On short notice I was invited to deliver the opening talk atDocmedia – Exploring docmedia production through the lens of web-based and virtual reality technology at Filmuniversität Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF. I took the chance to write a new talk: HOW TO CREATE REALITY is also published on my blog.

21.06.2018


{ Florian | 24.06.18 }

I am guest via Skype @ Journalistischem Seminar @ Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, we discuss Forgotten Flags & Korsakow

09.05.2018


{ Florian | 10.05.18 }

Keynote talk @ Thinking Through Complexity conference @ Universität in Bayreuth.

06.04.2018

My first trip with the motorcycle this year.


{ Florian | 06.04.18 }


Workshop at TRT International Documentary Awards
15.05.2017

more about this trip


{ Florian | 15.05.17 }


Istanbul University
10.05.2017

more about this trip


{ Florian | 10.05.17 }

Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Institut für Kulturanthropologie / Europäische Ethnologie
03.02.2017


{ Florian | 03.02.17 }

LIFE ACCORDING TO KORSAKOW
– Die Art wie wir Geschichten Erzählen

 

(this podcast is in German)

Wie uns die Art, wie wir Geschichten erzählen blind macht, für die Welt. Ein Vortrag, den Florian Thalhofer am 11. Oktober 2016 anläßlich der #DKT16 in der Humboldt Universität in Berlin hielt. 

Music by Jim Avignon / Neoangin and Ilja Pollach, Cologne.


{ Florian | 11.10.16 }

This is be the second time I have the honor to speak at i-Docs symposium in Bristol. The last time was a couple of years ago, shortly after I had finished Planet Galata, with is a (normal to me) Korsakow film but also a linear version, that was made to be screened on ARTE television. In Bristol I reported under shock how insane it is, to construct a linear documentary, and that the result of such attempt should not be named documentary but what it is: fairy tale.

This talk was very important for me. It started to take me on a thinking process, a journey that I have been on for the last couple of years. I will try to formulate as clear as I can, what I found so far on this trip: The way we tell stories.

Wed, March, 2nd, 15:45, Bristol

Talk + Discussion with JUDITH ASTON and MARIA GEMAYEL.

Short abstract of my talk.


{ Florian | 27.02.16 }

Life According To Korsakow
– Stories Make Life

This episode is in English.

Episode II is about story telling. How stories shape out lifes, what Florian found in Egypt and the influence of the Hollywood format.

Music by Jim Avignon / Neoangin and Ilja Pollach, Cologne.

 


{ Florian | 19.01.16 }

Austrian television ORF recently broadcasted a documentary which examines the future of television. For this film a team from ORF also visited the Korsakow Institute and interviewed Florian Thalhofer.

Here are some passages of the film with his statements:

 

 

MENSCHEN, DIE AUF BILDSCHIRME STARREN
– ÜBER DIE ZUKUNFT DES FERNSEHENS

Das Fernsehen ist tot! Kaum haben wir uns an soziale Netzwerke und internetfähige Smartphones gewöhnt, da ist es auch mit der Gemütlichkeit des Wohnzimmers vorbei. Das Leitmedium TV ist entthront, manche meinen sogar: dem Tod geweiht.
Tatsächlich rüstet das Fernsehen auf und wird zum Super-Medium: Hochvernetzt, sozial und interaktiv, gerne einmal in 3D, omnipräsent, multifunktional und maßgeschneidert. Die Dokumentation “Die Zukunft des TV” von Siegfried Steinlechner verortet das Fernsehen im jetzt und geht den möglichen Szenarien der Zukunft auf den Grund.

Regie
Siegfried Steinlechner


{ Elissavet | 09.12.15 }

Life According To Korsakow
– Bilder und Realitäten

 

Life According To Korsakow is the title of  series of podcasts that we plan to put out on a non-regular basis. It explores Korsakow-Thinking.

The first issue is titled “Life According To Korsakow – Bilder und Realitäten” (This podcast is in German).


{ Florian | 01.12.15 }

2015-09-18 Cluj Jim
At CLUJOTRONIC an Electro Arts and Games Festival in Cluj, Romania I had the pleasure to do a interactive show with my good friend Jim and his band Neoangin.
Sep. 18, 2015

 

2015-09-19 Cluj Talk
One day later I gave a talk about Korsakow at the same venue. There were actually people in the audience. The picture was taken before the talk.
Sep. 19, 2015


{ Florian | 15.10.15 }

2015-05-27 DocsBarcelona

Talk about Korsakow and its philosophy at DocsBarcelona 2015.

