Kissed with a Fist - a bit of light filming

Melissa, a 16-years-old school girl struggles in the edge of adulthood in the emotive short film Kissed with a Fist.

She lacks a male role model in her life and tries to find one in bad relationships. Rather than that she finds herself in bad company making bad choices. She has to make decisions which will determine her future. During the process she perceives what really is important and worth living for.

Kissed with a Fist is a joint production of TAMK Art, music & media in Tampere, Finland and University of Salford in Greater Manchester, England. I am one of seven students from TAMK living now in England and pre-producing the film. Besides I as the producer also director Iiro Peltonen, cinematographer Niko Nurmi, sound designer Arttu Hokkanen, editor Martina Kuitto, assistant director Marie Syrjala and assistant camera Jenni Riutta have been living and doing research in Salford since late January. The film is also going to be a part of our diploma work.

The production is quite massive for a student film project. What is more to us it involves more co- and excutive producers from both England and Finland and a technical crew doing a huge road trip driving our shooting equipment from Tampere to Salford by a van.

While living here Peltonen and the local screenwriter Liz Chesters have been doing a lot of work writing numberous treatments and drafts. The script is getting better all the time and we will shoot the film in two weeks time on latter half of April. After that I hope we can find some time for a holiday and then the post-production starts. All the post work happens in Finland during summer and fall. The Finnish premiere takes place in December 2011.

It was almost a year ago when we where first introduced to the idea of coming to England to shoot a film. A lot has happened since that a huge amount of work has been done. Now we all are really looking forward all that culminates and we can shoot brilliant material and make an awesome film!

Greetings!
Niilo Gustafsson
Producer
Also the pics are Niilo's
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Skin is a light prison

Skin is a light prison
28.3.-4.4.2011

Screening
9 video works

Skin is the limit, the first and the most immediate boundary in between external and internal modes. It is a delicate reminder of the physical dimension of our existence, but it also reacts to the states of mind. As the body and the mind have their own interests, virtues, and inclinations, the skin bounds them together into one living entity.

In the artworks the city is breathing and the loss of self-control brings peace. Contact with other people is graved after and avoided at the same time. Body will eventually let you down, sometimes the mind fails before the body.

Skin is a light prison -screening shows works that explore recurring themes of human presence. After the pressing first appearences, there can be found clues of liberation, calm straying and protective neuroses.

The cinematic artworks presented are created by the students of Tampere University of Applied Sciences, Shool of Art and Media, during the year 2011. Teachers of the course are Fanni Niemi-Junkola and Sari Tervaniemi.

The Artists:
Teemu Riihelä
Tiina Lehikoinen
Nina Forsman
Irene Stachon
Laura Rytkönen
Jaakko Sorja
Minna Orvokki Korhonen
Anne Lehtelä
Katti E. Hellman
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Galleria Alkovi
Helsinginkatu 19
Helsinki
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Art on 3 inch canvas

From Pixel by Jaana Ristola

The second 3 Inch Canvas Exhibition for Art on Mobiles is being held March 22nd to 27th at the Jyväskylä Art Museum as part of the Live Herring ’11 event. The 3 Inch Canvas is introducing works by eight art students from TAMK. The artists are Heidi Hemmilä, Alpo Nummelin, Laura Laukkanen, Tiina Lehikoinen, Jaana Ristola, Laura Rytkönen, Heta Tepponen and Jenni Yppärilä.

Links:
http://www.the3inchcanvas.org/
http://www.liveherring11.net/nayttelyt/jyvaskylan-taidemuseo/
http://www.areena.yle.fi/video/1300726634764

Moving Gallery presents Screening Helsinki

A number of TAMK's artists have joined this project

Screening Helsinki is an exhibition project that brings media art among people with new means. The first
exhibition consists of the photographs of 15 artists. The digital format images are projected as a traditional slide show. The projection is arranged with the assist of an independent screening vehicle. This car is supplied with an energy source and a video projector so that any wall anywhere that you can park the car is a
possible exhibition space. Screening Helsinki is supported by Moving Gallery.


Moving Gallery is a new type of and artist-run space. The aim is to support artists and their works by initially
offering an immaterial exhibition in the web. Physical exhibitions in new kind of spaces are discussed all the time. If you want to be part of the project, you can contact Jyrki Kirjalainen.

Jyrki Kirjalainen
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Screening Helsinki
Moving Gallery

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Film project "8" uses crowd funding - methods following the footsteps of Iron Sky

Miro Laiho is doing his written thesis about the subject "Innovative methods in short film marketing and funding."
It is related to the crowd funding campaign started about a month ago in the pre-production of the thesis film “8”. Indie Gogo is a website, where you can easily contribute money to different projects via bank / credit card or Paypal account (no registration needed.)
This opportunity encourages fans to support the film as early as in pre-production. In exchange for donations of different amounts, people have the chance to receive DVD’s of the film,  soundtrack CD’s, posters and advertising space in the film’s marketing campaign, for example. 

The motivation behind the crowd funding method comes from Iron Sky, a multimillion euro international project (directed by Timo Vuorensola). Now it’s time to see if the same thing works with “8”, but on a lesser scale. Blind Spot Pictures (Iron Sky, Jade Warrior) and Pekka Ollula (head of marketing in Iron Sky) are helping out in the production of “8”.

“I love developing new ideas together with creative people. Working with challenging projects really keeps you motivated. Collaboration is the key element and with today’s technology we are no longer stuck with the time and place we inhabit”, Ollula explains.

Why crowd funding?

