Creative Producing – ifs internationale filmschule köln

Specialization in »Creative Producing« in BA Film

That the Specialization in Creative Producing aims to turn young producers into resourceful financers and capable organizers goes without saying: In the process of finding good stories and exceptional talents, Creative Producing students are constantly made to face creative and artistic challenges. Developing a financially successful perspective for your projects demands a certain sense of relevant issues of our times and for social developments.

In the Specialization in Creative Producing, students learn to identify artistic contexts and support creative processes – from the script development and the production organization to the marketing and distribution. To do this, they must be prepared to take on the responsibility for both the content development and the financial success as well as for their team and their project. And, not least, they must develop a producer personality.

Next application phase: from winter 2019/2020
Next start of studies: summer semester 2021

Curriculum

The 7-semester Bachelor’s program is modular and consists of:

Specialization modules that convey the artistic and technical expertise for the aspired occupation.
Project modules, in which students, both independently and through interdisciplinary collaboration, complete projects from the idea to the finished screenplay or film.
Comparative Media Studies modules and personal skills seminars that transfer film and media theory knowledge as well as social and interpersonal skills

Studying Creative Producing
The ifs program defines the role of the creative producer as the unifying force between the artistic, organizational and commercial aspects of filmmaking. Together with the screenwriters and the directors, producers develop a vision for the film. They are the driving force that organizes and leads all the joint efforts and enthusiasm for the film. And producers must be willing and able to take on the financial and personal responsibility. Every step a producer makes requires excellent communication skills, strong powers of persuasion, and a constant high level of motivation. The specialization in Creative Producing teaches you how to make films possible.

The first year centers on transferring narrative and storytelling skills to all the students in all the specializations. Students learn to access and develop material suitable for narrative adaptation. The specialization then focuses on film production.

In their second year, students deepen their specialization by focusing on the development of the producer’s creative skills as well as on the market for audiovisual work and project management. In project work, the students work more and more independently in specialization-specific roles with the other departments and programs.

In their final one and a half years, students focus on their creative producer responsibilities in the film, TV and online industry. At the same time, they produce their final graduation films. A presentation of their final graduation films to a wide circle of industry representatives marks the end of the program.

Comparative Media Studies
Comparative Media Studies explore the film medium’s relationships to other media and their presentation and narrative forms, and particularly to the competing audiovisual media of theater, television and digital games as well as to the fine arts, photography, literature and music. In both the theoretical reflections and the practical exercises, specific attention is given to the aesthetic and cultural consequences of digitization for production, distribution and reception of audiovisual, cross-media and trans-media content.

Film History and Film Analysis
This subject area explores the different dimensions and elements that touch, cross and merge paths in film: space and time, perspective and montage, picture and sound, light and color, on and off-screen, and the perspectives of the characters, the camera and the audience. The focus is on investigating the media conditions for cinematic aesthetics as well as reflecting on their historical transformation.

Projects
A significant part of the studies and the learning takes place in the project work, which is defined by an intensive and close collaboration between the 7 specializations. Each semester includes a project phase, during which students experiment, practice and produce work. The requirements vary as there are both fiction and non-fiction film projects. The project work consists of both independent components as well as interdisciplinary teamwork with other students and cooperation partners. The complexity of the project work increases during the course of the studies up to the final graduation films. The professor committee decides on the production of each of the projects. Students also have the opportunity to work on independent projects alongside their studies with the support of the ifs.

Personal Skills and Professional Career Orientation
All the semesters include modules for personal skills training and professional career orientation. Coaching sessions and teacher feedback on various studies and team processes promote personal and professional development. Students are encouraged to reflect on their own artistic work from an interdisciplinary perspective, in the context of other works of art, and as part of the social discourse. Students receive targeted support to develop and cultivate their own artistic personality, as well as their social and communication skills (negotiation skills, self-reflection, team cooperation, conflict strategies). Case studies exploring the various job profiles (national/international) and knowledge of the requirements of a business startup serve as guidance on future careers and professional opportunities. Visits to festivals and conferences promote the development of industry networks.

Bachelor Project and Thesis
Students prepare their Bachelor graduation project and thesis at the end of their studies, which is supplemented by an oral examination also known as a colloquium. For the Screenwriting specialization, the BA graduation project consists of writing an original screenplay for a feature-length film. The BA graduation project for the specializations in Film Directing, Creative Producing, Director of Photography, Editing Picture & Sound, VFX & Animation, and Production Design consist of a production project and a written thesis. The colloquiums will bring together the different parts of the BA project in a technical discussion and explore individual aspects in depth.

Fields of Study
The following fields of study at the ifs are represented by professors:

Screenwriting and Dramaturgy
Directing – For fiction narratives in audiovisual media
Directing – For documentary narratives in audiovisual media
Creative Producing
Camera – Feature Film
Camera – Documentary Film
Editing Picture & Sound
VFX & Animation
Production Design
Comparative Media Studies
Film History and Film Analysis
Serial Storytelling (MA)
Digital Narratives (MA)

Our professors are experienced academics and professionals who, alongside their teaching responsibilities, also produce screenplays, documentaries and feature films as well as conduct research work. A wide range of lecturers from both the German and international film industries further supports the main academic teaching staff. An active involvement in the film industry and a professional participation in film and applied media discourses are requirements for a teaching position at the ifs.

Examinations
Every module is completed with an examination, and is graded. The examinations can take the form of assignments, papers, work samples, written tests, presentations or oral exams.

Graduation
After successfully completing the Bachelor Examination, students are awarded the »Bachelor of Arts« (B.A.) academic degree.

Program Structure
The study workload is assessed using a credit point system, according to the principles of the European Credit Transfer System. 30 credits are awarded per semester. In the standard 7-semester period of study, 210 credit points are required to achieve the »Bachelor of Arts« degree. The BA Film program is a fulltime study program. Courses usually require 80 percent compulsory attendance.

Structure

Fees & Financing

Tuition fees per semester:
1,500 euros

One-time registration fee:
400 euros

Contribution to the »Friends of the ifs Society« per semester:
250 euros

Financial Assistance
For financial assistance to cover tuition fees and/or living expenses, second-year students may apply for an interest-free loan from the Student Education Fund, which is run by the »The Friends of the ifs Society«. Approval of the interest-free loans is based on the applicant’s financial situation and the funds available. Repayment of the loan begins six months after graduation/termination of studies.

In addition, from the second academic year until the end of the Bachelor’s program, the »The Friends of the ifs internationale filmschule köln Society« currently awards five scholarships for outstanding academic achievements to students of the Bachelor’s programs. These scholarships include the payment of tuition fees and a monthly allowance towards the cost of living until the end of the Bachelor’s program (up to 15,000 euros).

Students in the Bachelor’s program Film are generally eligible for “Bafög”, the Federal Student Financial Aid Program. The responsible Federal Student Financial Aid Office decides upon applications for student state loans or grants. A prerequisite for the application is the enrollment at the University of Applied Sciences Cologne), the ifs cooperation partner (tuition fee for the Summer Semester 2019: 270.50 euros). This grant includes all the services of the University of Applied Sciences Cologne as well as the semester ticket. Both German and foreign students are eligible applicants. Foreign students must observe Bafög § 8.

Information on the financing and promotion of studies

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