| Schloss Einstein | |
|---|---|
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| Genre | Soap opera |
| Creator(s) | Season 1–9: Katharina Rietz, Martin Hofmann (Askania Media Filmproduktion GmbH) Season 10: Katharina Rietz, Hans-Werner Honert (Saxonia Media Filmproduktion GmbH) |
| Country of origin | Germany |
| No. of episodes | 532+ |
| Running time | 25 |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | KI.KA |
| Original airing | September 4, 1998 |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
Schloss Einstein (SE) is a German television program for children and teenagers which describes the life of teenagers in the boarding school Schloss Einstein. Histories will be connected to each other from the genres comedy, action, drama (first love, problems with parents and schoolmates) and infotainment (natural science) in different stories.
Up to now (July 2008), 532 episodes in 10 seasons were produced. So Schloss Einstein is as a successful television program a milestone German television program — worldwide it is the longest running fictional television program with children for children.[1] Firstly 584 episodes in 11 seasons are planned.
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History
The first episode was aired on September 4, 1998 on the German television channel KI.KA.
Originally only 76 episodes were planned. Because there was a success, the ARD dedicated to produce continuations yearly. Up to June 2007, 480 episodes were produced.
The first episode of Schloss Einstein, set in Erfurt, Thuringia, (tenth season) was aired on January 5, 2008.
The program
At the (fictional) village Seelitz near Berlin in the German state Brandenburg Dr. Stollberg realizes a dream — he establishes a private school in an old castle named Albert-Einstein-Gymnasium, Internat Schloss Einstein. The private school bears the name of the founder of the theory of relativity because the school is a natural science school. The students abbreviate the long name of the school — and Schloss Einstein is born.
Dr. Stollberg like to provide an education for his students using his best strength, personal tutoring. Violence is forbidden. Problems that arise should be solved peacefully and if possible by the children themselves. Newcomers receive an older student as godfather. Of course this does not always go smoothly — but teachers, educators and students have to master their everyday life under a common roof.
Storyline
At the center of the television program is the personal responsibility of teenagers from the classes 6 to 8. Because there are no parents, the children must make decisions for themselves and be prepared for the consequences. The few adults appear as advisers or counselors. The students experience problems like grades, puberty, friendship, divorce or unemployment of the parents, envy, alcoholism, dreams of jobs, the first big love or cabals from the schoolmates. In lots of histories they experience adventures and learn how to manage conflicts — they also have fun with all kinds of tricks, jokes and tom foolery. There is a special tension between the students of the boarding school and the children living at the village. They do not really appreciate each other but they have to get along with each other. Compromise and tolerance are important in these relationships.
Location of shooting
Schloss Einstein was shot from 1998 to 2007 on the grounds of the Babelsberg Studios in Potsdam (Brandenburg). At this location the interior rooms of the school and additional wings were located — for example ice-cream parlor, nightclub and storage hall. The Jagdschloss Grunewald in Berlin served as wings of the building. Outside filming was done in the Klein Glienicke quarter of Potsdam and at surrounding villages which together form the wings of the film village Seelitz.
Since September 2007 Schloss Einstein has been filmed at the Kindermedienzentrum Erfurt and is produced by Saxonia Media Filmproduktion GmbH. Outside filming is done at the egapark ground and in the Schlosspark Arnstadt.
Conception
Schloss Einstein is a television program for kids which accompanies the viewers through the whole year and offers them identifiable figures. There is the shy nice girl, the handsome athletic guy, the knowledgeable genius, the cabal cow, the talented practical man, the chubby wallflower, the mathematics prodigy and others. The figures can be judged by the viewers. The viewers can identify with them or reject them. Because the actors are the same age as their viewers, their actions look authentic.
In the representation of the lessons expertise flows again and again. So the television program offers entertainment and learning in a similar way; the public broadcasting fulfills its order to provide education in a relaxed way. With this conceptSchloss Einstein is unique the world over. The television program has been the object of several scientific studies.
Awards and success
The television program has received two awards. On March 1999 a jury of 32 children awarded the Goldener Spatz to Schloss Einstein in the category Fiktion kurz (= short fiction) in setting of the eleventh Deutschen Kinder-Film und Fernseh-Festivals (= German children film and television festival). On July 1999 Schloss Einstein won the Goldener Telix from the TV guide Gong in the category Serie oder Film mit Schauspielern (= television program or film with actors).
