Film 16 Tour – Bad Honnef

On October 18, 2012, the students woke up at 10:00am and were brought to Bad Honnef by bus. We arrived at a small house in the Suburbs and had no idea what to expect. A small, elderly man who held a film development company in his own house met us and we were very surprised to learn that he had built all of his own equipment as well as the cameras. His name was Mr. Rings and he lived with his wife and Chihuahua in a reasonably sized home. We were invited into his little paradise and began the tour of his facilities. Mr. Rings told us about how he developed his own solution for developing film and that the scientists at Canon said that it was the most efficient way they’d ever seen. The students were really surprised to learn about his technique and homemade studio.
Mr. Rings started out as an architect but later learned that he had a love for film development. He started out as an actor and director before he started building the unique machines to develop film. He also built his own house by himself. When he looked at how film was originally processed he believed that there was a much easier way to do so. So he put his talented hands to work. He applied his aptitude for architecture to film technology as he can picture every part and process in his mind without writing it down. With this talent he built developing machines, his own film cameras, and various other film equipment. It was very important to him to work economically: his machines use less electricity because they are smaller and he uses the minimum temperature needed – in contrast to bigger companies like Kodak. Also, his machines heat up faster so he can save time. Mr. Rings does everything – every single step of the development process – by himself and with the help of his loving wife.
The students were amazed at his talent and technique; we had never seen something like this before. Mr. Rings’ studio was called Film 16 and he has made a profit by developing local films in the city. His work is known throughout Bonn and Köln within the film community and is understood as one of the greatest mechanics and inventors in the area. After giving the students a short introduction on his work, he brought us downstairs to his lab. There we viewed his personal cameras and equipment for editing film. He cuts in complete darkness in order to avoid exposing the film. Since he has been doing this for over thirty years, Mr. Rings is now an expert at his profession. He also built a machine that was originally built for developing black and white film and uses it to develop color film. He simply made a few adjustments. We ventured into the developing room and were taught about the different chemicals and machinery that he used in order to develop film in the most time efficient way.
Mr. Rings has made a large profit on his business, however, that is not the reason he continues his work. It is out of pure love and passion for the art of film that he continues, even as a seventy-year-old man. In his free time he relaxes with his wife, whom also helps with the developing and cutting process, gardens, and enjoys his time in the countryside. Herr Rings has created a revolutionary system for film development and soon will pass on his knowledge to future generations, including the Loyola Marymount film students. He left us with a bit of wisdom: You can achieve every goal or dream you have if you’re curious and passionate about what you do. Everything is possible.
Written by Kate Remsen

Host Families

It has been over three months since I’ve been abroad, living in a foreign country away from not only America but also my family and friends. Having been raised in Maryland and then choosing to go to school 3000 miles away was a tough decision. I grew up in a really tight-knit family. People used to ask me if I went so far away to college to get away from my family; that couldn’t be further from the truth. I would call my parents nearly every day in college and we all take great efforts to see each other. That being said, I was still a bit nervous to be away for so long. I would have no phone for calls and texts, my parents hadn’t learned to master Skype before I left and I knew I couldn’t come home for Thanksgiving. I was in tears the night before I left and cried the whole plane ride to Germany. Now as I have a few weeks remaining, I’m feeling nervous again. Documentary aside, I am nervous about leaving the people I have come to refer to as my family.
One of the things I love most about Bonn is my amazing host family, the Kölbs. I am a part of a family of four: Hilde (Mom), Helm (Dad), Daria (18 year old sister) and Kolja (12 year old brother). I cannot say enough nice things about them. Hilde helped me find the subject for my documentary, makes some of the best dinners I’ve ever had, and goes on runs with me. We even ran a 5km race together! Helm has some of the best taste in music and has shown me examples of it. I grew up as the youngest in my family of my siblings so it is nice to have a younger sister and brother. Daria and I go out to clubs together, go shopping in Köln and watch the show Vampire Diaries together. Last but not least is Kolja. He is the spunkiest and funniest kid. I went to his basketball game one Sunday and he totally impressed me. I think he was glad I came too. We have also played Xbox and he taught me to play Rummy. In all, I don’t think my study abroad experience would have been the same without them. They make me feel like a member of the family and not just a guest.
The experience of living with a host family can seem daunting; it’s a awkward moment when you first meet the people you will be living, eating, sharing stories with. My advice to any one traveling abroad is to get to know your family. Spend time listening to their stories and learn from them. Just because we come from different countries and speak different languages, families are important no matter where you go.
Written by Hannah Finlayson

Karneval: The Sunday of a Lifetime

Did you realize that Cologne has in fact five seasons? And I grew up for years in Chicago thinking that four was enough, but then I came here and realized what we’ve all been missing out on. In November of every year, Cologne kicks off it’s fifth season called Carnival at 11:11am on 11/11. It’s one day of complete and utter craziness with costumes, singing, dancing, etc. The Carnival season is then suspended during Advent and Christmas and apparently the real craziness happens during the picks up for a week of crazy days between Fat Thursday and Ash Wednesday. This year, November’s Carnival fell on a Sunday at the end of our shooting weeks, so thankfully I was back in time to partake in the festivities.
My tale starts the night before though, when I was figuring out what to wear. From everything I heard this was like Halloween on steroids and I didn’t want to disappoint the Germans. Unfortunately all I had was my dirndl, the traditional Bavarian dress from Oktoberfest, to wear and although I’ve fallen in love with the style I thought I would need something more for this festivity. So, during dinner with my host family they asked if I would be dressing up for Carnival and I told them all I had was my dirndl. After dinner they brought out a children’s wig for me to try on, an orange Pippy Longstocking wig, one that barely fit on my head. When that failed, my host mom went upstairs to give me one of her orange jackets she said would at least keep me warm and always be easy to find in a crowd. Instead she came down with a clown costume that I gladly took instead. She asked if I had anything to paint my face with and I told her I could use some eyeliner. She looked at me as if I was crazy- although that’s nothing new-, went back upstairs and came down with face paint. Clearly I was now set for Carnival! Host family for the win.
The next morning I woke up nice and early, put on my clown face and walked out the door. There were a bunch of AIB students and workers all going to Carnival so we all took trains over to Cologne together. It was literally the most packed train I’ve ever been on. Crowds upon crowds of people in different costumes stuffed into all the train cars, I didn’t think we were even going to fit at first. Half an hour later we arrived at Cologne’ Hauptbahnhof (main station) and walked over to the main square where the big countdown at 11:11 was going to happen. All the costumes were so entertaining to see, it was so much better than Halloween. Everyone was so merry and excited, you couldn’t help but feel the happiness in the air. The mass of people in the square was overwhelming. I could barely see a thing, at one point I got on a friend’s shoulders so I could see the stage and the immensity of the place. Honestly I wish I could remember when it became 11:11, I think I kind of missed the actual moment. We were all just dancing around and talking and then suddenly it became 11:30. We did get to sing some of the traditional Carnival songs though. The AIB had given us a CD of Carnival songs, but I didn’t have anytime to listen to it during shooting weeks so the only thing I knew was part of the chorus to “Viva Colonia”. It was so much fun though, definitely a good way to unwind after nearly 9 straight days of shooting and traveling.
Once we left the main square we walked through the streets of Cologne, where I couldn’t resist getting a gelato cone, before we ended up at a dance club. I’ve never gone to a club so early in the day, but it was a blast. They played a mixture of American songs we all knew plus Carnival songs that we just gathered in a circle and kicked to! We essentially danced the afternoon away and then headed back to Bonn on a late afternoon train. The day was so fun and memorable, but the long hours of shooting were finally wearing down on me and this clown needed a nap.
Written by Sarah Bush

