Subject Area Cast / Audiovisual Media

Online and mobile media are the fastest growing sectors in the media industry. There is a strong demand for creative professionals producing quality content in newsrooms, cross-media editorial offices and social media departments – and it is precisely to fill this demand that the specialization in Cast / Audiovisual Media is educating its students. Cast / Audiovisual Media is also trialling a new subject area of its own, covering new web-based digital narrative forms, mostly video/moving image and animation. The Cast designation is derived from terms such as podcast, webcast and broadcast.

Teaching and learning

The specialization in Cast / Audiovisual Media is centred on the design and production of audiovisual content for online and mobile media. The students learn to tell stories using multimedia and interactive methods on smartphone, tablet, computer and other networked screens, and to find an audience through social media networks and digital channels. The innovative topics taught produce network-oriented, creative online publishers for a young and growing profession.

Research

Research and development

The media transformation taking place today places permanently changing demands on the narrative forms of audiovisual media. The specialization in Cast / Audiovisual Media is focusing its development and research activities at the interface between the moving image and social media.

Presentations / Workshops

September 2016: Martin Zimper, Storytelling Lectures, Shanghai Theatre and TV Academy
January 2016: Nicolas Büchi, 360° Video, a short Overview: Greater Zurich Area VR Workshop
November 2015: Eric Andreae, "What you can learn from cat videos to boost your company's success". Aperitif reception for Swiss media representatives, organized by IP Media.
September 2015: Martin Zimper, Storytelling Workshop, Cortona Week of the Collegium Helveticum and ETH
June 2015: Martin Zimper, Workshop, CAS Multichannel Management, HWZ Zurich
May 2015: Martin Zimper and Eric Andreae, "Best of Webdocs", Z-Dok Documentary Film Convention
March 2015: Martin Zimper, TV Formats 2025: Innovative Formats in TV and on Corresponding Platforms  

Institute for Design Research (IDE)

The research conducted in the Cast / Audiovisual Media subject area forms part of the research of the Department of Design, which is bundled at the Institute for Design Research (IDE). The IDE is an integrative organization which coordinates and proactively supports the research projects of the various subject areas within the Department of Design. As the central point of contact for research projects at the Department of Design, the IDE acts as a bridge between the researchers in the department and external research partners.

Advanced Studies

Cast / Audiovisual Media offers continuing education on topics such as storytelling, social media and moving images. As part of the Summer and Winter School courses at the ZHdK, there are options such as “iStory. On the dramaturgy of travelling heroes and mobile spectators in the age of screens”, “Social media for artists and the creative” or “YouTube Channel and Content Strategy”. For teachers at UHZ and ETH upper secondary schools, the “Smartphones in teaching – recording allowed!” course has been a real success.

For more information on continuing education offerings, please see the ZHdK Continuing Education Page.

Leadership team

Nico Lypitkas is interim head of the subject area Cast / Audiovisual Media. As a filmmaker, lecturer and coach specialising in audiovisual storytelling, digital media and format development, he has also been responsible for the Bachelor's programme in Cast / Audiovisual Media since 2016.