MediaLab Tour

The programme includes:

Green screen

GREEN SCREEN 4+

Have you ever dreamed of starring in a movie to play a time and space traveling hero? Would you like to see yourself walking in space or standing face to face with dinosaurs? It’s all possible thanks to the green screen.

This technology is used to create special effects and it inspires us to teach you about the process of how the fantastic scenes from your favorite movies were made.

At MediaLab not only will you be transported to exceptional places but you will also be able to set ordinary objects in motion, which will become unique props on the screen. Selected items of clothing will change colors and an ordinary ball held in your hand will become a shining moon.

Surrounded by green space and blue gadgets, you will be transported to a completely different reality.

Recording studio

FOLEY STUDIO 4+

Some movie sounds are very characteristic.
The rustling of trees, footsteps on a staircase, the sound of a bonfire.
They emphasize the atmosphere of scenes, give you goosebumps, and make you cry.

In foley studio you can learn just how many of those sounds were created far from a film set, in a small room filled with all kinds of ordinary objects.

The workshop will allow you to become a foley artist and, while carefully watching an animated film, create sounds that will complement the presented scenes.

Foley studio will show you that sometimes what you hear in the film is not always what you see on the screen. There, you’ll find coconut shells, thanks to which you will create a horse gallop, potato starch that’s often used for the crunchy sound of a fresh snow, and much much more.

The process of creating sounds in the foley studio is a creative fun that produces amazing effects that you’ll experience first hand.

Animation section

PIXILATION 4+

Each film, both animated and live action, is in fact a series of very quickly changing photographs that make up the film’s frames. It’s not motion but an illusion of it. That’s where the “stop-motion animation” name comes from – imbuing objects with life thanks to photography.

A person can become the object of such animation!

Pixilation, also called human animation, is a technique thanks to which we can create special effects without the use of modern technology.

Disappearing and reappearing in a completely different place, shrinking oneself, or bringing static elements of the scenography to life – it’s all possible thanks to that method.

In this activity, you won’t go to a chair – the chair will come to you. Your hat will become a warm beanie in a blink of an eye and your hair will start to style itself into an extravagant hairstyle.

PUPPET ANIMATION 4+

When we’re kids, we bring our toys to life with the power of imagination. At MediaLab, we can do it with the help of puppet animation! It’s an incredibly creative form of art that allows us to tell stories with physical objects.

In the workshop, you’ll be able to create scenography from magnetic blocks and make the city in your film build itself before your eyes. It will be populated by Stikbots – puppets with suction cups on their limbs that allow them to stick to various surfaces. Thanks to their amazing flexibility and the ability to maintain difficult positions, the Stikbots are the perfect puppets for animation, achieving a wide range of movements and expressions.

While using the stop-motion animation, you’ll create dynamic films filled full of colors and interactions between the characters.

CUTOUT ANIMATION 4+

Drawing, cutting things out, moving around, and taking pictures.
This is a simple way we can describe the process of creating a cutout animation...

The most important part is the animation part – making things move!

By animating, we bring inanimate objects to life and we turn pieces of colored paper into characters whose fluid movements we can observe on the screen.

The character can dance, wave to the audience or do a split – it’s all up to you!

Film is movement, and at MediaLab, each movement of a character is in your hands.

CEL ANIMATION 6+

Did you know that a piece of a clear celluloid sheet has revolutionized the animated film industry?

It is celluloid sheets that were used to animate Snow White and The Lion King, and in Poland – Bolek i Lolek and Reksio.

At MediaLab, you’ll get to know this technique of animation, popularized and used for decades by The Walt Disney Studios.

This technique used clear celluloid sheets with handmade illustrations that were placed on top of paper with already painted backdrops. Thousands of images created in this way were recorded using a stop-motion camera. Frame by frame, patiently and intently, these animations were created without the use of the technology we have today – works of human hands that with time became animated classics.

Travel back in time with us and create your own short film scene in this revolutionary technique.

STORY SCOPE 4+

Netherlands 2018 / 15’

Can a simple metal box tell stories?

Thanks to the technology used in StoryScope it is possible!

But nothing can happen without your help! Decide which elements should tell the story. Just as if you were writing a script, choose the hero of this adventure and the obstacles that they should face along the way.

Each element of your story is placed on a wooden stamp. After you arrange these stamps on the glass top of the box, you will see a brand new story unfold on the screen!

Encoded stamps, compatible with the technology hidden in the box, can bring your heroes to life. After you run out of characters and elements, you can simply draw them yourselves and encode them in a specifically chosen stamp. As you move the pieces around the glass surface,  you’ll see how the elements animated in StoryScope connect, intertwine, and interact with each other. Based on these actions, you will be able to become the narrators of the displayed story and familiarize yourself with the art of storytelling.

LIGHT PAINTING 4+

Photography is the art of time and light. By exposing photos for a long enough time, we can achieve amazing effects. Light images that look as if they were painted with a thick brush will appear on the camera's display after we take care of the appropriate equipment settings and lighting of the frame.

Shutter speed is a key element when creating paintings using flashlights, lamps and colorful LED lights.

The shutter is the eye of the camera – when it’s open long enough, the camera records in the photo what it sees. When you move the flashlight, painting a circle in the air, the camera will record a bright circle growing out of the darkness. However, not everything is so simple. To create paintings with light, you need the right conditions. You will find them with us.