Miro Laiho is also a producer in the film, which is affiliated with his written thesis.

“The method is a new and innovative way to create communal activity around the film. Merchandise products and other interesting possibilities (an access to a realtime behind the scenes - material sent from the shoot, a chance to get a small role in the film...) help to keep the project new and fresh for a longer period of time as well as people to dive deeper in the world of the film. Nowadays we need interaction and the feeling to be connected, and that’s what we’re aiming for with “8” as well”, Laiho states.

“The film industry is changing rapidly and old gatekeepers are forced to rethink the system. We need to stop complaining and jump fearlessly towards new possibilities, because only by trying can we succeed and only by failing can we become wiser”, Ollula ponders.

TAMK School of Art and Media didn’t join in the project due to the drug use happening in the film. This is why the money has been looked for from other sources from the very beginning.
In the psychological horror film a couple re-experiences their most horrible memories and traumas in a cave that reflects the depths of human mind and forces people to face themselves.
Behind the film lies a theory of eight levels of consciousness (eighth one being illumination exceeding the boundaries of time and space) created by the LSD psychologist, Timothy Leary.
Even though there’s drug use in the film, it doesn’t glorify it in any way. The message of the film is that we need to help a mentally ill person no matter what his disease, past or acts would be. “8” believes in the power of caring for our close ones. We only have each other in this world and we need help from one another. Man has to learn to face his demons in order to free himself from distress. Only then can he properly help others as well.

AVEK that gave financial support to the project during last fall did not participate in the funding of the shoot, because they don’t assist projects created mainly by students or projects with no visible distribution channel. In addition to a festival tour, the film will be put on the internet for everyone to see.

The financing channels of the future?

“Crowd funding channels like Indie Gogo may well grow in number in the future. On the other hand, due to easy technology and cheap first-rate equipment, the problem may be inflation: numerous great projects are born, but nobody supports them. It is important to use focused and effective marketing in the sectors of social media (Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, forums). If the project is interesting enough, the fanbase will grow quickly, start to build hype around the film and keep it running by sharing it forward, especially if they feel to be a part of the filmmaking process”, Laiho analyses.

“With “8” I look forward to see what kinds of possibilites we’ll find from short films through the internet and how it affects the production and distribution. I’m also excited about what a wonderful business card it will be for a bunch of very talented filmmakers”, Ollula states.

The film is a part of the thesis works of Miro Laiho (writer, director, producer), Jaakko Tuure (director of photography), Ville Hakonen (film editor) and Juha Lindstedt (digital effects supervisor, website designer).

Support the film in the crowd funding - page
In the film’s official website you’ll find an interactive trailer, making of - material, concept art and much more

Info about the film’s process is regularly updated in the film’s Facebook - page

The eighth level of consciousness talks by itself in the film’s twitter - page


Miro Laiho
Director
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Mister Honkonen heads for the silver screen in April!

Photo: Anssi Rautio

“Change of State” (Muutos meitä johtaa), getting it’s premiere in April, is set in the 70’s Finland, when the colour television is just having it’s breakthrough. The protagonist is lottery’s official draw supervisor,  Mister Honkonen, who is in danger of dismissal; he is not suitable for the broadcast’s new look. Honkonen wants to keep his job, but at what cost?

While waiting for the premiere, check out the trailer!



Muutos meitä johtaa (Change of State, 2011) Trailer from Saku Seilori on Vimeo.

Directors’ statement:
"Sometimes nostalgia hits you from a time you haven’t lived in.

Roughly one year ago, when our short film’s script began to move towards the 70’s and the change made by colour television, we received excited feedback. Everyone had their own input; memories of the first colour television sets, the technology of tomorrow and the feel of standing on the treshold of a new era.

As children of the later decades we obviously don’t have such memories. However, it was easy for us to relate to the story and it’s surroundings – after all, we are a generation led by a change faster than ever.

As a period piece “Change of State” is not one for the historians, but rather a taste of the 70’s as we, vicariously, have experienced it. As such, it makes a rich setting not only for the theme of change, but also for those of differences and the acceptance of them.

During a time torn apart by an unparalleled mix of different fears and prejudices, we find the treatment of these themes through empathy and humour to be particularly important.”
 
“Change of State” is the final thesis film of editor Mikko Kuuttila, assistant director Milla Kaski and the writer/directors Ville Hakonen and Jussi Sandhu.

Cast: Mika Honkanen, Reidar Palmgren, Nicke Lignell, Jari Ahola, Marko Keskitalo, Minna Rajamäki
Directed & written by: Ville Hakonen, Jussi Sandhu
Cinematography: Anne-Mari Musturi
Gaffer: Nalle Mielonen
Set design: Salla Lehtikangas
Costume design: Anna Alkiomaa & Tiina Lehikoinen
Makeup: Anita Ahola
Sound design: Arttu Hokkanen
Film editor: Mikko Kuuttila
Graphic design: Heikki Hujala
Music: Ville Rauhala, Sami Sippola, Michael Law
Production: Tampere University of Applied Sciences / Mikko Helmanen
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What kind of traineeship can a screenwriter do?

It’s quite common that a screenwriting student needs to be a little imaginative to find a trainee’s job from the own field of study. This spring the situation was better than usually, because Claes Olsson’s drama documentary project Näsilinna 1918 was looking for screenwriting assistants from Tampere University of Applied Sciences.

The challenge was accepted by four students: Hanna Lappalainen, who studies Film and Television and Juha Karvanen, Ville Räisänen and Ulpu-Maria Lehtinen, who study in MA in Film Screenwriting programme.

