Programme information

 

Film and Television Faculty

Academy of Performing Arts  / VŠMU

History

VSMU was founded in 1949 to provide university level art education. It has three faculties: Music and Dance; Theatre;Film and Television. Though there had been tought some subjects like script writing or directing, the stand-alone Film and Television Faculty (with all necessary branches and departments to create a film) was established in 1990 as the only University level school for audiovisual media in Slovakia. The Academy offers a complete film and television education in nine departments (Screenwriting, Directing, Documentary, Cinematography, Editing, Sound, Animation, Production, and Department of Art Criticism and Audio Visual Studies). There is a stand-alone Language Studies Department for all of the three faculties. Students have the option of going on to a Master's Degree and Ph.D. (ArtD.) after the initial Bachelor of Arts degrees.

About the Faculty

The Film and Television Faculty provides accredited programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels:

Undergraduate level – bachelor’s degree (Bc.): (3 year full-time study)

Postgraduate level – master’s degree (Mgr.art.): (2 year full-time study)

Postgraduate level – doctoral degree (ArtD.): (3 year full-time study, 5 year part-time study)

 

Departments

 

Directing

Screenwriting

Documentary

Animation

Cinematography and Photography

Editing

Sound

Art Criticism and Audio Visual Studies

Production

Programmes

The study at the Film and Television Faculty is accredited in the branch of Film Art and Multimedia in the following programmes:

Film and Television Directing (Bc., Mgr. Art., ArtD.)

The students pursue their studies in the Directing Department. The programme prepares accomplished directors of feature films and audio visual works in a variety of forms and genres. The study focuses on the acquisition of theoretical and practical methods and styles of directing ranging from the classical film to contemporary media.

Compulsory core subjects

Bachelor’s degree level

Directing; Teamwork; Directing and Acting; Film Language; Theory of Narrative; History of Fine Arts; History of World Film; History of Slovak Film; Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art, Foreign Language

Master’s degree level

Directing; Directing and Acting; Creative Writing for Film; Structures of Narrative; Theory of Dramatic Arts, Genre Forms

Documentary Film (Bc., Mgr. art., ArtD.)

The students pursue their studies in the Documentary Department. The programme prepares the filmmakers for a large range of non-feature films ranging from the classical documentary film through various forms of journalism for audio visual media, popular scientific films, educational and promotional films to advertising.

Compulsory core subjects

Bachelor’s degree level

Documentary Film Directing; Teamwork; Seminar on Dramaturgy; Theory of Documentary Work; History of Documentary Film; History of World Film; Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art; Theory of Narrative, Foreign Language

Master’s degree level

Documentary Film Directing; Film Dramaturgy; Pre-Production; Television Technology; Creative Writing for Film; Structures of Narrative; Rhetoric of Film Image

Dramaturgy and Screenwriting (Bc., Mgr.art, ArtD.)

The students pursue their studies in the Screenwriting Department. The programme provides the students with the knowledge necessary for the independent creative work of screenwriters in all areas of audio vision with a high level of individual creativity and authorship.

Compulsory core subjects

Bachelor’s degree level

Seminar on Screenwriting; Teamwork; Visual Editing; Television Genres; Slovak Literature; World Literature; Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art; Theory of Narrative, Foreign Language

Master’s degree level

Seminar on Screenwriting; Creative Writing for Film; Theory of Narrative; Dramaturgy of Documentary Film; Theory of Audio Visual Arts; Genres of Film Narrative; Seminar on Authorship and Directing

Animated Film (Bc., Mgr.art, ArtD.)

The students pursue their studies in the Animation Department. The programme prepares them for professional careers in animated film and techniques related to animation. It develops the students’ artistic and technical skills and abilities to create synthetic film artworks and acquire theoretical knowledge necessary for artistic creation.

Compulsory core subjects

Bachelor’s degree level

Animated Film; Teamwork; Basics of Figural Drawing; Development of Animated Film; 3-D Animation; History of Fine Arts; Cinematography; Animation Techniques; AF Production with Digital Technology; Digital Post-Production; Aesthetics and Philosophy of Art; Theory of Narrative, Foreign Language

Master’s degree level

Animated Film; Theory and Aesthetics of Animation; Digital Animated Film Production; PDP Technical Realisation; Creative Writing for Film; Theory of Narrative

Cinematograhy and Photography (Bc., Mgr.art, ArtD.)

The students pursue their studies in the Cinematography and Photography Department. They are guided through the programme to work in all areas of audio vision as independent creative cinematographers. They are provided with contemporary knowledge about film and television technology and techniques. The graduates are capable of using their skills and abilities to reflect reality in a distinctively creative form.

Compulsory core subjects

Bachelor’s degree level

Cinematography; Teamwork; Expression of Film Image; Lighting for Film; Photography; Film Technology; Exponometry; History of Slovak and World Film; History of Fine Arts; Television Work, Foreign Language

Master’s degree level

Cinematography; Advertising; Preparation for Feature Film; History of Fine Arts; Film Reproduction Chain; Digital Cinematography

Visual Editing (Bc.)

The students pursue their studies in the Editing Department. They are provided with the basic theoretical and practical knowledge necessary for independent creative work in all areas of audio vision with emphasis on visual editing. The programme develops their understanding of the models of construction of film and television narrative from the perspective of various forms and genres.

Compulsory core subjects

Bachelor’s degree level

Visual Editing; Teamwork; Theory of Visual Editing; History of Slovak Film and World Film; Dramaturgy; Studio and Transmission Editing Equipment; Linear and Non-linear Visual Editing Equipment; Basics of Editing in TV Studio, Foreign Language

Sound Design (Bc.)

