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