The success of popular viewership does not show up only in the high TV ratings. Schloss Einstein is not only shown in Germany, but also in many other countries — for example in Norway, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary, Italy, Liechtenstein, Belgium and the Netherlands. There even was published a school book for the German schools with themes from Schloss Einstein.
Production
Schloss Einstein is a production by ASKANIA MEDIA Filmproduktion GmbH by order the ARD for KI.KA under the auspices of MDR and WDR. Starting at September 2007 Saxonia Media Filmproduktion GmbH takes the production. Schloss Einstein is produced by scripts from more than ten famous television authors, for example Uschi Flacke, Dieter Saldecki, Michael Demuth and Dana Bechtle-Bechtinger. The directors were among other persons Renata Kaye, Peter Zimmermann, Wolf Vogel and Klaus Kemmler. Already since starting of the television program Martin Schönemann takes care of the children and teenagers at the film set.
Opening credits
Between the first and the end of the eighth season there were always new opening credits which were similar. In all opening credits the current actors who play the schoolmates are shown with the respective role name. In background the viewers can hear the song Die Einsteins feat. Julian – Alles ist relativ. All opening credits until the end of the fourth season had a duration of 47 seconds. As of the fifth season the opening credits and background music were prolonged by seven seconds (= 54 seconds) so a few more actors could be presented. The listeners can hear a minimal difference in quality of the music between the opening credits of the first and the ninth season.
The ninth season features a completely redesigned and loosened up opening credits sequence, which lasts 54 seconds. The 19 main characters from the schoolmate generations 6 to 9 are now presented on-screen in 13 short scenes showing several characters at once. Teachers, other adults and children (e.g. the village population or guest actors) are omitted.
Current opening credits
With starting the tenth season a completely new opening credits were developed. The background music was minimal modified and the length of the opening credits were lengthened. All main characters are presented with their role names. They appear as one or two persons.
Chronology
Because the television program gave the reasons their own genre as Kinder-Weekly (= children weekly) there are not any experiences with such series. ARD went to yearly sequels as they knew that there is a success. Since this time all seasons of production exist of 52 episodes which are shot in 13 blocks per four episodes.
Because the school years of program are however 52 weeks long there is between the third and the eighth season an overhang into the next season. The first three blocks with twelve episodes count to the old school year — the other ten blocks with 40 episodes belong to the new school year. At beginning of the school year in the thirteenth episode of every season the actors of the new generation are presented in the opening credits for the first time.
The beginning of season starting and school year starting are set at the same episode with starting of the ninth season.
Seasons of production
| Season/ school year of program |
Episodes | Sum of episods |
Shooting work | First aired |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1a/1 | 1–36 | 36 | May 1998 to July 1999 | Friday of September 4, 1998 (5:05 p.m.) to Friday of February 18, 2000 (5:05 p.m.) |
| 1b/1 | 37–52 | 16 | ||
| 1c/1 | 53–76 | 24 | ||
| 2 | 77–128 | 52 | September 1999 to April 2000 | Friday of February 25, 2000 (5:05 p.m.) to Friday of November 24, 2000 (5:05 p.m.) |
| 3 | 129–180 | 52 | May 2000 to March 2001 | Friday of December 1, 2000 (5:05 p.m.) to Friday of March 2, 2001 (5:05 p.m.) |
| Saturday of March 10, 2001 (6:00 p.m.) to Saturday of November 24, 2001 (6:00 p.m.) | ||||
| 4 | 181–232 | 52 | May 2001 to March 2002 | Saturday of December 1, 2001 (6:00 p.m.) to Saturday of November 23, 2002 (6:00 p.m.) |
| 5 | 233–284 | 52 | May 2002 to March 2003 | Saturday of November 30, 2002 (6:00 p.m.) to Saturday of November 22, 2003 (6:00 p.m.) |