In December they started their job: First step was to gather more knowledge of the dramatic and tragic events of 1918, the time when the city of Tampere was the biggest battlefield of the Finnish civil war.
Because the goal of this document was to tell realistically about one battle of the war, the fight over the Näsilinna castle, it was an important job for the team to find out accurate events of this fight.

The most important sources to find information were the old interviews from 1920’s of the men who belong to captain Melin’s company, which is followed in the documentary. These interviews bring up many individual, tragic points of views of the battle. There were 500 pages of these interviews written in Swedish, so reading them and choosing the interesting characters for the documentary film was one of the main goals of the screenwriter trainees.

The trainees also looked for news from old papers, interviewed scholars of history, searched old photos and visited archives and museums. Finding out what really happened all those years ago was not always easy, because information was sometimes contradictory.

All in all, this screenwriting traineeship taught a lot about writing a historical documentary and also about searching and evaluating historical information. Now the work of the screenwriting team is over, and Olsson with the writer Robert Alftan work on the final script. The shooting of the documentary film will take place in Tampere this spring.


Ulpu-Maria Lehtinen
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Read more about our MA in screenwriting programme
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Passenger - making of

This time I don't wish to open the themes of this work, but tell you what it was like making it.

Passenger is a bit over a minute long stop motion animation in which a model '83 Volkswagen Jetta car is decomposed. The car I'm using in the work is the same car my father gave to me when I was seventeen. I drove it a couple of years and then sold it to my neighbour. Ten years later I bought it back just to destroy it.

I started the preparation by renovating the car to look like new. After that my uncle and I detached the parts that were harmful for the environment. At this time I had the idea of giving my father a video camera so he can film and comment my working process.

What does it look like, to watch an artist work, in the eyes of an outsider?

I shot the animation in the back yard of my childhood home. It took four days in total, of which some were over thirteen hours long. Because I had to make the car totally vanish you can imagine how many sledgehammer and axe blows I gave the car. I wore down about forty cutting blades. My friends and cousin came and helped a few times, but mostly the days were quite meditative. Just me, the car and a hammer. Luckily my father came and checked on me from time to time to see that everything is all right.

So without further ado, here is the video my father filmed of me making my diploma work. Toivo Vertainen presents: Passenger by Jukka Silokunnas.





See Passanger at our Fine Art Graduate show P.S. A pic would be nice.
It is a part of Tampere Art Factory
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Wanted: a Senior Lecturer in Visual Design!

Photo: Ville Salminen

We (Degree Programme in Media, Tampere University of Applied Sciences) need a new full time Senior Lecturer in Visual Design as of August 1st 2011.

The duties are:

• teaching and organizing courses in visual design
• tutoring R&D and student projects.

We appreciate:

• wide comprehension of contemporary interactive media
• experience in design for games and mobile applications.

Good English skills are essential. Other language skills, international work experience and willingness to work in R&D projects are an advantage.

Want to work with the most awesome international students in the world capital of awesomeness, Tampere?
Then wait no more, read the formal invitation here.

Young screenwriters gathered in Strasbourg

European Short Pitch 2011 competition gathered again about twenty young screenwriters to a workshop in France, where they had a change to develop their own scripts with professionals and create contacts to filmmakers in other European countries.

I had a change to join these workshops this year and I would like to courage all the other young writers to participate in the competition too, because the workshop and pitching are truly unique experiences, which help to develop professional writing skills and also give a change to find film loving friends from other European countries.

The aim of the annual competition of the Nisi Masa -organisation is to courage young screenwriters in their work.  The participants are chosen by a short film script competition where all European writers under 28 years are allowed to participate.

This year the Short Pitch workshop had two parts: First was a one week long screenwriting workshop near Paris at Moulin d’Ande in January, where feedback was given in small groups and everyone got good advice for developing their scripts. In my opinion this workshop did not only help to improve own script but also increased the understanding of the short film as a unique form of storytelling.

After this everyone had one month time to develop the script and then in the beginning of March all the young screenwriters gathered in Strasbourg to pitch their projects to producers from several European countries.
This was a valuable lesson of the marketing and production values of the short films, and also about the new trends in business:  Especially short comedies are very valued right now in the European short film scene.

Ulpu-Maria Lehtinen
The writer is one of our MA in Screenwriting students
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Made In CHINA — Tampere Film Festival work experience

Zou Xueping, Zhang Mengqi and Wu Wenguang. Photo: Sohvi Sirkesalo

The world is changing with really remarkable speed. As Goldman Sachs projected China will have a larger economy than United States in 2027 which was drawn up before the Western financial crisis. Not only China’s economy draws plenty of the West attention, but also China state’s actions, political issues, culture and its dramatic growing international status. However, to some of, or a large scale of people in the west, China is, still, more likely a mystery, as well as massive misunderstanding of this country.

Tampere Film Festival supplied three Chinese documentary directors, Wu Wenguang, Zou Xueping and Zhang Mengqi, with a good chance to reveal real parts of China by showing Chinese movies. And it was my great honor working as an assistant and interpreter for the Chinese group.

Mr. Wu, is representative of people from his generation (born between 1960s—1980s), narrated his own stories between his mother and himself, meanwhile, it conveyed historical rudiments at that time in China. Zou Xueping and Zhang Mengqi, who are units of the new generation (after 1980s), expressed their interests of China history and delivered their own thoughts about challenges the new generation are facing at and their suppositive future.

