Three colourful characters attempt to communicate with each other across time and space. It doesn’t always work out because sometimes there’s noise on the line, and sometimes things go wrong. But the movement forms a choreography in the end.

CONCEPT

The narrative of Satellit was based on a feeling of isolation. Each character is placed in its own inner world from which it tries to communicate with the other two. None of the characters can see what is going on inside of the others.
The narrative is build around the choreography, that has three layers:

1. The dance in front of the camera.
2. The movement of the camera in relation to the dance in front of the camera.
3. The camera movement that travels across the edit.

The choreography is based on extensive research on how to reestablish the kinaesthetic experience on screen, that one can have while watching a live performance. Through the body movement and filmic elements, we wanted to make a film that is dancing in every element to let the audience feel the film.
The dance material is initiated by the extremities of the body: fingers, head and feet, that function as antennas. When the dancers receive a signal, the body reacts by shaking, jumping, turning, falling, sinking or another movement, that develops the next signal to be send.
The camera movements across the editing was developed alongside the dance. In order to have continuous directions, we edited all rehearsal material before we filmed the actual footage.

The aesthetics of the film is inspired by TV for children and computer games, accompanied by a music score and sound design highly inspired by 8-bit used in older computer games.

Satellit won the category ‘Best Experiment’ at the Ekko Shortlist Awards 2014, and was nominated for two categories ‘Best Editing’ and ‘Best Original Music’.

Claus Christensen, editor-in-chief Filmmagazine Ekko, 5/8/2013:
“There is probably no subject, that interests me less than modern dance, but the production company  Friishaynes has decided to revitalise dance film in a way that is deeply catching and fascinating… with Satellit they have taken a step further and produced choreographer and director Maia Elisabeth Sørensen, who has created a complete, abstract dance film filled with humour.
The dancers are Nanna Schaumburg-Müller, Kristina Skovby and the director herself Maia Elisabeth Sørensen. Nevin Eronde debuts as a film composer with music, that plays congenially with the images and is half the experience…”