INTRODUCTION
OBJECTIVE/RELEVANCE
Each year in February, Berlin rolls out the
OF THE LITERATURE STUDY
red carpet and life in the city revolves
In
around the International Film Festival.
functioning of an INTERNATIONAL
Such is the aura and grandeur associated
FILM FESTIVAL, it was important to
with this event that all the imagery of this
study an event that is on a much larger
city seems changed and the festive mood
scale, so that my approach to the design of
can be experienced through the lighting
this project just not remains limited to its
and the big colored banners put up at
present scale.
various prime locations in the city.
Berlin film festival is next to the Cannes
Airports, hotels, theatres are rocked by a
with respect to the scale and overall
much hyped atmosphere in the presence of
participation recorded in this mega event.
international celebrities who are the center
This is a 11 day affair that takes place in
of media attraction all through the 11 days
the heart of the city (Berlin) generally in
of this festival.
the first half of February. Potsdamer Platz
my
attempt
to
understand
the
is the main venue for the event, though there are a host of venues that support the activities taking place in the festival. The study for this festival is being done to understand the planning for the event which would include the inter connectivity between different functional components and the architectural significance of the built mass to the overall ambience of this festival. Different spaces have to be examined closely so that the relation of art, architecture to a film festival can be inferred to a greater detail. This would help to appreciate the design more in terms View of the general ambience at the
of the imagery, hence created, in a context
opening
Berlin
that remains so very important in the
International Film Festival at Berlinale
present study.Lastly important conclusions
Palast.
can be arrived at that can add on to the
ceremony
of
the
missing functional components in the
elsewhere and knowing the culture of
present case of the International film
other countries through this powerful
festival of India. These would strengthen
medium of expression.
the prospects for making IFFI stand out as a major international film festival in the times to come.
ORGANIZATION OF THE EVENT
The success of each film festival is influenced by the amount of international participation it receives and on the scale at which the host country holds the event. And the Berlin festival, over the years has expanded many folds, adding new venues to the existing. More and more facilities have
been
incorporated
into
the
programme that makes the event more open to the public. And all this while, the process of screening various movies has been made more systematic and better organized using the latest technology (like the e-cards for the access control) to its
New theatres like the multiplex and IMAX have come up to screen these international movies with the option of side by side translations through the attached earphone along your seat. All this has really promoted the event in a big way as language has ceased to be a criteria for enjoying a movie from a different country. Audience have begun to appreciate the of
theatre
screening of movies for the press and delegates. It has a grand theatre and a host of ancillary facilities that keep the venue
being
produced
eventful
all
throughout
the
festival.
Like
best possible use.
quality
Berlinale palast, the main venue for the
many
other
international
film
festivals, the Berlin film fest starts with the opening ceremony at Berlinale Pallast with the screening of the premiere movie reserved for this grand day. Dignitaries and special invitee across the globe have the privilege to participate in this function. After this from the next day screening of movies starts at the various venues reserved for the festival. Potsdamer platz is one such area which is pedestrianized
during the event and has a host of facilities
CinemaxX (Cinema7)
that facilitate for the smooth functioning of
Cinestar (Cinema2, 3, 7)
the event. It has got multiplex, IMAX,
* Repeat screenings: International
shopping malls, film museum etc. that
IV)
confuse the visitors with the vast choice of
Cinema:
options it offers.
CinemaxX(Cinema3),Cinestar (Cinema 8),
The organization of the festival has to be
Delphi-Filmpalast,Arsenal Kino,
understood in terms of the various venues
Filmkunsthaus Babylon.
International
Forum
of
New
and the activities associated with it. This will be done starting at the macro level and
V) Kinderfilmfest
then going in to the micro and having a
Zoo-Palast (Cinema 4)
closer look at the various venues in and
* Further Premieres and repeat screenings
around
at CiemaxX (Cinema 4) and Filmtheater is
the
Potsdamer
Platz,
which
remains the focal point. Most of the
Friedrichshain.
venues have been spread out and are
*
connected through the shuttles service with
(Cinema 4).
Competition
14plus
at
Zoo-Palast
the various hotels, where most of the dignitaries and the guests are staying.
VI) Retrospective
CinemaxX (Cinema 4 and 8) VENUES
*
Special
added
attractions
at
the
I) Official Competition Programme:
Filmmuseum
Gala screenings of the films competing for
Berlin, Potsdamer straâe 2.
the Golden and Silver Bears:
* Repeat screenings at Zeughaus Kino,
Berlinale Palast at Potsdamer Platz
Cinestar (Cinema 2), Film-Palast.
* Repeat Screenings: Royal Palast and International.
VII) German Cinema
This section is primarily aimed at fim II) Berlinale Special:
buyers and is only open to accredited
Film-Palast,International Zoo-Palast,
festival visitors.CinemaxX (Cinema 1)
Cinestar, Philharmonie. VIII) Perspektive Deutches Kino III) Panorama:
Zoo-Palast Cinema 1 (Panorama Special),
Cinemax (Cinema 3)
IX) Short Films CinemaxX (Cinema 6)
interior lighting, for making an impressive elevation especially during the night. One of the main venues, the Potsdamer Platz, has been once a thriving metropolis. But this square was heavily damaged in the war, and suffered again when the remaining buildings were pulled down.