Not only me, but also, I think, the local people acquired new perspectives of China. The directors come from different places than where I have been living in China, rather different than people from Europe. Individuals often aren’t really aware of is that fact that China is extremely diverse and very pluralistic in many ways, for example village life from these three directors’ show. You can’t run a place on this scale simply from Beijing, even though we think this to be the case.

For my part, spending time with these three directors expands my vision of what are happening in other parts of China. Their works also remind me that what a single person could contribute to his motherland----a simple scene, a short documentary could help people understand more about China, could touch so many people recording a country’s memory!

GuanJun Liu
The author is a TAMK Degree Programme in Media student
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Tampere Film Festival
Read more stories by and about our Media students on our blog
Read more stories about Tampere Film Festival on our blog
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Graduate show: P.S. A pic would be nice.

Graduating artists from TAMK's Degree Programme in Fine Art will present their final thesis works at Mältinranta Artcenter and TR1 Kunsthalle. There will be drawings, paintings, photographs and an exceptionally large amount of sculptures and video installations displayed.

Mältinranta Art Centre exhibites the works of Anni Hujala, Maija Kovari, Sampsa Kuha, Satu Leppänen, Petra Lukkari, Minna Mukari, Aapo Nikkanen, Jukka Silokunnas and Maria Stereo from 16.4. to 3.5.2011.

TR1 Kunsthalle shows the works of Liisa Ahlfors, Mikko Keskiivari, Riikka Kunnari, Tuija Lappalainen, Vili Nissinen, Karoliina Paappa, Niklas Pedersen, Mikko Torvinen, Kristian Tuomainen, Milena Tähkäaho and Juho Viitala from 16.4. to 15.5.2011.

Päivi Viinikainen's work can be seen at Tays Central Hospital.



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P.S. A pic would be nice:
On Facebook
On Twitter
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The exhibition is a vital part of Tampere Art Factory
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Three IMPs have won the Demola Mobile Challenge!

CalQuest bacground image

A competition called Demola Mobile Challenge was held from last years summer until this years January, in co-operation between Demola and Forum Nokia. Students could develop their own creative applications, made with Qt/QML for Nokia’s smart phones. QML was introduced to us in our Programming course last year and our teacher Tony Torp told us about the competition in Demola, in which we could participate with our course task. The three of us, Anna Narinen, Douglas Symon and Emma Kiiski, wanted to create another idea only for this purpose - obviously it was worth of it! We learned a great deal about creating an application from scratch and working in team.

“CalQuest is a new mobile application concept for marketing and cultural enjoyment.  The concept is based on viewing a photograph of an unknown location each day and having the task of finding that place in your city as fast as you can.  This is a great way to advertise and promote for the companies and also a fun way for the consumers to get good deals in the area of their interest – and in their own home city!”

Our project, CalQuest, was innovative and an idea of our own from the start. It is basically a combination of gaming, interaction and cultural points of view. It can be used for example as an introduction to your own city’s culture or guide in fashion, sports, cars - you name it! The possibilities are endless, there are lots of concepts that can be used in our project. We are most likely going to develop our concept further into a real finished product with the help of Demola, next to TTVO*.

The best three teams were rewarded with the newest model of Nokia’s smart phones. The winning team also has a chance to choose a location in Europe and visit an international ICT event. This is a great opportunity to make connections in the Europe, especially when thinking about any exchange studies and work practice.

The reward is more than enough to encourage us to work more and achieve a lot more!

The winners were announced on 15th March in Demola during a MeeGo Network meeting.

Read the jury’s words
Read the original challenge

Emma Kiiski
Emma, Douglas and Anna are students of our media programme
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Degree Programme in Media home
Read more about the of international media programme students (the IMPs)
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*TTVO=Degree programmes in Fine Art, Film and Television and Media at TAMK Finlayson Campus
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More posts about Demola projects and events
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Our heroes Emma, Anna and Douglas right after been awarded at Demola

Ikuinen Gallery: They only echo by Satu Leskinen

They only echo
Ikuinen Gallery March 17-30 2011
Video Installation by Satu Leskinen
Open 12:00 am to 4:00 pm
Finlaysoninkuja 3 Tampere

Opening on Thursday 17th of March from 4pm to 6pm, the DJ for the night will be Joe Loud! Welcome y'all!

As a lighting student I always experiment with different ways to change the atmosphere of the space we're sensing to another. Things such as the surrounding colors, the way fabrics reflect light or even just the temperature of the present light affect the echoes of the space.

My main starting point in the installation was to use moving image as the main element that defines the space we're sensing around us. And instead of a basic screen I wanted to play with three-dimensional projection surfaces for a change.

The piece is an experimentation on how a collection of very few simple visual elements can echo such different stories and interpretations depending on how you place yourself in the space and whether you let yourself play with the projections for example.

Music is a big motivator in the things I do and behind this piece or from somewhere between the lines you can read lyrics by the Arcade Fire (Half Light I -song) and Deerhunter's Agoraphobia -tune to name a one.

I hope the visitors loose themselves in the moment they're spending in the gallery.

Satu Leskinen

They only echo on Facebook 
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Ikuinen gallery is a contemporary art project space located in the old factory complex Finlayson in central Tampere. The gallery is run by a board of fine art students in Tampere UAS School of Art and Media as part of their study program.

