Home Movie Factory | Michel Gondry & The Bioscope | 2012

Sept – Dec 2012

The Home Movie Factory invited the general public at no charge, to star in and make their very own movies through a formula designed by Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind & Be Kind, Rewind) himself.

The filming took place within an interactive exhibition of backgrounds, props and costumes that were selected in order to reflect the iconic and everyday aspects of Johannesburg.

Brendan Copestake worked with the Bioscope Independant Cinema to set up the Michel Gondry’s Home Movie Factory in Johannesburg.

For more informsation visit: www.thebioscope.co.za

The event ran from the 1st of September 2012 till the end of October 2012 at the Museum of African Design in Maboneng Johannesburg.

Michel Gondry created the Home Movie Factory upon the idea of sharing creativity with as many people as possible.

“I don’t intend nor have the pretension to teach how to make films. Quite the contrary. I intend to prove that people can enjoy their time without being part of the commercial system and serving it. Ultimately, I am hoping to create a network of creativity and communication that is guaranteed to be free.”

Michel Gondry created the Home Movie Factory upon the idea that filmmaker creativity should be cultivated and shared as much as possible.
Hence, it is a means for people to (re)connect with their own creativity. Many of us forget about our imaginative potential while growing up and this activity gives participants the opportunity and resources to make a short film within three hours.

Ready-to-use film sets and equipment make an infinite number of storylines possible. Each small group of participants gets to work independently and has creative control over all aspects of the project, including the genre and title of their film, the script, and the acting and actual filming. After three hours, participants are able to see a screening of their film and are given DVD copies of the final product. Each film is also available to watch in the video store for all visitors upon request.

The Factory has already traveled around the world, first installed in New York (Deitch Projects), then São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Paris (Centre Pompidou) in 2011. Within six weeks of installation at Pompidou, 311 films were shot by 4500 participants and 65,000 visitors came to discover this incredible space.

Factories were planned for Rotterdam,  Mexico, Johannesburg and Moscow in 2012