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An encounter with a special women provides a harried train passenger relief from a rude and noisy world in Patterns, the SIGGRAPH Jury Prize-winning short by director Alex Glawion. The Frankfurt-based helmer, who has also worked on commercials for LEGO, Google and Sharp, tells us that his real-life experiences inspired the charming short. “My wife, Nastja, and I undertook a weekly four-hour commute between Constance and Darmstadt, Germany, to keep our long-distance relationship alive,” he recalls. “We wanted to make it work, and we did — even when circumstances fought against us every step of the way!”
He adds, “All the traveling requires a very healthy dose of perseverance and a trusty pair of noise-canceling headphones. And it certainly helps when you’re focusing on who’s waiting for you at your destination: the love of your life cooped up in a seat with nothing to do but wait, a nudge was all it took to tip the balance and throw you into the deep end, where the only way out was an ingrained pattern that made you don those headphones and escape. Escape into a world that wasn’t always easy to leave.”
Glawion began his initial style tests and a rough story outline back in 2017, but serious work didn’t begin until the end of 2022, and the short wrapped up in January of this year. “Since this was a zero-budget personal short, I could only work on it during periods when I wasn’t occupied with active client projects, which significantly extended the overall timeframe,” explains the filmmaker. “The primary software used was Cinema 4D, with Redshift serving as the render engine. Blender was employed for specific tasks such as UV unwrapping and quick modeling. Marvelous Designer handled any clothing design, while After Effects was the main compositing software, and Premiere Pro was used for editing and mixing.”
Cracking the Visual Code
Discussing the challenges of his project, Glawion says translating certain key moments in a story that made perfect sense on paper but were incredibly difficult to show and understand visually without dialog were the toughest parts of the experience. “At times, this challenge was so significant that I had to go back and adjust the script for key scenes to ensure they worked visually. Although this risked affecting the entire storyline, it also provided an opportunity to revisit and enhance certain aspects.”
He adds, “They say a filmmaker is never truly satisfied with their film, always seeing areas for improvement. After all, you can never experience it for the first time again. Despite meticulously planning the story, rewriting it countless times, redoing scenes multiple times, and re-editing the music and shots for maximum impact, my inner critic often urges me to move on to the next project. It whispers that the effort is wasted and that my work pales compared to what my idols produce. But then, I show it to an audience, to my wife, to my friends, and they have tears in their eyes. It wins awards, and in those moments, it’s all worth it. Knowing that my work resonates with an audience is what I absolutely love and what motivates me to continue creating short films.
The filmmaker cites Jérémy Clapin’s 2008 short Skhizein as his first real introduction and motivator to make narrative animated shorts. “The story and visual translation of the subject resonated so deeply with me that I still revisit his short from time to time,” he recalls. “The works of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki, particularly their depiction of moments in-between, have also significantly influenced me. More recently, the groundbreaking styles of Alberto Mielgo and Ash Thorp also have motivated me to experiment freely and push creative boundaries.”
Looking back at his creative journey, Glawion says learning to embrace iteration was the biggest lesson he learned. “Throughout the process, I realized that being open to refining and adapting the story, visuals, and even the technical aspects significantly enhanced the final product. It taught me that flexibility and willingness to iterate are crucial to achieving the best possible outcome,” he notes.
The director says he hopes SIGGRAPH audiences will remember what’s at the heart of his story: “Don’t let that armrest-slammer, chips-eater, or loud-talker ruin your perfect day!” he says. “Everyone is the main protagonist of their own life. I gain nothing from chewing that nuisance gum until my jaw hurts and everything from directing my story towards what truly matters!”
For more information on Patterns as well as Glawion’s previous short film and commercial projects, visit alexglawion.com.