 


{ Florian | 30.05.15 }

2015ZSOMA_ESODOCfiat-3

It was my Fiat’s last journey and being an Italian car, I thought it would be neat for it to do its last trip to the country were it originated from. Well, the car did not make it, in Austria it gave up. It was towed back to Germany and the Meister at the Fiat Fachwerkstatt told us that it would not even be worth changing the oil, not talking about fixing whatever was broken. He was so kind to give us 50 € for it, which was pretty much the value of the gas in the car. No car no more.

So we arrived with a delay at Schloss Goldrain, the wonderful location for this years start of the EsoDoc sessions, where film professionals and journalists from all over Europe develop their documentary projects. My wife Elissavet accompanied me and she had a job there as well. More about that later. My job was to offer people new ways of looking at narration. This is my speciality, of course, and I enjoyed myself a lot talking about the philosophy of Korsakow. Will I get ever tired of it?

2015ZSOMA_ESODOCtalk

Apart from my lectures I also had the pleasure to work with participants on their projects is group-sessions, that were called think tanks. Well I don’t like tanks, but I love thinking! The participants were amazing, amazing, amazing, so I learned a lot! I also learned a lot from the other lecturers, among them Raimo Lång from Finland, I got to know him the first time and I will never forget the conversation we had late at night at the wine cellar. After an intense day we were dead tired but could not stop discussing narration.

2015ZSOMA_ESODOC

Elissavet practiced some of her (what I sometimes call ‘witch craft’ and she calls – ) bodywork with participants of the workshop. It was a game between us, when I had to guess, with whom she had worked during the day. You could easily notice that, because of the people’s bright eyes and ideas. Sometimes I steal some of her tricks when I advice people on their projects. I can’t stop being surprised on the results.

This was a very intense week, with sessions starting in the morning and going till night. At the party at end of the week everybody was dancing wildly. 20 people from 18 different countries. My happiest moment was when an old song came up that I always listend to on my walkman, when I was 16 or 17.
The Pixies: Where is my mind?

May 3 – 8, 2015


{ Florian | 10.05.15 }

Checkpoint Netzdoku is a regular meeting of makers of webdocs. I have the pleasure to introduce Korsakow there.

April, 23 19h at Betahaus Berlin-Kreuzberg.

More info


{ Florian | 16.04.15 }

2015-04-15 Dessau

April 15, 2015 – 17:00h – Hochschule Anhalt, Dessau

30 minutes GELD.GR and 30 minutes Korsakow. How should we tell stories?


{ Florian | 08.04.15 }


{ Florian | 17.03.15 }

Just returned from a short trip to Brighton. I was invited by Crossover Labs and Sheffield Doc/Fest to give a one-day Korsakow workshop at the Lighthouse. The Crossover Labs guys had the brilliant idea to do a series of workshops with the leading softwares for creating interactive films. I am happy to see Korsakow among these softwares, with its unique angle. Before explaining the software, I talked quite a bit about the philosophy behind Korsakow, in contrast to the hyper linear approach of story telling in linear film and the multi linear approach of most other nonlinear story telling softwares. I made use of the combined brain-power of the workshop’s participants to understand what a story is. For quite a while I am now struggling with the question if a Korsakow film is a “story” at all. The phenomenon of a Korsakow film is for sure a narration. But is it a story?

 


{ Florian | 01.12.14 }

2014_tschk

It was the second time that I was invited to deliver a TSCHK! TALK. TSCHK! TAKLS have a long tradition, they take place at a very secret bar at the heart of the center of the still cool Berlin. I was quite a bit nervous. For all of you, who have seen more than one of my talks, you might have noticed, that I always say the same. This time I wrote a completely new talk, with a lot of exciting new and complicated thoughts. Unfortunately I read it all from paper, because some of the thoughts were so new to me. It was a premiere and afterwards I had to a promise to my team of advisers, that I will never read a talk off paper again (at least outside of university).

Since then I gave that talk two more times and then off the top of my head and in English, and that was really fun! The 1st German version might have been a bit dry. But we fought that dryness at the end of the evening with Tequila.

The title of the talk: “Why we should stop telling stories”.