Leipzig Documentary Festival

The students met early in the morning and took a long bus ride to the city of Leipzig. We didn’t know much about the city but had a small idea of what we were going to do there: visit a world famous documentary festival. Leipzig became known as the “Stadt der Helden” (City of Heroes) for its leading role in the 1989 democratic revolution. Its residents organized protests against the communist regime in May of that year; by October, hundreds of thousands were taking to the streets, placing candles on the steps of Stasi headquarters and attending peace services at the Nikolaikirche. By the time the secret police got round to pulping their files, Leipzigers were partying in the streets, and they still haven’t stopped – from late winter street-side cafés open their terraces, and countless bars and nightclubs keep the beat going through the night.
The students arrived to our little hostel, The Sleepy Lion, and prepared to go meet a tour guide for a small city tour. We learned about the city’s role in World War II, famous composers, and various historical sites. The city was quaint and had character; the weather was absolutely freezing. Afterwards, we prepared for our first documentary screening. It was the first of the festival so the opening ceremony was dramatic and moving. The documentary was called Are You Listening? And was about a small village in Bangladesh suffering from the drastic weather conditions. It was a fantastic kick off to our weekend.
DOK Leipzig is a mayor international film festival that takes place annually in Leipzig. It presents the best new animated and documentary films from over 50 countries. Every year, thousands of spectators from Germany and the rest of the world discover around 350 extraordinary, thrilling and artistically outstanding films in its twelve cinemas. The film festival was founded in 1955 under the name “1st All-German Leipzig Festival of Cultural and Documentary Films” and was the first independent film festival in East Germany. In 1995 a separate competition for animated films was added and in 2004 a film industry program, DOK Industry, was initiated to allow a networking and contact platform for industry professionals. Shortly after German reunification attendance figures dropped, with just 5,500 people coming in 1993; however, they quickly picked up and in 2008 the festival had more than 27,000 attendees.
The next morning we were free to have breakfast and explore the city, as well as seeing a few documentaries; all students were required to see at least four, but many of us were excited and saw more. At lunchtime, we had the opportunity to meet the president of the festival. He was gracious enough to meet us and describe his role with the festival, how the festival chose their pictures, and the successes. The most important information we received was that the festival accepts youth submissions and has a separate category for youth shorts. It was a lucky day for the students.
We had time to see another documentary before we were led to a small medieval restaurant. We ate like kings! It was a full course meal and we were required to eat with our hands. They put on traditional music, served us glorious food, and told us the proper way of dining in the medieval times. The entire festival experience was amazing and all of the students grew in their field. We traveled back to Bonn the next day and prepared to shoot our own award winning documentaries.

Written by Kate Remsen

Pixar Exhibit : Animating my Childhood

And then there was Pixar. What hasn’t Pixar done for my childhood, teenage, and now young adult years? I’ve been lost in the ocean with Nemo, love struck over Eva with Wall-e, and to infinity and beyond with Buzz. So many of Pixars stories have touched my heart over the years and I was so excited when we had the opportunity to go to the Pixar exhibit that was visiting Bonn. The exhibit is being housed until January 2013 in the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland aka the Art and Exhibition Hall of the Federal Republic of Germany. Lucky for us, the AIB brought us on an excursion to this awesome exhibit. So, on the Tuesday evening of our pre-production class week, we all headed off on the metro to learn about Pixar magic.
We had a guided tour through the exhibit, which was really helpful. All over the walls were different artifacts from Pixar’s history and films. Sketches, molds, notes, x-rays, and so many other things lined the wall that having a guide really helped narrow down all the information. He started talking about the beginning of the company and the first shot they created, “Luxo Jr.”
Knowing that we were all film students, he was able to gear our tour more toward what we wanted to know about and what we were interested in. One interesting thing I remembered was about Toy Story 2: there were x-rays that the animators wanted to create for when the toys were going through the airport in a scene, however, they weren’t sure how to animate it. So, they went out and bought action figures of their own characters and took x-rays of them. The x-rays never ended up being used in the film, but the original x-rays were discovered in Pixar’s archive of things.
Later on our guide brought us up to this wall of animated fish and explained how Pixar’s employees brought in their children and relatives’ children and had them figure out which fish they liked the best. Clearly the clown fish won their hearts before winning ours. The rest of the fish that were popular with the children became the other supporting characters in Nemo’s tale. Our guide continued to lead us through rooms of Pixar artifacts and history, but the next thing he lead us to was one of the highlights of the exhibits.
The Pixar exhibit had a zoetrope, which was made up of characters from Toy Story, to display the principles of animation. There were 18 statues of each character around the circle that were in a fixed position. So, for example, Jesse was throwing a lasso around her head so there were 18 of her, and each of the 18 Jesse’s actions would vary a little so when the zoetrope was spinning there would be an illusion of motion. It was like a 3D flip book on steroids.
Overall, being able to visit the Pixar exhibit in Bonn was a really nice experience that I didn’t want to miss.
Written by Sarah Bush

Lights, Camera, Action!

For a week and half, we had time off to shoot our documentaries. In pairs or threes, we traveled to places like Berlin, Madrid, and Arranmore Island (a small Irish island) to film our documentaries on a variety of topics. The first few days of our break I spent in Bonn, preparing and shooting some scenes in the local comic book shop for my documentary about German nerd culture. I got to geek out and meet some really cool people. We even interviewed a German professor who was particularly interested in American comics from 1930s and 1940s. I came away with some great shots and a Captain America comic.
I spent the following week in England helping my friend and fellow student Lia film her documentary, as I’d shot almost all of mine at that point. Her documentary is about deromanticizing life in Jane Austen’s time and featuring herself as the protagonist. It was a lot of fun to shoot, although a little difficult and frustrating at times.
Lia and I had to get up bright and early on a Monday morning to take our train through the “Chunnel” to London. Wrestling with suitcases and camera and sound equipment was definitely challenging. But it was worth it as soon as we pulled in at Kings Cross Station and saw the city around us. We checked in at our hostel, got some lunch (fish and chips and a real hamburger!) and explored a little bit. Then Lia and I took the tube to Piccadilly Circus, where we met some friends of her family for dinner. Afterwards, we saw a performance of Phantom of the Opera at her Majesty’s Theater, which was fantastic.
We stayed in London the first part of Tuesday and visited some of the popular tourist locations, getting some footage of the London Eye, Big Ben, and all the people walking around. Then we took the train to Oxford and wandered around there for a while, finding an awesome little shop that sold quills and parchment, several bookstores, and a shop that makes the best cookies in the world. We had the privilege of attending a lecture at one of the colleges and had a lovely dinner with the professors.
From Oxford, we took the train and taxi to an enormous estate of an English lord. Lia’s family friends just happened to rent a room in this old manor from the Regency period. As soon as we saw the interior, we freaked out. It was gorgeous and had some of the original paintings and furniture. Lia also tried on the Regency costume she’d be wearing for the next couple days, which looked adorable. We spent the night on the floor, which was surprisingly comfortable.
The next morning, we shot on the lush grounds of the estate and ended up befriending some horses. Then we filmed the interior and Lia walking around in her Regency costume. It felt like we’d traveled back to the time of corsets, fans, and grand balls. It was an amazing and surreal experience. We reluctantly left the manor to catch our train to Bath, one of the towns where Jane Austen had lived in her short lifetime.
Lia and I walked around the town center, filming the imposing abbey and the Pump Room, a restaurant popular both today and in Austen’s time. After dinner, we took the opportunity to see a movie in English (since it was too dark to film) before heading to bed.
On Thursday, we headed straight to the Fashion Museum in Bath, where we tried on replica corsets and looked at dresses from the period. We also got in some shopping, ate Cornish pasties (delicious!), and visited the Crescent, a popular hangout for ladies and gentlemen in Regency times. There was also a lovely pond with ducks and swans nearby that was the perfect backdrop for Lia’s white muslin gown and spencer jacket.
The Jane Austen museum was our last stop. Lia and I just had to grab a cup of tea at the tearoom above the museum before we took our tour. I learned a lot about Jane Austen and what it was like in her day (not that great, especially for women). We got an interview with a very helpful museum guide and purchased our Austen souvenirs before we left. Lia got all the shots she needed for her documentary, and we celebrated with a game of football in one of the local bars.
Our last day in England we spent taking the train from Bath back to London and hanging out in Kings Cross Station. We transferred through Brussels and finally made it back to Bonn, which definitely felt like home by that point. I think that all the students would agree when I say that shooting week was hectic and a lot of work, but totally fun and worth it.
Caroline Bartlett