CinemaxX, located in the Potsdamer Platz. The main venue for Panorama, Kinderfimfest, Retrospective, German Cinema X) European Film Market
Film screenings and fairground area are
Cinestar, one of the multiplex that is also
open only for the accredited participants.
the venue for the films screened under
CinemaxX(Cinemas 2,10 and studio11 19) Cinestar (Cinemas 1,2,4,5, and 6) * Fair stands are located in the atrium of the Daimer Chrysler building at Potsdamer Platz.
Panorama.
The
typical
glass
box
architecture is more of an attraction under the lights in the night.
to make way for the Berlin Wall’s death strip. After years of construction the tall new buildings on the western side of the former
ARCHITECTURAL VOCABULARY OF
square add a typical cosmopolitan edge to the
THE BUILT FORM
city - but will remain an island of modernity
Most of the buildings stand up with the typical
until construction, around the neighboring,
glasss box architecture relying more on the
Leipziger Platz links the area up to the rest of
the city. The Sony Centre, with its huge atrium
basement level parking. So while the
and sail-roof is the most impressive at night
festival is going on most of the area
when the lighting changes color continuously.
around
the
Potsdamer
Platz
is
pedestranized and the shuttle service is available for commuters going to for the far off venues, after every 30 minutes.
Sony Center, with its sail roof is most impressive of the structures, adapting to vagaries of the climate.
The area in around the Potsdamer Platz is part a typical urban fabric that one might find in any old city. There’s a blend of different styles, in which each new building tries to complete with the old monuments that are part of the history now. The above picture is from the Rudolf-von-Gneist street showing an old cathedral in the background. Parking problems are common in the area, so most of the new buildings have gone in for
The roofing system for whole of the sony center has been designed in a way that makes use of the intelligent architecture in which the mechanism is controlled through thermally operated cells. It’s a huge cable structure with fins made of fiber, around the entire circular complex. When the temperatures fall below the freezing point and there’s a possibility of snowfall, the fins open up to form a huge umbrella hence acting as a shield to entire plazza. The roofing also acts as a physical envelope defining the entire space in a
more
meaningful
responsible
for
way.
It
is
also
the
multi-colored
reflections that can be seen on the facades of the various buildings that the complex houses. buildings,
The
glass
hence
facade
acts
as
of a
these
dynamic
covering to the entire built form changing under the influence of both the natural and the artificial light. The main theatre inside the Sony Center is the Cine Star IMAX. It’s the venue to the BerlinaleSpecial, Panorama, Retrospective and International Forum of New cinema. The complex also houses a film museum that highlights the achievements of the Hollywood stars specially those who came from Germany. Photo stills, footage, set designs and costumes provide glimpses of what is part of the history of German Theatre. The museum ends with special effects and a science fiction.
!"#$ $ $ THEATRES
The success of a film festival rests heavily on the theatres where the films are screened. So each country tries it’s best to add new theatres with latest facilities for the screening of various films. Berlin film Festival screens most of its movies in the Multiplex or the IMAX theatres so that the
!"#$ % %
audience can experience the films with the best sound and picture quality. Seats are provided with headphones so that films
from other countries can be heard in German and English.
!"# &'$
Berlinale Palast, hosts the screening of various movies for the celebrities and the distinguished guests. It is located near the Potsdamer Platz & the Grand Hyatt where most of the celebrities hole up in their feng shui rooms. The venue hosts both indoor and outdoor screenings, along with the
press conferences with the stars. The
of
the
quartier
while
a
three-story
Media center is stationed here for all the
restaurant in the rotunda faces the Marlene
happenings to be telecast live for the
Dietrich Platz (at the center of the
public on the screens put on the exterior of
drawing). The 440 seats theater is housed
this complex. The final prize distribution
in a sphere of 36 meters in diameter that is
which includes both the Golden and the
integrated inside of the urban envelope of
Silver Bear is held in this venue.
the building. The spherical volume of the theater raises above the building making it a landmark from afar.
The CineStar IMAX located in the Sony Center is another theatre which has 10 screens for the screening of both the large and small format movies for the public. The ticket sale counter is located alongside and the booking for the shows can be done
()*+$!"#
on the card through an electronic control
*
device.
