Press
release19.12.2002
Shooting in
Studio 1(Photo by Jan Buus)
FILM-X is a new concept
developed by the Danish Film Institute (DFI). In only two hours FILM-X
studio gives children a complete experience of the creative process of
filmmaking as well as the magic, special effects, illusions and history
inherent in film. FILM-X is a complete film production milieu consisting
of four film studios, as well as a sound studio, animation studios,
editing stations and a laboratory, all linked by digital
network.
The studio is designed
for teamwork - for children, adolescents and adults, each person taking on
a special task; for example, as director, camera operator, actor, editor
or sound recordist. Individuals, however, can visit FILM-X and choose
whether to be placed in a group or work alone on activities that do not
require a film crew. Instructions at the studio are bilingual, in Danish
and English, and a folder in English has been prepared for foreign guests.
FILM-X provides
assignments at three levels, creating challenges for all age groups. Films
can be made more sophisticated by using edits, sounds and captions. The
key to the film studio is a swipe card, containing the filmmaker's digital
signature, enabling studio technology to keep tabs on the sequences of
each film. In the laboratory, the material created by each team is
committed to a CD ROM enabling each visitor to leave the studio with a
completed film.
Introduction to
various filmmaking techniquesVisitors to FILM-X can test
their artistic abilities at four studios: Studio 1 combines real-life sets
with digital green screen backgrounds, enabling the filmmaker to create
stories that include castles and witches and nocturnal dinosaur invasions,
while the actors climb on to a balcony for safety. Studio 2 is a purely
digital set where the filmmaker can shoot stories inspired by the
international co-production "Help, I'm A Fish!", or where the image of an
actor can be diminished in size enabling him/her to raid the counter of a
candy shop. Studio 3 revives the rear projection technique, where the
filmmaker can work on a dialogue as a member or members of the cast sit in
a Morris Mascot driving along a beach, or take the car for a flight
through the air, or use it to flee from a villain. Studio 4 gives the
filmmaker the opportunity to produce flip cartoons or to use stop frame
motion.
In the two animation
studios, a gallery of backgrounds and characters are ready and waiting to
be brought to life. For those who desire a more sophisticated challenge
there is the possibility of creating sound effects which can elevate their
short film to a little masterpiece through simple means, as well as
digital technique. All footage can be refined by adding edits, sound
effects and music at one of the seven editing stations.
Visitors and
opening timesThe studio provides teaching materials as well
as advice on teaching methods and various other facets of filmmaking.
Throughout Tuesday to Friday FILM-X is open for school visits for 2 ½
hours at a time, while Saturdays and Sundays are reserved for the general
public who may book the studio in modules of 2 ¼ hours. For special
projects the studio may be booked for full-day visits. Entry to FILM-X is
free of charge, however, a fee, paid in advance, is charged for materials.
Details of opening hours and charges are available at the DFI website
address below.
Extensive
interest in the initial weeksFunded by the Egmont Foundation
and Nordisk Film Fund, the DFI opened FILM-X on November 13th 2002. In the
course of the first month, the interest showed by educational institutions
as well as the public at large was so extensive that FILM-X, in a short
space of time, was booked for months ahead, and some 500 studio guests
have taken home their own CD ROM, a film of their own making.
For further
information (instruction levels, opening hours, booking,
school visits, weekend visits, charges for materials): http://www.dfi.dk/sitemod/moduler/filmx/index.asp?pid=13240
FILM-X
Anne Bertram, Manager tel +45 3374 3670, anneb@dfi.dk
Press &
InformationVicki Synnott tel +45 3374 3438 vickis@dfi.dk