Technical Equipment - ifs internationale filmschule köln

The ifs has excellent technical equipment that enables students to realise their creative ideas at a high technical level while following current industry standards and professional production requirements. A technical committee, consisting of representatives of the technology-intensive programs, plans medium and long-term acquisitions in cooperation with the ifs technical department by evaluating current technical developments with regard to teaching at the ifs.

The technical inventory of the ifs is therefore constantly being updated and expanded.

Due to the low number of students at the ifs, every student can fully benefit from the high-quality technical equipment.

Thomas Zschockelt
Head of Technical Department

Dolby Atmos Cinema / Multifunctional Auditorium

The multifunctional auditorium, which the ifs operates together with the Cologne Game Lab of the TH Köln (University of Applied Sciences), has an area of 200sqm and is equipped with 160 comfortable seats.
Attached is a cinema foyer with lounge facilities, a counter area and three large program displays.

“Multifunctional” really applies here: The auditorium is equipped with a Dolby Atmos Studio licensed cinema mix and cinema DCP projection with a 9m x 3.85m screen. It has a video control room for recordings, an interpreter booth for live translations, a sound and lighting system, and a lectern with laptop connections and multimedia control.
The auditorium can thus be used for lectures, panels and conferences, screenings and cinema mixes.

Film equipment rental

The ifs film equipment rental consists of a camera storage, light storage, camera test room and a technical lock for contactless collection and return even outside opening hours.
The selection of available technology is extremely extensive, and students have every opportunity to borrow suitable equipment that meets professional standards.
The staff in the technical planning department not only organise the rental and maintenance of the equipment, but are also happy to help with planning and compilation – and, where necessary, give instruction in the operation and use of the equipment to be rented.

Film studio with workshop

The studio of the ifs with a size of 300 sqm is equipped with a motorised truss system, possibilities for green screen recordings and sufficient electrical connection possibilities up to 64A. This means that even larger scenic projects can be realised and lit in every conceivable way.

Directly connected to the studio is the comprehensively equipped production design workshop, which is professionally supervised by a workshop manager – also with regard to work safety. The workshop manager also advises the students on the technical realisation of their projects. A spacious materials store is located next door. Short distances make fast working possible.

Post production

The post production rooms at the ifs enable all steps of film and television production to be carried out in-house and at a professional level. The technical department here supervises all areas in all steps and accompanies the students with all technical questions during their creative work.
All computer workstations are connected to a central shared storage system with 512 terabytes of storage capacity and backed up by an LTO library. This means that all projects and material are available at all workstations, which results in the greatest possible flexibility in the allocation of workstations.

Editing stations
The ifs has 8 editing stations for picture and sound, which are usually shared by two students. The editing stations are equipped according to industry standards with professional audio and video software on Apple systems, a preview monitor, two work screens and 3.0 audio monitoring.
The workspaces described below can also be used as normal editing stations.

Recording room
For Foley and music recordings, students have access to a 50 sqm recording room with an adjoining 26 sqm control room.

Dolby Atmos cinema mix
The ifs auditorium/cinema is also a high-quality cinema mix officially licensed and calibrated by Dolby. Here, the films of the students can be mixed in Dolby ATMOS 7.1 and 5.1. A fully motorised Avid S6 console can be installed for this purpose.

Premix Suite 1+2
Beyond the normal equipment of the standard editing rooms, these suites offer an immersive 7.1.4 audio system and the Dolby Atmos production suite.
With more than 52 sqm, Suite 1 also has a projector and cinema seats for small screenings and group classes.

Colour grading
The ifs has two colour grading suites.

Suite 1 allows professional cinema grading in the DCI-P3 colour space as well as Rec 709 and is equipped with a projector, Class A monitor with an HDR OLED TV and a 7.1.2 surround system. With 42 sqm, it is also suitable for group classes.

Suite 2 is equipped for a maximum of 2 persons as HDR /Rec 709 TV colour correction.
These computers are also connected to the shared storage system as described under post production.

VFX & Animation

VFX workspaces
All students of the VFX & Animation program have their own workstation. The two VFX seminar rooms are each equipped with 12 PC workstations including a beamer, a lecturer’s computer as well as an 86-inch flat screen and an audio system.
Two professional 3D printers and two render farms are assigned to the rooms.
These computers are also connected to the shared storage system as described under post production.

Multimedia technology rental
Located in the technology office, motion capture suits, 360 degree cameras, VR glasses, projectors, tablets, cables/adapters, etc. can be borrowed here for the students’ work. This is constantly being expanded and adapted to current needs.

Seminar rooms

Seminar technology
All seminar rooms have connections for laptops and audio equipment, as well as a beamer and an audio system.

Computer seminar room
This is equipped with 10 iMac workstations and a lecturer’s iMac as well as a beamer. The workstations can be used by all students outside of class. Professional video editing software is also installed here in addition to Office products. The computers are connected to the shared storage system, as described under post production.

Production Design seminar Room
10 iMac workstations are available here for students and their creative work. These computers are also connected to the shared storage system, as described under post production.

Editing seminar room
Here, there are 10 iMac workstations and a lecturer’s editing station including a beamer for lessons in software use. The workstations can be used by all students outside of class.