The Weeks that Never End

I’ve never run a marathon before, but I imagine it would be as exhausting as my shooting weeks for these documentaries were. Our journey started in Leipzig as Carolina, Samantha, Andre and I left the documentary festival there a bit early to take a train to Berlin and then a plane to Madrid. Spain was our first stop to film a flamenco dancer for Carolina’s documentary. I went into this knowing nothing about flamenco dancing, so I was excited to learn more despite the fact that I knew less than a lick of Spanish. After barely scraping by Easy Jet’s luggage weight restrictions, we headed on our way to Madrid. Before we even took off I passed out in my seat. I fell asleep in Germany and woke up in Spain. It happens.
Once we arrived at Madrid’s airport we had to make our way to our couch surfer’s apartment. This was my third experience with couch surfing and from all the reviews these Spanish students had I was excited to meet them and continue the good experiences. Once we put our stuff down and met our awesome hosts, we set off immediately to scope out the place where Caro’s dancer would be performing later that night. The next day we started filming and I feel like we didn’t stop for a month straight. Every interview for Caro’s doc was in Spanish, so though I was doing sound for it, I didn’t really understand a word of it. The Zoom in my hands just served to tell me that the levels were reading well, but other than that I just sat back and listened to the foreign sounds for minutes on end. We were able to film one of her performances and I literally had a front row seat to her amazing footwork. I didn’t get to see much of Madrid in the few days we were there, but really I think I had a better experience because I got to meet a local and have a back stage pass to a flamenco dancer’s life.
After we wrapped shooting in Madrid, it was just Samantha, Carolina, and I who would be continuing to London to film my documentary. My film is about accents around the UK and how they can relate to social class, at least that’s what it started out as. Honestly, shooting week in London was one of the most stressful weeks of my college career, and possibly life so far. There were ups and downs, funny moments and frustrations, but all in all I wouldn’t have traded my week for anything. One of the coolest things about making a documentary is you get to speak to people you normally wouldn’t have the opportunity to. I got to meet another couch surfer, an actor, a comedian, a business man, a taxi cab driver, and the list goes on. Having each one of them welcome me into their lives for a couple of hours was a really special and unique experience. Although I was lost and behind on my own thoughts sometimes, they were all very kind and willing to work with me. Another great thing was having Carolina and Samantha there, other than experiencing the city as friends, it was great having people who could help clear my mind when I was getting to overwhelmed with small details. By the end of our week in London, I was really surprised at all that we accomplished, but shooting wasn’t over yet.
So far the count is, four days in Madrid, five in London, and now back to Bonn and Cologne to film more of Samantha’s documentary. Sam’s doc is about the love lock phenomenon where couples, families, and other people put locks onto a bridge to symbolize love and then toss the keys out into the water. The day after we arrived back from London we headed out to Cologne where there are thousands of locks on a bridge by the main station. We interviewed a student who wrote a thesis on the phenomenon as well as a couple who had been planning on putting a lock on and were now going to have Sam film it. We had a break on Sunday to celebrate Carnival in Cologne and then filmed some more on Monday, Tuesday, and Friday of that editing week. All in all, it was quite a long couple of weeks of shooting but I wouldn’t have traded any of it. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.
Written by Sarah Bush

3. Bonner Kurzfilmfest

Liebe Freunde der AIB und des Films,
die Akademie für Internationale Bildung (AIB) lädt Sie im Rahmen des
3. BONNER KURZFILMFESTS
herzlich zur Abschlussveranstaltung der AIB Semesterprogramme
New Europe
Engineering
Film&TV
ein.
Wir verabschieden unsere Studenten und Dozenten der Loyola Marymount University und beginnen den Abend mit der Premiere der Dokumentarfilme der amerikanischen Filmstudentinnen und -studenten aus Los Angeles.
Die Filmpremiere findet statt am:
Freitag, den 14. Dezember 2012 um 19:30 Uhr im Rheinischen Landesmuseum Bonn (Colmantstraße 14-16, 53115 Bonn)
Die von einer internationalen Jury ausgewählten Filme sind von jungen Talenten der School of Film & Television der Loyola Marymount University während ihres Auslandssemesters und Studiums an der AIB in Bonn produziert worden.
Jeder der Regisseure hat sich einem unterschiedlichen Themengebiet zugewandt und es auf individuelle Art und Weise visualisiert. So ist beispielsweise das Thema Liebe anhand des auf der Hohenzollernbrücke in Köln stark verbreiteten Liebesschloss-Phänomens erörtert worden und die Bedeutung des Lachens unter Berücksichtigung der Lachyogamethode, die sich in den letzten Jahren auch im Raum Köln/Bonn etabliert hat, filmisch erfasst worden. Ernstere Produktionen legen ihren Schwerpunkt auf das Porträtieren bemerkenswerter Persönlichkeiten und greifen in diesem Zusammenhang Themen wie etwa Leben mit der Borderline-Störung, Erinnerungen an den zweiten Weltkrieg und Erfahrungen von Flüchtlingen in Deutschland auf.
Während einige Dokumentationen lokal im Raum Köln/Bonn gedreht wurden, führte die Arbeit an den Filmen einzelne Regisseure auch in andere europäische Länder wie etwa Schottland, Irland, Spanien oder Italien.
Programm:
19:30 Uhr
Begrüßung der Teilnehmer der Programme Film, Engineering und New Europe durch den Bürgermeister der Stadt Bonn, Helmut Joisten.
19:45 Uhr
Vorführung von sechs dokumentarischen Kurzfilmen (á 10 Minuten)
anschließend
After-Show-Empfang und Verleihung des Publikumspreises in der Akademie für Internationale Bildung (Wilhelmstr. 27, 53111 Bonn)tickets@aib-studyabroad.org
Anmeldung:
Wir würden uns sehr freuen, Sie am 14. Dezember 2012 zur Filmpremiere im Rheinischen Landesmuseum LVR begrüßen zu dürfen. Bitte wenden Sie sich zur Anmeldung unter Angabe der Anzahl zu reservierender Tickets bis zum 12. Dezember 2012 sowie bei Rückfragen per E-mail an tickets@aib-studyabroad.org. Sie erreichen uns außerdem telefonisch unter 0228 / 33 88 39 20. Sie dürfen die Einladung auch gerne an Freunde und Bekannte weiter leiten.
Wir hoffen auf Ihr zahlreiches Erscheinen und einen gelungenen Abend!
Mit herzlichen Grüßen,
Olaf Brodersen, Programmkoordinator Bereich Film & TV

Cologne City Tour

The students took a day trip to the neighboring city of Cologne and experienced a new way of city life. Cologne is a larger city compared to Bonn and therefore has more people and tourism. The students woke up early in the morning and set off to the wonderful city. Despite the wind and the chills, the students were led on a walking tour around the city. With over 1 million inhabitants, Cologne is the fourth biggest city in Germany and the biggest city in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is also the oldest major city in Germany at about 2,000 years of age. The students then discovered that the central station is located on top of an ancient roman city. Who knew? We were able to go under the main area and look at the recently excavated buildings. It has been turned into a parking lot.
Back on the surface, we continued our city tour and learned about the famous alcoholic drink made in Cologne, “Eau de Cologne”. Located in house 4711, 300 years ago, an Italian settled there and created what he called “Miraculous Water;” it contained 85% pure alcohol. In that time, people would take the drink in drops as a medicine for headaches or toothaches. The streets of Cologne and many parts of Europe did not have a good sewage system and the streets were covered in human feces. People would take “Miraculous Water” (aka “Eau de Cologne”) and dab it under their noses in order to hide the smell.
After the city tour, the students took a train to Cologne Ossendorf and had a guided tour of MMC Studios. Much like the studios in Los Angeles (but smaller), MMC studios consisted of sound stages,television studios, television sets, and much more. The students received an inside look on how Germans make films and the differences between Germany and the United States. Radio and television production studios of the largest German broadcasting station, WDR, are in Cologne. The inauguration of the WDR in 1956 marks the beginning of history as a media metropolis.
Back in the city center, the roman excavations throughout Cologne, halted new construction, however, that didn’t stop them from building up and up. And up we went: the students clambered up the largest chapel in Cologne, Der Kölner Dom. It is one of the world’s largest churches and is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe. For four years, (1880-1884) the cathedral was the tallest structure in the world until the completion of the Washington Monument. The gothic style building showed signs of wear but miraculously it survived the bombings of WWII, unlike the rest of the city. An elevator took us to the top of the cathedral and we were able to walk on the scaffolding placed around the building for reconstruction. We ended up far above the catholic alter looking down on the ceremony below. We explored the height of the church and experienced the largest bell in all of Germany. What a wonderful sight!
After a long day in the city, the students hopped on a train and headed back to our little town of Bonn, ready for another school day ahead.


