the Shanghai Film Museum

Should you be so lucky as to be asked to design a Film Museum, how would you feel? Most likely, overwhelmed. The many juicy aspects of the dream factory of film business make one’s head spin! The technology – from the first scratchy silent films to today’s 4D experiences. The genres – from drama and documentaries, to sci-fi and animated movies. And the intrigue and mystery of film as propaganda tool and promotional vehicle. The stars and the drama of their lives online and off. The various awards, the gowns and the glitter. Even the people behind the movie cameras – the directors, the movie moguls and the critics – all seem to carry an extra aura of glamour and fascination. Add to that the sets, the locations, the props, the car chases, cliff-hangers, fantasy worlds and the historical epics created and recreated through film. Indeed, no lack of material.

When Tilman Thürmer the German-born architect and founder of Coordination Asia, was selected as the Art Director of the Shanghai Film Museum, he had “film” and “Shanghai” as his directives. No more, no less. The Shanghai Film Museum, opened on June 17 and currently hosting screenings for the nine-day 16th International Shanghai Film Festival, is therefore a highly commendable feat in its minimalist yet immersive approach. It’s goal is to celebrate and introduce to visitors the past and future of Shanghai’s involvement as the centre of Chinese film. The 15,000 square-meter, four-storey building is located in a former film studio in downtown Xujiahui. The new museum involves more than 70 interactive installations and 3,000 historic exhibits. The visitors can ad-lib for famous Chinese films in a real sound studio, walk the red carpet, or Carpet of Light, or learn about animation, post-production, sound and live broadcasting in fully equipped studios.

Over 15,000 sqm this museum will share the story of Shanghai filmmaking, from its magical beginning in 1896 until present day’s 3D blockbusters. Located in a former film studio in Shanghai’s downtown Xujiahui, the new museum boasts 4 floors, over 70 interactive installations and a collection of 3,000 historic exhibits. As the first film museum in the city, the museum will have a leading role in maintaining the international position of Shanghai film and raising awareness for the industry’s value on a national level. Be it by dubbing classical films in a real sound studio, walking through a lifelike film set on Shanghai’s famous Nanjing Road or by becoming a star on the ‘Carpet of Lights’, where virtual fans and photographers flash their camera’s trying to capture the ‘celebrity’ that just passed by; in the Shanghai Film Museum the visitor becomes a part of film and is invited to actively participate in it. This key concept of inclusion in the world of film is the red thread through the Shanghai Film Museum, which seamlessly integrates historical relics in an interactive environment, in a new cultural hotspot of international allure with a certain local touch.

[Ref.] http://www.thecoolhunter.net/article/detail/2182/shanghai-film-museum

[Ref.] http://coordination.asia/shanghai-film-museum-3/

[Ref.] http://www.sfs-cn.com/node3/node1828/u1a27.html