Ikuinen gallery’s main focus is in presenting interesting and high quality student work, whereas work from other art school students and teachers as well as visiting artists are regularly also at show.
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Previous Ikuinen Gallery posts
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Playful Sensing in Demola

Cool and challenging projects, that’s what the students get to do here in TAMK. The spring semester of International Media Programme is reserved for an interactive media –project, worth 30 study credits, which may be used for one big project or several smaller ones. Every student is however expected to carry out a project connected to industrial life.

One option for the students is to join a project in Demola, which is a one of a kind innovation platform that gathers students from different fields together in multidisciplinary teams. The teams then have the opportunity to develop products and services in collaboration with companies ranging from local SME’s to international large-scale enterprises.

I found myself as a project manager in Playful Sensing –project that was launched in Demola in partnership with Nokia. Our team consists of three students, two in interactive media and one in software development. Our task is to create three fun, interactive and unique concepts that utilize mobile sensors and touch displays or projectors. The results are to be presented in three demo videos.

No need to worry about the lack of skills as the school arranges us all the needed courses in Adobe Premiere and After Effects. Next week we will have a workshop given by Timo-Pekko Nieminen from DoubleNegative London. Timo’s expertise covers creating effects for movies such as Harry Potter and James Bond. Wicked awesome!

Follow the progress of Playful Sensing –project in our blog.
Check out your opportunities in Demola-website.

Johanna Peltola
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Degree Programme in Media home
Read posts about the life of international media programme students (the IMPs)
More posts about Demola projects and events
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Heavenly entertainment

Eeva-Kaisa and the puzzle

One big project normally involves several smaller ones. At least that is very much the case with Tähtipäivät, the project we (me and my classmate Neil) have been working on for the past few months. The event will take place in about ten days, so it’s finally time to put the theories in practice. This week we’ve been occupied with printing and we’ve totally fallen in love with the big printer downstairs.

While Neil concentrated printing out his pieces of art, I made a small dream come true: a floor puzzle about the northern hemisphere constellations. I think I made the first prototype when I was about 12 years old, since I’ve always been fascinated about star maps. That one was just brown cardboard and very small, this one is a bit bigger.

Since Tähtipäivät is an amateur astronomy event, this puzzle suits there perfectly. So, everyone interested in stars and space and spaceflights should find lots of interesting things on the venue next week! (And see Neil’s awesome art, too.;)

More information (mostly in Finnish, though) about Tähtipäivät will be found in http://www.ursa.fi/tahtipaivat2011

Eeva-Kaisa Ahlamo
IMP09
Read the previous story about Tähtipäivät
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Degree Programme in Media home
Read posts about the life of international media programme students (the IMPs)
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Our Film Festival Calendar

Animation director Paul Bush gives a talk at TTVO on Friday

TAMK Art and Media (TTVO) makes now its 20th appearance at Tampere International Film Festival. Students, above all film and television students, are taking care of different jobs at the festival, and a high number of study points are made in the seminars and workshops.

This post offers a calendar of Tampere FF events at TAMK artmedia campus at Finlayson, and artmedia shows at the Film Festival.

Wednesday 9.3:
10-12am Spede, TTVO:
Directors Wu Wenguan, Zhang Mengqi and Zou Xueping
"Chinese documentaries had been carefully pre-planned and controlled until Wu Wenguang caused a stir in the beginning of the 1990s with his hand-held filmed documentaries. Even the interviews were not scripted in advance."

Thursday 10.3:
10am Plevna 2 Media School Screening:
Jukka Hautajärvi: Asepussi - Gunbag
2pm Plevna 5 domestic competition:
Laura Rytkönen: Swallow your fears
4pm Tullikamari;
Kino TAMK show, 12 TTVO short films
Films 1-6
Films 7-12
5:30-6:15pm Stadi.TV and Internet:
Filkkaristudio, TFF magazine programme made by our film&tv students
9pm Klubi:
TAMK Film Festival Party

Friday 11.3:
11am Spede, TTVO:
EUn MEDIA-programme TV distribution support info
Lecture by Monica Galeriu, Brussels, EACEA Agency.
2pm Spede, TTVO:
director Paul Bush
Paul Bush is one of the animators whose films question the limits between document, fiction, and animation
2 pm Plevna 5 domestic competition:
Martta Tuomaala and Mikko Keskiivari: Strange walls

Satruday 12.3:
12am Plevna 2 domestic competition:
Laura Rytkönen: Swallow your fears
6 pm Plevna 2 domestic competition:
Martta Tuomaala and Mikko Keskiivari: Strange walls

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Tampere Film Festival
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TAMK photo contest: The early bird catches the worm

Last autumn TAMK photo contest was looking for the best picture of TAMK feeling. Now we are looking for pictures of your morning.

How was your morning? Capture your feelings or thoughts about morning and share them with us. The best capture of morning will be rewarded with Giganti's 50 euros voucher. The second and third places will be rewarded with Finnkino movie tickets.

Upload your best morning on the competition event page on Facebook. You can upload photos until March 14th 2011. And if you don't have a Facebook account, no problem, send your pic(s) to Siru.Maatta(atsign)tamk.fi.

Voting is simple; just click “Like” on the picture of your choice. You can vote until March 21st 2011. The winner will be selected in collaboration of Facebook voting and TAMK's own jury.

If you want to, you can participate with several photos. So grab your camera and snap the winner shot of those early birds, late risers or of anything the morning represents you!