Nov. 27, 2014
La Lupita @ Kottbusser Tor

 


{ Florian | 29.11.14 }

2014dox

 

Interactive documentary filmmaker Suvi Andrea Helminen spoke to the creators of two interactive storytelling tools (Florian Thalhofer and Hartmut Koenitz): how did they originate and will they inspire or reduce creativity in interactive storytelling? -> article


{ Florian | 22.10.14 }

Der Dokumentarfilm ist tot, es lebe der Dokumentarfilm

Der Dokumentarfilm ist mehr denn je das Medium der Stunde, um die gesellschaftlichen, politischen, wirtschaftlichen und ganz individuellen Entwicklungen in intensive filmische Erzählungen umzusetzen. Denn es geht immer darum, emotional zu verstehen, welche Auswirkungen die Veränderungen der Welt auf uns und unsere Kulturen haben. Dokumentarfilme gibt es in vielen Formen und Formaten, man kann sie im Internet, Fernsehen und auch im Kino sehen. Die Möglichkeiten der Finanzierung sind so vielfältig wie die Gestaltung. Über all diese Möglichkeiten gibt der vorliegende Band Auskunft, in dem ausgewiesene Praktiker zu Wort kommen und der auch neueste Trends berücksichtigt. Beiträge von Jörg Adolph, Michael Augustin, Frédéric Jaeger, Rudi Gaul, Florian Thalhofer, Kay Hoffmann, Egbert van Wyngaarden und Interviews mit Thorsten Frehse, Patrick Hörl, Julia Basler, Wim Wenders u.v.a.

Broschiert: 148 Seiten
Verlag: Schüren Verlag GmbH; Auflage: 1 (24. April 2014)
Sprache: Deutsch
ISBN-10: 3894728221
ISBN-13: 978-3894728229

 


{ Florian | 06.05.14 }

Florian is in Olomuc, a small town in Czech Republic to help filmmakers to develop their idea for a scientific documentary and give them more understanding for how narratives can be built for the internet. He tries to help to make the right decisions for the future.

The training program Camp 4 Science is a part of industry program of Academia Film Olomouc that currently ranks among top European festivals focusing on science documentaries.

 


{ Elissavet | 16.04.14 }

As part of  the East Doc Platform by the Institute of Documentary Film Florian Thalhofer will give a talk about Korsakow.

First A, then B, then C. Florian Thalhofer does not believe in that any more. But why is this the dominant structure when it comes to story-telling? Because the most influential form of narration is the one of linear film, where one still-image is glued to the following one, just like in the times of celluloid. Thalhofer proves that there are different ways. For more than 15 years he has been doing research on an alternative system to build narration called: ‘Korsakow’.

Open for: EDP accreditation & One World accreditation
Where: Cervantes Institute, Cinema Hall

March 5th, 2014
19:00-20:00 | Lecture: KORSAKOW: OPEN SOURCE FOR NON-LINEAR FILMS|


{ Florian | 02.03.14 }

Thalhofer_MIT1_bw

After my gig at MIT at the end of 2013 I was asked for a couple (!) of interviews. After the interview about Planet Galata by Mine Gencel Bek, that was published in Turkish here comes the second interview, this time about Nonlinear Narration and Korsakow in general. Thanks to Jeffrey R. Young!

 


{ Florian | 05.02.14 }

2013_11_Montreal

Socially Engaged Documentary and The Web
Panel at RIDM – Montreal International Documentary.

MODERATOR
Patricia Bergeron

GUESTS
Chris Dymond(Sheffield Crossover Labs), Remco Vlaanderen (Submarine), Philippe Lamarre (TOXA) and
Florian Thalhofer (Korsakow)

Monday November 18 th 2013/ 1pm/ Headquarters.Tickets here.


{ Florian | 18.11.13 }

2013-10-talkAthenx

I am currently preparing for a Korsakow-Talk at Biennale III in Frankfurt. Well, I talk about Korsakow all the time, but this time I will structure my talk in Korsakow. For that I sliced all my resent talks into small pieces and the audience will vote on what they want to see. This will be the third time this kind of talk will be performed, after Montreal and Athens both in 2010. Technically a bit tricky, it is fun, it is deep, it is an other Korsakow-experiment {in German}!

»Korsakow – ein alternatives, nicht-lineares Erzählsystem« Lecture mit Florian Thalhofer
Freitag, 1. November 2013, 12:30 – 13:30 Uhr im Frankfurter Kunstverein.


{ Florian | 28.10.13 }

201305_muenchen770

Florian Thalhofer talks about Korsakow and his Korsakow-films at DOK.forum which is part of DOK.fest Munich.

May 10, 2013
11.00 hrs // Rotes Kino


{ Florian | 09.05.13 }

201305_freiburg770

Together with Judith Aston from i-Docs Florian Thalhofer is lecturing at the Interactive Documentary Workshop which takes place at the Freiburger Film Forum.

May 9th, 2013
9 – 12:30 hrs

UPDATE: Great article by Judith Aston about the discussion that came out of the venue.


