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The making of The Hour Glass

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At BIAFF 2015 Joscha Thelosen won 5-Stars with The Hour Glass

Still from 'The Hour Glass'.

The drawings for the short were all drawn with a normal pencil on paper.

The Hour Glass is a student short-film which was produced in Germany and the United Kingdom.

Joscha Thelosen decided during his studies at the University of Applied Sciences in Aachen to do his first short. After he found a story, a suitable style and drew the first bits of the animation, he moved to London for a term abroad at the Ravensbourne College of Communication & Design. There he met Gregory Ovenden who agreed to do the sound design for the short.

When Joscha returned to Germany, he finished all the drawings and cut everything all together to a time-locked version. After that Gregory began to do all the sound design, from the Foley to the final mix. He also brought on Lee Carter as composer, Tom O‘Sullivan for the voice recording and Natalie Maciw for the voice of the Girl. Lee Carter composed the score within just one week.

Finally, in February 2012 The Hour Glass celebrated its premiere in Aachen in front of almost all students of the Design-Faculty.

The drawings for the short were all drawn with a normal pencil on paper. Only the credits were created on a computer.

Still from 'The Hour Glass'.
Still from 'The Hour Glass'.
Still from 'The Hour Glass'.
[ These show some early test styles, not the ones that were eventually used.
Joscha tried different styles before starting on all the images. ]


IAC: Do you read Terry Pratchett books, where Death is a much-loved character?

Ages ago I read "Soul Music" by Terry Pratchett. There, if I'm not mistaken, Death trains his foster granddaughter, so that they may work together. This has probably helped to inspire me. Among other ideas for short films, I finally came to the one about Death, whose life is made crazy by the baby.

IAC: Why mainly in black-and-white?

First, it highlights the sad and lifeless world of death. Second, I like the pencil style a lot as did others. Thus, the colour supports the mood of the film and still provides a particular style that is not often seen.

IAC: the girl is not a kitchy, girly-girl. Why?

It would scarcely be possible for her to be girly in the environment of death.  Death lives and old-fashioned and singular life. The girl can only have clothes which Death brings from the real world. In their life the television only shows noise, so they are not influenced by that. What's more, the story would then have had a very different aspect and the hourglass would not have been at its centre.

IAC: How could you draw so much food without getting hungry?!

I drew the various meals at fairly long intervals. Thus, I was able to eat plenty between the individual courses! In the times between continued to work on other scenes.

Still from 'The Hour Glass'.
Still from 'The Hour Glass'.
Still from 'The Hour Glass'.

Portrait of Joscha Thelosen.



- Joscha Thelosen   







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