Documentary production · China
Ecopolis China
China research, filming support and translation for Illume’s Ecopolis China.
Alchemist Films worked with director Anna-Karin Grönroos on research, contributor contact and local production for Ecopolis China. We began with translation and filming support around Beijing, then helped arrange the 2013 shoot in Boao and Changsha. The Finnish team continued to call on us for translation and footage follow-up during the edit.
- Production company
- Illume · Finland
- Director
- Anna-Karin Grönroos
- China support
- 2012–2013 · Beijing, Boao & Changsha
- Film premiere
- IDFA · 2013
On location
Preparing the Beijing visit.
The early Beijing work followed Finnish professor Eero Paloheimo’s proposal for an ecological city in a valley outside the capital. In September 2012, Grönroos wanted to accompany him to a meeting in Mentougou and visit the area covered by his proposal.
Our producer called the local contact to confirm the lunch venue and afternoon availability. We booked a vehicle with room for the crew and visiting participants. Grönroos was recording sound alongside cinematographer Mika Mattila, and welcomed having our producer handle both language support and driving.
Research & access
Arranging time with Zhang Yue.
We researched potential contributors and urban-development projects, translated the production’s approach and contacted possible interviewees. The director assessed the options. Some enquiries did not lead to interviews, so the research continued.
By spring 2013, the work centred on entrepreneur Zhang Yue and his proposal for a vertical city. Our producer helped secure access in Boao and Changsha and coordinated interview availability around the crew’s travel dates. We booked flights and a car, prepared the shooting arrangements and coordinated the local requirements with the Finnish team.
The crew filmed in Changsha. In her follow-up, the director described long working days and successful access to Zhang. The material included an office interview, an energy lesson, a model presentation and a visit to a water plant.
Language in the edit
Helping the editor understand the recorded material.
After filming, Grönroos sent recordings for translation and returned with questions as the sequences took shape. She needed both the gist of longer conversations and exact wording for particular cuts, including office exchanges, technical explanations and brief interruptions.
For the Boao speeches, she first asked us to listen and outline the subjects. Our topic summary helped her select a passage for detailed translation. She then requested English, pinyin and a time reference for each sentence. We supplied the timed text and she confirmed receipt.
Other recordings brought follow-up questions about missing lines or uncertain phrases. We kept referring back to the footage so the Finnish team could find the passage under discussion.
Source material
Obtaining footage for the ending.
As the edit neared completion, Grönroos wanted material from Broad, including footage of the Sky City groundbreaking ceremony for the ending. Our producer followed up on the files and permission to use them.
A requested high-resolution animation was unavailable, and other material needed to be exported. We arranged for a hard drive to collect the files. Once the ceremony footage was approved for use, we coordinated its transfer with Illume. The director confirmed that the drive and footage had reached Finland in September 2013.
From the film
The film
Ecopolis China
Ecopolis China follows two contrasting visions for sustainable urban life: Eero Paloheimo’s ecological city in a valley outside Beijing and Zhang Yue’s vertical-city ambition in Changsha. The documentary brings these ideas into contact with the people and practical forces shaping them. Directed by Anna-Karin Grönroos and produced by Illume, it premiered in IDFA’s Mid-Length competition in 2013.
- Film
- Ecopolis China · Finland · 2013
- Writer & director
- Anna-Karin Grönroos
- Producers
- Venla Hellstedt & Pertti Veijalainen
- Production company
- Illume
- China production support
- Alchemist Films · Research, fixing & translation
Planning a China shoot
Plan for the language work after filming.
Begin with the questions your film will pursue and the people you hope to meet. We can research potential contributors and find out whether a visit is possible. Before setting the route, agree what the director needs from each meeting and check the participants’ availability.
Discuss translation before the footage reaches the editor. A topic summary can help the director choose material; a selected passage may need sentence-level translation with time references. For company footage or other supplied material, allow time to check the source and quality of the available files and obtain permission to use them. Alchemist Films can arrange this follow-up as part of the China production.
Production support in China
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