Nightshift (Yövuoro)
Puppet and clay animation, Finland, 2004
Directors: Sara Wahl, Samppa Kukkonen, Simo Koivunen
Language: No dialogue
Colour: Colour
Runtime 7 minutes
Shorts synopsis
A bird and a bat live as neighbours, sharing a tree. Their different lifestyles lead to a tense situation...
Long synopsis
A bird and a bat share a tree but have different lifestyles. While the bat works at night, the bird works in the day. While the bird has children, the bat has not. And while the bat tries to sleep during the day the bird keeps it awake. At first, when the bird wakes the bat by talking to its chicks, the bat just turns away and tries to get back to sleep. But the worse is to come as the bird sets about the frustrating task of catching a worm for the chicks' hungry stomachs.
After a restless sleep, the bat wakes and sets about its nightly business of catching fireflies. When it returns to the tree, it pays a visit to the bird's children. When the bird wakes, it calls for its children and there is no response. It tries again, but still no response. The worried bird checks in on her chicks and realises that the bat has come up with a solution to both their problems: it has put all of its food into the bird's nest. Now the bat can get its sleep and the chicks can eat as much as they want.
Background
Made by three students at the Turku Arts Academy in Finland, Nightshift went on to win the 2005 Jameson Short Film Award at the Tampere International Short Film Festival and has shown at other festivals around the world, much to the surprise - and delight - of the film-makers.
With no dialogue in the film, colour and movement have been used to develop tension and create characters. The bat, black with red eyes, represents darkness and night while the bird, colourful with a big yellow beak, represents brightness and daylight. The contrast between their appearances is equal to the contrast in their lifestyles, and the viewer is encouraged to think these differences inrreconcilable. Eventually, the conflict between the two lifestyles is resolved.
Teaching materials and additional materials
The teaching materials have been developed by practising teachers to provide a springboard for your own work with your pupils. Feel free to use and adapt them appropriate to your pupils' needs.
There are also some stills and additional materials, provided by the film-makers, that can be used to develop your work with the film and deepen pupils' understanding of the process of film-making.