Photo contest event page
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Internet, Film Movement Help Get the Word out about Independent Movies and World Cinema

Guest post written by Katheryn Rivas

Of course, it is nothing short of a cliche to decry the ubiquity of the Hollywood commercial behemoth that maintains one of the strongest strangleholds on American cultural imperialism in the U.S. and abroad. But for all the criticism of Hollywood's cultural hegemony, world cinema and artfully-made independent films are experiencing nothing short of a blossoming renaissance in the 21st century. The problem, as critic A.O Scott noted in a New York Times opinion editorial earlier this year, is that all these wonderful advancements in film are muddling along in relative obscurity.

Art house films don't get much attention in movie theaters as a whole in the United States. Unless you live in a city like New York, that places a stronger emphasis on films that go beyond formulaic Hollywood blockbusters, you're pretty much confined to the traditional greasy, easy popcorn fare with happy endings and obvious villains. Even if you live in a bigger city like Houston, independent films are released in special theaters with short runs and expensive ticket prices. And if you have the misfortune of living in a small "middle American" town like I did when I was younger, you can kiss your chances of having access to world and independent cinema goodbye. Although I cannot speak for the rest of the world, I suspect that reasonable access to quality films are somewhat similarly difficult to come by.

And that's where innovation comes in. It goes without saying that the Internet in many ways has become a film lover's (and maker's) dream come true. Budding film directors can find an audience, low-budget film producers can raise funds through websites like KickStarter, and filmgoers can, with a little bit of Google know-how, find and view virtually any movie in existence. There is no doubt that the Internet represents one of the most profound forces of dramatic restructuring in various fields.

At the same time, however, the Internet has its own set of problems, namely that its sheer enormity of data means that for us users, separating the wheat from the chaff, the gems from the trash, can become a burdensome and sometimes impossible task. One film and DVD distribution company, Film Movement, which has set out to distinguish itself by promoting independent and foreign films directly to the consumer, is a great example of undercutting the Hollywood monopoly. In its Mission Statement, the company notes:
"We created Film Movement because the system of releasing independent, foreign and documentary films needed to be changed. We believed that the only way to change the system was to reach out to film fans directly. At its heart, Film Movement is a grassroots direct-to-consumer company with a dedication to getting great films seen by as many people as possible, and providing intelligent, beautiful and compelling art to an ever-growing community of consumers who want more than the standard Hollywood fare."

The most interesting service that Film Movement.com offers is a subscription that it enables customers to receive and keep DVDs via mail of award-winning independent and foreign films that would normally receive scant notice from traditional movie theaters. Another great thing about Film Movement is that it regularly includes short films in its feature length DVDs. American movie critic Roger Ebert praised the company, saying,
"More than a month [before its general theatrical release], however, a DVD of the [Muyurangabo] shipped to Film Movement subscribers, who pay $11 a month for their DVD of the Month Club. At around the cost of a single ticket, they got more than their money's worth, especially if they live in the countless cities where the film will never play. They got to keep the DVD. Why do customers know they can trust Film Movement? The company has been in business for seven years and distributed more than 100 films that way. And let's face it, you're unlikely seek out "Munyurangabo" on your own. Someone has to send it to you."

If Scott and Ebert are right, we are entering an age in which more diverse voices and more countries are being represented in film than ever before. But will these voices be heard? As the saying goes, only time will tell.

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This guest post is contributed by Katheryn Rivas, who writes for online universities. Questions and comments can be sent to: katherynrivas87@gmail.com 

Kino TAMK screening at Tampere FF - part two

From 'Strange Walls'

We are now making our 20th appearance at Tampere Film Festival! This post will introduce last six of the twelve short films of the  Kino TAMK screening at Tullikamari Thursday March 10th.
See the first six

Laulu sieltä missä tyyntä on - A song from silent waters
A story about loneliness.
Director: Outi Tienhaara
Script: Anne-Mari Musturi
Cinematography: Anne-Mari Musturi
Sound: Petri Kuha
Editing: Jatta Oksanen
Music: Michael Law
Production: Tampere University of Applied Sciences / Raila Hänninen

Muutos meitä johtaa - Change of state
It's the 70s and the color TV is making its way in Finland. An official supervisor for the state lottery, Mr Honkonen, is about the lose his position; he is not suitable for the new program format. Honkonen wants to keep his job, but at what cost?
Director: Ville Hakonen, Jussi Sandhu
Script: Ville Hakonen, Jussi Sandhu
Cinematography: Anne-Mari Musturi
Sound: Arttu Hokkanen
Editing: Mikko Kuuttila
Music: Ville Rauhala, Sami Sippola
Production: Tampere University of Applied Sciences / Mikko Helmanen

Metsästysmaa - The hunting ground
A small country village is preparing for a big celebration, as two men, Kiuru and Moukari, pass by it on a summer's afternoon. On the road to the village men meet young Alma, who leads them into the cool shades of an ancient forest. As the dusk falls, the hunt may begin...
Director: Nalle Mielonen
Script: Nalle Mielonen
Cinematography: Janne Keränen
Sound: Ilmari Jyskä
Editing: Anssi Rautio
Music: Ville Hakonen
Production: Tampere University of Applied Sciences / Joanna Mäkelä
Read more

Kaunis kuolema - A beautiful death
Eero Kallio is afraid of losing her daughter for illness and this fear places him in extreme circumstances.
Director: Minna Korhonen
Script: Jaakko Sorja
Cinematography: Jaakko Sorja
Sound: Philippe La Grassa
Editing: Martina Kuitto
Music: Suvi Tuuli Kataja
Production: Tampere University of Applied Sciences / Linda Haapanen
Read more

