The imaginary worlds of set designer Alex McDowell
Alex McDowell has set new standards with his screen designs for film and is one of the most accomplished and renowned representatives of his field. Since the 90s he has utilized and researched the possibilities of digital design. With his innovative style that mixes classic set design with digital effects, McDowell has set a unique stage for films like Fight Club, Minority Report, The Terminal, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. During his lecture at the Berlinale Talent Campus, Alex McDowell will provide Talents with a look into the fascinating process of creating imaginary worlds – a highlight of the six Campus days, and certainly not just for the young set designers of the Campus community.
"Short films expand Cinema"
Short films have secretly become the centre of cinematographic innovation with a potential that benefits not only the film industry but other artistic domains as well. For young filmmakers, short films are a kind of business card, an access point to the film industry. The genre, however, is increasingly (re-)establishing itself as a kind of experimental playing field for advanced cinema. Short films are abandoning the traditional movie screens more and more to become the crossroads for art and cinema –simultaneously avant-garde pioneer and aesthetic trendsetter. The Berlinale Talent Campus is seizing the opportunity to tap into this evolution and, together with Forum expanded and Berlinale Shorts , will present "Short films expand Cinema", an event that will give insight into new ways and spaces for presenting short films and the new hot spots of the short film scene. Panel guests will include the internationally successful and award-winning filmmaker and video artist Matthias Müller and the founder and curator of the international "Experimenta" film festival in India, Shai Heredia.