Digital Production:
How did the "The Modern Cyclops" project originate?

Daniel Nocke:
We ­ that's me and Film Bilder studios - had been planning to do a short film together for some time. At the Stuttgart Animated Film Festival in 2000, I won a sponsorship award and soon after, we decided to start the "Cyclops" project.

Digital Production:
As you were writing the script had you already decided what kind of animation techniques you were going to use?

Daniel Nocke:
I was convinced right from the outset that a tangible material like clay could best express the archaic characteristics of the Cyclops. But at the same time I knew that we would have to rely quite heavily on digital technology. Of course I was curious to see how it would all fit together. Eva Sütterlin was responsible for the digital animation and was involved with the project from the beginning.

Eva Sütterlin:
By the time we got the project underway we were fairly sure of how we were going to animate certain parts of the film. To take an example, there is a sequence in a Cyclopses' theater, where at least a hundred of the monsters are applauding. In this kind of instance it is usually clear how we will animate it right from the word go: Every row is individually animated in front of a green screen, then we put it all together and loop it. Imperfections in the clay become more visible when they are shown in a loop, and because clay is such a "living" material, there is always the danger that the viewer will spot certain recurring forms within the loop. At some points I had to use digital techniques to avoid this, without changing the character of the material.

Daniel Nocke:
It was amazing. Even I didn't spot the digital enhancements.

Eva Sütterlin:
There were other scenes where we tried out different techniques. One in particular that springs to mind is the Cycolpses' island. Andy Kaiser, who was in charge of the set design, built the island and the tourists' boat. But then we needed water that would fit in with the realistic, but obviously handmade aesthetic of the whole film. We also wanted to avoid the water looking out of place with the island and the boat. We needed waves to break against the cliffs, and wanted reflections and shadows on the water. After experimenting with a few ideas, we decided to shoot the island in front of a green screen and add real footage of the sea. To make it look a little less realistic when juxtaposed to the man-made set, I reversed the motion of the waves, slowed-down the film and cross-faded the images.