Vieraat seinät - Strange walls
Strange Walls is a warm-hearted story of a teenage girl and her grandfather. They lead a quiet life together in a dying village. The stagnant atmosphere suddenly changes when unexpected guests appear.
Directors: Martta Tuomaala, Mikko Keskiivari   
Script: Martta Tuomaala, Mikko Keskiivari
Cinematography: Kerttu Hakkarainen
Sound: Antti Onkila, Petri Kuha
Editing: Ville Hakonen
Music: Mikko Keskiivari
Production: Tampere University of Applied Sciences / Martta Tuomaala, Mikko Keskiivari
Read more

Connection Lost
Connection Lost is a short film about multiculturalism and the importance of studying languages.
Director: Outi Hartikainen
Script: Hannu Koivuranta, Outi Hartikainen
Cinematography: Hannu Koivuranta
Sound: Arttu Hokkanen
Editing: Joonas Yliruusi
Music: Arttu Hokkanen
Production: Tampere University of Applied Sciences / Niilo Gustafsson, Ilona Tolmunen
Read more

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Kino TAMK screening at Tampere Film Festival March 10, 4pm, Tullikamari
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Tampere Film Festival
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Kino TAMK screening at Tampere FF - part one

From 'The Lesson'. Photo: Hannu Koivuranta

We are now making our 20th appearance at Tampere Film Festival! This post will introduce first six of the twelve short films of the  Kino TAMK screening at Tullikamari Thursday March 10th.

Oppitunti - The Lesson
Short film about prejudice, about forced uniformity among pupils and about how, for reasons of conscience, one can even start questioning authority.
Director: Outi Hartikainen
Script: Susanna Kurikkala
Cinematography: Hannu Koivuranta
Sound: Mikko Koskinen
Editing: Iiro Peltonen
Music: Mikko Koskinen
Production: Tampere University of Applied Sciences / Joni Luomanen
Read more

Vettä sakeampaa - Thicker than water
Juhani is an elderly priest, whose service is interrupted when an alcoholic woman starts to rage in the name of everlasting love.
Directors: Turkka Korkiamäki, Karita Ikonen
Script: Hanna Lappalainen
Cinematography: Jenni Riutta
Sound: Tomi Puhakka
Editing: Joonas Yliruusi
Music: Tomi Puhakka
Production: Tampere University of Applied Sciences / Robert Niva
Read more

Positiivinen tulos - Positive result
Sohvi, age 16, becomes pregnant and starts communicating with her unborn child. She would like to keep the baby, but neither she nor her mother are financially secure and the father of the child wishes no contact with Sohvi either. She is forced to think the situation through with her mother and her unborn child, and to consider if keeping the baby is an option.
Director: Susanna Kurikkala
Script: Suvi Tuuli Kataja
Cinematography: Hanna Maria Mäkelä
Sound: Suvi Tuuli Kataja
Editing: Marie Syrjälä
Music: Suvi Tuuli Kataja
Production: Tampere University of Applied Sciences / Annukka Heikkilä

Osoite muuttuu - Change of address 
Change of address shows how difficult it is for a mother to accept her adult daughter moving away from home. In this short film the mother does her best to keep her daughter from leaving.

Director: Hanna Lappalainen
Script: Outi Hartikainen
Cinematography: Mikko Rantanen
Sound: Ari Huuskonen
Editing: Toni Anttila
Music: Ari Huuskonen
Production: Tampere University of Applied Sciences / Jyrki Hakanen

Jonossa - The queue
Friends from upper secondary school, Pekka and Jorma, are on their way to their senior ball after party. At the queue to the bar, Pekka sees his heart-throb Piia, and moments later he will have to make a choice.
Director: Joonas Yliruusi
Script: Toni Anttila
Cinematography: Riku Hasari
Sound: Ilmari Jyskä
Editing: Antti Seppänen
Music: Ilmari Jyskä
Production: Tampere University of Applied Sciences / Aki-Ville Auvinen

Toinen meistä - One of us
This short film by Iiro Peltonen is about two brothers. Despite their poor background, one of the bothers wants to lead an honest life – the other one cuts corners. Unfortunately, cutting corners has its risks, and when things go wrong, it is not always the bad guy who pays the price for his own actions.
Director: Iiro Peltonen
Script: Liz Chesters
Cinematography: Niko Nurmi
Sound: Philippe La Grassa
Editing: Martina Kuitto
Music: Millionaire Shaman
Production: Tampere University of Applied Sciences / Niilo Gustafsson
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Kino TAMK screening at Tampere Film Festival March 10, 4pm, Tullikamari
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Tampere Film Festival
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MindTrek is back!

What is MindTrek?
This fall Tampere will gather together thinkers and doers, old and new friends from the digital industry. MindTrek is an annual three-day digital media and business conference gathering a unique blend of industry professionals and the newest players on the scene.

This year, the 15th edition of the conference takes place in Hotel Rosendahl, September 28-30. With a global crowd of 800 participants, MindTrek is an excellent place for networking and getting updated on the latest news and topics of the field, and has traditionally been an important event for the local and international students.

What's happening?
MindTrek 2011 kicks off on Wednesday with the pre-conference day including sessions and workshop by our partners and the special program of Academic MindTrek. The core of the conference, Thursday and Friday are full program days with a global crowd, engaging program and networking events. MindTrek also presents a wide selection of competitions with great prizes and development opportunities for the most innovative and promising Finnish digital media companies.

MindTrek Mascot
We need your input! In February in our social media channels, we asked what animal best describes you as a tech geek, digital business master mind or social media guru, and explain us a bit why. We got some out of the box suggestions!