Written by: Kate Remsen

German Editing

“Suchst du etwas?” After constantly rewinding, rewinding, looking at other takes, watching a new cut, I can’t count the amount of time I heard this line while editing our narrative projects. The other week, all the groups that shot narrative scripts switched projects for editing. Of course, our group got the project that was translated into German and had the longest script. To say that editing week was trying, would be an understatement.
One of the biggest challenge of editing this project was the fact that it was in a foreign language. Yes, there were other issues that arose from the video and camera, but most of the other narratives has similar problems so we were all on an even playing field there. Editing in German was daunting to our entire group, but it was not until we started wading through the footage that the full immensity of the task hit us. We were provided with the script in German with English translations and some good production notes. That gave us a little something to work with thankfully, but while everyone else’s finished cut averaged 3 minutes, ours averaged ten... So, right off the back you can see what we were working with. But, back to the main idea.
Editing in a foreign language is more difficult than I even anticipated. Though we had the English words right in front of us the whole time, it was still so jarring to have to listen to all the German that sounded like gibberish to my ears. Deciphering the different words became easier as I went along, but it was still a back and forth between the script and my monitor. The constant questioning of whether the line was correct made it difficult to even concentrate on the take. For example, in one take one of the actors messed up his lines and started apologizing and saying let’s take it from a certain line and keep rolling. This would be perfectly easy to understand, had it been said in English.
Instead, I thought it was dialogue I was missing or was improvised. It took me a few times watching the take to realize that it wasn’t even part of the scene. I never realized how much I took for granted editing in English. By the end of the week, I was so exhausted by the energy it took to edit in German. Though it was a very trying week for our group, I did enjoy the learning process in the edit. The most frustrating part of the week was just that I wanted to do the best job possible. It took a while, I was literally the last person editing in my group. Editing in German made me want to learn more of the language and to never again take for granted the fact that I can edit in English. It was such a long week for our group, but in the end I think each of us ended up with a cut we could be proud of.

Written by: Sarah Bush

Kreuzberg: My Kind of Neighborhood

On the Thursday of our Berlin excursion, we had a “My Berlin” day where we were split up into three groups for exploring the city. One group focused on the city’s Cold War history, another on urban art around the streets, and our group took on the neighborhood of Kreuzberg.
Kreuzberg is an immigrant hub in Berlin. The six of us set out for the neighborhood’s museum that is dedicated to the diversity of history that lies there. Once there we met Intissar, who would be our guide for the morning. She began by giving us a brief history of the neighborhood and how it came to be. The immigrant side of the neighborhood really came about when Turkish guest workers started immigrating to the area. Now there are about 150,000 residents in Kreuzberg with about 150 different cultures existing. After Intissar gave us a short introduction, she gave us iTouches which we used to listen to stories from different residents of the area. On the floor of the museum there was a large map of Kreuzberg with different colored numbers that corresponded to individual’s recordings of their experience. Some were about conflict, others about playgrounds, or religion there was such a wide range of ages, races, and voices. As I walked around the floor of the building, it became my quick introduction to the streets and the people.
After we each listened to a few stories, Intissar led us out into Kreuzberg. Something really striking about the neighborhood was the amount of graffiti and street art. The walls were abound with words and images plastered on by spray paint. Some were really cool and interesting, others less captivating and more generic, but there was not one street lacking some mark. Intissar became our window to the neighborhood, she brought us past an apartment complex where a reality show similar to MTV’s Real World but located in Kreuzberg is filmed. The neighborhood built too many parking structures, so one we passed by had been converted into aKindergarten. Apparently the ramps are still inside and the children use them to race around during recess. No wonder they have the autobahn here, they start kids thinking about cars so young. If only we could drive as fast. After passing the Kindergarten, we came across a four story building whose top floor was often used as a reception area for Arabic weddings. Intissar mentioned that she usually taught her tour groups a little traditional dance step from the weddings at this point, but she waved it off as if it was no big deal. There was no way we were missing this. Our entire group pleaded and she was so surprised we wanted to learn the dance. Who wouldn’t want to dance in the streets of Berlin? The six of us gathered in a circle, grabbed hands, and began stepping with our left foot over our right. Left again over right, and then kicking out with our left. It was a simple move, so we kept practicing it over and over and then she took out her phone and began playing a Arabic tune. There we were, six Americans and a German dancing on the sidewalk. It was perfect.
Intissar continued to lead us around and she brought us to a spot where the Berlin wall used to run through the neighborhood. Down the street, there was a famous squatter’s house that had been there for years that has been really helpful to residents. Our next stop was going to a neighborhood mosque. It was the first mosque I had been to and I was so surprised at how normal the outside of the building appeared. It just seemed like a courtyard entrance in the middle of a city block. Once inside, however, we just saw so and learned much more. Intissar taught us about the five pillars of Islam, why the rug pattern was all pointed in one direction (toward Mecca), and about the way one is supposed to pray. Coming from a Catholic background myself, it was really fascinating to learn more about a different religion.
After our mosque visit Intissar took us one last place: Wonder Waffle. My mouth started watering from the name. Each of us ordered delicious waffles for dessert with chocolate, strawberries, kiwis, pineapples, and even some chili pepper for an adventurous soul. Definitely a well balanced meal. I’m really on top of those over here. Overall, we had such a great little excursion around Berlin. Being able to do more than just the typical sightseeing for a day and actually focus on a neighborhood gave me a stronger grasp on the people of Berlin. I would love to go back some day. After all, I could use more balanced waffle lunches.



Written by: Sarah Bush

Potsdam

Choo Choo! After a long 6 hour train ride, the students arrived in the small city of Potsdam, just south of the capital of Germany, Berlin. Immediately after we left the train station, we embarked on a cruise on the Havel River. We lazily floated past the “Beverly Hills” of Potsdam and gazed upon beautiful houses and castles lining the river. The biggest lake, where we loaded onto the boat, is the lake “Great Wannsee.” Delightful riverscapes alternated the architectural monuments of the past: the castle and park area which belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage, the bridge “Glienicker Brücke,” the villas of the former Ufa – film stars situated at the lake “Griebnitzsee” and the “Truman Mansion,” the residence of the former American president Harry S. Truman in the days of the Potsdam Conference. A wonderful experience and break from the train. We arrived at our beautiful hotel “Hotel Ascot Bristol” and were free for the rest of the evening to explore the city of Potsdam.
The next morning, rising early, the students traveled to the HFF Film School, founded in 1954. It is the oldest and only arts academy in the German Land of Brandenburg and contains some of the more modern technology for the students. Students at the HFF can make the most of a modern teaching and studio building and excellent supervision from internationally renowned teaching staff and service-oriented administrative staff, as well as a family-friendly university environment. We were taken on a private tour of the building and lastly, had the honor of watching some of the student films. Loyola Marymount has some competition in Germany!
The HFF film school is conveniently located next to the Film Studio Babelsberg, the oldest, large-scale film studio in the world. Founded in 1912, it has produced hundreds of films, including Metropolis, The Blue Angel, and Inglorious Bastards. In 2012, Studio Babelsberg will celebrate its 100th anniversary.
The students were led around the studio and experienced: the sound stages, big enough to build a full sized ship inside, the operating rooms, filled with HD TVs and thousands of dollars worth of equipment, costume and prop departments, with hundreds of thousands of different items and clothing, and much, much more. The students were very excited to see a studio very similar to the ones back in Los Angeles. It was fascinating to see the workingsof German film and culture as well as the productions from the studio.
Cinematic history has been and still is being written in Potsdam. In addition to the movie and television industries, Potsdam is home to many top companies in high-tech and design. Potsdam is both a city in which to live and to love. You can make yourself at home here, and the students sure felt that way. But alas, our trip was cut short as we had to make our way back to the train station, leaving Potsdam for another day, heading to the big city, the big apple of Germany: Berlin.



