From 1 September to 25 October Michel Gondry’s Home Movie Factory – an interactive exhibition that lets everyone be in the movies – will be in Johannesburg at MOAD. The Home Movie Factory is part of the 2012 French Season in South Africa and provides the opportunity for moviemaking to become a fun group activity for anyone who wants to try it.
The exhibition is a space that stimulates play, imagination, collaboration and generally good vibes between participants and observers. It is the brainchild of cult French filmmaker Michel Gondry, whose credits include the Oscar-winning Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Green Hornet, Be Kind Rewind and the Science of Sleep, among others.
People from all walks of life are encouraged to visit and take part in the Home Movie Factory with no preconceived ideas about what they’ll shoot and or how. Once they’ve signed up, they’ll join a team and go through some simple rules and fun processes. In collaboration they’ll invent their film genre, title, story outline and characters. They’ll decide in which Factory locations the story will be set, which team member will operate the camera, who will play the characters and what props and costumes they’ll need. Then they will be set loose into the Home Movie Factory set, with its city street, three-roomed house, cafe and Highveld campsite among many others. They’ll drive cars that don’t move, flip switches to change the time of day or go from the city to the countryside and play with other fun interactive elements to tell their story.
The idea is not to produce good films but rather create for the sake of creating, having fun and sharing an experience together.
The Home Movie Factory in Johannesburg will be open Tuesday to Sunday from 09h00 to 18h00. From 1 September to 25 October. All adults and children over six can participate. It is completely free of charge and while pre-booking is recommended, it is not required. To book a slot online visit www.thebioscope.co.za/thehomemoviefactory
More spontaneous bookings can be made at the factory itself located at MOAD, 281 Commissioner Street in the Maboneng Precinct from 1 September onwards.
Those who do not want to make a movie and would rather observe activities are more than welcome.