{ Florian | 08.05.13 }

201305_sxsw770

Florian Thalhofer in Texas – panel on nonlinear documentary at the South by Southwest® conference in Austin.

Tuesday, March 12, 2013
11:00AM -12:00PM

{ more }


{ Florian | 08.03.13 }

2013LinearityIsOverRated_FlorianThalhofer

2013_LECTURE-UT-AUSTIN


{ Florian | 01.03.13 }

Florian Thalhofer – Gast im Seminar “From Video Vortex to Popcorn”
21. Januar 2013 “Korsakow und nicht-lineare Videoerzählung”

– öffentliche Veranstaltung innerhalb des Seminars zu “Extended Video”

In einem Werkstattgespräch mit dem Künstler, Filmemacher und Erfinder des Korsakow-Systems, Florian Thalhofer, sprechen wir über seine Ideen, Konzepte und Erfahrungen im Zusammenhang mit dem Nicht-Linearen. Anhand von eigenen Filmen und Projekten werden in einem offenen Gespräch Themen wie nicht-lineare Narrativität, die Rolle neuer Spielräume durch digitale Medien wie auch die Bedeutung und Möglichkeiten von interaktiven Formaten im Zusammenhang mit Video-Audiences erörtert.
Gegenwärtig arbeitet Thalhofer an einem neuen Korsakow-Projekt unter dem Titel “The Money and the Greeks” (in Kollaboration mit dem Goethe-Institute Athen).
Weitere Hintergrundinformationen zu seiner Arbeit.

“From Video Vortex to Popcorn”

Montag, 21.1.13
17:00 – 18.30 Uhr
Sülztorstraße 21-25
Lüneburg


{ Elissavet | 20.01.13 }

Questions by Leda Galanou for flix.gr

Why do you believe it is important that the viewer actively participates in an art project or a discussion of any kind, instead of simply listening to arguments or narrations?

Many brains are more intelligent than one brain. This is a simple fact. I very much believe that the answers to the questions, the solutions to the problems are already available. It is not one brilliant mind that knows and spits out the solution. It is the combined mind of the people that harbors the knowledge. But of course it is not an easy task to access this wisdom. In today’s media it is all about having a competition between different opinions to find the winner, as if this winner than knows what to do. We all have to participate, listen and share and take some of the responsibility. I try to use computers to visualize and enable us to understand multiple realities. In this endeavor the brains of the people are of crucial importance. I don’t want an audience that shuts up and listens. I want an audience that participates in the thinking-process.

What are, in your opinion, the cultural elements which the Greek and German people of today have in common, and which are those which separate them?

Also among Germans there are many different cultures. I myself grew up in the south, my wife grew up in the north. People from the north of Germany are different from people in the south. Same goes for the west, the east, the center. There are 16 different states in Germany, each proud to have a different culture. So if you put all that together and say this is the German culture what is the difference to the Greek? Well I would say: German people for a few years experienced a very strong economy, which seems to be good for building up confidence. Greek people experienced a very weak economy for the last couple of years. That makes the main difference. Greeks and Germans are both Europeans, that is what they have in common.

How can the audience participation in a “Korsakow Show” be described, except for the fact that they determine the subject of discussion?

Basically the subject of discussion is given. We will talk about “money and the greek”. There are video-clips (interviews and short narrations collected by me and my partner Elissavet in two travels across Greece) and there are two thinkers (Dionyssis Kavvathas from Greece and Claus Leggewie from Germany) on stage. These are the ingredients of the show. The ingredients were carefully picked (also with the help of hundreds of people that helped preselecting the video-material) and now the audience is guiding the talk. They can vote which video-clip should be seen or which of the thinkers should be heard. The audience can comment on different levels. The show is a cooking-pot, and the audience is the cook. There is not one message or goal other than maybe: “Think productively.”

What is it, in your opinion, that the Greek audience can gain from such an intimate communication with their German counterparts instead of, for example, with the people of another country in financial crisis?

This show is not only for a Greek audience. We want to show it in Germany as well and maybe in other countries. I hope that it helps building a better understanding for each other, and bringing the stereotypes more in sync with reality.

Could the “Korsakow Show” be described as a transmedia project, since it develops in multiple platforms simultaneously?

For many years I have used computers as my medium to create narrations or narrative projects. I grew up with computers and in my opinion it makes so much more sense, to use the logic and structure of computers to build narrations, than other usually much more linear and mono-dimensional formats. We are at the beginning of a new era of understanding and discussing the reality around us. Computers are crucial to discuss and understand this new level of complexity. This is beautiful, it is like entering a new world. I am experimenting with this new formats. I don’t know how this formats are called. I call them “Korsakow”.