Written by: Kate Remsen

Memorial Site of Former Concentration Camp in Sachsenhausen

During our excursion to Berlin, we were given the opportunity to take a guided tour of the memorial site of the former concentration camp of Sachsenhausen. There is no real way to put into words the intensity of such a place; the crimes and horrors committed there are painful to hear about, yet even more painful to see in person. When we first arrived at Sachsenhausen, we all noted how cold the weather was. As our tour guide, Michael, took us to the entrance of the camp, he asked us to keep in mind that while we were cold standing there in our winter coats and layers that prisoners of the camp were given only two cheaply made outfits. And the weather was to get much colder than that September afternoon. With that, we headed inside for what would be one of the most emotional tours I have ever been on.
We started by learning some important information about Sachsenhausen. Between 1936 and 1945, more than 200,000 people were imprisoned in Sachsenhausen. At first the prisoners were political opponents of the national socialist regime. As time continued, people declared by the national socialists to be racially or biologically inferior were imprisoned at Sachsenhausen (Homosexuals, Jews, etc).
Sachsenhausen concentration camp was built in the form of an equilateral triangle with its buildings grouped symmetrically around an axis. This was the “ideal” or “model” concentration camp that others soon mimicked. A semicircular roll-call area was located directly in front of a tower where a SS officer monitored the proceedings. The camp is almost a perfect equilateral triangle.
On the tour, we were able to visit the barracks where the prisoners lived. Overcrowded, unsanitary and overall harsh conditions, the barracks were by no means a place to live. We were able tosee original torture devices that were used on the prisoners by the SS officers. The cruelty of these mechanisms was sometimes so intense that prisoners would die during the torturing. Continuing, we went to the “hospital” where many were brutally murdered. We saw what were once a gas chamber, an execution chamber and a crematorium. Prisoners entered the building believing they were having a routine check-up only to be senselessly murdered.
I think the hard part of visiting a concentration camp is the remembering. We have learned about the holocaust since we were old enough to absorb the tragedies of what occurred. Perhaps we hear something so much that we become numb to it. Everyone can agree that the holocaust was horrendous and everything that took place is so awful it is hard to contemplate. At times on the tour I felt as though I was in a museum, one that I may have visited in Washington, DC. However, as I walked into the room where lives were cut far too short and acts of such appalling violence occurred, I think it hit me more than I thought possible.
I know that Auschwitz is a popular camp to visit. Given the opportunity, I would want to visit there, or any other camp for that matter. I do not believe that all camps are the same and that if you’ve seen one, you have the general idea. Each camp has a grizzly story where people’s fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters were ripped from their lives and were treated as if they were subhuman. Sachsenhausen concentration camp has a dark, dark history.
It is hard to find words, but I can say this: seeing a concentration camp, putting a real picture with the stories I had heard, was one of the hardest things I have ever seen. May all the souls taken at Sachsenhausen and during the holocaust rest in peace. You are not forgotten.



Written by: Kate Remsen

Days

The alarm sounds at an unthinkable 7:15am. Is this a mistake? No junior in college has to be awake this early. No juniors except the18 brave film students at the AIB. One might think that a typical day for study abroad students includes sleeping in, waking at maybe 10am, grabbing a coffee and a croissant at the local bakery before heading to class for an hour or two, then out to a pub for a nightcap. I imagined that sort of day for myself at least. I was in for a rude surprise.
As I hit the alarm, I usually decide that I need at least 10 more minutes of sleep. 15 minutes later and I’m up. I run downstairs to grab a quick breakfast (not a bakery croissant, but luckily I can still have a coffee and yogurt). Back upstairs where I frantically get dressed and ready. As I run out the door, I do a mental checklist. Okay I need: my phone, my house key, my wallet, German homework, external hard drive, film homework, among a slew of other items. Out the door when I realize I have to turn my 4-minute walk into a 2-minute walk; the bus leaves at 8:34 and it is now unlikely that I will make it. I begin my frantic sprint to the bus and just as I get to the door, off goes the bus. I wait for another bus, the 8:40, and will be to class 5 minutes late.
We begin German class with our quirky teacher, Hilde. She is full of morning energy that can either be contagious to our lethargic group or have no effect depending on what time we got to bed the night before. Normally we all will make a coffee or tea to help us stay focused as we learn the ins and outs of a rather difficult language. German class ends (if it is one block) at 10. We then have a 15-minute break before we jump into one of film classes. We have directing, cinematography, and editing. We take each class every day for a week, then cycle through. We have a British professor for directing, Andrew, a German cinematography professor, Jens, a German editing professor, Andreas, and Kurt, our LMU professor, aka the sound guy. Each professor is incredibly talented and helpful. Though their styles are quite different, I have already learned so much more than I thought was possible to garner in half a semester.
We get finished with class 5pm, sometimes hanging around the AIB for an hour to finish work and make sure we’re ready for the next day. I have dinner with my host family at 7, chat with them until around 8:45, then back upstairs to finish my homework, Skype friends and family, then to bed to start the process all over again.
Although the set up is similar to high school (early mornings, class all day), I wouldn’t change it for anything. I feel like I am learning a cast amount more than some of my 45-minute long classes. With a few weeks left before we start shooting our documentaries, I imagine we are all going to miss the days we got to sleep in until 7:15am.

Written by: Sarah Bush

The Camcar Experience

On Monday, after German class 18 film students boarded a train to Cologne. We were headed to a camera and lighting equipment rental with our Cinematography professor, Jens the Lens. After taking another tram in Cologne and walking several hundred meters, we arrived at the warehouse. Jens along with one of the camera workers helped direct us around on our tour. Although most of us had checked out equipment through school, this us where freaking out. After camera we moved toward lighting and grip. Rows upon rows filled up the warehouse with this section. Finally we ended with the dolly section.
Walking around the place was really cool, because we were able to compare it to LMU’s equipment. Obviously, quantity wise CamCar has us beat but otherwise our school does have some good stuff to offer us. Being in a professional rental place gave us a cool window into what it would be like in the real world instead of renting it out from our school.
place was obviously much larger and with much more equipment. We started off at the front desk where besides being your starting point for pick up and drop off, also gave you things you could purchase like clappers or tape for your production. On to the camera department, Jens showed us the rooms where one can check their equipment before taking it out. Next we moved into a room where the worker checked the lens for scratches. Moving through each room, we took in the immensity of equipment available to us. Although most of us won’t be able to lug around much for shooting our documentaries, the narrative kids inside

Written by: Sarah Bush

A 16mm Kind of Week

In today’s digital age, it’s so easy for someone to get their hands on some video recording device, whether it’s a Canon DSLR or an iPhone, and start to make films. It has become really convenient and it has made filmmaking very accessible to the masses. All of this, however, has also put physical film on the back burner. Though many features are still shot on film and it has many advocates, the digital world is still giving it a run for it’s money. After being a film student for almost two and a half years, I myself finally worked with film stock for the first time this past week.
Jens, our cinematography professor and resident Thor look alike, began the week by taking us to to a camera and lighting equipment rental company. From there we received a tour, walked through lots of camera, lenses, gels, donuts, dollies, apple boxes, etc. The place just kept going and going. The visit served a double purpose, however, as we were able to pick up equipment we would need to shoot on 16mm film later that week.
Upon arriving at class on Tuesday, we all split into smaller groups so that while one group learned how to load film with Jens, the rest of us were shooting interviews for AIB’s website. I was in the second group to learn, so once our turn came around the five of us sat at a table with Jens to learn film loading. Before us was a canister with 16mm practice film and a magazine to load it into. He demonstrated the process to us, and then set us loose. Since we only had four magazines to practice on I sat back and waited for someone to finish before I could get my hands on one. This actually gave me an advantage though, because I was able to watch everyone else load and memorize the process more as well as learn from other’s mistakes. Eventually Justice finished first and I took her supplies and ventured into the world of film. Having watched five other people load, I was feeling somewhat confident that I could load easily. It started off really well, doing the part that was supposed to be in darkness was simple enough- perhaps because we were practicing in light. Once I flipped the magazine over to thread the film, it became a little trickier. Here, I had to make sure my spool was the correct length and also push the film through a small slit to run it back through.
Pushing the film through became really difficult. It kept spitting back out at me, but eventually I managed to work it out and successfully loaded my 16mm film... then I had to try loading it in the tent.
Honestly, as soon as I put my hands inside the completely dark tent with the film and magazine I felt like an astronaut. I had a little difficulties here, but overall it wasn’t as hard as I was envisioning.
On Wednesday, we finally had a chance to actually shoot on the 16mm film. That day we would be filming an introduction for our screenings later that semester. Jens came up with a concept and we all just went with it, though most of us weren’t sure why we were searching through sheets in a bed, or sitting in the passenger seat of a car, looking through a window, or breaking glass bottles. I’m sure he has a clear vision inhis head. If anyone does, it would be Thor. It was assigned so that each person would be in one scene and be able to film another. I was able to film Will in a car. Jens drove us around while I sat in the passenger seat and then the back seat and recorded Jens’ hands and Will’s eyes through the dashboard mirror. It was really cool actually having the camera in my hands. Only downside is that camera was heavy and I hadto do all handheld shots in the car. At first it was a matter of keeping the camera steady and then it became a matter of keeping myself steady. While I was in the back seat, I tried sitting on the edge of the seat to get as close to the front as possible, but then as soon as the light turned green and we started moving forward I completely fell backwards in the mini van. Though I don’t want to pursue being a DP, I can see howfun and interesting it must be to get your hands on film cameras and making movie magic happen. Being able to work with and on film was a really unique experience and I’m really glad we had the opportunity to.

