Student projects
Here you can find some sample projects created by our film students whilst studying Motion Pictures.
Motion Pictures
Motion Pictures
This course offers an engaging and sustainable education within the dynamic media sector.
| Semester | 7 semesters | Tuition fees | None | |
| Degree | Bachelor of Arts | Application deadline | 1 June 2025 | |
| Language of instruction | EN | Selection process | Yes | |
| Start of studies | Winter semester | Preliminary work placement required | Yes |
Why study Motion Pictures at h_da?
The Motion Pictures programme at Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (h_da) offers a comprehensive and practice-oriented education in the dynamic field of film and television.
Key points and advantages include:
- Comprehensive Curriculum: The seven-semester Bachelor’s programme covers media design, media technology, media management, media theory, media psychology and media law, providing a well-rounded education.
- State-of-the-art facilities: Students have access to modern camera and sound technology, a film studio and a cinema at the Dieburg Campus, facilitating hands-on experience.
- Practical Experience: The programme emphasises practical learning through creative workshops, projects and a compulsory practical placement in the fourth semester, ensuring students gain real-world experience.
- Individual Specialisation: Elective courses allow students to focus on areas such as production, directing, screenwriting, cinematography, post-production or visual effects, tailoring their education to their interests.
- International Environment: Teaching is primarily in English, fostering an international atmosphere and preparing students for global career opportunities.
- Career Opportunities: Graduates are equipped for a range of roles in the film and video industry, including script development, directing, camera work and post-production, and can go on to study for a Master’s degree.
Expertise through coaching
Every aspiring filmmaker needs a sound artistic and technical understanding. The practice-oriented programme provides comprehensive specialist knowledge in technology and media studies, cinematic craftsmanship and artistic approaches. Theory is taught in small groups in a practice-oriented manner, with the active participation of the students.
Apply your knowledge in practical film projects
Filmmaking is a team effort, so working together in small groups is crucial. Our workshops take a very practical approach. Through these projects, you will gain an understanding of the entire filmmaking production process, from story development, dramaturgy, shooting planning and cost calculation, to cinematography and sound work across all areas, including post-production and marketing.
Achievements
Here you will find a compilation of student projects’ successes at film festivals, TV broadcasts and cinema releases:
Study at a high level
The h_da’s media campus offers an excellent infrastructure, which includes several specialist media studios as well as lecture theatres and seminar rooms.
Studio
Professional 16:9 television studio with a green screen and a high-quality lighting system.
Studio equipment
The studio offers modern equipment suitable for broadcasting, including a dolly and jib arm, as well as state-of-the-art TV camera equipment.
Equipment hire service
Our equipment hire service for semester projects and practical films ranges from a wide variety of cameras and lenses to professional lighting and sound equipment.
Cinema
In our own cinema, student work is screened and lectures are held.
Post-production workstations
Film editing and post-production can be learnt and practised on a wide range of modern editing and post-production workstations.
The facilities in Dieburg, as well as the opportunity to borrow high-quality equipment, contribute to the practice-oriented education, which in turn prepares us well for the start of our careers.
Mathias Zetzsche
Philosophy
Motion Pictures offers an attractive and sustainable education within the dynamic media sector.
Tailored to an exciting and dynamic professional life
The Motion Pictures course offers a contemporary education in the field of video, TV and film. The specialist knowledge and necessary skills are imparted through targeted teaching content, which is geared towards the needs of the traditional film, video and TV industry, as well as towards interdisciplinary, future-oriented media environments. A significant proportion of these skills and knowledge is acquired through practical work in workshops and projects, as well as through lectures and seminars.
Shared experience
Shaping, experiencing and discussing projects together: every semester, the ‘Aftermath’ takes place in our campus cinema. This event enables students to present, watch and discuss semester and Bachelor's films produced on the Motion Pictures course in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.
Individual specialisation
Depending on the student’s interests, they can specialise by taking relevant optional modules in the areas of production and directing, screenwriting, cinematography, post-production or visual effects. This choice allows students to explore new topics, styles and technologies. Furthermore, most semester projects are subject to formal constraints only in the early semesters, allowing students to plan and produce their own content, experimenting with genres and storytelling whilst being guided by their lecturers and tutors in the workshops.
Filmmaking is a team effort, so working on projects in groups plays a significant role. The programme’s international focus gives you the opportunity to collaborate with fellow students from all over the world.
