The Cat Who Wanted to Make a Movie

Contact:

C. P. 1676

CH-2001 Neuchâtel

Switzerland

Tel. + 41 (0)32 723 77 00

Fax + 41 (0)32 723 77 19

E-mail: box@lanterne.ch

www.lanterne-magique.org

Available at www.cinebazar.org – the youth portal of the international cinema club for children The Magic Lantern – the series “The Cat Who Wanted to Make a Movie” -takes youthful Internet surfers on a step-by-step initiation into the making of a film, from an initial idea right through to its release in the cinemas. Through it’s interactive concept, this site introduces children to the Internet tool using confidence-building techniques. It also teaches patience, persistence, how-to-listen and, stimulates the imagination.

The site is in « flash » animation form and is as long as a full-length film. As in a real film, professional actors recorded the character’s voices and original music was composed specifically for the animation.

“THE CAT WHO WANTED TO MAKE A MOVIE” is broadcast on the Internet in episodes. The first ones are already online. At the end of each episode, the date for the following broadcast is indicated. This series is one of the websites of the CINE-BAZAR portal, created by the non-profit organisation The Magic Lantern, an international cinema club for children. By the end of 2012 you will be able to discover the fabulous Moviepedia, a data bank also in five languages, listing all films for children.

The characters in “THE CAT WHO WANTED TO MAKE A MOVIE” are warm and easy to identify with. This avoids discrimination (by sex or skin colour). The dialogues are spoken. This allows all children to follow the story even if they do not yet know how to read.

…who speak five languages!

Available in five languages (English, French, German, Italian and Spanish) the website allows anyone to put him or herself into the skin of a young, « cat-like », novice, moviemaker. The cat takes the cyber-visitor by the hand and leads him through a step-by-step explanation of cinematographic production with choices and decisions to make - all part of the requirements of such an undertaking.

In the form of monthly episodes (divided into five to ten small « films »), this site helps Internet surfers to discover the key steps in the making of a film, from the basic idea right up to the big cinema screen release. The total time of “THE CAT WHO WANTED TO MAKE A MOVIE” is 1 hour and 15 minutes, with each episode lasting about five minutes in length.

“THE CAT WHO WANTED TO MAKE A MOVIE” is intended to familiarise its users with the various different modes of cinematographic production. It shows us the difficulties that can be encountered in respecting cultural diversity, when standardised formats such as those used in big blockbuster productions are applied. It also draws the user’s attention to the choices and restrictions relative to every artistic enterprise.

This internet site, using a playful, interactive format, attempts not only to explain to children how to make a film, but also, simply, how to use a mouse (teaching computer techniques). Interactive bubbles explain or comment on the protagonist’s methods as well as the consequences of decisions, taken by a hero seeking out the various modes of artistic creation.

Accessible to everyone in five languages for free, “THE CAT WHO WANTED TO MAKE A MOVIE” also contributes to the educative process with respect to language learning. Families and friends, eager to learn about languages, can watch it in front of the same computer screen. We hope that it will quickly become a must-have recreational tool for language courses appreciated by teachers and students alike.

Destined for children, schools and families around the world, “THE CAT WHO WANTED TO MAKE A MOVIE” is accessible on any computer. It has successfully championed the technical challenge of combining of a very short loading-time with high quality cartoon animation.

The goal of this website is to help discover the Internet and the cinema on a world wide scale thereby contributing to the international educational profession.

Frédéric Martin

Florence Quartenoud

Luca Secrest

Claudia Schätzle

Jens Clamor

voices – Italian version Silvia Tortarolo

Gianfranco Miranda

Alessandro Pala

Frédéric Martin

Shirley Anne Hofmann

Mark Tudor Locke

voices – Spanish version Luis Bordonada

Teresa Larraga

Oswaldo Felipe

recording and mixing Studio des Usines, Neuchâtel, Suisse

with the support of La Loterie romande

Swiss Confederacy, Federal Office of Culture OFC

e-learning

ProCinema

Fonds pour l’encouragement de la culture cinématographique du canton de Neuchâtel

La Fondation du 125^ème de la Neuchâteloise