Experiencing Interruptions?

The Rodeo of Madness

This is a story about a man who lived an ordinary life, until he experienced a vision, so pure and sublime, that it changed his conception of life. He pondered what held greater significance - this vision he saw that day, or anything else in existence. // This man is called "Der Jogi" - a butcher, looking for the best regional and sustainable products in the western alps of Austria. He developed a recipe for a high-end meatloaf (Leberkäse). Yes. Meatloaf. His first love. Now and forever. This is the story, how they met.

  • Niklas Hugo Schwärzler
    Director
  • Philipp Kleber
    Producer
  • Clemens Hillinger
    DOP
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    2 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 28, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    6,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Austria
  • Country of Filming:
    Austria
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Niklas Hugo Schwärzler

Niklas Hugo Schwärzler

is a director working in commercials, fashion & music-videos.

After graduating, he started to work in the industry on small projects and assisting on bigger commercial shoots, as he wanted to understand every aspect of filmmaking. He found himself shooting, editing & producing various projects, before switching to directing full-time.

Having a very visual approach of working helps him to bring the ideas onto the screen, to explore narratives and to define his dramaturgical voice. To dive deep into the sub-world of a topic, to find out what lies underneath the obvious. On the search to find something unpolished and authentic.

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Director Statement

The goal for this project was about finding a completely new and different approach for how to advertise a quite ordinary product. Creating this story around him about self discovery and insecurity helped me to find engaging visual and narrative elements to create a suspenseful story. It was about creating a world, where the Meatloaf is almost a spiritual, cosmic being - which opened up many great possibilities to tell this story.