Dziecięca Wytwórnia Filmowa (DWF)
- Children's Film Factory is the name of an animated film workshop
for children in the primary school age (up to 14) that has been existing
since 1985. DWF started to operate as early as in the epoch of celluloid.
Its beginnings resemble a bit the times of Emil Reynaud, an animated
film precursor, as well as the beginnings of the cinema itself before
the cinematograph had been invented, as the work with children started
not from a camera and filmmaking, but from projections, riddles and
discussions, from constructing simple toys, drawing phases of movement
on little sheets, empiric sight inertia testing, manipulating a slide
projector, learning how to make pictures and process photosensitive
materials. A camera appeared one year later and together with it all
the possibilities those which have emerged at the moment when Thomas
Edison made the first animated film with the use of a cinematograph
by recording a process of drawing pictures, and those which could
just come to our minds. We have experimented with the camera in all
possible ways, animating literally everything in the range of our
eyes objects, drawings, spilled paints, as well as living figures,
which was the most fascinating for children as they could become characters
of their own episodes and watch themselves on the screen. There were
a lot of children, over a dozen and more, whereas there was only one
camera. With a typical, individualistic approach this could have ruined
realization plans. On the other hand, animation itself is such an
arduous and time-consuming technique, requiring patience and consistency,
that from its proper nature it is as if inaccessible for children.
In this situation, team work - an entirely innovatory in contrast
to classic, individual animation working method - turned out to be
an excellent solution. What in those conditions could have become
an obstacle and a deficiency started to construct unique specifics
of DWF's films.
Together, children prepared set elements, animated, added ideas to
the script, took care for the film plan, set the lights, operated
the camera, and at the end of shooting participated in technological
processing of the shot material by putting the tape to corex, blending
reagents, checking temperature, rinsing the developed film and hanging
it to dry... Working in this way they gained an idea about the entire
process of filmmaking- from a concept to putting the reel on the projector.
That is why we have taken the name Children's Film Factory.
Even though over the years children changed and new techniques of
picture recording emerged this name till today has retained its original
sense, and in time became an own brand of animations that have their
proper, recognizable character. Although since 2000 we have been working
on the basis of a digital medium we still use a classic still-frame
technique. Both films based on ones own ideas taken from life or
imagination and adaptations of literary works are created here. Some
of them are individual realizations of participants, on others children
work in a group, debating together over the script, together creating
elements for the set and in turns animating subsequent episodes of
the film. Sometimes a film is created basing on linking individual
variations and attempts to express a common theme or story.
In workshop classes artists from different domains and media often
take part, presenting their technique of creation of pictures, sculptures,
spatial arrangement, photography, graphics, film, 3D animation and
music
Encounters with workshop aspects of these domains, thematically
related with definite ideas, facilitate using various animation techniques
at film realizations, widening perception of widely understood art
and demonstrating how much animation can derive from it.
DWF cultivates the tradition of familiarizing children with the history
of this genre through projections of artistic animated film works,
as well as meetings with outstanding authors, just as it took place
during Piotr Dumała's exhibition and workshop presentation, or meetings
with authors such as Witold Giersz and Professor Jerzy Kucia in Entropia
Gallery. The opportunity of having contact with personalities and
works of great authors, notwithstanding how much it could surpass
childrens perception as regards realization capabilities or the contents
conveyed, has a major meaning for its development and leaves in children's
imagination indelible traces.
DWF makes it possible for children to take the role of creators, to
change their attitudes from passive and consumer-like to active towards
surroundings, culture and media. We do not assume that every kid will
some day become a filmmaker, yet we do hope that they will free themselves
from idle staring into screens and in the future they will be creative
people, more aware and educated. And parenthetically quite good films
are created
.
Alicja Jodko
________________
Alicja Jodko is a philosopher by her education, her main occupation
are editorial graphics, visual poetry, multimedia and film especially
animated, and in the DWF she teaches children realize animated films
in frames of a classic still-frame technique, in a specific way running
group workshop classes.
This project has been carried out with the financial support of Local
Authorities of Wroclaw City.
translation: Anna Molik
DWF (Children's Film Factory) Awards:
f i l m s
______
"Epidemia" ("Epidemic") by Mirek
Antoniewicz and Maciek Wojtaś
- 7th Polish Review of Children and Youth Animated
Film (OPDiMFA), Warsaw 1989 - 3rd main award in the national competition;
"Collage - kolarz" ("Collage - Cyclist")
by Jacek Wojtaś
- 8th OPDiMFA, Warsaw 1990 - 1st main award in
the national competition, 2nd main award in the international UNICA
competition;
- 36th National Amateur Film Competition (OKFA), Konin 1990 - award
for the best debut;
"Kamień"
("A Stone") by Maciek Wojtaś
- 8th OPDiMFA, Warsaw 1990 - special distinction;
"Wojna grzybów
z muchami" ("Mushrooms' War with Flies") by
Jacek Wojtaś, 1991
- 10th PDiMFA, Warsaw1992 - special award for
Jacek Wojtaś for creative imagination in animated film;
- 28th National Amateur Film Festival "Pol-8", Legnica 1994
- festival's Grand Prix; smear
"Świeżo malowane"
("Wet Paint") , "HOPlita" ("The
HOPlita") by Mieszko Karnas
- 22nd International Film Festival "Allowed
below 21", Warsaw 2004 - distinction of the Director of the festival
for Mieszko Karnas for the best debut;
"Bałwany"
("Dotty Snowmen") by Ola Popinska, 2004;
- jury award, Ist IFF "321-Start", Kudowa Zdr. 2006, Poland
"Spóźniłem
się, bo..." ("I'm late, becau..."), group realisation,
2002
- 50th OKFA, Konin 2004 - award for the best animated
film;
"DWF przedstawia" ("DWF Presents"),
group realisation, 2003
- 7th International Film Festival "OFFCINEMA",
Poznań 2004 - Brązowy Zamek (award Brown Castle) in age category up
to 17;
"Spacerek" ("A Little Walk"), "Bałwany"
("Dotty Snowmen") by Ola Popińska
- 7th International Film Festival "OFFCINEMA"
- special distinction for Ola Popińska;
"Spacerek" ("A Little Walk") by
Ola Popińska, 2004
- International Film Festival "1 Minuta",
Buk 2004 - 3rd main award;
- international professional jury prize for the
best one minute film at the category 6-12 years old;
- the kids jury prize for the best one minute film, IFF "Kids for
Kids", Nicosia 2006, Cyprus;
"Koszmarna noc" ("A Nightmarish Night")
by Michał Jodko, 2004
- European Meetings of Creative Teenagers "Spójrz
na mnie" ("Look at me"), Kielce 2004 - special award
in film competition;
- 10th National Autors' Animated Films "OFAFA", Krakow 2004
- main award in non-professional film category ex equo with "I'm
dreaming/I'm scrawling..."
