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Constellation

2012 6 min
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Combining the music of Chopin with digital animation, this short film artfully defines pianist Janina Fialkowska’s imprint in the world of classical music and beyond. Particles of light choreograph themselves to reveal otherworldly beauty, channelling the pianist’s explosive performance. Produced by the National Film Board of Canada in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation on the occasion of the 2012 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards.

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Constellation

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Combining the music of Chopin with digital animation, this short film artfully defines pianist Janina Fialkowska’s imprint in the world of classical music and beyond. Particles of light choreograph themselves to reveal otherworldly beauty, channelling the pianist’s explosive performance.



Produced by the National Film Board of Canada in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General's Performing Arts Awards Foundation on the occasion of the 2012 Governor General's Performing Arts Awards.

Women - Portraits Music All subjects
Fascinating People All channels
  • recipient
    Janina Fialkowska
  • writer
    Patrick Doan
  • director
    Patrick Doan
  • animator
    Patrick Doan
  • sound recordist
    Carrie Haber
  • previsualization
    Patrick Doan
    Brian Li
    Diogo Nii Cavalcanti
  • graphic artist
    Mariangelica Forero
  • online editor
    Yannick Carrier
  • head of coordination and project support
    Pierre Ferlatte
  • technical coordinator
    Steve Hallé
  • technical project coordinator
    France Couture
    Micheline Faubert
    Julie Laperrière
  • digital editing technician
    Pierre Dupont
    Isabelle Painchaud
    Patrick Trahan
  • digital imaging specialist
    Éloi Champagne
  • re-recording
    Jean Paul Vialard
  • transcription
    Brenda Newman
  • translation
    Robert Paquin
  • marketing manager
    Jean Saad
  • publicist
    Pat Dillon
  • publicity stills
    Patrick Doan
  • senior production coordinator
    Isabelle Limoges
  • production coordinator
    Shiraz Janjua
    Christine Williams
  • program administrator
    Leslie Anne Poyntz
  • supervising project manager
    Rachel Punwassie
  • associate producer
    Shiraz Janjua
  • producer
    Kat Baulu
  • executive producer
    Ravida Din

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Education

Ages 15 to 17
School subjects
Arts Education - Art Arts Education - Music Media Education - Film Animation Social Studies - Contemporary Issues
The film’s narrator comments that beauty (in the form of music) can “counterbalance… horror.” As a class, discuss examples of how people have used art to heal, or other activities that bring serenity or comfort in contexts of despair. Analyze images in the film and experiment with related techniques in visual art or film. Have students create multimedia projects superimposing beauty with horror, manipulating contrasts of sound, images, etc., to achieve a balanced effect. Discuss the projects as a class.

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