introduction

Who is the academy of converging media?

The academy of converging media was founded by the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (German Film- and Television 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).

Why an academy of converging media?

The idea for the academy of converging media arose in response to a growing need for conceptors, information architects and authors to work in the new and converging media. 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. Momentarily conceptors are recruited from related fields of work or education and mostly learn within their job.

What is a conceptor?

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.
The task of the conceptor is to create new worlds, fill them with life and develop characters that generate strong user identification. The conceptor has an ear for narratives that arise with user interaction. S/he is able to take a story, character or piece of information and develop it for a range of different platforms. As such, the conceptor of tomorrow is author, dramaturge and information architect all rolled into one.
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.

What are the content + creation intensive courses?

The academy's first initiative, the content + creation intensive courses are a unique European programme training the skills needed by conceptors and information architects. As such, the academy is making a contribution towards the establishment of professional standards in the new media and technologies.
The two courses on offer respectively focus on interactive media and cooperate systems. In the courses, professionals from media and other disciplines learn to develop new narrative formats, dramaturgical languages, communal systems and user interfaces.
Participating in the programme is like taking a sabbatical. The courses run four weeks. The schedule combines high profile lectures, tutor guided case studies, theoretical and technical exercises as well as group projects to give the participants maximum exposure to the creative challenges of the evolving professions in concept design and content development.

Who participated in the programme in 2002?

The content + creation intensive courses were aimed at people from throughout the European Union looking to expand their professional horizons or embark upon a new career as conceptor or information architect. Applicants were professionals with a minimum of two years professional experience from media and other disciplines working as free lancers or in the employ of companies.

Who were the trainers in 2002?

The courses were taught by reknowned professionals, researchers and trainers from Europe and the USA with extensive knowledge in their particular fields of specialisation. The academy of converging media places an equal emphasis on the acquisition of both a firm theoretical grounding and the practical skills required to work in this field. All teaching was in English.
With limited admission numbers and many extra curricular events, the courses encouraged a lively exchange between participants and trainers.

Where were the courses staged in 2002?

The courses were housed in the Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin in the Sony Centre, Berlin and integrated into the film school The objective is to combine the knowledge from both traditional and new media in order to develop the convergence formats of tomorrow.
The participants were living and working in Berlin for the duration of 1 to 2 months, an intensive period of time in which they got to know each other and learn to appreciate the individual skills and attributes of their fellow participants. Thus, the academy hopes to support the creation of European networks which are essential to the innovational spirit powering the development of new technologies and evolvement of converging media.

When were the courses staged in 2002?

content + creation intensive course, module 1 (Interactive Media)

June 03 - 28, 2002 (the schedule ran five days a week from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.)

content + creation intensive course, module 2 (Cooperative Systems)

July 08 - August 02, 2002 (the schedule ran five days a week from 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.)

Who supported the programme in 2002?

The content + creation intensive courses are supported by the MEDIA programme of the European Union as well as the Berlin Senate Department of Business and Technology in conjunction with the Filmboard Berlin-Brandenburg GmbH. Contributing partners to the programme are Pixelpark AG, cine-plus Media Service & Co. KG and IDEC Ltd. in Greece.

Where to find out more about the programme!

academy of converging media e.V.

Linienstrasse 155
D-10115 Berlin
Tel.: +49-(0)30-30 87 93 23 / Fax: +49-(0)30-30 87 93 26
info@academy-of-converging-media.de
www.academy-of-convering-media.de