Von Dorsch

What follows is the obligatory Covid-19 statement that gets slapped onto every site. We are really being uncomfortably honest here. SHAME in 3, 2, 1 ...

Everything here is a film, isn’t it? We debated long and hard over the decision to establish von Dorsch and often had our doubts as to whether that was even a good idea. The first few weeks showed us that many things do work as expected. All three of us have achieved a new level of enjoyment in the work we do and found new grounds for hope in the film and advertising industry. It was with much euphoria and motivation that we lived through the initial weeks, our desire being to gradually emerge from our start-up stresses and build a serviceable and family-friendly structure. And as the month of March rolled around, a great big seagull came along and took a shit on the doorsteps of the entire world, including us. An initial round of gags and an “it’s not as bad as all that” attitude quickly gave way to uncertainty in response to the measures governments were taking and the tanking of the markets that ensued, and especially in light of the fact that “this is somehow going to result in the deaths of a great many people.” For us, as presumably for everyone else, this uncertainty alternated by turns with optimism and a panicked “shit, shit, shit!”

We have observed this to be the case almost everywhere: among our friends, partners, former employers, competitors, and even our clients. An initial shock-induced paralysis in all channels gave rise early on to order postponements and, little by little, the realization that it was now likely necessary to become innovative and rethink things. Germany must also quickly pull itself out of the year 2010 in matters of digitalization and make itself viable for 2020. In this situation, we are keeping our fingers crossed for those businesses and employees who are not yet accustomed to working from home. They are without a doubt going to have a lot of work to do.

Our families have witnessed with mixed feelings what we have had to go through with the freshly hatched Dorsch. Doubts may spread in light of the fact that our first impulse was to support the cultural scene and other businesses in our milieu. Both of these are things that the German society is (or was) as little inclined to invest in as it is in education, research or health. “Why are you doing that? Shouldn’t you make sure you have an income first and land a bread-and-butter job somehow?” That, too! But not only that. Society—that means us and it means you—has a great opportunity right in front of it. If we begin now to rethink things in earnest, then it will be possible for us to emerge from this crisis with positive insights and new approaches.

We will be securing the continued existence of our own business environment. Is that consistent with the common good economy? Perhaps. In any case, for us it makes sense to support the Volksbad performing arts venue in Flensburg as we know what a charming and extremely important cultural scene has developed around that entity. And we think is makes sense to support a yoga school so that regional fitness programs can be digitalized and made accessible to those in persistent isolation. We find it makes sense now to help out. Even though we, too, are but tiny cogs and are navigating terrifying waters, to be completely honest. For anyone can imagine what a three-man enterprise is capable of earning in the first four weeks.

AND YET YOU ARE STILL PRODUCING? ARE YOU CRAZY? Not at all. None of the measures that have been taken has prohibited us from working. On the contrary. We are, rather, being encouraged to carry on. Not to be forgotten are hygienic regulations, which we adhere to strictly. Since the middle of March, our studio office operations have been conducted on a distance basis or, at most, in pairs. For filming, our crews are scaled down to the absolute minimum needed, and ideas for larger but contactless shoots are being worked out. We are caught between “we must somehow feed our families” and “we must not recklessly endanger people in our studio.” We therefore adhere to the #stayinside policy as well as we possible can.

To conclude, we still have a few really important appeals to make to you:

#leavenoonebehind: Can you picture what is happening right now in the refugee camps? The most deplorable hygienic conditions. Shoulder-to-shoulder. Poor medical care. That is dangerous and inhumane. For all the worries we have right now concerning our own weakness, we must not forget that there are people who are even harder hit by this situation in an already horrible situation. Get involved with the evacuation of the camps and act to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. This is not a question of compassion but rather a question of fulfilling one’s duty as a human being.

Homeless people and the socially disadvantaged are dependent on you even under isolation conditions. Perhaps you just don’t seen them. Do not forget these people. Even old people, who preferably should not be scrambling about in the supermarket right now, could use help shopping. #stayinside should not turn into a state of hibernation in which you seal yourself off completely. Thank you for your attention. Stay alert and healthy.

Lukas, Jacob and Jasper