance of
traditional animation.

With the help of Thomas Lefler, get funding through
various grants.

Film Patrick Rosier, actor, dressed as both German WWI
ace, Wolfgang von Kellermann, and The American, in
front of a green screen.

Begin pre-viz and preliminary animation with animator
Rob Field.

After exhaustive search, record Kelly’s childhood soccer
coach and Swiss born voice actor/translator Alex
Schmalz as the voice of Wolfgang von Kellermann.

Let Rob Field convince you not to rotoscope but to
make Der Ostwind a live action effects film.

Graduate from BYU in late 2003 and agree to always
use students on the production of Der Ostwind in
exchange for being able to continue to direct the film.
This agreement will cost you three producers since
they keep graduating.

Find Rob Au modeling a WWII fighter plane in computer
lab. Ask him if he likes airplanes and if he would like
to work on an airplane film. When he says “yes” to both,
turn over all animation, compositing and effects to him.

Move from Utah to Arizona to teach filmmaking at
Mesa Community College but after two semesters
discover you really aren’t cut out for teaching.
With Rob Au, decide to up the quality of the computer
generated images and start the modeling and animation
over from the beginning.

Direct production through phone calls, emails and
videoed instruction, as Rob Au animates and renders
shots and trouble shoots technical difficulties (This step
may take between two and three years).

Fight the feeling of desperate blindness as things go on
completely outside of your immediate control and in
another state.

Edit in shots as they are finished and mailed to you.
Do reshoots with Patrick and additional actors. Re-record
additional voice over with Alex.

Lock edit and begin music and sound which will require
a number of trips back up to Utah.

Wonder if the monkey ending should ever be mentioned
again.

Decide with music composer Angus McKay to use
digital sampling for the score only to discover that the
horn section isn’t convincing enough.

Hire trombone and trumpet players to record for an
hour.

Assemble a choir from friends and family to sing for
soundtrack.

Lock sound and picture on Der Ostwind in July 2006
a week and a half before your wife has a much need
kidney transplant. Joyous occasions both.

Filmmakers

A Brigham Young University Animation and Theater & Media Arts Production 

Cast
Wolfgang von Kellermann                              Patrick Rosier
Old Wolfgang von Kellermann (voice)              Alex Schmalz
The American                                               Patrick Rosier
Other German Pilots                                      David Geist
                                                                  Taylor Cline


Written and Directed by                                 D. Kohl Glass
Director of Animation                                    Rob Au
Producers                                                    Rob Au
                                                                 Christina Lyon Cline
                                                                 Will Haydt
                                                                 Kimball Maw
                                                                 D. Kohl Glass
Executive Producers                                     Kelly Loosli
                                                                Tom Lefler
                                                                Brent Adams
                                                                Darl Larsen
Director of Photography                                Travis Cline
Music Composer                                          Angus McKay
Music Engineer                                            Marcus Howard
Assistant Producers                                      Dane Cannon
Chris Glass 
ANIMATION
Visual Effects Supervisor                               Rob Au
Animation Previsualization Director                 Rob Field
Technical Directors                                        Shaun Graham
Eric Hochhalter
Rob Au
Animation Production Assistants                     Ben “Cousin” Porter
Kamy Leach
Animation Lead                                            Rob Au
Animators                                                    Shaun Graham
Kevin Leinbach
Jared Cardon
Rob Allen
Modeling Lead                                             Mark Christensen
Modelers                                                     Rob Au
Kevin Leinbach
Jared Cardon
Zeppelin Modeler                                         David Gurrea
Texture Artists                                             Emma Weyerman
Shaun Graham
Nic Leach
Kamy Leach
Mark Christensen
Rob Au
Effects Artist                                                Rob Au
Shaun Graham
Cloth                                                          Rob Allen
Senior Compositor                                        Rob Au
Compositing Assistants                                 Kamy Leach
Russell Loy
Ben Porter
Renderman Render Lead                              Rob Au
Maya Render Lead                                       Ben Porter
Render Wranglers                                        Keanan Cantrell
Emron Grover
John Pettingale
Kamy Leach
Russell Loyd
Shaun Graham
FILM CREW
1st Assistant Director                                   Tim Skousen
Camera Operator                                        Ty Arnold
Camera Assistant                                        Ryan Cannon
Julian Acosta
Gaffer                                                        Mark Noakes
Second Unit DP                                           Cole Webley
Special Effects                                            Clark Edmunds
Special Effects Assistant                               Justin Partridge
Key Grip                                                    Todd Hamilton
Best Boy                                                    Dave Axelgard
Post Sound                                                Karl Rosengren
Foley Artist                                                Ryan Purcell
Script Supervisor                                        Ryan Farrington
Cockpit Construction                                  Jason Yancey
Doug Ellis
Prop Master                                              Diane Rane
Make-up Artist                                          Sarah Locke
Katherine Lund
Costume                                                 Rachel Margetts
Christina Cline
Production Assistant                                  David Geist
Casting Director                                        Chris Glass
German Translation                                  Globalization Group
Alex Schmalz
Patricia Nass
Craft Services                                          Charlotte Wanberg
IT Support                                               Joshua Matthews
Evan Anderson
Concept Artist                                          Jake Parker
After Effects                                             Todd Hamilton
Editor                                                      D. Kohl Glass

Der Ostwind Choir                                

Stephanie Wade
Kristy Stapley
Chris Stapley
Ted Sowards
Caleb Shoemaker
Angus McKay
Amy McKay
Truly Huish
Amelia Huish
Jon Harris 
Denise Harris
Marshall Glass
Chris Glass
Trumpets                                               Patrick Smith
Brian Stoneberger
Trombones                                             Bill Foy
Jeff Martin   

 Special Thanks

Ira and Mary Lou Fulton
Lissa, Robbie and Lauren
Chris Glass
Robert and Judy Au
Laycock Center for Creative Collaboration in the Arts
Student Film Association
CFAC Oscarson Grant
The BYU Media Arts Faculty
David and Peggy Glass
Ivan and Truly Huish
CAEDM
Doug Rigby
Pixar
Rob Field
Sandman Studio
Mike Wilson
Mark Noakes
Boo and the Boyles
Jake Parker
Steve Chrandell
Tyler Weston
Scott Sandstrom
Globalization Group
Cyndi Greening
Louise Lampton
Alex Lundquist
Doug Stewart
www.theaerodrome.com
Orangewood Recording
KBYU
Al Williams
LDS MPS
CMG Studio

www.derostwind.com

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