Orlac Reloaded

180° panoramic short feature film Omnicam shooting within the framework of the PRIME research project

For the first time in Germany, a 180° panoramic short film was made. The five- minute film is called “Orlac reloaded” – an adaptation of the 1925 film classic “The Hands of Orlac”. Orlac reloaded is a film within a film. Based on the novel “Les Mains d’Orlac” by Maurice Renard (1920), the audience experiences the filming of this spine- chilling plot: The great concert pianist Paul Orlac is in a terrible train accident and loses his hands. A story about hands that no longer obey their master.
A special 180° camera rig was constructed for the production. “As well as the great technical challenges, this format also presents new requirements for dramaturgy and mise-en-scène. The narrative structures have to be adjusted for the 180° screen and the room sound,” explains Josef Kluger when describing his job as director. Michael Hammon, professor of camera studies at the HFF university and cameraman responsible for Orlac reloaded, is particularly pleased about the opportunities this type of filming offers his students: “It is wonderful to research the design possibilities of this new cinema format together with the students and such excellent partners, and try it out in practice.”