- International Festival of Animated Films "ANIFEST", Czech
Republic, Trebon 2005 - 1st award for the best film in age category
up to 14;
"Butelka" ("Bottle") by Malgorzata
Popinska, 2005
- jury award, Ist IFF "321-Start", Kudowa
Zdr. 2006, Poland
"Skrócona
historya świata z gliny" ("A Short Story of the World
of Clay"), group realisation, 2005
- special distinction at cat. up to 17, IFF "OFFCINEMA",
Poznan 2005, Poland;
- special prize of international jury in category - film made by children,
Int. Fest. of Animated Films "AniFest", Trebon, Czech Rebublic,
2006;
- jury prize, I IFF "321-Start", Kudowa Zdr. 2006,Poland
"Potwór marnotrawny"
( "Prodigal Monster") by Emil Baran, 2005
- main jury prize in non-professional film category,
National Autors' Animated Films Festival "OFAFA", Krakow 2005;
- jury award, Ist IFF "321-Start", Kudowa Zdr. 2006, Poland;
"Paweł i Gaweł"
( "Paul and Gavel"), group realisation, 2005
- international professional jury prize for the
best animation film at the category 6-12 years old, IFF "Kids for
Kids", Nicosia 2006, Cyprus;
"IQ"
by Dorota Jodko, 2006
- jury award, Ist IFF "321-Start", Kudowa
Zdr. 2006, Poland
f i l m s e t s
__________
"Kolaż" ("Collage"),
"Opowieść o rybaku" ("A story about a fisherman")
/group realizations/
- 4th Amateur Animated Film Festival "FAZY'87"
in Bielsko Biala --special award for DWF for the best film set;
"Grześ" ("Greg"),
"Tom", "...",
"Spóźniłem się, bo..." ("I'm late, becau...",
"Marzę/mażę sobie" ("I'm dreaming/ I'm
scrawling") , "DWF przedstawia" ("DWF
presents") /group realizations/
- 21st International Film Festival "Allowed
below 21", Warsaw 2003 - team award for DWF for the best film set;
- 10th Wroclaw's Film Spring, Wroclaw 2003 - 2nd main award for DWF
for the best film set;
- 1st Animation Festival "Reanimation", Lodz 2003 - jury's
special distinction;
"Spacerek"
("A little walk"), "Hoplita" ("The
HOPlita"), "Bałwany" ("Dotty Snowmen"),
"Świeżo malowane" ("Wet Paint"),
"Spóźniłem się, bo..." ("I'm late, because..."),
"Tom"
- 50th OKFA, Konin 2004 - Ministry of Culture
award for DWF for the best film set, honourable mention of youth jury
for DWF's film set;
"HOPlita"
("The HOPlita"), "Świeżo malowane" ("Wet
Paint"), "Spacerek" ("A Little
Walk"), "Bałwany" ("Dotty Snowmen"), "Koszmarna
noc" ("A Nightmarish Night"), Program:
WOJNY GWIEZDNE" ("The STAR WARS Programme"),
"EU/07", "Uwaga!!! WYPADKI!!!"
("ATTENTION!!! ACCIDENTS!!!")
- JUGENDMEDIENFESTIVAL, Berlin 2005 - special
distinction in age category up to 14 for Entropia Galery for the film
set;
"Butelka" ("Bottle"), "Potwór
marnotrawny" ("Prodigal Monster"), Katastrofa
Pompei" ("Catastrophe of Pompeii"), "Skrócona
historya świata z gliny" ("A Short Story of the World
of Clay")
- Intenational Film Festival "1 Minuta"
("1 Minute"), Leszno 2005 - 1st award for the set film;
"Wybór osła"
("Donkey's Choice") by Ola Popinska, 2006; "IQ"
by Dorota Jodko, 2006; "Dwa konce zwyciestwa" ("Two
Ends of Victory") by Jan Popiński, 2006; "Latawiec"
("Easy Kite"), by Wojciech Pomorski, 2006
- special jury distinction at the non-professional
category for the film set, National Autors' Animated Film Festival "OFAFA",
Krakow 2006,
- Polandand special jury award for DWF, Animated Film Festival "ReAnimacja",
Lodz 2006, Poland