academy of converging media - creating content for the new media
Close of applications for the summer intensive courses: April 17, 2003

The academy of converging media provides advanced vocational training for European professionals looking to tool up for the digital revolution in the media industry.

Following a very successful first year, the academy of converging media will once again be running two content + creation intensive courses in the summer of 2003. These training programmes are aimed at future conceptors, new media authors, information architects, and entertainment designers and will equip them with the skills they need to develop informational, educational, and entertainment content for interactive and cooperative media.

As with any other medium, the new media utilise specific content formats and design forms. In other words, they follow their own rules which need be developed. Each intensive course concentrates on different characteristics found in the new media today. The second, cooperative systems follows on from the first, interactive media. Each course lasts four weeks and provides essential knowledge in the areas of technology, dramaturgy, production methodology, information architecture, and interface design. Teaching is in the form of lectures, case studies, and practical exercises. Both courses finish off with the development of a group project.

Module 1, “interactive media” (June 16 - July 11, 2003), is devoted to the question of human interaction with software. Course participants will focus on the development of interactive, single-user applications. They will learn to look at interaction as a dramaturgical moment, structure the information involved, develop a corresponding media representation, and design appropriate interfaces.

Module 2, “cooperative systems” (July 21 - August 15, 2003), is aimed at people who have already acquired a basic knowledge and experience of the new media. The course focuses on the question of cooperation between users in networked systems. Participants will analyse the types of systems now emerging and discuss the influence of the new media on culture and society. They will learn how to develop content for, and in the context of, multi-user applications, how to promote user participation, and how to support user cooperation.

The trainers at the academy of converging media are recruited from throughout Europe and the US. They are all highly qualified with wide-ranging experience in their respective professional or research fields. The aim of the academy of converging media is to provide enhanced training for the European media industry and thus support the development of new media content. It is a platform for an interdisciplinary discussion about the impact that media and technology have on our culture.

The closing date for applications for both courses, which will be held in the SonyCenter at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, is March 31, 2003. Applications are welcome from citizens of countries that belong to the MEDIA programme of the EU. The number of participants per course is restricted to 12 persons. The course fees per module are €1,800. For further information on the course programme and the application procedure: www.academy-of-converging-media.com.

Contact
academy of converging media
Inga von Staden
Linienstraße 155
D - 10115 Berlin
fon.: +49-(0)30-20 67 96 27
fax: +49-(0)30-22 65 19 14                          
e-Mail: presse@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.