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Motion Pictures

Motion Pictures

This course of study offers an attractive and sustainable education in the dynamic environment of media.

Semester7 Semester Tuiton feesNone
DegreeBachelor of Arts Application deadline01.06.2025
Instruction languageEN Selection processYes
Start of studiesWinter semester Preliminary internship requiredYes

Why study Motion Pictures at h_da?

Studying Motion Pictures at Hochschule Darmstadt (h_da) offers a comprehensive and practice-oriented education in the dynamic field of film and television. 
Key points and advantages include:

  • Comprehensive Curriculum: The seven-semester Bachelor's program covers media design, media technology, media management, media theory, media psychology, and media law, providing a well-rounded education.
  • State-of-the-Art Facilities: Students have access to modern camera and sound technology, a film studio, and a cinema at the Dieburg media campus, facilitating hands-on experience.
  • Practical Experience: The program emphasizes practical learning through creative workshops, projects, and a mandatory practical phase in the fourth semester, ensuring students gain real-world experience.
  • Individual Specialization: Elective courses allow students to focus on areas such as production, directing, screenwriting, cinematography, post-production, or visual effects, tailoring their education to their interests.
  • International Environment: Instruction is primarily in English, fostering an international atmosphere and preparing students for global career opportunities.
  • Career Opportunities: Graduates are equipped for various roles in the film and video industry, including script development, directing, camera work, and post-production, and can pursue further studies with a Master's program.

Know-how through coaching

Every aspiring filmmaker needs a well-founded artistic and technical understanding. The practice-oriented education provides a comprehensive technical and media-scientific specialist knowledge, cinematic craftsmanship and artistic approaches. Theory is conveyed in small groups in a practice-oriented manner and with the active participation of the students.
 

Apply know-how in practical film projects

Filmmaking is teamwork, so working together in small groups plays a big role. We work very practically in our workshops. In projects, you will get to know the entire production environment of filmmaking, from story development, dramaturgy, shooting planning and cost calculation, cinematography, sound work in all areas including post-production and marketing.

Achievements

Here you will find a compilation of film festival successes, TV broadcasts and cinema exploitations of student projects:

Learn more Achievements

Study at a high level

The media campus of the h_da offers an excellent infrastructure, which includes several specialised media studios in addition to lecture halls and seminar rooms.

Studio

Professional 16:9 television studio with green screen and high-quality lighting system.

Studio equipment

The studio offers modern equipment suitable for broadcasting, which includes Dolly and Jibarm, as well as contemporary TV camera equipment.

Equipment rental service

Our equipment rental service for semester projects and excercise films ranges from a large number of different cameras and lenses, to professional lighting and sound equipment.

Cinema

In our own cinema, student work is shown and lectures are held.

Post-production workstations

Film editing and post-production can be learned and applied on numerous modern editing and post-production workstations.

The facilities in Dieburg, and also the possibility to borrow high-quality equipment, contribute to the practice-oriented eduacation, which then in turn prepares us well for the start of our careers.

Mathias Zetzsche

Philosophy

Motion Pictures offers an attractive and sustainable education in the dynamic environment of the media.

Aligned to an exciting and dynamic professional life

The course Motion Pictures offers a contemporary education in the field of video, TV and film. The specialized knowledge and the necessary competencies are conveyed by targeted educational contents, which are oriented towards the needs of the classic film, video and TV industry, but also to interdisciplinary future oriented media environments. A high proportion of these skills and knowledge is acquired through practice in workshops and projects as well as lectures and seminars.

Shared experience

Shaping, experiencing and discussing projects together: each semester, the „Aftermath“ takes place in our campus cinema. This event enables students to present, watch and discuss semester and bachelor films produced in Motion Pictures in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.

Individual specialisation

Depending on the student’s inclination, profiling is possible through appropriate elective courses in the areas of production and directing, screenwriting, camera or post production or visual effects. This choice allows trying out new topics, styles and technologies. In addition, most semester projects have only in the early semesters formal limitations, allowing students to plan and produce their own content, experimenting with genres and storytelling while being guided by their professors and teachers in the workshops.

Filmmaking is teamwork, so working on projects in groups plays a significant role. The international orientation of the program gives you the opportunity to collaborate with fellow students from all over the world.

