The Sturgeon
For the Year of Science 2016–17, the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries commissioned us to produce a short film about the life of the sturgeon aimed at children. The film pairs extraordinary storytelling with elaborate and colorful illustrations.
It was shortlisted for the 2017 Fast Forward Science Competition.
Extraordinary Storytelling
The plot’s through-line is the migration of the sturgeon, which is both a trip through time and a journey downriver to the sea and back. It starts 200 million years ago and extends to the present, when it reveals that this living fossil’s survival is now under threat. Then, as the sturgeon sets off back upriver, the video explains what we can do to help.
Visual and content level complement each other
The visuals consistently address the overall concept of the journey. The video is structured around a single dynamic camera shot moving through an elaborately illustrated scene. The sturgeon protagonist is always center-screen as the camera follows it on its journey.
