Inner Steppe
A stop-motion animation based on the work of Hermann Hesse and Carl Gustav Jung. The motion picture soundtrack was composed and performed in addition to the film.
The animation is about a main character, that chooses an isolated, lonely way of life just like Hesse’s Harry Haller in ‚Steppenwolf‘. At the same time the protagonist is impersonating the lonesome outlaw you can find in classic and modern westerns and C. G. Jungs Ego Consciousness, being the central, rational part of the human mind. He embarks on a surreal odyssey through his inner landscape and meets embodiments of his mind, representing different personal and collective characteristics and behaviours. The Persona of his psyche, representing the social mask and assimilation to everyday life, invades his privacy. This part of his soul is knocked out by the Shadow of his psyche later on, which impersonates repressed needs, pleasures and a humorous living. The Shadow is pushing the main character to the final, deepest point of his mind: the Anima. She represents the bridge between the Ego Consciousness and the Collective Unconsciousness and is leading the protagonist to the destination of his trip. She is exposing him an alternate way of life and the importance of harmony and the unity of his inner world.
Direction / Setting / Animation / Music by Alex Schulz.
Academic Advisory by Sebastian Hackelsperger and Markus Artur Fuchs.
Technical Consulting by Markus Arnold.
