From a Bachelor's thesis to the big screen

An animated film by four graduates of the Media Design program at RWU Ravensburg-Weingarten University of Applied Sciences (see the video above for a clip) was selected for the 2026 Upper Swabia Film Festival. The film also won a silver award at the prestigious ADC Talent Award Germany.

Lukas Böttner, Marc Eisler, Maria Seemann, and Jakob Wagner developed the film, titled “Birdshot,” as part of their bachelor’s theses. The result is a short film about a murder on the runway. A high-fashion model on the verge of breaking out is killed in front of an audience. The audience watches—but feels no emotional connection. In this way, the film also addresses our everyday exposure to images of violence and death on social media and in the news.

First the Technology, Then the Story

The creative process is noteworthy: The four students did not start with the story, but with technical questions. Among other things, they wanted to find out how materials and fabrics could be animated convincingly. Only after considering these technical aspects did they develop the concept for the story. Among other things, they drew inspiration from the 2010 American psychological thriller “Black Swan.”

With these preliminary studies, the four could also have moved in the direction of product visualization, a field that might be closer to their future professional lives. Instead, the RWU students opted for something else: “Before starting our careers, this was our last chance to simply do whatever we felt like—without it being a specific client commission,” explains Lukas Böttner.

Combining Art and Design

Over the course of a semester, the group met regularly with their supervising professor, Markus Lauterbach, and Fabian Heller to discuss their progress and seek professional feedback. “In my view, the bachelor’s thesis brilliantly combines art and design. From an artistic perspective, it sheds light on social issues such as social isolation and media desensitization. The design process, on the other hand, benefits from a meticulous integration of various disciplines such as concept, environmental, and fashion design,” says Markus Lauterbach.

The finished project was ultimately presented at the Linse in Weingarten—the movie theater that also serves as the venue for the Oberschwaben Film Festival. There, the students were approached and encouraged to submit “Birdshot” to the festival. Their efforts paid off: The film made it into the festival program.

Compelling Visual Aesthetics

“Birdshot fascinated me with its very distinctive visual aesthetics and clever use of AI. The main character comes across as unapproachably perfect and yet very vulnerable at the same time. This ambivalence of emotions challenges viewers to embrace new cinematic perspectives,” explains Helga Reichert, founder and director of the Oberschwaben Film Festival.

The Ambivalence of the Title

And the name “Birdshot”? In a film context, the term refers to a bird’s-eye view—a camera angle that looks down on the action from above. It creates distance, makes people appear small and isolated, and can simultaneously evoke a perspective that feels almost fateful. The term also refers to ammunition used in shotguns for bird hunting—which explains the bird-like elements in the characters’ makeup and costumes in the film.

Founding Their Own Studio

The four graduates jointly founded the design studio “Youth + Ignorance” and thus launched their own business. Markus Lauterbach adds: “This group project is a great example of how students in the Media Design program get to know one another, become friends, and go on to found a creative company together after graduation. I wish the graduates all the best for their future!”

Film Screening

“Birdshot” will screen on Saturday, October 10, 2026, as part of the Oberschwaben Film Festival at 8:30 p.m. at the Kulturzentrum Linse in Weingarten. For more information and tickets, visit: filmtage-oberschwaben.de