The Film Academy Baden-Württemberg
Founded: 1991 in Ludwigsburg
Students: around 450
Courses: 14
University partnerships: Paris, Lodz, Toronto, Havana
Internet: www.filmakademie.de
The Film Academy is a publicly funded institution belonging to the state of Baden-Württemberg. It is based in Ludwigsburg and covers the complete repertoire of film studies in Germany. The individual courses include: screenwriting, directing (feature, documentary, publicity, education/science), image composition/cinematography, montage/editing, animation, interactive media, series, film production, film music, production design and technical directing.
In addition to diploma courses the academy’s Masterclass Paris/Ludwigsburg offers a twelve-month programme in film production, distribution and marketing designed especially for students from all over Europe who come from a great variety of career backgrounds.
Three Questions for the Film Academy Director
Professor Schadt, how would you characterize film studies in Germany and how do they rank in an international context?
As far as education and training standards are concerned, Germany’s major film academies are among the front runners in the international context. There are several reasons for this. One is that the schools are well equipped. But Germany’s film and television tradition also plays a role. In Germany we teach skills in the craft of filmmaking at the highest possible standard.
What professional prospects do up-and-coming filmmakers from Germany have?
Prospects are very diverse. In Germany television has a big influence and is unquestionably the largest employer of graduates from the film academies. Consequently, at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg in Ludwigsburg we make every effort to collaborate with television on co-productions. There are also professional openings in Germany and abroad in the fast growing animation market where there’s a great demand for experts in digital effects.
Could you give us a clearer idea of the educational programme at the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg? How do you prepare the newcomers for work in the film industry?
We have a total of 14 courses and train all the skills needed to make a film. I suppose the only real comparison can be made with the Academy for Film and Television in Potsdam which offers a similarly broad spectrum of studies. One feature of our foundation studies is that the students don’t go straight into their chosen course, but participate in a mixed seminar programme. We call it general film studies. This means that cinematography students do some directing or write a screenplay, and students who want to become screenwriters learn to handle the camera. We want everyone to gain insights into each other’s roles on the film set. In addition to this we are strongly practice-oriented and produce more films than other academies. Learning-by-doing is of paramount importance to us.
Thomas Schadt became director of the Film Academy Baden-Württemberg in 2005. He is a film professional who works as director, producer, cinematographer and writer
Action! The Best Known German Film Academies and their Courses
The Academy for Film and Television Konrad Wolf Potsdam
Germany’s oldest and biggest film academy is based in Potsdam, in the grounds of the world-famous Babelsberg Film Studios. The academy, which was founded in 1954, offers courses in eleven subject areas for over 500 students. They include directing, cinematography, dramatic composition, motion picture science, production and acting as well as animation and film music. The academy also has good international links. It cooperates with ten academies around the globe ranging from the Communication University of China in Beijing, to the Russian State Institute of Cinematography in Moscow and the Universidad del Cine in Buenos Aires.
www.hff-potsdam.de
The German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB)
This academy is located in the heart of Berlin, in the Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz. It was founded in 1966, is a recognized source of talented auteur filmmakers and can boast distinguished former students, such as director Wolfgang Petersen. The DFFB has over 100 filmmaking students, and every year awards twelve places for directing, six for cinematography and six for production. Each of these courses lasts for four years.
www.dffb.de
Hamburg Media School (HMS)
In the media city of Hamburg the HMS, which was founded in 1991, offers two-year courses in screenwriting, production, directing and cinematography. There are six places available every year in each of the four subjects. Like the other film academies, the HMS complements theory with practical classes and film productions. Lecturers who have taught at the academy include well-known German directors, such as Heinrich Breloer or Sönke Wortmann, actor Armin Mueller-Stahl and cinematographer Michael Ballhaus.
www.hamburgmediaschool.com
Academy for Media Arts Cologne (KHM)
The main emphasis of the four-year diploma course in audio-visual media is on film/television. Approximately 200 students acquire specialist knowledge in feature film, screenwriting and documentary film at the Academy for Media Arts in Cologne.
www.khm.de
The University of Television and Film Munich
Academy Award winners, such as Caroline Link and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck and the famous Hollywood director Roland Emmerich graduated from this school. Founded in 1966, the University of Television and Film Munich is internationally renowned and develops the talents of around 200 students. The range of subjects includes cinema and television film, documentary film and television journalism, screenwriting, production, media economics and technology and communication and media sciences.
www.hff-muenchen.de
In addition to the six film academies there are over 30 universities, art colleges and universities of applied sciences offering an interesting range of courses in motion picture sciences, media, design, visual communication and acting.
www.hochschulkompass.de