Written by: Sarah Bush

Beethoven on Water

The other week, we had an outing after class to go to a light and water show in Bonn. The show was on a German national holiday, Unity Day, remembered on October 3rd every year that celebrates the unification of the east and west. If you’re looking for a clearer picture of the light show, think Disneyland’s World of Color, but with classical music- and in the pouring rain. To be honest it was one the most fun experiences I’ve had in Bonn so far.
The night started off overcast and drizzly, so a few of us went around to find some dinner. There was a stand by the Platz, or square, where they were serving potato pancakes with apple sauce. And if that wasn’t enough we got Nutella crepes afterward, because no meal is complete without it. At this point in the evening, the rain really started coming down. We stood underneath some stand awnings, but soon enough we had to secure a spot to see the show, which of course was right out in the open. Pushing past the crowds, we found more of our group and managed to snag a spot front center for the show, but thankfully not in the splash zone- yet. Water started gushing from the fountains and a projector began flashing images onto the fountains. After a few minutes of advertisements, the real show finally began.
This show was an extension of Beethoven Fest which occurs every year in Bonn, the birthplace of Beethoven. Classical music started blasting from the speakers and it was an amazing show despite the rain. Somehow we ended up being pushed farther toward the front of the show and ended up in what felt like a splash zone at Sea World. The rain also decided this would be a great time to pick up in intensity. My rain jacket’s hood I was wearing suddenly felt so useless against the barrage of water. Not everyone was prepared for the rain so some people were already soaked. As a group we all just took off our hoods and let our heads get soaked from the show and the elements. It was so much rocking our heads out as the music turned to more modern hits. I’m usually so busy with class or traveling around Europe that getting to experience this cool show in Bonn really made my week. Even though Bonn isn’t a huge metropolis, it’s a really nice home to return to. Events like these and the sweet people make it a wonderful place to study abroad in.

Migratory Species? A true story about cultural immersion

This past summer I interned with the United Nations Environmental Programs (UNEP) Convention on Migratory Species in Bonn as part of the AIB’s SABINA language + internship program. It was an unforgettable experience and I learned more about Germany, the UN, international business and myself than I ever expected to.

At the core of my experience in Bonn was the AIB. They are the primary reason my time in Germany was so incredible. The AIB staff is very professional, passionate and organized. They meticulously coordinated a number of fantastic outings and excursions throughout my program, including, a Rhine cruise, going to the chocolate museum in Cologne, wine tastings in the Mosel region and trips to the theatre. More importantly the AIB staff makes you feel very much at home. You can tell that they love what they do and they are always there for the students. I felt very comfortable approaching the staff as well as the native German student workers with any question I may have had.

The AIB has an amazing network of host families who are incredibly friendly and welcoming. Although I never had any problems with my host family I knew exactly who to speak with if I ever had any problems. My host family was so kind and helpful that I could not have hoped for a more positive experience. They have been hosting students for years and they truly enjoyed having us in their home. While I was in Bonn there were obviously times when I missed home and missed my family but it helped having a host mom who would always tell me to have a good day on my way out the door and having a dinner with a loving family at the end of the day even if it wasn’t my own family.

Before I started my internship with the UN I spent five weeks at the AIB taking an intensive intermediate 6 unit German course that was followed by a weeklong excursion to Erfurt, Dresden and Berlin. It was a fantastic way to start my time in Germany and I was able to learn a lot of German in a very short amount of time. During that time I also got to know my fellow students, most of whom were from Texas A&M. I was born and raised in northern California and did my undergraduate degree in Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University so I am a Californian through and through and by the end of my six weeks at the AIB I learned just as much about Texas as I did about Germany. It was a fantastic group of people and our time together went by too fast. When it the end came we were not ready to say good-bye.

During my time at the UN I worked for the Convention on Migratory Species, which protects any animal species that migrates across international borders. I worked in the Fundraising and Inter-Agency Liaison department. It was a very dynamic and interesting department to work in and it gave me the opportunity to work on different types of projects. My boss and I were essentially in our own department so we worked very closely together. Our two main tasks were to find funding for CMS and to oversee current and potential partnerships. One of my main tasks was researching foundations and charitable organizations globally to find relevant grants for CMS’s partner non-profits who implement CMS’s policies on the ground at the national level. I also did a lot of research into potential partnerships with a variety of organizations ranging from energy companies to major cereal brands to professional sports teams. Towards the end of my internship I was part of the pre-drafting process for CMS’s new Strategic Plan effective 2014. My work on the Strategic Plan involved reaching out to partner conventions and interviewing those who were responsible for the planning and drafting of their organization’s strategic plan. I then synthesized that information so those involved in the Strategic Plan drafting process had some guidance from experienced hands as they began their drafting process.

Although my boss and I were essentially in our own division, I was able to spend a lot of time with the other interns working at the UN. Everyday I would meet all of the interns for lunch in the lobby. We would go to eat at the various cafeterias in the businesses near the UN like DHL and Deutsche Welle or on sunny days we would eat packed lunches by the river. There were always interns coming and going at the UN and during my two and a half months at the UN I met interns from England, Portugal, Austria, Germany, France, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Brazil, Belgium Ghana, the Netherlands and Spain. With such an international group of people we were more different than alike but we quickly discovered the things which connected us were much more important then the things that separated us. By the end of my internship I had a number of great friends from all over and I know that if I ever end up in their neck of the woods I will have a place to stay.

Living and working in a different country opens your eyes to a different culture and a different way of living. You learn to see your own culture through the eyes of another. When you return to your home country you begin to notice things you never noticed before. Through comparison you understand more fully the things your culture values, what you like about your country and things you wish your country did better. The study abroad experience is not always easy. It is an adjustment and it can be uncomfortable at times but you come out stronger, more independent and more confident. There is so much to be learned about other cultures and yourself. It is a truly once in a lifetime type of experience. Study abroad provides a safe way to become immersed into another culture. Germany is a fantastic country and Bonn is a truly wonderful and international city. Bonn is right in the middle of Europe so it is a perfect jumping off point for most European destinations, which are only a short plane ride or train ride away. Aside from the trips the AIB organized, I was able to go to Paris, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Cologne, Brussels, Frankfurt, Munich, Dusseldorf and Luxembourg during my time in Bonn. I cannot say enough good things about my time Bonn and I encourage any student who has the opportunity to study abroad to take it. The AIB provides a perfect opportunity for students to take that first step in a safe, enjoyable and meaningful way. I would challenge anyone who has the slightest interest in studying abroad to do so.

One Of A Kind Woman - Hildegard von Bingen

When Saint Hildegard von Bingen was proclaimed „Doctor of the Church“ on October 8th, AIB used this occasion to celebrate this interesting woman with several activities. After starting out this semester with a fantastic weekend at Bacharach, neighboring city of Hildgard's birthplace Bingen and visiting the museum dedicated to her life, AIB wanted to take the opportunity and make the students more familiar with her life and work.

Hildegard of Bingen lived during the 12th century and worked as abbess, reformer, visionary, writer, healer and a lot of other fields as well. During the last 50 years her work started to receive more and more recognition worldwide and she became famous. In order to make the students understand her complex accomplishments AIB started out with a tour through the Botanical Gardens in Bonn, pointing out different plants and herbs, which were used since the 12th century because of their positive healing effects.

On Monday Jutta Prinz, an official homeopath and certified in Hildegard von Bingen's treatments, gave a lecture on her life and the healing methods that were used by Hildegard. She told in detail on what some of the most popular healing methods were and how they work. Being confronted with a rather unusual view on medicine and the body and mind, students got to try galangal and parsley honey wine –  a unique experience rounding up the guest lecture.

After watching the blockbuster movie „Vision: From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen.“ the student's favorite activity of the week came up: making skin creams after an original recipe from Hildegard von Bingen. With only a couple of ingredients and a little bit of time the students produced a handful of different creams. First was a wonderful marigold cream, good for rough, chapped and cracked skin or sores. Next was a mint balm, which works wonders against headaches and muscle tensions and last the students made a violet cream, which is used for a long lasting moisturizing effect.

All in all it was a fun week and we are sure that students will not soon forget this fascinating, one of a kind woman.