' ,
Convertible IMAX Theater
)
Located at the center of the urban project
) )$
developed by Daimler-Benz, as part of the
reconstruction of the Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, B7 is a 15,600 square meter mixeduse building comprising of Imax theater, a restaurant and retail surfaces. The three floors of retail spaces on which the theater rests are related to a covered shopping street placed between adjacent building
The sphere is also visible from the street through a large 1,000 square meter clear glass façade that is oriented toward southwest. This glass façade defines an 18 Plan of the fifth floor (+23.62M), level of
meters high atrium that is the main public
exit of the theater.
circulation space at the foot of the theater sphere, 10 meters above street level. The façade spans 50 meters horizontally. Its structure is made of three identical light horizontal cable and strut 'beams' placed above each other every 4.50 meters, corresponding with the floor levels inside the building. As part of the general architectural and sustainability concept, the atrium is naturally ventilated. It is roofed by a long-span hollow steel
The IMAX Theater is convertible, that is, there are two screens (and two projection rooms) inside: a half-spherical screen
structure that is offset from the sphere in
rotates to allow a view of a vertical screen.
order to allow natural light penetration,
natural ventilation, and the 'reading' of the continuity of the sphere between inside and outside. The end facades are clad with large format ceramic elements in natural tone while the sphere is clad with blue green
glazed
ceramic
elements,
the
'sphericality' of which is obtained naturally
The photograph of the Sony Center
when
using
under lights. The Golden Bear stands as
appropriate glazes. The structure of the
a symbolic representation of the event in
sphere that houses the theater is build in
the background of well lit glazed facade
concrete. The spherical form is a 35 meter
of the complex. The central water body
diameter PVC textile membrane balloon
with the fascinating reflection.
fired
in
the
oven,
by
maintained under pressure while concrete is
projected
from
inside,
alternating
projection and installation of rebars. The sequence shows the balloon being inflated. PARAMETERS DEFINING THE EXPRESSION OF THE VENUE
It’s important to list all the parameters that define the general ambience of the place and bear a contribution to the festive spirit of the venue. Maybe the Piazzas, the hard or the soft landscaping elements,
The Piazza in front of the CinemaxX
the floorscape, the lighting, the signage,
theatre in the Potsdamer Platz. The
the general imagery, the architectural
outdoor sitting spaces make up a good
expression of the buildings, the colour;
contrast to the interior of a theatre.
all have a role to play in making the
Sitting out in the winter sun and waiting
place lively and creating an interest,
for the next show to start, the piazza
more so when you are not sitting in a
with it’s eating joints makes for the long
dark theatre watching nothing more
intervals between the shows.
than the images being flashed across the front white screen.
The shopping malls along these piazzas and in the multiplex – IMAX keep the visitor’s busy for most of their time. SCULPTURES- DEFINING THE IMAGERY
The Potsdamer Platz has a number of sculptures that make the general imagery The general ambience varies from venue
of
the
place
interesting.
The
main
to venue. The Berlinale Palast, hosts a
sculpture that stands out on a very large
number of red carpet receptions to the
scale (picture beneath), is dedicated to
various celebrities and dignitaries, which
the fall of Berlin Wall and the unification
is further flared by the multicolored
between the East and The West Germany.
lighting from the space frames hung atop,
These sculptures add a nice foreground to
and big screens flashing live images.
the various buildings and are a major landscaping element in the Piazza’s of various venues.
The piazzas for the various venues have been hard landscaped except for some of the ornamental plantation one might find.
THE BUILT FORM
The glass box architecture has made it’s impact in terms of the architectural
expression of the venue. The Sony center
stand out as an event in a typical urban
and the Berlinale Pallast have both used
context.
the
! Lighting has been used as one of the
material
in
it’s
different
manifestations, the construction employing
strong elements in making the city to
the latest that technology has to offer. One
join the festive spirit for the entire 11
can hardly escape the feeling of awe, once
days of the event.
the sail roof umbrella opens its fins at the
! The cable structure for the roofing of
Sony center. The reflections in the glazed
the Sony Center has been such that
facade of the center cast a long lasting
makes the building stand out as a
impression on the visitors. All this adds to
landmark, and hence easier for the
the experience of watching good cinema in
visitors to identify themselves with the
one of the best theatres in the Berlin
venue. The complex is well planned in
International Film Festival.
terms of the recreational spaces like the Film museum and the shopping malls.
! The scale of the Sony center and the built form around this complex make the Berlin International Film Festival
new domains that create strong visual impact in the new site.
! The venue has to be such that, different functional components on the site can be well knit into a space that is one, like the one found in Sony Center at the Potsdamer Platz. ! Lighting is an important constituent at Berlin Festival, so the excessive use of glass in the buildings is justified. The buildings come to life as soon the artificial light take control over the natural one.
! Landscaping for the Festival is not just confined till the venues (the piazzas, water fountains) but includes sculptures that form an integral part of the streetscape and add to the general imagery.
! Facilities have been developed, like the film museum in the Sony center along with the never ending shopping malls, that keep the visitors busy for most of their time
INFERENCES /CONCLUSIONS
!
Though
the
scale
for
the
Berlin
outside the theatre.
International Film Festival is many folds
! The European Film Market is the only
as compared to the International Film
venue which lacks architectural character,
Festival of India but there needs to be
as the temporary facility is put up in a
developed, a sense of strong imagery, like
commercial space with the low height
the one found in the former. Architecture
Partitions.
has a big role to play, going beyond the traditional limits, and venturing into
