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Who is the academy of converging media?

The academy of converging media was established in 2002 as a registered association on the initiative of the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (German Film- and Telelvision Academy Berlin), Master School Drehbuch (a private institute for continued education in script development and film production) and ProjectScope (a new media consultancy for eContent and interactive Entertainment). The academy provides advanced vocational training for young European media professionals looking to tool up for the digital revolution in the media industry.

Why an academy of converging media?

The idea of establishing an academy of converging media arose in response to a growing need for conceptors, information architects and authors to work in the new media. In the same way that creative producers and scriptwriters generate material for film and TV productions, conceptors, information architects and new media authors develop user oriented services, interactive content and communication applications for the new technologies and media. Whereas the content formats have been defined for classical media platforms they are still very much in the process of being developed for the interactive and cooperative systems. In other words, any approach to generating content for the new media must also involve the creation of new formats. There are too few educational facilities in Europe specifically training professionals in content development thus the demand for qualified personel cannot be met whether it be in the areas of consumer services, business or entertainment. Conceptors are recruited from related fields of work or education and mostly learn within their job without the appropriate guidance by senior colleagues, respective literature or part time training.

Part-Time Courses

The academy's main initiative, the content + creation intensive course is a unique training programme in Germany for conceptors and information architects. As such, the academy of converging media is making a contribution towards the establishment of professional standards in the sector. The part-time courses 2002 and 2003 were housed in the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin in the Sony Centre, Berlin. The programs were integrated into the film school thus enabling students to participate in courses on film, television or scripting, postproduction and digital effects outside of their curriculum and access the technical equipment for producing their media assets. The objective is to combine the knowledge from both traditional and new media in order to develop the convergence formats of tomorrow. Further courses at different locations in European countries are in preparation.

What are the content + creation intensive courses?

Participants

The part-time courses held by the academy of converging media are aimed both at people already working in the new media as well as those who would like to do so. Tailored to meet the needs of people looking to make a career move from another sector, our introductory programs introduce participants to the challenges of the new, convergent media and help them develop the valuable skills required for generating concepts, implementing new ideas and developing applications in this field. Meanwhile, for those who already have working experience in the new media, more advanced programs provide an opportunity for them to deepen their knowledge and discover all the latest developments in this sector. Participating in the academy of converging media's content + creation intensive course is like taking a sabbatical in which the professional exposes him- or herself to the requirements of the evolving professions in concept design and content development.

Schedule

The training is a combination of high profile lectures by teachers and professionals from all over Europe, tutor guided case studies, theoretical and technical exercises as well as group work.

content + creation intensive course,

module 1: interactive media
Date: new courses are in preparation for 2004
Teaching five days a week from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

All teaching will be in English. Admission to module 1 is limited to 12 participants.

Application deadline: new courses are in preparation for 2004

Module 1 is targeted at people with little or no working experience in the new media. Participants will be introduced to the challenges of the interactive media and acquire the knowledge and skills required to be able to apply for the post of junior conceptor at a media company. 

· The role of the author: Introduction to various media platforms and formats, interactive narrative and games theory 
· Introduction to the new technologies: The history of programming, classification and analysis of applications, introduction to current production tools 
· Multimedia: The dramaturgical characteristics of the various media formats, interaction and communication, navigation and information architecture, production processes 
· Flowcharting and scripting: The tools of the conceptor and the author, visualisation of structures plus the creation of storyboards and hyperboards 
· Project phase: Format development and interface design

content + creation intensive course,

module 2: cooperative systems
Date: new courses are in preparation for 2004
Teaching five days a week from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.


All teaching will be in English. Admission to module 2 is limited to 12 participants.

Application deadline: new courses are in preparation for 2004

Module 2 is targeted at people with professional experience or training in the new and interactive media. In addition, those who have already enrolled for module 1 are eligible to apply for the second module. Participants will have an opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the field in preparation for a career as a senior conceptor:

· Networked systems: Working in networks, intelligent systems, data models and database structures
· The new market: The impact of the new technologies on the value chain, development of content brands
· Media convergence: Media and communications technology, transformation of cross-media content, cyberdrama and games, navigation in convergent formats
· Communities: Virtual worlds and artificial intelligence; objects, attributes and rules; roles and behavioural patterns
· Project phase: Format development and communication design

The courses are complimentary to existing programmes specialized in audiovisual design and technology in order to enhance interdisciplinary team work and facilitate the transfer of knowledge between professionals of different background and training as well as senior experts.

Trainers

The courses are taught by highly experienced trainers with professional experience in the media as well as extensive knowledge in their particular fields of specialisation. The teaching programs place an equal emphasis on the acquisition of both a firm theoretical grounding and the practical skills required to work in this field. With limited admission numbers and close ties to the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin the courses are guaranteed to encourage a lively exchange between students and trainers at both institutions.

content + creation intensive courses

The task of the conceptor is to create new worlds, fill them with life and develop the kind of characters that generate strong user identification. The conceptor has an ear for the kind of narratives that arise during user interaction and is then able to take these and develop them further on a range of different platforms. As such, the conceptor of tomorrow is author, dramaturge and information architect all rolled into one.
The academy of converging media has therefore devised a special vocational course to provide media professionals from all areas of the industry with the skills required to develop new narrative and dramaturgical languages for the convergent media. The two modules are designed to provide intensive training for people looking to embark upon a new career as conceptor or information architect. Potential applicants also include media professionals already in the employ of companies active in this field. The course is aimed at people of countries that belong to the MEDIA programm of the EU. For this reason, all teaching will be in English.
The participants will be living and working in the city where the courses take place for the duration of 1 to 2 months, an intensive period of time in which they will get to know each other and learn to appreciate the individual skills and attributes of their fellow participants. Thus, the academy supports the creation of European networks which are essential to the innovational spirit powering the development of new technologies and evolvement of converging media.

Contact
academy of converging media
c/o ProjectScope | Inga von Staden
Kirchstraße 20
D - 10557 Berlin
fon.: +49-(0)30-22 65 19 13
fax: +49-(0)30-22 65 19 14                          
e-Mail: press@academy-of-converging-media.com

Maria Burdick
Kommunikation und Marketing
Elvirastraße 16
D-80636 München
fon: +49-89-18 14 15
fax: +49-89-18 14 49
e-Mail: m.burdick@burdick.de

The academy of converging media is a continued education programme at the dffb.
The courses are supported by the
MEDIA programme of the European Union and the Berlin Senate Department of Business and Technology in conjunction with the Filmboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH.
Project partners are
MDM (Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung),
Pixelpark AG and
cine-plus Media Service & Co. KG.

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