The Rhine Cruise - Upper Rhine Valley

On September 14, 2012, the AIB film students joined up with the engineering group and went on an adventure to the Upper Rhine Valley. We woke up early in the morning and clambered onto a bus leading to a small town south of Bonn. After two hours of sleeping passengers, the students arrived at Bacharach and took a short break before we embarked on our boat journey. As the sun was rising over the mountain, the cruise ship arrived and we were off.

The trip was definitely a different way of seeing Germany and the villages along the Rhine. Sitting on the top deck, we were able to view the beautiful scenic mountains, villages, and many vineyards. The day was clear but windy, which made all the students bundle up with what little clothing they brought. The air was clean and crisp as we floated up the river, passing through many small towns that we have never heard of but admired the beauty held within them.

Finally we arrived at one of our destinations, Braubach. We docked and walked to a small restaurant where we were provided lunch. For the vegetarians there was mushroom pasta, for the meat eaters, Schnitzle and fries. After a filling meal, we began our small hike up to Marksburg, a beautiful castle on a hill that survived since the middle Ages. Marksburg was never attacked or involved in any war and therefore kept in tact for viewers like us. We were given a tour of the castle by a young woman, and learned about the families that owned the building, how royalty and luxury lived back then, and why the castle was built in the first place. Inside, authentic furniture and stone carvings were kept in pristine condition for the public.
  
After the castle, we hiked back down the hill to our bus. It took us only about forty-five minutes to get to our final destination: the Winzer winery in a town called Mayschoss. The winery had been around since the 1800s and has been making wine from the grapes grown on the mountain just outside the door. The vineyards were built on a slant and always harvested by hand. They are placed precisely where the sun hits at all times of the day; this is how they protect the grapes from the cold weather. In the cellar, we learned the process of making wine and how the juice is always kept in fresh wooden barrels for years before it is ready to be bottled. Depending on the wine, the entire process can take ten to fifty years before the wine matures.

After the cellar and the history of the winery, we headed upstairs to a private dining room where we were served dinner and three types of cheese. Each student and faculty had a plate of various meat, cheese, and bread. Afterwards, we were able to purchase cheese for our host families or to enjoy ourselves. With full stomachs, the students piled back onto the bus and headed back into Bonn for a long and restful weekend.

Written by Kate Remsen

The Art of Shooting a Student Film

On September 19th and 20th, the AIB film students teamed up to produce four short films. A few weeks back, the 18 of us chose which scripts were to be made; the writers of the chosen four became directors and the remaining students were divided into teams to work as crew. After casting the actors, the groups were excited and ready to film.

Day one of shooting: Germany is actually freezing cold. Up to this point, we have been very lucky with the weather here in Bonn. Sure it rained once or twice, but I don’t think any of us were ready for the weather to be in the 50s (Fahrenheit) in September. Most groups began shooting at 9am in this chilly weather. And let’s not forget the clouds. This weather did present a bit of a challenge; being used to Los Angeles shooting conditions, holding a boom and operating a tripod became a bit more difficult as our hands froze straight to the metal (excuse the exaggeration).

Despite the weather, as we get older and more experienced, working on sets becomes that much more smooth and enjoyable. While I heard some groups had trouble with sound, the set I was on ran effortlessly. The professors came by to make sure everything was fine and I am pleased to say that day one went off without a hitch.
 Day two of shooting: the day before we began shooting, we realized that there was a conflict with locations. My group ended up compromising and said that we would shoot in one specific location after another team finished.

The other team was supposed to be finished by 12:30pm on day two of shooting in this location. However, in film, relying on someone else’s schedule is not a wise decision. Would the other group really be finished in half a day? What if the weather changed later in the afternoon? We relocated to what ended up being a better location for our film anyways. Sometimes compromising provides you with good karma. With the final two scenes to film, everyone began the day in positive spirits and worked hard the entire time. The actors were wonderful to work with, professional yet still kind-spirited.

In all, shooting was a success. I was worried that these two days could potentially be some of the worst of the semester. It is always hard letting go of control and working on someone else’s script and taking direction. I was fortunate to have such a great group where everyone’s input was taken into consideration and respect, yet full of laughter and fun.

Written by Hanna Finlayson

Amazing Amsterdam

On the second Saturday morning, we groggily boarded a 7:53am train to Amsterdam. Thank goodness I was able to sleep on that four-hour train ride, otherwise Amsterdam and I would have had a grumpy introduction. Interesting fact: when you travel by train through many parts of Europe, there is practically no passport control. Anywhere. Coming from highly security concious USA, it was a little sketched out. I mean- I’m not best friends with TSA, but I understand their purpose and importance. Here. Nada, nein, nichts. So unusual.Other than the whole security aspect of no passport control it also means I’m racking up zero stamps in my passport. Not cool. What else are all those blank pages for? I’m going to start drawing my own in – just need to find some Crayolas first.

Our class was venturing to Amsterdam to attend the International Broadcasting Convention (IBC). Even on the train ride there, I didn’t fully know what we were getting ourselves into. IBC sent me twenty emails a day, but my annoyance at spam mail overpowered my desire to read the emails. Once I arrived at the conference though, I realized that reading those emails probably would have been helpful and more than fascinating. To put it plainly, IBC is a playground for film kids. Overflowing with cameras, post production software, lighting kits, camera cranes, storage solutions, sound technology, and too many goodies to count! Considering the only other conference I’ve been to was for scrapbooking, (yes, that happened) this one by far took the cake.

Just outside IBC, we met our cinematography professor for the first time, Thor I mean Jens. He had already been walking around the conference earlier in the day and recommended some stalls and areas for us to check out. Once we stepped inside the convention center, they set us loose. I went to the camera hall first, with Sam and Caro. We aren’t the most skilled and knowledgable camera students but our eyes still went goo-goo at the Arri’s Alexi and we became kids at a candy store trying on steadicams. As much fun as we were having learning about different cameras and exploring different stalls, no one could trump Will’s expression in the camera hall. When we ran into him, his smile could barely contain his joy. It was Christmas morning and Santa left more than just the presents Will asked for, he left his reindeer, sleigh, and the whole North Pole. I’ve never seen such a sparkle in Will’s eyes. Guess that’s what happens when you give an aspiring cinematographer a hall full of the best cameras around.

After exploring the camera hall, we moved on toward the post production and it was my turn to light up. Walking down the steps, I could already tell we walked into a boy’s club, but I didn’t care. One woman handing us a booklet even commented how glad she was to see women in the post production hall. The first stall we walked up to was Quantel’s Pablo Rio, which is an editing consul for color correction and finishing. As soon as we walked up, we put on 3D glasses and watched a reel of the films they had worked on including “Avatar”, “The Social Network”, and “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”. After watching the presentation, we began speaking to the Pablo Rio expert who was telling us that the latest innovation with Pablo Rio is that one can now purchase just a software version, which makes it much more accessible for schools and smaller productions. We told the man we were film students from LMU studying abroad, and in response he posed “Playa del Ray” as a question. Complete coincidence! We were half way around the world and found a man who is from Playa del Ray, plays tennis on LMU’s courts, and is close with a SFTV professor. What are the odds? ... Apparently pretty favorable because we found two other people at IBC who had an LMU connection. LMU can feel very small sometimes, but then again so can the world.

After drooling over the Pablo Rio, we explored more of post and made our way to AVID, which my laptop is desperately missing. Unfortunately we didn’t get to spend much time in the post production hall because the convention was closing for the day, but just being there a little made me all happy inside. IBC far exceeded my expectations, I only wish I could have spent more time exploring it because I could have stayed at some stalls for days. I’m so glad AIB took us there, I never would have had the opportunity to go on my own. IBC brought Christmas to Amsterdam- not a bad weekend trip in my book.


Written by: Sarah Bush

Kinopolis - Bad Godesburg

Cinema in Germany is very similar to the United States; the same movies brought to theaters near you are being shown all around the world. On September 12, 2012, the film class ventured to a local movie theater and discovered the similarities in broadcasting. Kinopolis is the name of the theater located in Bad Godesburg just south of Bonn. We were met with the tour guide who barely spoke English so our cinematography professor had to translate.

We were lead to the projector room and had a personal tour of the machinery. They had an analog machine as well as a digital. The analog machine worked completely mechanically; the projectionist had to glue additional material to the film, which was responsible for telling the projector what type of aspect ratio and the type of lens needed for the film. The sound was actually separate from the projector and worked synchronized with the video. The job of a projectionist was to make sure the projector had the specific settings in order for the film to be played back correctly. This was used before digital projectors and is still used at Kinopolis for particular films.

