DOHA: An exciting array of community activities is in store at the Ajyal Youth Film Festival ‘Family Week-End’ today and tomorrow at Katara Esplanade.
The activities have been designed to familarise audiences with the filmmaking process by providing them entertaining behind-the-scenes insights.
The experience begins at the Ajyal Studio where people of all ages can indulge in a ‘Movie Experience,’ giving them the opportunity to stand in front of a green screen and be part of a movie poster of their choice, making them the star.
Children can learn to create unique scrapbooks; draw and produce an animation reel from a storyboard; participate in a conference or learn simple animation techniques inspired by anime in the Hataraky Workshop.
A Sony tent will present audiences the opportunity to interact with the brand new PlayStation 4 and a ‘One Second’ campaign car simulator, for the Qatar International Safety Centre, aimed at instilling the basics of road safety in children between 12 to 18 years.
Another highlight of the Festival is ‘The Sandbox,’ an interactive space offering the latest in film and digital technologies. The ‘interactive playground’ features interactive installations, educational games, apps, new digital creative tools, and hands-on production activities.
From ‘Body Paint’ that allows visitors to interact with an installation using their body as tools to draw on a virtual canvas, to ‘WebCam Piano,’ a research project on the interpretation of movement into sound, ‘The Sandbox’ is guaranteed to appeal to all ages.
Children can engage with a virtual ecosystem populated by insects in the ‘Please Don’t Feed the Bugs’ exhibit; the ‘Digital Mirror’ provides a reinterpretation of the classic funhouse mirror; and take delight in the creation of props with a 3D printer demo.
A filmmaking form brought to life, the ‘Stoptrain’ sheds light on the technique of ‘Stopmotion,’ wherein children can interact with an animation of a train journey in a landscape that grows and changes through the course of the Festival.
The workshop will emphasise the attention-to-detail that goes into creating and editing stopmotion animation. Qatar Assistive Technology Centre MADA displays an interactive musical instrument with a switch access gaming station; while Northwestern University in Qatar has a TV studio where visitors can learn how a fast-paced TV studio works.
The activities are held from 2pm to 11pm today and from 2pm to 8pm tomorrow at Katara Esplanade.
The Peninsula