| 6 | 285–336 | 52 | May 2003 to March 2004 | Saturday of November 29, 2003 (6:00 p.m.) to Saturday of November 20, 2004 (6:00 p.m.) |
| 7 | 337–392 | 56 | May 2004 to March 2005 | Saturday of November 27, 2004 (6:00 p.m.) to Saturday of August 27, 2005 (6:00 p.m.) |
| Saturday of September 3, 2005 (5:20 p.m.) to Saturday of November 19, 2005 (5:20 p.m.) | ||||
| 8 | 393–428 | 36 | May 2005 to June 2006 | Saturday of November 26, 2005 (5:20 p.m.) to Saturday of September 16, 2006 (5:20 p.m.) |
| Saturday of September 23, 2006 (5:15 p.m.) to Saturday of December 2, 2006 (5:15 p.m.) | ||||
| 9 | 429–480 | 52 | August 2006 to June 2007 | Saturday of December 9, 2006 (5:15 p.m.) to Saturday of December 1, 2007 (5:15 p.m.) |
| 10 | 481–532 | 52 | September 2007 to July 2008 | Saturday of January 5, 2008 to Saturday of February 23, 2008 (each 4:50 p.m. und 5:15 p.m.) |
| Saturday of March 1, 2008 to Saturday of July 12, 2008 (5:15 p.m.) | ||||
| Saturday of August 30, 2008 to Saturday of Dezember 13, 2008 (5:15 p.m.) | ||||
| 11 | 533–584 | 52 | August 2008 to July 2009[2] | Saturday of January 3, 2009 to Saturday of January 31, 2009 (each 4:45 p.m. and 5:10 p.m.) |
| from Saturday of February 7, 2009 (5:15 p.m.)[3] |
Broadcast
New episodes of Schloss Einstein will showed currently on Saturdays at 5:15 p.m. on KI.KA. Older episodes will showed from Mondays to Fridays starting at 2:10 p.m. in the afternoon program of KI.KA.
Events
In irregular intervals there took place different events with the actors of Schloss Einstein in whole Germany. Up to now altogether 76 events have taken place (October 28, 2007). To the important or big events belong among other things the Gi’me-5-KI.KA-Party (day for friendship and tolerance, August 31, 2003); the International children’s party (23 Nisan) in Berlin (April 24, 2004); the KI.KA-Party for the 300th episode of Schloss Einstein (June 7, 2004); the Schloss-Einstein-Sommerparty (= Schloss Einstein summer party, June 27, 2005) and a lot of summer tours of KI.KA in 2005 and 2006.
On June 10, 2007 there was a final ceremony in Potsdam-Babelsberg because of the last shooting day.
Mass media
Books
Up to now 16 volumes or novels were published. The volumes 1 to 5 were written by Simon Hauser; the volumes 6 to 10 by Uschi Flacke. In 2000 the book Schloss Einstein – Das Klassenbuch. 100 Folgen Schloss Einstein (= “Schloss Einstein — The classbook. 100 episodes of Schloss Einstein”) was published where are presented the main actors and the contents of the previous episodes. This book was published by vgs verlagsgesellschaft. Moreover the posterbook appeared and a friendship book.
In addition to the novels there exist three Schloss Einstein Exklusiv (= “Schloss Einstein exclusive”) books where are further told the histories of the main actors belonging to the first season.
Novels
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Exclusive books
- Katharina – Modelträume werden wahr
- Kleine Prinzen
- Nadines Story
More mass media
In 2004 were published a music album (also with other bands), several radio dramas on cassettes and CDs, a magazine for the television program (2001 to 2003), the cookbook Kochen mit Schloss Einstein (= “Cooking with Schloss Einstein”) and also a best-of DVD. The menues of the DVD are found fault with by first viewing. That no subtitles are faded in for hearing handicapped is also found fault with. The bonus material for example the interviews and news styles are rated as positive. Furthermore there exists a Top-Trumps-Edition for Schloss Einstein as soon as a cube.
References
- ^ askania-media.de: Presseinformation – Schloss Einstein feiert einen runden Geburtstag: Am 20. Mai 2006 geht die 400. Folge im KI.KA über den Bildschirm!
- ^ saxonia-media.de: Produktion Schloss Einstein
- ^ kika.de: Schloss Einstein – Erfurt
External links
- Official website of Schloss Einstein (German)
- Official website of the production company ASKANIA MEDIA Filmproduktion GmbH (includes press reports for the television program) (German)
- Official website of the production company Saxonia Media Filmproduktion GmbH (German)
- Schloss Einstein at the Internet Movie Database
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