At MediaLab, we will help you capture what is elusive – flashes and streams of light will become your brushes and help you understand the fascinating principles of photography.

HIDDEN FOLKS 6+

If the tasks related to searching for hidden objects in illustrations relax you, the unique game Hidden Folks is something that will make you stop for a long time while spending time in MediaLab.

Enter the world of black and white illustrations, maintained in a consistent convention, and focus your eyes on the details.

Immerse yourself in the sounds of the game extracted by the creator. Birds singing, the noise of the city, the sounds of cars – they’re all vocal sound effects created by the mouth of one man! After Foley Studio, Hidden Folks is another activity that reminds us that sound in a film is not just an addition, but an extremely important layer, determining the reception of the audiovisual work that we’re dealing with.

While looking for elements hidden on the screen, practice mindfulness, perceptiveness and the ability to focus on an image. All these traits are also important when you’re watching a film. Filmmakers often hide details on the screen that become crucial to the plot or constitute "movie tidbits" that enrich their works.

VR

KINOSCOPE 13+

dir. by Philippe A. Collin, Clement Leotard; France 2017 / 10’

It’s difficult to imagine a world without films and cinema.

Cinematography has come a long way and its fascinating history and evolution still inspires not only the enthusiasts of this industry, but also us – the viewers.

However, if you feel that you lack film knowledge, you can gain it in a unique way. Enter the world of virtual reality to meet both the film legends like the brilliant director Afred Hitchcock, or the creator of one of the very first special effects – George Melies, but also fictional characters that have permanently inscribed themselves in the history of film (including Rocky and Darth Vader).

Recognizing all of the characters in the game can be a challenge even for the greatest cinema connoisseur! Still, we believe that the experience of being in one space (in this case a virtual one) with the presented character will be far more worthwhile than just hearing about them. This shared journey through the history of cinema will stay in your memory for a long time and it will enrich your knowledge about the amazing world of cinematography.

KAYAK VR: MIRAGE 13+

Netherlands 2022 / 15’

This time it’s not a movie but virtual reality that will help you travel to amazing places and experience an adventure. If it’s not always easy for you to break away from your duties and relax, this form of activity will help you forget about the real world for a moment.

Here, you will find a real kayak and paddle, and when you’re ready to hit the road, put on the Oculus and they will transport you to a place where rushing water and wildlife will set the rhythm of your journey.

Kayak through icy caves of Antarctica, watch the Northern Lights in the Arctic Circle, swim with the dolphins in Costa Rica, and survive a storm in the Norwegian waters.Decide whether you want the gameplay to be a challenging, quest-filled experience or a casual, relaxing exploration. Thanks to this experience, you’ll go on a journey that will calm your mind and strengthen your body.

VR VOICEBALLS 13+

Netherlands 2018 / 10’

What would happen if we’d be able to light up the room with our voices instead of a lightswitch?

What would happen if we’d be able to form landscapes, create mountains, and raise the waves with our voices?

You will find the answers to these and many other questions related to the power of our voice by playing VR Voiceballs.

The voice is a powerful tool – its volume and tone inform us of other people’s emotions.

Thanks to it, we can communicate with others and build relationships. Our voice can change someone’s world – in VR Voiceball this sentence is not just a metaphor.

In this virtual experience, while humming, singing, whispering and mimicking animal sounds you will build a world that will surround you. Elements of virtual reality will react to the sounds you make, just as musicians react to the gestures of a conductor.

DEEP VR 13+

Netherlands 2015 / 15’

Breath. It accompanies us at every step and allows us to live.

However, in our daily lives we focus much more on exercising our muscles and mind than our breath. Meanwhile, controlling our breath and practicing breathing exercises can have a huge impact on the quality of our physical and mental health.

DEEP VR is an advanced relaxation and meditation tool that combines modern technology with traditional breathing exercises.

During this unique VR experience, you will be transported to an underwater world full of calm, immersive scenes that respond to the rhythm and depth of your breath. Breathing and moving the controllers in accordance with its rhythm will allow you to float to the surface and dive into the depths of the ocean, meeting its peculiar inhabitants and discovering their reaction to your presence in their unique world.

ASTRA 13+

Embark on an interactive journey through the solar system and visit planets and moons in search of signs of life. Feel at home inside a spaceship and explore the unknown.

Two technologies were used in this phenomenal experience.

Virtual reality – allows you to immerse yourself in the digital world.

Augmented reality – allows participants of the experience to see both what surrounds them in reality and the elements added by this modern technology.

Astra is not only a space adventure but above all, it’s an excellent educational tool.

During this journey, you’ll gain knowledge about celestial bodies and outer space. The unique way in which you’ll acquire new information will make you not want to return to Earth.

MINIATURES 4+

dir. by Paweł Janicki; Poland 2020 / 10’

You don’t need to know how to play an instrument to create melodies with the help of Kraty. This unique instrument will react to the movement of your bodies and it will respond to each of your gestures with a sound.

Thanks to the motion detection system, a melody will follow your body and once you get to know the sounds of Kraty, you’ll be able to control it and create your own rhythms.

Wave your hands in front of the camera. See how the sounds of Heble change when you start to move at a different tempo. Your gestures and the speed of your movements will initiate changes in the animations accompanying the music.

The Kraty and Heble installations are part of the Miniatures project realized by the WRO Art Centre.

 

MediaLab was created in cooperation with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Warsaw.
The partners are Nowy Teatr and Plenti.

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