The students pursue their studies in the Sound Department . The studio prepares sound engineers capable of using sound to express the authorial concept of the audio visual work. Special attention is paid to the development of their perception of music.

Compulsory core subjects

Bachelor’s degree level

Sound Editing; Teamwork; Sound Technology; History of Music; Dubbing; Theory of Music; Trends in Media Communication; History of Slovak Film; History of World Film; Film Language; Film and Television Technology, Foreign Language

Visual and Sound Design (Mgr.art, ArtD.)

The study provides theoretical and practical knowledge in all areas of audio visual work with emphasis on visual and sound design. The programme is based on individual creativity and partner communication and the students are encouraged to create their own artwork. The students acquire the knowledge of the latest technologies and trends.

Compulsory core subjects

Master’s degree level

Stylistics and its Development in Visual and Sound Editing; Visual and Sound Editing of Drama Genres; Theory of Dramatic Arts; Structure of Narrative; Stylistics; Visual and Sound Editing in Media; Music Directing; Mixing and Mastering; Psychology and Emotions

Art Criticism and Audio Visual Studies – Bc., Mgr.art., ArtD.

The study is conducted in the Department of Art Criticism and Audio Visual Studies. It provides education for theorists, historians and critics in the fields of film art and multimedia. As well as film analysis, the programme also includes humanities and social sciences. Emphasis is placed on the student’s individuality and creativity.

Compulsory core subjects

Bachelor’s degree level

History of World Cinematography; History of Slovak Cinematography; History of Film Theories; History of Philosophy and Aesthetics; Creative Critical and Scientific Writing; Interpretation Seminar; Rhetoric of Image, Foreign Language

Master’s degree level

Contemporary World Film; Cognitive Film Theory; Post-Structuralism and Film Cognition, Literature and Film

Production and Distribution (Bc., Mgr.art, ArtD.)

The students pursue their studies in the Production Department. The programme provides the students with an in-depth knowledge of organising the production itself and the production, marketing and distribution of audio visual work.

Compulsory core subjects

Bachelor’s degree level

Film Production; Television Production and Organisation; Distribution of Audio Visual Films; Technologies of Audio Visual Films; Audio Visual and Media Environment; Copyright; Marketing Communication and Media; Creative Communication and Advertising; History of Slovak Film; History of World Film, Foreign Language

Master’s degree level

Pre-Production and Realisation; Theory of Management; Analysis and Presentation of Audio Visual Project; Models of Coproduction; Development of TV Formats

Summer School of Film Language

The Film and Television Faculty of the Academy of Performing Arts organises a regular two-weeks' educational programme the Summer School of Film Language. It is designed for the students interested in studying at the Film and Television Faculty. The participants are introduced to the basics of film language and film professions under the supervision of the teaching staff. The school’s technical equipment is available during the course. Detailed information is available at http://ftf.vsmu.sk/

Credit System

The programmes are in compliance with the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). The credit system enables the students to take an active share in the design of their curriculum and choose the pace of their study.

The credit system enhances the exchange of students and guarantees the recognition of studies taken outside the mother institution.

Number of Credits:

Bachelor’s degree: 180

Master’s degree: 120

Doctoral degree: 180

Academic Year

The academic year is divided into winter and summer semesters.

The winter semester begins in September and ends in December. A four-weeks' examination period follows in January.

The summer semester begins in February and ends in April. The students work on their practical exercises and academic year audio visual projects in May. It is followed by a four-week examination period in June.

Admission examinations for undergraduate studies for a bachelor’s degree are held at the end of January.

Admission examinations for postgraduate studies for a master’s and doctoral degree are held at the end of June or the beginning of July.

Detailed information about admission examinations is available in due course at http://ftf.vsmu.sk/

 

Studies for International Students

 

The language of instruction at the Film and Television Faculty is Slovak and the foreign students interested in studying at the Faculty for a longer period are expected to attend the preparatory language course in Slovakia. Within the Erasmus Programme, the Faculty offers personal tutorship and selected subjects in English.

 

Applicants from the European Union are exempted from tuition frees, applicants from outside the European Union pay tuition fees – information is available at the school website http://ftf.vsmu.sk/

 

Facilities

All facilities are available in the school building at 2 Svoradova Street. Apart from classrooms, there is the Centre of Audio Visual Work (CAT) available to the students of all programmes.

CAT provides facilities for practicum, student films and coordinates the use of technology and technical equipment.

CAT includes:

- Office of production activities

- Department of camera and lighting equipment

- Department of image and sound recording equipment and animation

- Film studio (Studio AT-77) with online editing machine

- Department of sound, production and post-production equipment

- Sound recording studio

- Sound editing and mixing room

- Non-linear editing rooms – authoring DVD – finishing room

- Dispatching, archive and documentation CAT room

The latest technical and technological equipment of film production HDD and Blue Ray is available to the students.

The Faculty has two cinemas. Apart from screening educational material, they are also used by the school film Club 35 mm and Áčko, the International Festival of Student Film, and international events of other film institutions.

The Faculty publishes Frame, the school magazine, which is a supplement to the theoretical periodical Kino-ikon.

The cafeteria on the school premises provides fresh meals.

Festivals and International Activities

The Film and Television Faculty is a member of the International Organisation of Film and Television Schools (Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinema et Television) CILET and its European counterpart GEECT.

Renowned Slovak and European representatives of cinematography are regularly invited to give lectures. The Faculty organises international workshops, specialist seminars and scientific conferences.

The films made by our students are regularly presented at major foreign festivals (Annecy, Angers, Cannes, Hiroshima, Tai-Pei and others).

The students organise Áčko, the international film festival of students from institutions of higher education. The festival aims to present new films by young filmmakers. The festival is a platform for the creative comparison of different cinematographic works and training concepts. Creative seminars are part of the festival.