Film & Television European Program

Program Description

 
Uniquely, the Film and Television Semester in Bonn combines four production classes: “Cinematography,” “Editing,” “Directing” and concludes with a six-week “Intermediate Production” session, which allows students to make their own documentary while in Europe. In this intense setting, students explore hands-on filmmaking as they live and learn within a different culture.

The academic program is a rigorous one. Students must undergo a thorough screening process to participate in the program. The nature of the Bonn semester, consisting of intensive three-week workshops, demands highly motivated students. All production classes are mandatory and are structured in such a way, that one class builds on the previous class.

Students become quickly immersed in production in a European setting. They receive expert, hands-on training in directing, cinematography, editing and documentary production. Students will also have the opportunity to partner with German music academy students who can provide original scores for their films. In the process, each student learns about the challenging relationship between art and technique in a foreign setting and how each serves the other. Students learn the practical aspects of mounting a production: budgeting, location scouting, casting, set design, post production and the importance of safety in all aspects of what they do. The projects document the real world of Europe. These finished works are produced and owned by the students, and many are distributed and celebrated through festivals, and other exhibition channels.