Private Project

HOMO ERECTUS - I can breathe

Breath – most recognised when impaired or gone, most appreciated when too much or too little for our lungs, most perceived when it varies or fluctuates with our expectations.

Breath is crucial to our being and condition; it acts as a register and seismograph, a reflection and gauge, as a unique calibrator of both our pleasures and burdens. It all begins with 1 first initial breath before becoming 40—50 per minute in childhood; it then becomes 12—18 per minute throughout our adult lives before concluding in a final, often deep, single breath.

Breathing enabled our emergence as a species, our change from quadrupeds to bipeds, our development into our current state of being.

Fire and a powerful primal physicality of artists and dancers bring this evolution to life whilst complex technology is utilised to project digitalised mappings onto flames, forest, and moving bodies – all of which are led by the recordings of approximately 250 different, divergent, and distinct breaths; “HOMO ERECTUS - I can breathe” is an ode to life.

  • Wolfgang Christoph Schmiedt
    Director
  • Nina Trobisch
    Writer
  • Lars Scheibner
    Writer
  • Wolfgang Christoph Schmiedt
    Producer
  • Sarah Frahm
    Producer
  • Katharina Wunderlich
    Key Cast
    "Dancer"
  • Lars Scheibner
    Key Cast
    "Dancer"
  • Yvonne Wagener
    Key Cast
    "artist"
  • Benjamin Eichhorn
    Key Cast
    "artist"
  • Stefan Eichbauer
    Key Cast
    "artist"
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short
  • Runtime:
    16 minutes 26 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    35,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Germany
  • Country of Filming:
    Germany
  • Shooting Format:
    H264 4K
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Wolfgang Christoph Schmiedt

Wolfgang Schmiedt is a professional guitar player, music producer, composer who works in the field of theatre music, multimedia-projects and since 2019 in film. He collaborates with musicians and artists all over Europe and North America, mostly inspired by the idea of jazz and improvised music. The Tryptichon Echo Homo is his first work as a filmmaker.

His filmmaking evolved through composing music. Works as a freelance musician with different musicians and composers all over Europe and North America, mostly inspired by the idea of jazz and improvised music. Prices at international contests, i.e. Belgium and Leverkusen He studied guitar at the Hanns Eisler Music Conservatory, later on also culture management. Works also as composer / producer. Released around 25 CD´s as musician and also around 25 as producer. He works a lot in the field of theatre music and Multimedia-Projects. He was acting head of the Department of Popular Music at the Hanns Eisler Music Conservatory, Berlin. Actual teaching composing / producing / guitar at the Music Conservatory, Rostock.
Succesful appearances with various groups at various festivals all over the world.
Special artistic focus at the cross between old european traditions and actual musical languages. In the last years performances and installations with “non musical” sounds like noise of bodies and of technical equipment especially from medicine. This was at least the start for going into the field of film.
Also working as artistic director of many festivals, i.e. „LichtKlangNacht“, Harbour Symphonies, „Montagsbalconies“ and other urban art projects.

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Director Statement

Fire and a powerful primal physicality of artists and dancers bring this evolution to life whilst complex technology is utilised to project digitalised mappings onto flames, forest, and moving bodies – all of which are led by the recordings of approximately 250 different, divergent, and distinct breaths; “HOMO ERECTUS - I can breathe” is an ode to life.