Prof. Dr Gabler
In Motion Pictures, all semesters help one another. This way, students in lower years can learn from those in higher years. At the same time, students in higher years also need assistance, because you can’t make a film without a crew.
Michael Gödde
5 semesters
Semester structure
Foundation (Compulsory Subjects)
Median Design (MD), Audio-Visual Media Technology (MT), Self and Project Media Management (MM) and Media Philosophy (MPH).
Semester Project (Compulsory module)
A semester project covering the fields of media design, media technology and media management.
Project topics include documentary film, short film and feature film, amongst others.
Elective modules (2–3 modules per semester)
Freedom to choose from the range of electives offered in the disciplines of media design, media informatics and technology, media management, and media theory.
(For example, documentary film, pre-production, film editing, cinematography, film sound, lighting for film, acting, animation, writing, etc.)
Internship
An internship of up to six months in the media, TV or film industry.
Examples: film production companies, television broadcasters, advertising agencies, multimedia agencies, consultancy firms, media service providers.
Semester Project (Compulsory module)
A semester project covering the fields of media design, media technology and media management.
More complex project topics in the fields of documentary film, short film and feature film, amongst others.
Elective modules (2–3 modules per semester)
Freedom to choose from the range of electives offered in the disciplines of media design, media informatics and technology, media management, and media theory.
(For example, documentary film, pre-production, film editing, cinematography, film sound, lighting for film, acting, animation, writing, etc…)
Research Project (Compulsory Module)
In the research project, topics for the Bachelor's project are prepared over a period of four weeks. The project is supervised by two tutors chosen by the student. The subject-specific focus is determined by the chosen topic.
Bachelor's Project (Compulsory Module)
The Bachelor's project is carried out individually or as part of a team over a twelve-week period. It is supervised by two tutors chosen by the student. The disciplinary focus is determined by the chosen Bachelor's project topic.
Courses
Media Design teaches the basics of creative filmmaking. What camera angles are there and what effect do they have on the viewer? What is an invisible cut? What is mise-en-scène? These are just some of the topics covered in this course. In addition, students create their first short films to experience and practise these techniques.
MT is a course that runs throughout the entire degree programme, supporting students up to the sixth semester, and covers the technical aspects of filmmaking. How does a camera work, what is a sensor, and what happens to all the data that is recorded? Each semester focuses on a different area: from studio and TV equipment and sound recording to visual effects.
As well as ethical issues relating to film design, models of communication are also a key focus of this course. Media Philosophy examines, for example, the theories of Kant and Hegel, but it also deals with the conscious and responsible use of media.
From the second semester onwards, students are free to create their own films as part of the Media Project. These may be short films, documentaries, music videos or experimental works. In the classroom, lecturers offer guidance on both the creative and technical aspects of planning and realising the project, whilst also imparting in-depth knowledge of filmmaking. Films are analysed and theoretical knowledge is developed through practical exercises covering every area of filmmaking in depth: screenwriting, production, cinematography, lighting, sound and editing.
Media Management focuses on the production and legal aspects of filmmaking. What are the different types of film insurance? How do I work out the figures? What is a restitution contract? How do I apply for funding, and what other options do I have for financing my project? How do I market my film, and how can I submit it to festivals?
This course covers the most important works in the history of film. Students watch and analyse films, explore and discuss the influences on filmmakers as well as technical innovations. What was the Nouvelle Vague? Who was Eadweard Muybridge, and how did films reflect and influence the era and environments in which they were made?
Elective modules are courses that students can choose individually. The Motion Pictures programme offers a wide-ranging catalogue of topics for in-depth specialisation in areas such as screenwriting, cinematography, editing or visual effects. Open electives can also be taken from other degree programmes at the Media Campus, such as Animation and Game, Sound, Music and Production BA, or Interactive Media Design.
The entire fourth semester is devoted to a work placement. Students choose a company or production facility – whether in Germany or anywhere else in the world – for their work placement. In a professional environment, they gain valuable new experiences. Furthermore, the work placement is a good opportunity to help define the creative path they wish to take and to explore potential career roles after graduation.
The Bachelor's project is the final project, which students are free to choose themselves. Bachelor's projects may, for example, take the form of short films or documentaries, but may also be screenplays, or analyses and developments of new film technologies.