For this theater in Germany, changing from analog to digital was quite difficult and costly. The theater had to re-wire the entire projector room in order to compensate for the digital machines. The screens had to be changed for the new 3D wave and took a couple of years. At Kinopolis the digital projector has the ability to broadcast live. They are connected to satellites and are able to show films from other countries over wireless Internet; including television, operas’, news, etc. To help the projectionist work efficiently, the digital projector contains programs that automatically detect the correct settings for the film, unlike analog. At Kinopolis there is only two projectionists working the theater: one to bring the film in from the server, the other to start the film with the correct settings.

It’s difficult for each cinema to determine whether to invest in the newest technology or to stick with their original machinery. The reason that the prices of tickets have drastically increased is because of this new equipment. If a theater invests in 3D technology and a year later, 3D is no longer popular, the theater looses all that money. The current dispute for the Kinopolis cinema is whether to change to 4K digital projectors or to wait for the next hot thing on the market. Currently, the theater contains 2K projectors with the option of 4K depending on the screen. Most theaters wait behind technology advancement to save money and determine what will be the most popular option.

After the projection room, the students were invited into on of the theaters and shown two trailers of upcoming films in 3D. We experienced the beauty and crisp pictures of 3D at Kinopolis and were finally able to understand the technology behind projecting films. After discovering the workings of the cinema, many students have decided to go back to the theater and watch upcoming movies from the states. It was a pleasant and learned experience.


Written by: Kate Remsen

Paris Ain’t Got Nothing on this Eifel!

Gregorian chants greeted us as we piled inside a nearly one thousand year old Benedictine monastery on our first Sunday morning in Germany. Despite the early wake up call on the weekend, all of us were still in awe at the sight before our eyes. We attended a Sunday morning service in the monastery that is still performed in Latin. Having studied Latin for four and a half years, I can honestly say I was lost from almost start to finish trying to follow the program.

If it weren’t for the fact that I was Catholic, I would have thought we were all singing about “Bratwursts”. It was still really amazing to be part of a tradition that has been going on for centuries. The grounds where the monastery was located left me awe struck. Once we left, the scenery only continued to get nicer.

We stopped in a little town to grab some lunch before heading to our final destination, Monreal in the Eifel region of Germany. Once there, we proceeded to immediately hike up to the castle on top of the overlooking hill. The bribe of real gelato at the end enticed everyone to join in. I already had gelato three of the last four days and was glad to eat more. The hike was a little challenging at times with our bags and at times slippery terrain, but the view from the top was well worth it. After getting settled in our hostel and apartments in town, we gathered for a dinner and then a night hike with torches followed the good bread and cheese from the Eifel. Should AIB really have given us fire while walking through unfamiliar woods? Probably not, but thankfully we didn’t light the town ablaze. Throughout the trek, people’s torches would dwindle and go out, but we made it to the top of the castle with a good amount of flames. It was definitely a unique hiking experience that I’ve never had before.

The next day we had some directing class with Andrew Hood. Everyone was split into pairs, given an emotion, and had to convey that emotion and a narrative through 12 still photographs. To be honest I think Lia and I lucked out when we pulled the emotion ‘love’ because Monreal was such a picturesque place, it was hard not to see love through the beauty surrounding us. After that assignment we had another group lunch and then more free time to wander around the town and grab a nap. That evening we came together again to pitch and vote on the narratives we would be shooting later in the semester. Eight of the scripts were chosen by the professors to be pitched in front of the class and then there was voting to determine the final four. Hanna’s, Andre’s, Megan’s, and my own scripts were chosen in the end. After another delicious meal with a cheese tasting, we were all exhausted for the day.

Our final morning in Monreal was spent a little in class time and a little resting. In the end, the Eifel retreat was a really nice excursion to get away at the beginning of the semester. It was a nice class environment and helped everyone become acquainted with the teachers in a less formal setting. If you’re ever looking for some beautiful country side to explore, Eifel is the place to go.


Written by: Sarah Bush

Expectations

I was expecting changes when I came to Europe. I thought there would be a huge language barrier, I would eat endless amounts of sausage, and immediately know what I want to make my documentary about. Some of my expectations have proven to be true (I actually had a „Bratwurst“ for lunch today and a „Bratwurst“ for dinner last night), while others have been entirely wrong. For example: Language is not a huge issue or barrier at all.

I was taught to say: „I speak a little German“ and whenever I ask someone if they speak English, they always seem hesitant and say: „Just a little“. Here’s the thing – I do speak a little German. A very, very little. When a German says they speak a little English, they are under exaggerating. They will probably speak English almost fluently and you will have no trouble understanding or deducing what they mean. I love this – the unnecessary modesty and uncertainty.

Another thing about Germany or Europe in general that is different is the food and fitness. I was originally convinced I would be gaining weight in Germany, with the carbs on carbs on carbs from bread, potato and beer. I thought it was inevitable that I would gain a comfortable 15 pounds. Still, I was confused when I looked around and quite a bit of Germans are in shape with far fewer obesity problems as I could tell. I soon realized why – the walking. To get anywhere you must walk. Even with the accessibility and convenience of the public transportation system, walking is still a huge part of daily life. In a day I walk to my bus station, then to school from the drop off, then to lunch, then around the city before heading back home. I question now if it would even be possible to not get in some form of better physical shape. I made a comment to a few Germans about the 40 kilometer bike tour the AIB students went on, I was hoping for some level of shock. My host dad was the first to shut that down with a polite, but sincere, “That’s it?”

Written by Hannah Finlayson

My Kind of Town

     

“GOALLLLLLLLL!” Shouts stretch from one side of the make-shift soccer field to the next. Players from the victorious team sprint toward each other for high fives and congratulations. This was the scene that continually took place on a Saturday morning at AIB’s Soccer Cup. Students from all four programs (Film, New Europe, Engineering, and Texas A&M’s Landscape Architects) participated in the soccer tournament. Megan Smallen, a film student, summed up the experience, “Everyone really worked together, and it was really fun, we got second place, it was a good surprise.” The melding of competition and comodory quicked created new friendships among the large group of students at AIB.

Later in the evening, AIB hosted a welcome fest for all the students and host families. Each student group performed skits or sang songs to introduce themselves to the group. The engineering students turned “Call Me, Maybe” into an LMU tune, Texas switched up a “Sound of Music” number, film students created a skit with famous movie clips as well as a Jackson 5 cover, and New Europe ended the performances with a Fresh Prince of Bonn-Air song. The event also welcomed the US Consul General in Düsseldorf, Stephen A. Hubler and the Head of Bonn’s Economic Development Office, Mrs. Victoria Appelbe. Both guests spoke of their own ties to Bonn and their hopes for our stay in the city.

Overall, the day gave students multiple ways to meet and mingle. Having fellow American students just gave everyone a greater sense of home away from home.

Written by: Sarah Bush

THE ROAD TO BERLIN

The road to Berlin took the group to some pretty interesting places along the way. We departed Bonn, our wonderful home of six weeks, and headed to Erfurt, where we took a tour from the crazy lookin’ guy above, and learned about the history of Erfurt, the capital of Thuringia and home of the Thuringia Bratwurst. Our Friar guide led us across the city of Erfurt where the group got free chocolates (which made it the best tour ever, of course) and showed us a little piece of DDR history and a large portion of Judson’s face.

We ended our tour at a very cool restaurant, where all the food was served to us on a spit and we were allowed to eat like messy college students and not use utensils.

The next stop on our Deutschland tour was Dresden. Dresden is the capital of the Free State of Saxony in Germany and is a beautiful city with a great mixture of old architecture and new architecture.

After a tour of the city, the group headed to the banks of the Elbe River for the public viewing of the Germany v. Italy game.

Even though Germany lost the game, the group united with the fans of Dresden in cheering for our team and the great work they did during the Euro Cup.

The group finally reached Berlin where we would conclude our study abroad with AIB. We toured the city of Berlin where we got to see many historical communist sites and World War II influences across the city. At night, the group explored the city of Berlin, eating at different restaurants and even seeing an opera one night. When it came time to leave, the goodbyes were heartfelt and meaningful. It is incredible to think that we spent six amazing weeks in a beautiful country, experiencing things we have never experienced before and meeting people we’ll never forget. We will always have the memories, the pictures, and maybe the German section of our grocery store to remind of the summer we spent studying abroad in Germany and the amazing time we had.

Written by: Laura Blackerby