Out of those suggestions, three are now nominated for voting. The winner mascot will be the theme animal of MindTrek 2011. The person who suggested the winning animal first gets a 2-day ticket to the conference.

Which one will it be - meerkat, octopus or chameleon? Cast your vote and take a look at MindTrek 2011 website!

Stay tuned for more MindTrek news coming soon!
Be the first one to know about the latest updates - subscribe to our newsletter on our website, and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Cheers,

MindTrek Team
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Art&Media and MindTrek
TAMK School of Art and Media is one of the proud MindTrek founders. Our students and staff are active participants of the preparation and implementation of MindTrek activities. The MindTrek conference is one of the annual highlights of IMPs, the Degree Programme in Media students.
MindTrek stories on this blog

Greetings from Dundee!

I have joined the ranks of TAMK students who have escaped abroad to do their compulsory practical training in a real company. Indeed, I joined them some time ago, but you know how time flies when you're in a new country.

Since January I've been living in Scotland, the land of golf, kilts and whisky. Or sport fanaticism, sub-optimal wintertime wardrobes and alcoholics - depending how you look at it. As I'm writing this it's been sunny and around +7C for couple of days, so at least the weather isn't all that bad.

View of Dundee's main shopping street. Despite the rail tracks, there isn't a tram system here really.

To be more precise, I've been living in Dundee. It is located on the eastern coast of Scotland, about an hour's train ride north from Edinburgh. It has approximately 150,000 residents, most of which are students due to the city hosting two universities and some colleges to boot. Despite that, it is suffering from a massive post-industrial withdrawal symptoms. It used to be big on textiles and whaling, which are no longer hip for a city to base its economy on. Dundee has loads of closed shops and factory buildings as a standing testament to these former glory days, and it hasn't quite manage to get back in form yet.

Abandoned factory/warehouse just a stone's throw from the city centre - and it's not the only one.

But why come to Dundee then? There is at least one industry that is still thriving here. Dundee can boast being one of the hotspots for game development in UK, with about a dozen game companies holding their base here. It is the birthplace of DMA Design, the company that made such games as Lemmings and Grand Theft Auto. That company has since then changed its name to Rockstar North and moved to Edinburgh, but the spirit of DMA lives on in Dundee. Most of the game companies in Dundee have their roots in DMA Design, with lot of the senior staff having worked there previously.

Another factor that keeps the local game ecosystem vibrant and alive is University of Abertay Dundee, which has both under- and postgraduate degrees in game development, and apparently they're among the best in the country. UAD is also one of TAMK's international co-operation universities, so all you game students back home, take note! The students keep the city's night life pretty active as well; just the student union building right across from Abertay's main building has not one but two bars, two cafes, several night clubs plus its own little movie theatre (or so I've heard).

I'm doing work placement in a company called Denki. It's a small company (seven people, including me) that focuses on making games for downloadable markets. Our headquarters, aka Denki Towers, are located right next to UAD. Denki is a company few have heard of outside the UK, but it has a long history and several good, even award-winning, games under its belt. A lion share of its history Denki made games for digital TV, but in the recent years they have returned back to more traditional gaming platforms. Check out Denki Blocks! and Juggle! as examples of their recent work.

What I like about Denki is their attitude towards game development. It's unlike any I've heard of before. I can't explain it in a concise and witty way, but at the core its a way of work, a way of looking at the process in order to deliver the product on time without sacrificing the creative side of game development. Plus they're committed to improving the process constantly and actively. I won't go into further detail, but there are good articles about it on Gamasutra, if reading such things strikes your fancy.

Sneak peek inside Denki Towers on a normal work day.

So what have I been doing? My official position is Development Assistant, which means I do pretty much anything. However, I also get a say in this process and direct my work towards what interests me and what skills I want to develop. So far, my duties have ranged from serious market research to (super-serious) game testing and from locating the lost cupboard to ordering cake. It gets more demanding every week, but that's just good.

The internal work culture has also exceeded my expectations. I've been impressed with how I've been received and how much responsibility has been trusted on me. There was no pressure to hit the ground running, and I received lot of support in getting through the beginner phase. Now I'm starting to get to the point that I can take larger control of my own work, so the best parts are still ahead.

The only thing I regret is that I didn't set up a traditional "I am now abroad" blog before I left, so it is harder to do now (especially because I have larger plans for it). Anyway, my practical training experience has been nothing sort of awesome so far, and I hope other students will get similar opportunities!

Text and photos: Eevi Korhonen

The Legendary Film Festival Party March 10

The Legendary TAMK Party at Tampere Film Festival is here again and more horrifying than ever. Lose your mind and release your inner zombie on the dance floor of Klubi on Thu, Mar 10 starting at 9 p.m. If you dare?

The horror comes with:
The Friend
Plauge DJ's
VJ's stuua & valone

Tickets: €7 (pre-tickets for students €5)
Age limit: 18

Tickets are sold at the Tampere Film Festival Office (Tullikamarinaukio 2, 2nd floor) starting on Feb 23. In addition, there are tickets sold at the campus of Finlayson on Feb 25 and Mar 7-8 at 8.30 a.m. - 3.30 p.m. (the cafeteria). Tickets are also sold at the Tamko Office (the Kuntokatu campus).

In association with: Tampere Film Festival and Klubi
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Film Festival Party Commercial 1
Film Festival Party Commercial 2
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Film Festival Party on Facebook
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Kino TAMK screening at Tampere Film Festival March 10, 4pm, Tullikamari
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