What was your own impression from your journey in Greece last year, what kind of memories did you collect?

People are wonderful. Greece is beautiful. I am proud to be European. The rest is in video-clips – come and see for yourself on Monday at the Goethe-Institut!

The Korsakow-Show “Was ist. geld.gr” takes place at the Goethe-Institut in Athens:
Oct 22, 2012, 20:30 h
Goethe-Institut Athen, Omirou 14-16, Athen


{ Elissavet | 22.10.12 }

The Money and the Greek” is the latest project of korsakow.tv, directed by Florian Thalhofer. It is still in the making and people are invited to preview selected raw-material and rate and discuss the material. You can either do that online or at special life-venues.

Our next Live-Preview we be held on

July 18
7 p.m.
@FilmCafé Berlin

Schliemannstrasse 15
Berlin

Looking forward to see you there!

 


{ Florian | 17.07.12 }

The Money and the Greek” is the latest project of korsakow.tv, directed by Florian Thalhofer. It is still in the making and people are invited to preview selected raw-material and rate and discuss the material. You can either do that online or at special life-venues.

The next Live-Previews will be held in Athens

June 22/23/24
8 p.m.
@Beton7
7, Pydnas St.,
Votanicos

 


{ Florian | 21.06.12 }

“The Money and the Greek” is the latest project of korsakow.tv, directed by Florian Thalhofer. It is still in the making and people are invited to preview selected raw-material and rate and discuss the material. You can either do that online or at special life-venues.

The 4th Live-Preview takes place in Berlin:
Wednesday, June 20th 2012
7 p.m.

Time has changed to 6 p.m.!

Please spread the word..

FilmArche
Schlesische Strasse 26, Berlin


{ Florian | 14.06.12 }

Help making this film!

THE MONEY AND THE GREEK

An appraisal by Florian Thalhofer – Co-production of the Goethe-Institute Athens with the Korsakow-Institute

End of 2011 and beginning of 2012 the media artist and documentary filmmaker Florian Thalhofer travelled Greece together with his friend Elissavet Aggou. They conducted numerous interviews and collected data for a new multiple Korsakow-project that Thalhofer is realizing in a co-production with the Goethe-Institute Athens.

Right now, the video-material is endued with rough cuts and subtitles. And it is already published online! You have the opportunity to rate and comment it – and to win a trip to Athens! Your comments are essential! You decide on what material we will continue to work.

Decide, which clips will make it into the Korsakow-film and which clips will be presented in the live shows. In your opinion: whose voice is notably important? Which statements impress, which points of view do you miss in the regular media? Rate, leave a comment – Your selection will influence the further discussion!

HOW IT WORKS

  1. Register here!
  2. You’ll be provided access to the clips which you can rate. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to leave comments.

WHAT IS MY OUTCOME

  1. Win a trip to either join the opening in Athens or come to Berlin and visit the artist! Among all the Korsakow-reviewers (who submit more than 15 rankings) we will raffle off a trip to join the premiere in Athens. We cover your flight and hotel expenses for 2 nights.
  2. If you rate more than 15 clips, you will be mentioned in the films credits.

Find more information on the website of the project!

So far, the website is in German and Greek only, but we are working on an English version as well! Some of the interviews are in English already..


{ Florian | 05.06.12 }

Lecture by Florian Thalhofer about Korsakow and linear vs. nonlinear storytelling.

May 23rd, 19:00 – 20:00 hrs

filmArche
Schlesische Strasse 26
10997 Berlin

For more information please visit the filmArche website


{ Florian | 22.05.12 }

Lecture by Florian Thalhofer about Korsakow, Planet Galata and linear vs. nonlinear storytelling. ...

 

DOKVILLE 2012: Vom Dokumentarfilm leben

Branchentreff Dokumentarfilm

 

Louis-Bührer-Saal, Uhlandstrasse 10, Ludwigsburg

May 4th, 11:00 – 13:00 hrs

 

Bericht über den Vortrag.

 


{ Florian | 17.04.12 }

Lecture by Florian Thalhofer about Korsakow, Planet Galata and linear vs. nonlinear storytelling.

Freie Universität

Takusstrasse 39, Berlin
April 12th, 14:00 – 16:00 hrs


{ Florian | 11.04.12 }

Florian Thalhofer was in hospital recently. During that time he wrote an article about the art of non-linear thinking. This article is now published with “Schnitt – Das Filmmagazin” Issue #66. Soon available everywhere you can buy newspapers and magazines (in Germany).

{The article is in German language.}

 


{ Florian | 11.04.12 }