Kazanorgsintez through children’s eyes: young film directors make video about chemical plant
Kazanorgsintez PJSC and Caravan children’s film studio summed up the results of Children Shoot the Factory joint educational project in which members of the studio were given a series of masterclasses in making a video. After the workshop, the lads managed to shoot a social film about the industry at Kazanorgsintez. Read more in Realnoe Vremya’s report.
A new generation of film directors
Children Shoot the Factory educational project started in Kazan in March 2021 to familiarise students of Caravan children’s film studio with Kazanorgsintez PJSC. The young Kazan film directors were demonstrated pyrolysis furnaces and the operator’s room in Ethylene Plant, a product packaging shop as well as a modern unit designed to make three-layer tubular FFS film. The lads also learnt about the history of the enterprise and the specifics of chemical production, looked deep into social aspects of the industry and environmental problems related to it.
At the second stage, the project’s partner — Kingof Media video production studio — gave a series of masterclasses in scriptwriting, production, directing, working with camera, lighting and editing to the young film and video directors.
A script contest dedicated to Chemist’s Day hosted by Kazanorgsintez became the third stage. A total of nine works were submitted. Twin sisters Alisa and Luiza Zabirova’s script The Apple Trees was the winner. In the project’s final, Alisa and Luiza managed to create and shoot a short film according to their own script in the plant.
“We understood that teamwork is very important in shooting”
According to the plot, the main character is a young man who is keen on chemistry, looks for a job, wants to work in a factory but doubts the eco-friendliness of the plant. Blossoming apple trees on the territory of the plant help him make the final choice. Young actor Askar Salikhov and Kazanorgsintez worker Ramzil Galiyev played the main roles.
The short film was shown on regional TV channels by Chemist’s Day.
“I liked the masterclasses about film structure, lighting, cameraman’s work very much because we were told about the correct lighting to deliver some atmosphere, how to show night at daytime and vice versa. I liked all the masterclasses that were held,” Alisa Zabirova shared her impressions of the shooting process.
“During the shooting, we understood that teamwork is very important. We liked the atmosphere, it is friendly and caring. We worked with professional cameraman Mikhail Levenkov, saw what scenes and shots he chose. The shooting was very useful for us,” noted Luiza Zabirova.
By the way, Kazanorgsintez PJSC pays quite a lot of attention to support social projects.
“Kazanorgsintez traditionally tries to support projects linked with education and children’s art,” says Aydar Akhmetshin, vice director general of HR and general affairs at Kazanorgsintez PJSC. “We have not only a big programme for our workers’ children. We also try to work with different groups of children and children establishments.”
For instance, Kazanorgsintez supported Meet the Profession project of the Good Deeds Day fund. Also, the enterprise annually participates in Help Go to School campaign, sponsors schools in Kirovsky and Moskovsky Districts in Kazan, Zarechnye centre for extracurricular education, Fakel teenagers’ club, April children’s rehabilitation centre, the Anzhela Vavilova Regional Public Charity Foundation for Children with Leukaemia and other public organisations.
Victories in international and Russian film festivals under the belt
Caravan children’s film studio was created in Kazan over 7 years ago. It was founded by two teachers of Friendship social rehabilitation centre for deviant children and teenagers as a class for students of this refuge.
According to the founders, Caravan isn’t only a class but a unique form of socialisation for children who are in a complicated situation. Now children from 4 to 18 years, including children from large and troubled families, children from orphanages, who are fond of film attend the studio.
Caravan’s directors Liliya Gibadullina and Lyudmila Sadilova don’t have professional education and have been developing the studio voluntarily. Nevertheless, Caravan students have nine Grands Prix and more than 60 victories at different international and Russian film festivals and competitions under their belt. The children’s works won in France, Latvia and Belarus.