Theory and History of Film and Audiovisual Culture
Degree programme specification
Are you interested in film and television production? Do you wonder how storytelling works and how film style can be studied? Do you want to delve into the secrets of film theory and become an expert in film history? When studying the Theory and History of Film and Audiovisual Culture program, you will learn to analyze and interpret films; you will understand the circumstances of their creation as well as their reception by audiences and critics. However, if you are primarily interested in the practical issues of audiovisual production and distribution, understanding the creative process behind its creation, and understanding the mechanisms of distribution and release in cinemas and on television, on VOD platforms or at film festivals, there is a program option with a specialization in Practical Audiovisual Studies.
During your studies, you will learn how to effectively use key sources of information about the film industry and the latest digital tools for its analysis. You will meet experienced directors, screenwriters, distributors, cinema operators, archivists, film festival dramaturges, and VOD platform representatives at lectures and seminars, where you will present your own ideas and projects. You will try your hand at being a film critic. You will learn about the latest research and theoretical and practical knowledge about film production and distribution. At the end of your studies, you will be ready to apply for a job in the film industry or improve your qualifications by studying a master's program at high-quality domestic and foreign universities.
You will improve your passive and active knowledge of English by attending lectures given by guest lecturers – world-renowned experts in their field, whom we invite to teach block courses. At these lectures, you will meet talented students who come to us from different countries and continents to study the English-language program Culture, Media, and Performative Arts.
We invite experts from the field, specialists from Czech and Slovak art schools, production and distribution companies, and leading foreign universities. With the support of the Erasmus program, you can study at another European university for an entire semester, with options including universities in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Poland.
We develop close relationships with film producers, distributors, and cinema operators, and our internship team will regularly provide you with a wide range of work experience opportunities.
Is this program right for you?
Are you planning to seek employment in one of the following areas after completing your bachelor's degree, and do you want to be well prepared for that moment?
Distribution of films and series, work in a film distribution company or media company operating VOD platforms
Dramaturgical preparation of television or film works
Dramaturgy and organization of film festivals
Management or dramaturgy of cinemas
Film history research in archival or educational institutions
Audiovisual education at secondary schools
Master's degree program with a focus on humanities, social sciences, or filmmaking at a high-quality Czech or foreign university
Do you agree? Choose between a single-subject study program without specialization or with specialization and submit your application!
Study plans
Studies
- ObjectivesThe aim of bachelor study is to educate graduates for qualified professions requiring independent analytical, critical and conceptual thinking, cultural overview and media literacy in the field of cinema, audiovisual industry, media, cultural institutions and creative and cultural industries.
Bachelor’s degree study leads to the comprehension and understanding of cinema, i.e. film and audiovisual industry as a complex phenomenon in relevant historical, social, cultural, economic, technical and aesthetic contexts.
Bachelor study provides a systematic set of overview knowledge and basic skills in the field, within the wider framework of humanities and social sciences.
Emphasis is placed on a unified curriculum and a common learning standard that corresponds to the level of general education in the given field.
The curriculum is based on a set of predominantly compulsory and compulsory elective courses (lectures and seminars), the components of which are:
1) subjects on film theory and methodology of film science,
2) subjects on the history of Czech and world cinema,
3) subjects focused on methodological research bases,
4) subjects focused on realization of bacherlor thesis,
4) subjects of leading experts from foreign universities (in English),
5) practical subjects of domestic experts (from the field of film industry, festivals, TV programming, film preservation, etc.),
6) selective research and project oriented subjects,
7) professional practice in the film and audiovisual industry institutions. - Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the programme, the graduate is able to:
- use a systematic overview of basic theoretical concepts, terminology, historical data and contexts within both Czech and international context;
- use basic research skills: research, archival research, working with sources, and interviews;
- use methods of critical thinking, reading and academic writing;
- solve technical issues and tasks in the sphere of activity of memory, cultural, and media institutions;
- make use of practical experience in the field of memory and cultural institutions, film and television distribution and exhibition.
- Occupational Profiles of Graduates
Graduates of the Theory and History of Film and Audiovisual Culture program at Masaryk University tend to be very successful in their careers. They lecture to students at secondary schools and universities, manage creative teams in production, distribution, or research companies and institutions, and find employment in the media, film industry, and advertising. They manage cinemas and festivals, preserve cultural heritage in film archives, and work as film journalists, historians, and critics. Even during your studies, a wide range of opportunities will open up to you, for example in the form of internships, and how you use them will depend solely on your individual talent and hard work.
You can shape the skills you acquire through the program by choosing a single-subject study with a specialization or a suitable interdisciplinary combination.
- Practical Training
Some of the courses are directly focused on practical experience. For example, you can form a team with your classmates, which will be given a program slot at the Scala University Cinema for one semester and fill it with a film series according to your own dramaturgy. This includes promotion, moderating discussions, and other attractions. As part of your professional practice, you can complete internships in the media, in a television studio, on film or festival crews, or in a film archive. You can work in the cultural sections of newspapers and magazines and publish reviews. All of this will enrich your professional CV, gain experience, and expand your social capital.
- Goals of ThesesThe bachelor diploma thesis has a minimum range of 70,000 characters (attachments - bibliographic, filmographic, documentary - are not counted in the minimum range, unless the supervisor decides otherwise).
The bachelor diploma thesis is realized during three follow-up seminars in 4th - 6th semester: in the subject Bachelor’s Project a detailed concept is prepared, in the Diploma Seminars I and II a working version is realized, respectively the final version is being finished.
Students can realize either a research type of work within listed areas of research, or an analysis of a film (audiovisual) work.
Students have to demonstrate the ability to critically work with sources and literature, to apply theoretical and methodological concepts, to formulate research questions and figure out relevant answers.
A detailed procedure including individual outputs is described in the manual for the realization of the bachelor thesis: http://fav.phil.muni.cz/studium/bakalarske-studium/realizace-bakalarske-zaverecne-prace. - Access to Further StudiesThe study program continues in a follow-up master's degree program. Alternatively, you can choose a master's degree program in another field of study, primarily in the humanities or social sciences.
Basic information
Czech