Hopp, Helga: big conflicts, small rituals.
“Hopp, Helga” is an animated series by Katharina Müller and zeit:raum studios. It began as a master's project at the Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar and, funded by the Saarland film fund, is becoming a series project for streaming platforms in co-production with zeit:raum studios.
- Concept, direction & execution
- Katharina Müller
- Year
- 2024
- Production
- Katharina Müller, zeit:raum studios (co-production)
- Funding
- Saarland film fund (Saarländische Filmförderung)
- Format
- Animated series, episodes of five minutes at most
- Project status
- Series project for streaming platforms
A grandma, everyday life, many rituals.
The series tells of its characters' everyday life and of trivial conflicts that keep leading back to a deep-seated central conflict, which is revealed over the course of the series.
It all started with a trip to Kramsach in Austria for the 80th birthday of Katharina Müller's grandmother Helga. The footage from that trip produced running gags and brought out Helga's character. The model for the form was the comedy series “Familie Heinz Becker”.
Rules that carry a series.
Katharina Müller set rules for the series from the start: an episode lasts five minutes at most, and there are no supporting characters. The characters speak in dialect and are meant to feel as true to life as possible, as in a chamber play.
Format rules like these also decide whether a branded series or a microdrama carries a season across many episodes.
Five minutes at most
Short episodes demand a clear conflict per episode and make the series usable for streaming and social.
No supporting characters
The ensemble stays small. Every scene lives on the main characters and their relationship.
Dialect and chamber play
The combination of animation and true-to-life acting gives the series its own tone.
From master's project to series.
Katharina Müller completed her master's degree at the Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar in 2023 with “Hopp, Helga”. Funded by the Saarland film fund, she is developing the series further together with zeit:raum studios as a co-production for streaming platforms.
- Characters, sets and props in 3D
- Animation
- Scene images
- Series poster
Characters and scenes.
“It was important to me that my series is spoken in Saarland dialect, because I found the combination of animation and chamber play, where it matters to portray people as true to life as possible, innovative and exciting.”
- Concept, direction & execution
- Katharina Müller
- Co-production
- zeit:raum studios
- Funding
- Saarland film fund (Saarländische Filmförderung)
A series with clear rules.
Who is behind “Hopp, Helga”?
The animated series is by Katharina Müller, who also directs. It began as a master’s project at the Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar and, co-produced with zeit:raum studios, is becoming a series project for streaming platforms.
How long is an episode?
Five minutes at most. There are no supporting characters, and the dialogue is in dialect.
Who funds the series?
The Saarland film funding body (Saarländische Filmförderung).
Do you work with writers and directors whose story it is?
Yes. On co-productions we contribute production, technology and post-production and work with the creatives whose story it is.
