The title “Speed Trials” comes from a song by deceased songwriter Elliott Smith. The idea to film Speed Trials was spontaneous. We wanted to produce a professional-looking film in a short time, using unprofessional means.

We “drew” and arranged the animations with Microsoft Paint and a PhotoStudio application. We just pointed the camera—which was positioned on top of a pile of paperback comic books—at the monitor screen and clicked our way through the animations from beginning to end. In the background we played music, and then we let the film progress to the rhythm of its beats.

All in all, it took only a few hours to film the production and it didn’t cost a cent, which is why, from our perspective, we feel we accomplished our goal to achieve the greatest possible effect with the least effort and expense.

As the film shows, we want to make people think about the fact that technical progress does not always mean progress for society. Speed Trials also means “to make short work of things”—and it is the speed trial which humanity is subjecting itself to that is responsible for the destruction of small and beautiful things, for example, snails!