Prof. Dr. Gabler

In Motion Pictures, all semesters help each other. This way, lower semesters can learn from the higher semesters. At the same time, higher semesters also need assistance because there is no film without a crew.

Michael Gödde

5 Semester

Semester structure

Foundation (Compulsory Subjects)

Median Design (MD), Audio-Visual Media Technology (MT), Self and Project Media Management (MM) und Media Philosophy (MPH).

Semester Project (Compulsory subject)

Semester project incorporating the study areas of media design, media technology, and media management.

Project topics in the areas of documentary film, short film, and feature film, among others.

Elective subjects (2-3 courses per Semester)

Freedom to choose from the range of electives offered in the disciplines of media design, media informatics and technology, media management, and media theory.

(For example, documentary film, pre-production, film editing, cinematography, film sound, lighting for film, acting, animation, writing, etc…)

Internship

Up to a six-month internship in a media, TV or film.

Examples: film productions, television broadcasters, advertising agencies, multimedia agencies, consulting firms, media service providers.

Semester Project (Compulsory subject)

Semester project incorporating the study areas of media design, media technology, and media management.

More complex project topics in the areas of documentary film, short film, and feature film, among others.

Elective subjects (2-3 courses per Semester)

Freedom to choose from the range of electives offered in the disciplines of media design, media informatics and technology, media management, and media theory.

(For example, documentary film, pre-production, film editing, cinematography, film sound, lighting for film, acting, animation, writing, etc…)

Research Project (Compulsory Subject)

In the research project, thematic areas for the Bachelor project are prepared over four weeks. It is supervised by two self-selected instructors. The disciplinary component is determined by the chosen thematic field.

Bachelor Project (Compulsory Subject)

The Bachelor project is worked on individually or as a team within a twelve-week timeframe. It is supervised by two self-selected instructors. The disciplinary component is determined by the chosen Bachelor theme.

Courses

Media Design teaches the basics of creative filmmaking. Which camera angles exist and which effects do they have on the viewer, what is an invisible cut, what is mise-en -scène? These are just some of the topics that are covered by this class. In addition students create their first small films to experience and exercise techniques.

MT is a course that accompanies students until the sixth semester throughout the whole study and contains the technical aspects of filmmaking. How does a camera work, what is a sensor and what happens with all the data recorded? Each semester, a different focus is placed: from studio an tv equipment, sound recording to visual effects.

In addition to ethical questions on film design, models of communication are also a big focus of this class. Media Philosophy takes for example a look on Kant and Hegel’s theory, but it is also about the conscious and responsible use of media.

From the second semester on, students are free to create their films in Media Project. These are short films, documentaries, music videos or experimental approaches. In the classroom, professors advise on both the creative, technical planning and realization of the project, but also provide in-depth cinematic knowledge. Films are analyzed and theoretical knowledge is trained with practical exercises covering each film department: screenplay, production, camera, light, sound and editing in depth.

Media Management focuses on the production and legal aspects of filmmaking. What are the different types of film insurance? How do I make a calculation? What is a restitution contract? How to apply for funding and which other alternatives do I have to fund my project? How do I market my film, and to how can I submit it to festivals?

This class covers the most important works of film history. Students watch and analyse films, discover and discuss the influences of filmmakers as well as technical innovations. What was the Nouvelle Vague? Who was Eadweard Muybridge, how did films reflect and influence the time and environments they were made in?

Electives are individually selectable courses. Motion Pictures offers a wide-ranging catalogue of topics for in-depth specialization on for exampple script writing, cinematography, editing or visual effects. Open electives can also be booked from other university programmes from the Media Campus, such as Animation and Game, Sound and Music Production or Interactive Media Design.

The entire fourth semester is dedicated to an industrial placement. Students chose a company or production, may it be in Germany or anywhere else in the world, for an internship. In a professional environment they gather valuable new experiences. In addition, the internship is a good opportunity to help find define the creative path to be taken and explore jobs positions after graduation.

The bachelor project is the final project which is freely chosen by the students themselves. Bachelor projects can be for example short films, documentaries but also screenplays, or analysis and developments of new film technologies.