Movie Magic

It's no secret that Karl is a movie buff way beyond the usual addictive effect flickering screens have on kids? He's really into the whole thing from story to filmmaking process (have I bragged about the day yet, when I explained Aristotelian drama structure to him and he used it to correctly break down "Finding Nemo" into three acts for me the next day?). So every time we go to a movie house he is seriously in seventh heaven. Last week we watched "Das kleine Gespenst" And since he turned six he got to watch his first fantasy movie for olde kids (Luc Besson's "Arthur and the Invisibles"), which had the desired effect:

The greatest discovery of all was the Lego stop-motion app though that turns any iPhone into a mini-filmstudio. So the first half of today was spent in production of "The Arrival of Darth Vader", a 90 second sic-fi thriller. Karl was director, screenwriter, production designer and casting director. Henri was assistant director and myself was DP, editor and sound designer. Just to fill you in on the plot: Darth Vader arrives at the Jedi temple, has a laser sword fight with Yoda and Obi Wan. When he defeats them both Luke Skywalker arrives. While Skywalker subdues Vader a bunch of shady characters assembles in the Jedi library and despite being followed by a Jedi they manage to chase away Yoda, Obi Wan and the Jedi gang with a barrage from their laser guns. Thus Vader goes free and the movie ends with a cliffhanger:

Nothing beats the magic of movies. Well, maybe the assembling of a new Lego kit courtesy of a late birthday package from godmom Maria from Frankfurt.

Or spending an afternoon with your brother at a museum which has one of those new kiddie guides, that send you on a scavenger hunt filled with activities like quizzes, drawing assignments and stories. Good one at the new exhibition about Pompeii. Took a lot of explaining to convince Henri that we are not in danger of being buried by molten lava from a volcano.