In our media laboratory, you can practice your skills in, and thereby gain a deeper understanding of, various audio-visual formats and technical processes and acquire basic knowledge and skills in creating journalistic content, educational and information films.
The media lab’s scientific area can help you enhance your theoretical knowledge as well as practical know-how. Get a hold of some camera, sound, lighting or editing equipment or try your hand at new audio-visual formats (e.g. web documentaries) to learn more about genre and format theory, media art or media conditions.
The transferable skills area focuses on the practical, basic audio-visual knowledge required for a career in journalism or public relations. In addition to offering foundational workshops on working with camera technology and film editing, we create content for the university including educational videos and information or image films.
If you are a student and interested in getting involved, please visit ILIAS to register. There, you will also find information about upcoming workshops and on-going projects.
University units thinking about working with us on an interview, educational, PR or information film: please feel free to contact us at any time. Please note that our resources are limited and that we cannot accommodate independent video productions outside the framework of educational projects.
Equipment
The medial lab is equipped with a range of technical components. Our films are shot using DSLR cameras as well as professional video cameras. We have four fully equipped editing suites, each with a complete Adobe Master Collection (Premiere, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and AfterEffects).
The media lab also boasts a recording booth that can be used to add sound or spoken text to any journalistic piece.
Our pieces are mainly shot using DSLR cameras made by Canon. We also have two professional video cameras made by Panasonic and Sony. For sound recording, we use audio recorders from Tascam and Zoom. The media lab also has various Sennheiser microphones at its disposal.
Necessary accessories that no shoot can do without include numerous tripods from Manfrotto, two dollies, two lighting kits (3 x 800 W artificial light as a well as daylight LEDs) and three boom arms.
Information and PR formats
Web documentary on the occasion of the university’s 50th anniversary
The media studies working group, in collaboration with the Human-Computer Interaction working group led by Professor Harald Reiterer, devised a web documentary in honour of the university’s 50th anniversary. The anniversary documentary was designed by students who produced and assembled the video and audio material in a graphic programming environment (media studies working group) and developed both its graphic design elements (communication design HTWG) and the technical aspects of the programming (Human-Computer Interaction working group). Choosing between several tours, web documentary viewers were able to access a series of short pieces on the university in connection with the “Ein Tag an der Uni” (spend one day at the university) project. That way, they were able to experience the university not only as an institution, but as a multi-faceted space for working and living in. This was the first time the university was shown like this online.
Literature-Art-Media (LKM): A web documentary by LKM students for prospective LKM students
Our “LKM Support”, which promotes communication between prospective students, current students, alumni and teaching staff via online services, events and action days, in collaboration with the media lab, the KOS project and LKM students and teachers, has developed a web documentary about the LKM study programme. Besides a written online self-test on the contents of the study programme, our student advisory services also provide multi-media insights into the study contents and the views on the study programme and the University of Konstanz shared by current students and teaching staff. Our interactive videos combine further information, links to additional information material and insights into student projects.
Educational films for the blended learning seminar “Film in Film: Reflective Cinema”
To increase the number of courses taught in English, media studies has developed a new teaching concept called “Konstanz Augmented Classroom”, which seeks to expand seminar collaborations with universities in the English-speaking world. This blended learning concept enables the department to bridge difficulties hampering international cooperation such as distance, diverging lecture times, study programmes and requirements, while also reacting to the challenges that electronic learning concepts such as MOOCs (massive open online courses) pose to traditional institutional teaching formats. A first cooperation has been initiated with the media studies department at the University of Essex.
To make the self-learning materials as attractive and accessible as possible, students were involved in the conception and production of the teaching videos. The developers paid particular attention to choosing a contemporary video format that is oriented towards current popular explanatory videos circulating on YouTube while maintaining academic standards in regard to terminology. These videos directly address the respective seminar topic.
Exhibitions
Collaboration with the Zeppelin Museum on the special exhibition “Kult” in the summer of 2017
The University of Konstanz’s media studies working group collaborated with the Zeppelin Museum Friedrichshafen on the special exhibition “Kult” (2 June - 15 October 2017).
In the project seminar, we investigated how the airship or zeppelin phenomenon is represented in various audio-visual media. The focus was on the interplay of aspects from the zeppelin’s construction and technical history, including its representation in film as an agent and social space. Our work was based around documentaries, movies, news items as well as computer games and internet productions spanning the entire twentieth century up to now. The research findings and seminar results were presented in an interactive web documentary. The project ended in the summer semester of 2017. The web documentary was presented at the Zeppelin Museum.
In the “Zumutungen des Hörens” seminar conducted by Professor Beate Ochsner, Dr Markus Spöhr and Robert Stock on research carried out in sub-project 2 “Recht auf Mitsprache: Das Cochlea-Implantat und die Zumutungen des Hörens” of the DFG research group “Mediale Teilhabe. Partizipation zwischen Anspruch und Inanspruchnahme”, students used the media laboratory to develop multi-media exhibits for the Zeppelin Museum’s “Zepplab”.
Media art exhibitions in the “Neuwerk”
Exhibition project “Appdate” in cooperation with Neuwerk Konstanz, 19-26 January 2017
The “Appdate” exhibition in the Neuwerk was organised as part of a seminar taught in the context of the University of Konstanz’s Literature-Art-Media study programme and relates to the work carried out by the DFG research group “Mediale Teilhabe. Partizipation zwischen Anspruch und Inanspruchnahme”.
In artistic programmings, installations and videos, apps were made observable and examined as to their aesthetics, technical and social aspects. The exhibits discussed the omnipresent usage of digital technologies and the conditions of participation inherent to them: On the one hand, art projects enable innovative ways of using technology, thereby playing with promises of technological progress. But they also question everyday communication patters by exploring alternative or resistant means of usage on the other hand. In addition to artworks, the exhibition also included practical student projects approaching apps from a critical angle.
The exhibition “another # in the wall” showed seven installations curated by LKM students that included objects as well as video and audio pieces exploring the dissolution of boundaries from various angles. The title “another # in the wall” alluded to the repetition and variation, processing and replacement of information. The projects shown in the exhibition revealed how processuality is conveyed in the exhibition space. The three-day exhibition in the Neuwerk Konstanz featured installations that reflected on the relationship of image and space, drew, expanded, transformed or revised aesthetic boundaries and, at the same time, discussed forms of assimilating social networking practices in the exhibition room. Südkurier newspaper item.
The exhibition in the “Großer Saal” of the Neuwerk opened at 17:00. It presented thirteen different art projects dealing with the topics of media and transience, celebrating or questioning art by means of theatrical displays, film, photography, radio, installations and interactive projects. Professor Ulrich Rüdiger, Rector of the University of Konstanz, delivered the opening remarks, followed by a short introduction from the seminar leader and a party including a light installation and music from the electro band MO.ODY and DJ duo Tanssimmeko.